Safety in the laboratory must be a primary concern to both student and teacher. Specific safety concerns vary from between different science courses and laboratories, but many safety concerns and precautions need to be taken in all science laboratories. At the beginning of most laboratories, the teacher will engage in a pre-lab discussion. Many safety procedures will be discussed during these discussions. It is important to listen attentively and follow the safety procedures given by the teacher.

1. Keep all flammable materials away from open flames or dangerous chemicals.
2. Tie back long hair when you are working with an open flame. Pipe cleaners, rubber bands, and string are useful for this purpose.
3. Do NOT mix chemicals or perform unscheduled experiments without your teacher's approval.
4. Never use chemicals from an unlabeled container. Do not taste, smell, or touch chemicals unless specifically instructed by your teacher to do so.
5. Wear safety goggles during experiments involving dissection, heating, hammering or while using acids/bases or other chemicals. If you do not have goggles on, stay away from students that are experimenting.
6. Point the open end of a test tube or flask away from yourself and others while heating it. Never heat a closed container.
7. Use liquid squeeze bottles only for their intended purpose.
8. Keep the lab clean and discard materials in containers designated for this.
9. Be careful picking up hot materials, especially glassware. Hot glass and cold glass appear the same.
10. Do not force glass tubing into a stopper. Use glycerin or water to lubricate the glass before doing this.
11. Do not eat in the lab or place pencils, pens, or other materials in your mouth.
12. Never return excess chemicals back to their container.
13. Know where all laboratory safety equipment is located in the lab and how to use it.

Hopefully you can follow these steps to avoid injuring yourself or your classmates and to prevent accidents.

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