If you’re interested in following a career path in STEM and the laboratory sciences, then you likely already know the importance of lab safety.

When you start any experiment in a university lab and beyond, your instructor will ensure that all students use the proper protective equipment and safety rules.

If you want to run your own laboratory someday, you’ll need to know these safety rules and more—especially the safety precautions to take when handling test samples.

Sample Handling Training

When you first become familiar with the lab space, make sure you pay close attention to your training. Your safety training period is critical to your success in the lab space.

Thoroughly understanding everything from your training period will ensure your safety and the success of your experiments, especially when it comes to handling test samples. Biological test samples can pose health hazards and can easily become contaminated, so you must take extra care while handling them.

Following safety training becomes extremely important with these or any laboratory samples.

Personal Protective Equipment

There are many essential pieces of equipment for handling samples, and personal protective equipment (PPE) is no exception. Wearing PPE in the lab is crucial to your safety and creating a controlled lab environment.

All students and professors alike must wear protective gear when working with samples and certain equipment in the lab. Just because you’re working in a university lab doesn’t mean the tools and substances you’re using aren’t still dangerous.

Your instructors will still expect you to wear the proper equipment before you can get to work. Common examples of PPE for handling and working with test samples include:

• Gloves
• Lab coat or smock
• Safety goggles, glasses, or another type of eye protection
• Mask

The specific type of PPE you will need depends on the experiment you’re conducting and the equipment you’re operating.

General Lab Safety Rules

There are some general lab safety rules that apply to any lab space that involves test samples. Your instructors have likely stressed the importance of never eating or drinking in the lab.

Try not to bring food or drink into the lab so that you can avoid any potential disasters. Along with test samples, handle lab equipment with care.

Lab equipment can be fragile and will damage easily if you drop or bump it. Also, take caution when using and handling hazardous equipment, such as scalpels, burners, needles, and more.

This is all information that your lab instructor will go over, which is why it’s critical to commit all your lab training to memory. Your preparation ensures your safety, your classmates’ safety, and the preservation of your experiments.

It may seem like a lot to remember, but these safety precautions to take when handling test samples will be important throughout your scientific career, so do your best to study them now.

Image Credit: Adobe Stock

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