Safety Symbols and Meanings

16 Standard Safety Symbols

Personal Safety:

• Wear goggles and an apron anytime you are working with dangerous chemicals, hot liquids or solids, and other potential sources of splashes, splattering or spills.
• Goggles must be worn anytime a Bunsen burner is used.
• Make use of any safety equipment such as beaker tongs, test tube clamps, thermal gloves, etc. when handling hot beakers, test tubes or other containers.
• Do not wear a coat or jacket during a lab.  Necklaces and bulky jewelry should be removed.  These items tend to get in the way when reaching for objects and can get caught in moving parts such as motors.
• Do not perform any experiment that is unauthorized. 
• Study your lab assignment/experiment before you come to class.  If you have any questions, ask the instructor for help.

Bunsen Burner Safety:

• A bunsen burner flame is very hot.  The center of the flame will be over 1000 degrees Celsius.  Treat burner flames with respect.
• Always use the main gas shut off valve on the desk to shut off a bunsen burner.   The valve at the base of the burner is only used to control the flame.
• If your hair or clothing catches on fire stop drop and roll.
• If someone else's hair or clothing catches on fire, wrap them with a fire blanket to smother the fire.  Do not let them run.

Safety Equipment:

• Know the location of the fire extinguisher, safety shower, eye wash station, first aid kit, bihazardous cleanup kit,  fire blanket, fire alarm switch, and office call button .
          fire extinguisher - next to science room door
          safety shower - Mr. Crawford's desk - Rm 105
          eye wash station - teachers desk faucet
  biohazardous cleanup kit - on shelf inside storeroom door
          first aid kit - wall by science room door
          fire blanket - wall by science room door
          fire alarm switch - in hallway beside SW entrance outside science rooms
          office call button - below white dry-erase board at front of classroom

Safety with chemicals and dissecting specimens:

• Do not touch or taste any chemical unless specifically instructed to do so.
• Read chemical labels more than once before using the contents - it is easy to confuse chemicals.
• When working with chemicals or dissections, keep your hands away from your face.   The skin on your face is much more sensitive to irritation than your hands.
• To smell something, hold it away from your nose and wave your hand over it towards your nose.  You may pass out or inhale dangerous gases is you just stick your nose over the container and breath in.
• Flush any chemical spill on your skin with plenty of water.  The rule of thumb is 15 minutes.
• When heating anything in a test tube, point the mouth of the test tube towards a wall, away from people.
• Do not lay the glass stopper from a reagent bottle on the lab table.  Hold the handle of the stopper between two fingers while you pour from the bottle.
• When mixing acids and water, pour the acid into the water.  Remember, AnW (root beer)
• Wash your hands when you are finished with the lab.

Safety with glassware & broken glass

• Never use chipped or broken glass.  If you notice chipped or cracked glassware during a lab please report it to the instructor to be replaced.
• Broken glass should never be handled with your hands.  Use a dustpan and broom to sweep up broken glass.  Small pieces can be wiped up using a wet paper towel.
• Broken glass should be placed in the proper container - either a can for broken glass or a sharps container.
• Always have the instructor clean up a broken mercury thermometer.  Mercury is a poisonous substance and should not be handled.  VHHS no longer has any mercury thermometers.
• Broken glass that has contacted blood must be disposed of in a sharps container.
• The plastic cylinder gaurd on a graduated cylinder is to protect the cylinder from breaking if it should tip over.  The cylinder gaurd is not made to slide up and down for measuring.
• A graduated cylinder should be laid down when it is empty - if it is laying down it can't be tipped over.
• Remove glass tubing and funnels from stoppers as soon as your lab is finished.  If you do not they will become stuck in the stopper.

Bloodbourne Pathogen Safety

• Wear latex gloves anytime you assist someone who is or has been bleeding or vomiting.
• Clean the entire area (desktop, floor, etc.) with a disinfectant when you are finished caring for the person.
• Remove your latex gloves by pulling them off inside out.  Avoid contact with the outside of the gloves.
• All paper towels, tissues, latex gloves and other materials used to clean up blood and other possible infectious materials should be disposed of in the proper biohazardous waste bag.
• Standard Biohazardous waste bags are red with the biohazardous waste symbol on them.   If one is not available, use a regular plastic garbage bag and attach a biohazardous waste sticker to the bag.
• Wash your hands thoroughly with a disinfectant when you are finished.