Lab Safety Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. A glass beaker breaks and leaves sharp pieces on the floor. How should the fragments generally be handled?
Use appropriate tools and place them in the designated broken-glass or sharps container
Sweep them into the ordinary trash so no one touches them
Pick them up by hand while wearing standard disposable gloves
Leave them in place until the laboratory’s routine cleaning period
2. Before using an electrical instrument, you notice that its power cord is frayed. What is the appropriate action?
Wrap the damaged area with ordinary tape and use it at low power
Position the cord where no one will touch it during operation
Remove the instrument from use and report it for proper inspection or repair
Use it only if the exposed section is not touching the bench
3. A centrifuge begins vibrating unusually soon after it starts. What is the best response?
Hold the lid down until the vibration decreases
Increase the speed briefly to move through the unstable range
Stop it according to procedure and check loading, balance, and equipment condition before reuse
Let the run finish because stopping may disturb the samples
4. A chemical splashes into a person’s eye. What should happen first?
Wait briefly to see whether irritation develops
Use a dry tissue to remove the chemical from the eye
Look up the chemical before beginning any response
Begin flushing at the eyewash immediately and alert others for assistance
5. If a procedure specifically permits checking a chemical’s odor, how should it generally be approached?
Smell directly above the open container for only a moment
Shake the container first so the odor is easier to detect
Transfer some chemical to a smaller container and smell that directly
Keep the container away and gently waft vapor toward the nose
6. Before using a fume hood for hazardous vapors, which check is most appropriate?
Confirm it is operating, keep work appropriately inside, and use the sash at the indicated position
Raise the sash fully so room air can enter with less resistance
Turn off the airflow once the chemical containers are inside
Fill the hood with stored equipment to prevent vapors from escaping
7. You find a bottle of waste with an incomplete label and cannot confirm its contents. What should you do?
Pour it into the most likely waste stream based on its appearance
Open it and identify the contents by odor
Keep it contained, do not mix it with other waste, and contact the responsible person
Dispose of it down the drain in small portions with water
8. A minor laboratory incident causes no obvious injury or damage. Why should it still be reported according to local procedure?
Reporting automatically proves that the equipment was at fault
It enables follow-up, documentation, and correction of hazards that could cause future harm
Reporting replaces the need to inspect the area after the incident
Every report requires the laboratory to stop all related work
9. You transfer a chemical into a secondary container for later use. What is the appropriate labeling approach?
Label it only with the initials of the person who transferred it
Use a color mark instead of text so the label stays concise
Leave it unlabeled if it will remain inside the same laboratory
Apply the workplace-required identity and hazard information promptly
10. Before starting work, you find that your safety goggles are cracked and do not fit securely. What should you do?
Replace them with suitable, undamaged eye protection before beginning
Wear them over prescription glasses to hold them in place
Use them only for the steps that involve the largest quantities
Proceed carefully and avoid leaning close to the work
11. You notice an unfamiliar liquid spilled on a laboratory bench. What is the safest initial response?
Wipe it up immediately with paper towels before it spreads
Keep others away, alert the responsible person, and follow the lab’s spill procedure
Dilute it with water so its concentration becomes lower
Move it into the sink using whatever absorbent material is nearby
12. After handling a chemical, you notice contamination on the outside of one glove. What is the safest next step?
Rinse the gloved hand and continue working with the same glove
Cover the contaminated glove with a second glove
Remove both gloves by pulling from the fingertips, then touch clean surfaces
Remove the glove without touching skin, dispose of it appropriately, and wash hands as required
13. The fire alarm sounds while you are conducting an experiment. What should you generally do?
Follow the laboratory’s shutdown-if-safe and evacuation procedure promptly
Investigate the source of the alarm before deciding whether to leave
Finish the current step so the experiment is not left incomplete
Remain in the laboratory unless smoke is visible nearby
14. While heating material in a test tube, where should the open end be directed?
Toward the nearest sink in case the contents boil over
Toward the worker holding it, so changes are easier to observe
Away from yourself and everyone else nearby
Toward an empty section of the bench, even if someone could walk past
15. Which statement about mouth pipetting is correct?
It is acceptable for nonhazardous liquids when the volume is very small
It should never be used; an appropriate mechanical pipetting device is required
It is acceptable if a filter is fitted between the liquid and the mouth
It may be used by experienced workers when mechanical devices are unavailable
16. What is the primary purpose of a chemical Safety Data Sheet (SDS)?
To record who has used the chemical during each experiment
To describe hazards, protective measures, handling, storage, and emergency information
To provide the approved experimental method for every use of the chemical
To certify that the chemical is safe when used in small quantities