This Teacher Script encompasses many of my teacher-centered moments when learning Lab Safety. Just print the script, attach it to a clipboard, and you’re ready to go! Read my script below for ideas, download my PDF to use in your classroom, or make a copy of my Google Doc and customize it to your needs. I hope my Teacher Script for Lab Safety can save you some valuable planning time.
Check out my blog post How She Teaches Lab Safety to read more about how I teach Lab Safety and for activity and assessment ideas for students. Please note that Lab Safety is a very important topic, and I revisit it every time we do a lab. I remind students of specific dangers and safe practices related to each and every lab we do.
Links
- Lab Safety activity and assignment ideas in my blog post How She Teaches Lab Safety
- Teacher Script – Lab Safety (Google Doc)
- Teacher Script – Lab Safety (PDF)
- Lab Safety Google Drive
- Flinn Scientific Student Safety Contract and Flinn Scientific Lab Safety Test
- Eye Safety in the Chemistry Lab (Cow Eye and Sulfuric Acid Demonstration) YouTube video
Lab Safety Teacher Script
This week we’re learning about Lab Safety. We’re going to do some fun and cool labs this year. In order for labs to be fun for everyone, they need to be safe. Most lab safety is common sense, like my number one rule: No Horseplay. That’s when people get hurt. But if you pay attention, follow directions, and learn these lab safety basics, you can participate in labs and we can all have a good day!
On your way in today, you picked up a copy of the Lab Safety Contract from the back table. We’re going to review the Lab Safety Contract and go over some of the most important rules of lab safety. In order to be in this class, you need to read the rules, sign the contract, and take the quiz. You must get a 75% or higher to pass and participate in labs. It is to your advantage to pay attention and read over the rules. Lots of them are common sense, and it is multiple choice.
I will go over the safety contract under the document camera. Please highlight or mark-up your copy as we go. Numbers 1-10 are the most straightforward lab rules. You will be tested on these. They are the common sense rules.
#11 We will make a diagram of the classroom this week and identify the location of all of the safety equipment in here. That way in an emergency, you can move quickly. In case of an evacuation, we go down the hallway and out to the basketball courts.
#14 and #33 are about chemicals. We use a lot of chemicals in labs. With chemicals we can model what’s in our bodies, like enzymes. Some chemicals we will use this year can cause damage to your eyes, or irritate your skin. So we will wear safety goggles, gloves, or wash our hands afterwards. You NEVER taste or consume anything in the lab unless you are told explicitly that it is OK (for instance Making Observations of a Gummy Worm, or Snack Tectonics). Just like chemicals can hurt us, they can also be bad for the plumbing and can contaminate the water. We don’t just dump them down the sink. The teacher will tell you where you can put them.
#23 is about goggles. When we use chemicals, glassware, or heat in the lab, we wear safety goggles. If you wear eyeglasses, you can put the safety goggles on top. Eyeglasses alone will not protect your eyes against chemical splashes.
#25 is about clothing. Tuck in loose clothing, dangly jewelry, and tie back loose hair. You will be using glassware, and a baggy shirt can easily knock something over. If it falls on the floor, it will break. You must wear closed toe shoes in the lab. Imagine your test tube rack gets caught on your lab partner’s baggy shirt sleeve, and it all falls to the floor. You are wearing sandals and you are unaware that a piece of broken glass has fallen in between your sandal and your toe/heel/bottom of your foot. Ouch, not a good day!
#27 If there are any accidents or injuries, tell your teacher. You’re not going to get in trouble. Mistakes and accidents happen. Every year something breaks. We just need to clean it up properly so no one gets hurt.
#29 If a chemical splashed in your eye, we would need to begin rinsing it immediately. Let’s watch a clip from this video, using a cow’s eye and sulfuric acid, to see why safety goggles and safe lab behavior are so important. This is what the eyewash station is for. In an emergency, you would lean your head down and put your eyes in the running water. It’s like a water fountain, for your eyes!
#45 Glassware can be chipped or dirty. If there is residue on a piece of glassware, get a new one. If you see glass, you can’t tell if it’s hot or cold. So be safe. Pick it up with something like tongs, or a hot glove.
Read #s 1-10 to yourself. On the white paper, pick 1 rule and draw it. For the Safety Quiz, if you need to retake it, I’ll come and talk to you.
How did my Teacher Script work for you? Let me know by leaving a comment. I would love to hear from you! I am working on more Teacher Scripts for Biology and Earth and Space that I hope to share soon.
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