Working Safely in a Science Laboratory 2 2.1 Safety symbols
All chemicals must be handled with care. You must never use chemicals that are not labelled. Some safety symbols that you may see are:
Flammable: A chemical that goes on fire easily
Oxidising: A chemical that causes other substances to burn more intensely
Toxic: A chemical that is poisonous
Respiratory hazard: A chemical that can cause health problems if inhaled.
Corrosive: A chemical that can damage or burn other substances
Explosive: A chemical that can cause an explosion
Harmful/irritant: A chemical that is harmful if inhaled,
swallowed or comes in contact with the skin
Fig. 1 Safety symbols.
You will see these symbols in the school science laboratory. There are many more symbols which are used in industry. One additional symbol that is important to know is the environmental hazard symbol shown in Fig. 2. This symbol tells you that the chemical may damage plants, animals and their environment if it is not disposed of correctly. All laboratories must be careful about disposing of chemical waste to prevent damage to the environment.
Fig. 2 Environmental hazard.
Activity Look at the containers of cleaning products in your home – shampoo, washing-up liquid, washing powder, etc. Write down any safety information that is given on these containers and note any safety symbols. Remember: Some cleaning products can be harmful so handle the containers carefully.
