Name ______________________________

   Date ______________________    Section ____________  

Safety in the Science Classroom

Safety Symbols
Directions: Match the safety symbol to the appropriate description. Each symbol is used only once.

A. B. C. D. E. F.

1. _____ Should be used to protect your eyes

2. _____ Dispose of all materials properly.
3. _____ Poison. Do not inhale or get on your skin.
4. _____ Should be used to protect your clothing.
5. _____ Wash your hands thoroughly when finished.
6. _____ Treat all live animals with respect and handle them
with care.

Safe or Unsafe?
Directions: Check off whether a behavior in the lab or science classroom is safe or unsafe.

Behavior Safe Unsafe

7. Wearing plastic gloves when dissecting squid.

8. A student picking up pieces of broken glassware.

9. Wafting an odor gently towards your nose.

10. Using an oven mitt to pick up a hot beaker.

11. Dumping your experiment down the sink when finished.

12. Using hand sanitizer after a lab instead of washing your hands.

©2015 Adventures in Science

Short Answer
Directions: Answer the following questions on the lines below.
13.  What do you think is the most important lab safety rule? Explain.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

14.  What are some things that you can do before a lab even begins to get ready? Name at least
two.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

15.  Name two things that you should do when conducting an investigation in the “field”.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

16. What should you do at the end of a lab? Name at least two things.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

What Not to Do
Directions: Read the following scenarios of some unsafe lab behaviors. Briefly explain what
the student should have done instead.

17. Jared was using a compound microscope to 19. Jim was measuring out a white substance
look at onion cells. The bell rang, so he pulled onto a triple-beam balance. He was getting hot,
the cord out of the outlet before he left for so he pulled his safety goggles off his eyes and
his next class. rested them on his head.
_________________________________ _________________________________
_________________________________ _________________________________
_________________________________ _________________________________

18. Scarlett was testing the flammability of some 20. Leyla started to feel very warm and light
different fabrics using tweezers and a tea-light. headed during the dissection lab, but she didn’t
Her long hair kept falling forward, so she had to want to bother the teacher or call any attention
keep tossing it out of the way. to herself, so she just kept quiet.
_________________________________ _________________________________
_________________________________ _________________________________
_________________________________ _________________________________

©2015 Adventures in Science

 Answers
Name ______________________________    Date ______________________    Section ____________  

Safety in the Science Classroom

Safety Symbols
Directions: Match the safety symbol to the appropriate description. Each symbol is used only once.

A. B. C. D. E. F.

D Should be used to protect your eyes

1. _____
F Dispose of all materials properly.
2. _____
A Poison. Do not inhale or get on your skin.
3. _____
C Should be used to protect your clothing.
4. _____
E Wash your hands thoroughly when finished.
5. _____
B Treat all live animals with respect and handle them
6. _____
with care.

Safe or Unsafe?
Directions: Check off whether a behavior in the lab or science classroom is safe or unsafe.

Behavior Safe Unsafe

7. Wearing plastic gloves when dissecting squid. ✔

*Only the teacher
8. A student picking up pieces of broken glassware. should do this! ✔
*This is the
9. Wafting an odor gently towards your nose. proper way. ✔
10. Using an oven mitt to pick up a hot beaker. ✔
*Yikes! Not everything
11. Dumping your experiment down the sink when finished. goes down the drain! ✔
12. Using hand sanitizer after a lab instead of washing your hands. ✔
*Although hand sanitizers are great for killing germs, only proper hand washing removes
materials from your skin!

©2015 Adventures in Science [Link]

Short Answer
Directions: Answer the following questions on the lines below.
13.  What do you think is the most important lab safety rule? Explain.
You should always follow your teacher’s and
__________________________________________________________________
the textbook/lab directions exactly.
__________________________________________________________________

14.  What are some things that you can do before a lab even begins to get ready? Name at least
two.
-Read through the procedure carefully -Ask any questions before beginning
__________________________________________________________________
-Make sure you understand all directions -Review safety guidelines
__________________________________________________________________

15.  Name two things that you should do when conducting an investigation in the “field”.
__________________________________________________________________
-Always tell an adult where you will be -Use common sense
-Never work alone -Dress appropriately for the weather or area
__________________________________________________________________

16. What should you do at the end of a lab? Name at least two things.
-Clean up your work area -Dispose of all wastes properly
__________________________________________________________________
-Return any materials -Turn off & unplug any equipment
__________________________________________________________________

What Not to Do
Directions: Read the following scenarios of some unsafe lab behaviors. Briefly explain what
the student should have done instead.

17. Jared was using a compound microscope to 19. Jim was measuring out a white substance
look at onion cells. The bell rang, so he pulled onto a triple-beam balance. He was getting hot,
the cord out of the outlet before he left for so he pulled his safety goggles off his eyes and
his next class. rested them on his head.
He should have turned the
_________________________________ _________________________________
He should have worn his safety
microscope off first. Should have goggles at all times, even if he was
_________________________________ _________________________________
cleaned up/returned materials. hot.
_________________________________ _________________________________

18. Scarlett was testing the flammability of some 20. Leyla started to feel very warm and light
different fabrics using tweezers and a tea-light. headed during the dissection lab, but she didn’t
Her long hair kept falling forward, so she had to want to bother the teacher or call any attention
keep tossing it out of the way. to herself, so she just kept quiet.
_________________________________
She should have had her long hair _________________________________
She should have told her teacher
tied back and out of the way.
_________________________________ that she didn’t feel well. She might
_________________________________
_________________________________ have fainted and got hurt.
_________________________________

©2015 Adventures in Science [Link]