Safety in the laboratory
General Rules
- All procedures carried out in practical sessions must be assessed for risk to both pupils and Staff. This should be noted at the planning stage. Many activities in physics are very low risk, but they should still be assessed carefully!
- Before ANY practical activity pupils must be made aware of the risks involved (no matter how small they may be) and what to do should a problem occur.
- All bags or obstructions should be removed from the benches and the floor around them and placed on the 'tram lines'.
- Hair should be tied back or clipped away from the face.
- Stools should be tucked under the benches and girls should stand for practical work. It is easier to react promptly to a situation when not seated.
- Goggles and lab coats must be worn for any procedures that include heating over a bunsen flame... but ensure lab coat sleeves are not in danger of catching light!
- Goggles must be worn if there is any possibility of items flying into the eye (by fracture of equipment or swinging wires etc.)
- Goggles (when required) should be worn by all girls until all have completed the task. Just because one group has finished an activity does not mean that they are then risk free from the activities of others in the class group!
- Hot equipment must not be put directly away. It must be marked clearly as a hazard to technical staff and others until it is safe to put away.
IF YOU ARE IN ANY DOUBT ABOUT THE SAFE USE OR CONDITION OF ANY EQUIPMENT OR THE CORRECT PROCEDURE TO BE FOLLOWED DO NOT CARRY OUT THE EXPERIMENT.
See the INDEX page for topic specific help
in identifying risks
Extracted from WGHS Physiscs Department hHandbook written by L.O. Jones 2005
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