As a chemistry teacher, whether of any school or university, safety first should be your priority while conducting chemistry experiments. You won’t want to carry forward with the experiments in the front of students that you have no idea of. Mistakes in the chemistry experimentscan lead to embarrassing nicknames such as “two fingers joe”, “one eyed jack” and “lefty”. Thus, it is of utmost importance to understand the importance of the safety tips that should be followed while conducting the chemical experiments and should be implemented every time. This would ensure that you and your students have a great time during the chemistry experiments and would do full justice to the educational scientific lab equipment too. And to help you with that, today we are going to discuss some of these safety tips. So, let’s get started.
Never Perform Any Experiments that are Unauthorized
One thing that you should always keep in mind as a chemistry teacher is not to give any permission to students to perform any kind of experiments without any supervision. Before conducting any experiment, you and your students must know what you are going to do. There should be a complete layout of the experiment including the hypothesis, complete material list and step by step procedure. There should be a log book of all the experiments conducted.
Use Lab Equipment only for their Intended Use
It is always advised to use a specific lab equipment to use for the purpose for which it was made for. Out of all, most of the accidents that are reported in chemistry laboratories are due to the usage of a particular equipment for various purposes. Though the chemistry glassware look really cool, they are never meant to be utilized as dishes to eat out or drink something.
Never Bring any Food or Drink into the Laboratory
Unless getting poisoned is on the top of your to-do list, it is always advised not to bring any kind of eatables or drinkables in the laboratory. With so many chemical around, the chances of eatables getting contaminated increase tenfold. If you are feeling hungry or thirsty, simply excuse yourself, go out and have a relaxing time while enjoying your snacks and drinks.
Avoid Removing any Material from the Laboratory
It is advised not to remove any material from the laboratory. It is better if you instruct the students carefully regarding this rule. Explain to them the importance of your permission regarding taking anything out of the laboratory. Teach them how it’s just not another game; sometimes, taking any material out of the laboratory can be a serious criminal offence.
Always Wash Your Hands
After every session of any chemical experiment, it is important to wash the hands thoroughly. Even if you consider a specific session completely harmless, you are handling the equipment that might be contaminated. That’s why it is advised to make hand washing a habit.
Always Wear Protective Eye Gear
Always ensure that you and your students are wearing protective eye gear whenever any activity is being performed that involves chemicals. Though for many people, it may sound a bit like hassle, it can prevent big mishaps. During many experiments, there are chances of splashing of chemicals, so these protective gears will protect your eyes.
With that being said, these are some of the safety tips that you and your students should always follow and implement while performing and chemical activity in the chemistry laboratory.