STUDENTS LABORATORY SAFETY CONTRACT

(Your health and safety are most important! In the science laboratory, you will be carrying out a

number of laboratory activities that could be hazardous to your health and well being UNLESS

they are done by following your teacher s instructions both oral and written. The rules listed below

will help ensure your safety. They must be followed at all times. The bottom portion requires your

signature and that of your parent or guardian. After both of you have signed the tear-off sheet, it

must be returned to your teacher so that you can participate in laboratory activities. Failure to carry

out laboratory experiments will result in a lowered class grade and might result in a failing grade m

the course. The upper portion of this contract is to be pasted or taped in your science notebook and

should be reread prior to starting each new laboratory activity.

GENERAL RULES

1. Follow all instructions carefully. If you don’t understand what you are expected to do, ask your

teacher before proceeding.

2. Conduct yourself in a responsible manner whenever you are in the science laboratory. Horse play

and pranks are dangerous and have no place in the science laboratory. When you enter the

laboratory, do not touch any equipment or chemicals until you are instructed to do so.

3. Eating and drinking is not permitted in the laboratory. Do not use any glassware in the laboratory

as a container for food or drinks. Keep your work area neat and clean. If available, wear a

lab apron or coat.

4. Know where the safety equipment including the eyewash station, safety shower, fire extinguisher

and fire blanket is located. Notify your instructor immediately of any unsafe condition.

5. Use the fume hood when working with gaseous substances. Never put your head inside the

fume hood.

6. If a fire drill occurs during a laboratory period, be sure to close all chemical containers, gas and

electricity.

7. Keep your hands away from your eyes, mouth and face when using chemicals or handling

preserved specimens. Wash your hands with soap and water before leaving the laboratory.

8. Clean and return all equipment when instructed to do so by your teacher.

9. When handling sharp instruments such as scissors and dissecting instruments, always carry them

with the tips and points in a downward position. Always cut away from your body. Hold the

instruments by their handles. If a sharp instrument falls off the table, don’t try to catch it!

10. Wear goggles when instructed by your teacher. There are no exceptions to this rule. If you wear

contact lenses, ask your instructor for non-vented safety goggles. If a chemical should splash

into your eye or get on your skin, immediately flush the eye or skin with running water from

the safety shower or eyewash station for at least fifteen minutes. Notify your instructor at once.

Report any accident including a chemical spill or breaking of equipment to your teacher at once.

Notify your teacher of any injury no matter how slight. This includes cuts and burns and chemical

splashes on any part of the body.

27

11. Long hair, hanging jewelry, and loose or baggy clothing are hazardous in the laboratory. Long

hair must be tied back. Hanging jewelry and loose clothing must be secured. Sandals are not

permitted in the science laboratory. Shoes or sneakers must be worn.

12 Follow instructions for handling chemicals. Do not taste, touch, or smell any chemicals unless

told to do so. Don’t return unused chemicals to their stock containers. Dispose of all chemicals

by following your teacher’s instructions. Don’t use the sink drains for mixing chemicals.

13. Follow instructions for the handing and dilution of acids and bases.

14. Follow directions for inserting and removing glass tubing from rubber stoppers. Never handle

broken glass with your bare hands. Use a dustpan and a brush or broom for cleaning up broken

glass.

15. Do not use glassware that is chipped or cracked.

16. Make sure your hands are dry before removing an electric plug from a socket. Report any

damaged electrical equipment, including, frayed wires and loose connections.

17. Be very careful when using a gas burner. Keep hair, clothing, and your hands safely away from

an open flame. Never point the open end of a test tube that is being heated at yourself or anyone

else. Hot glass and hot metal stay hot for a long time. Set them aside to cool on an insulated

pad. Remember, hot glass and cold glass look exactly alike.

AGREEMENT

I of Class have read and agree to follow all of the safety rules in this contract. I will follow my teacher’s directions. I am aware that failure to follow these rules is dangerous and may result in my being barred from the laboratory, and that this may result in a failing grade.

____________________________________________________________

Student Signature Date

Dear Parent or Guardian:

Your signature indicates that you have read these safety rules and have instructed your child to follow these rules and procedures in the science laboratory.

______________________________________________________________

Parent/Guardian Signature Date