Lab Safety and Practical Skills

Sample questions

Showing 10 of 70 questions from this chapter. The full bank is in the chapter test below.

1. 1

   Before starting work in the chemistry laboratory, why must long hair and scarves be tied up?

   • A.So that the student can move quickly between the laboratory benches
   • B.To keep the apparatus on the side shelves from being disturbed
   • C.✓ So that they cannot catch fire or dip into chemicals and apparatus (correct answer)
   • D.To help the laboratory instructor identify each student easily

   Why: Loose hair and scarves can trail into a flame, a hot plate or an open reagent bottle, so they must be tied up before work begins.
2. 2

   A student wants to carry out an experiment in the laboratory. Under which condition is the experiment allowed to be performed?

   • A.✓ Only in the presence of the laboratory instructor and other laboratory staff (correct answer)
   • B.If the apparatus has already been checked on the previous day
   • C.When the student has already performed the same experiment at home
   • D.Whenever the laboratory happens to be empty of other students

   Why: Students must not work alone; experiments are performed in the presence of the laboratory instructor and other laboratory staff.
3. 3

   A student is handed a piece of apparatus that has never been used before. What is the most appropriate action?

   • A.Assemble it from memory and correct any mistake afterwards
   • B.Leave it aside and choose a simpler experiment to perform
   • C.Ask a class fellow who has used it once to operate it
   • D.✓ Ask the laboratory instructor for help in handling it (correct answer)

   Why: Students who cannot handle an instrument or an equipment properly must seek help from the instructor rather than risk an accident.
4. 4

   After an experiment a student is left with a small volume of copper sulphate solution in a beaker. What is the correct way to deal with it?

   • A.Pour it down the sink and run plenty of water afterwards
   • B.✓ Transfer it to a properly labelled chemical waste container (correct answer)
   • C.Flush it into the sewer system with a large volume of water
   • D.Pour it into the waste bin along with the used filter papers

   Why: Chemicals must never be poured down drains or into the sewer; waste is stored in proper containers that carry a label.
5. 5

   Which two items of protective clothing must a student wear at all times while working in the chemistry laboratory?

   • A.✓ A lab coat and safety goggles (correct answer)
   • B.A lab coat and a face mask
   • C.Safety goggles and rubber gloves
   • D.A lab coat and a leather apron

   Why: Every student working in the laboratory must wear a lab coat and safety goggles.
6. 6

   A student accidentally drops and breaks a conical flask on the bench. What must the student do first?

   • A.Sweep the pieces into the waste bin and continue the experiment
   • B.Pick up the pieces with bare hands and place them on the bench
   • C.✓ Report the breakage to the incharge of the laboratory immediately (correct answer)
   • D.Replace the flask from the store without telling anybody

   Why: Any accident or breakage of glassware must be reported immediately to the incharge of the laboratory.
7. 7

   Which practice is strictly forbidden while working in a chemistry laboratory?

   • A.Writing down observations in a note book at the work place
   • B.✓ Tasting or smelling a compound in order to identify it (correct answer)
   • C.Keeping a safe distance from other students at work
   • D.Reading the warning signs displayed in the laboratory

   Why: Food is not allowed in the laboratory and compounds or gases must never be tasted or smelt, because many of them are harmful.
8. 8

   A student slips on a wet floor and falls. This accident is an example of which category of laboratory hazard?

   • A.Chemical hazard
   • B.Biological hazard
   • C.Radiological hazard
   • D.✓ Physical hazard (correct answer)

   Why: Slips, falls and pulling injuries caused by wet or untidy floors are the most common physical hazards in a laboratory.
9. 9

   A student has to remove broken glassware from the floor after an experiment. Which protective item is most suitable for this job?

   • A.✓ Cut-resistant gloves (correct answer)
   • B.Ordinary cotton gloves
   • C.Leather safety shoes
   • D.A full face shield

   Why: Cut-resistant gloves are worn while handling broken glassware to prevent cuts, abrasions and skin damage.
10. 10

    Which set lists the three categories into which most laboratory hazards fall?

    • A.Physical, thermal and electrical
    • B.Chemical, radioactive and mechanical
    • C.✓ Physical, chemical and biological (correct answer)
    • D.Chemical, electrical and biological

    Why: The hazards faced in a laboratory are grouped as physical hazards, chemical hazards and biological hazards.