Safety rules and regulations for an Integrative STEM Education Laboratory

Student

Instructor

Course

Date
To protect the health and safety of students, teachers, and staff, an integrative STEM education

laboratory must have clear and comprehensive safety rules and regulations. The following is a

standard list of fundamental safety guidelines for an integrative STEM education laboratory that

must be adhered to by any lab using hazardous materials or procedures. These fundamental

guidelines include information about behavior safety and hygiene to prevent accidents in the lab.

Laboratory standard operating procedures (SOPs) should cover any safety regulations that may

be relevant to the processes, equipment, and materials used in the laboratory.

A. BASIC SAFETY GUIDELINES

1. Only authorized students, instructors or visitors with legitimate cause for being in the

lab should access the laboratory.

2. All chemicals must be properly labeled and stored in line with their hazard

classification (Al-Zyoud et al., 2019). Maintain Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)

and a Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP) for each chemical used in the lab. Eyewash

stations and chemical spill kits should be in easily accessible areas.

3. All electrical equipment should be properly grounded and undergo periodic checks.

Refrain from overloading electrical circuits and replace or repair damaged outlets and

cords the right way.

4. Fire blankets and extinguishers should be strategically placed as well as regularly

maintained and inspected. For heating or open flame experiments, establish safe

zones and forbid open flames.

5. Emergency contact information and procedures must be clearly posted to facilitate

fast response to fires, accidents among other critical situations. Everyone should have

a comprehensive understanding of these procedures (Motz, n.d.).

B. PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT AND PROPER ATTIRE

1. It is a requirement to wear authorized safety googles when conducting an experiment

at all times. Goggles with D3 designation and indirect ventilation that complies with

ANSI Z87.1-2015 are required. It is strongly unadvisable to wear contact lenses.

Safety glasses are not appropriate. The bookstore sells safety goggles (EXPULSION

FROM THE LAB WILL BE THE AFTERMATH OF NOT WEARING

SAFETY GOOGLES!).

2. Nitrile gloves and a lab coat made entirely of cotton are highly advised. They provide

extra defense against spills or splashes of chemicals. You can get them from online

retailers or the bookshop.

3. Put on a shirt that covers your entire upper body. In the lab, exposed hips, backs,

abdomens, and shoulders are not safe.

4. Jewelry should be worn in moderation and long hair should be appropriately tied

back.

5. Put on shoes with closed toes and back, like sneakers. No flip-flops, sandals, or open-

toed shoes allowed.

C. SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

1. In the lab, avoid eating, drinking, smoking, and vaping.

2. Please speak with your doctor before joining the lab if you have any medical

conditions that could be made worse by working closely with chemicals.

3. Using a cell phone in the lab is prohibited. Please switch the phone to quiet, vibrate,

or off. Please use the phone outside the lab if you need to make a call or answer one

(Ménard, & Trant, 2020).

 4. Before starting work, familiarize yourself with the experimental procedure; make

note of any steps that could be dangerous. Before starting any experiment, your

instructor should make sure you are aware of all safety risks.

5. Unauthorized experimentation is not permitted.

6. In the event of an accident, notify the lab instructor right away. Inform the staff in the

storeroom if you require any more help.

7. Every chemical should be handled as though it were potentially harmful. Wash your

skin and eyes thoroughly with cold water right away if a chemical gets in contact with

them. Request that a different student call the teacher. See the Student Health Center

for further medical care.

8. Don't frighten or distract other students. Horseplay or practical jokes will never be

accepted.

9. Before leaving the lab, make sure you give yourself a good, complete hand wash.

D. CONDUCT OF EXPERIMENTS

1. Use a towel to shield your hands when cutting glass tubing or putting tubing into

stoppers. Glycerol or water should be used to lubricate glass tubing to facilitate

insertion. Cut the stoppers in order to extract the tubing from them.

2. Refrain from tasting or smelling chemicals unless directed to do so. Fan the fumes

toward your nose and take a cautious intake if you are asked to sniff a chemical (Al-

Zyoud et al., 2019).

3. Avoid pipetting liquids by mouth; instead, use a safety or mechanical pipet bulb.

4. Only use equipment for the intended purpose. Ask your teacher for advice on the

correct handling technique.

 5. For advice on how to properly dispose of chemicals, always ask your teacher. Each

lab includes a hood with a stated collection guideline specifically for disposing of

chemicals. Ensure that every chemical is disposed of in the appropriate bottle.

Unforeseen chemical reactions, such as fire, can occur when a chemical is placed in

the incorrect bottle. IF YOU ARE NOT SURE, ASK!

E. STOREROOM PROCEDURES

1. Without a formal request from the teacher, the Storeroom will not issue any chemicals

or equipment that are not specifically listed for a particular experiment or stocked in

the original student locker. Any requests for more unidentified samples need to be

supported by the instructor's formal consent.

2. A penalty fee will be charged if you do not check out of the laboratory by the last

scheduled lab period, or before. When a student drops a course, they are responsible

for leaving the laboratory within a week of the drop date.

 References

Ménard, A. D., & Trant, J. F. (2020). A review and critique of academic lab safety

research. Nature chemistry, 12(1), 17-25.

Al-Zyoud, W., Qunies, A. M., Walters, A. U., & Jalsa, N. K. (2019). Perceptions of chemical

safety in laboratories. Safety, 5(2), 21.

Motz, L. (n.d.). Excellence in STEM Education Requires Efficient and Safe Facilities Changes in

STEM Education Require Changes in Science and Facilities The STEM Initiative.

https://www.sheldonlabs.com/manage/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Excellence-in-

STEM-Education.pdf