Staying Safe in Science Class

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to choose and use the right safety equipment and practices during lab, classroom, and field investigations.

Think about getting ready for a football game or a bike ride on a hot Texas afternoon. You do not just run out the door. You put on a helmet, grab water, and check that your gear fits. Science investigations work the same way. Before you pour, heat, or mix anything, you prepare your body and your workspace so that a small accident stays small.

The most common piece of protection is personal protective equipment, which means the gear you wear to keep chemicals, heat, and flying pieces away from your body. Splash-proof goggles protect your eyes, an apron protects your clothes and skin, and gloves protect your hands. You wear closed-toe shoes because a spilled liquid or a dropped beaker goes straight to the floor. Long hair gets tied back so it stays out of flames and equipment.

You also need to know where the safety equipment in the room is located before you need it. The eyewash station rinses chemicals out of your eyes, the safety shower rinses a large spill off your body, and the fire extinguisher and fire blanket put out flames. A material safety data sheet, which is a document that lists the hazards and the correct handling of a chemical, tells you what to do if something spills.

Good practices matter as much as gear. Read all directions first, never taste or directly sniff anything, tell your teacher about every spill or broken glass, keep backpacks off the floor path, and wash your hands before you leave. On a field investigation, that also means sun protection, water, and staying with your group.

Try it: If a classmate splashes a chemical near their eye during a lab, what is the very first thing you should do?