Lab Eye Safety

Whether you are a professional lab scientist or a child doing a science lab in elementary school, safety should always be the number one concern. Any irresponsible or uninformed behavior not only jeopardizes your own safety, but also the safety of everyone in the lab. When working in a lab you should be especially conscious of utilizing proper protection for your eyes.

Supervision

• Regardless of what type of experimentation or research is being conducted, it is imperative to always have the proper supervision (i.e., teachers, fellow researchers, etc.) in the event that something goes wrong.

Safety Glasses

• The majority of safety glasses are designed to be impact resistant and are often the minimum safety requirement in a lab setting.

Goggles

• Splash goggles are considered the second level of defense for your eyes when working with chemicals. They have indirect ventilation and fit tightly against your face to protect you from splashing.

Face Shield

• A face shield covers your eyes, face, and neck from chemical splashing and other materials. However, safety glasses or goggles must typically be worn underneath the face shield to satisfy safety requirements.

Wash Stations

• Labs that deal with dangerous chemicals should have shower and eye wash stations set up around the room to flush chemicals that have gotten in the eye of a researcher.