1) Answer: c. The best treatment for any type of chemical spill on the skin is immediate flushing with lots and lots of cool water. Regular hand soap also helps remove all traces of the chemical. Do not wait for it to cause a burning sensation on the skin. Do not try to figure out a way to neutralize the chemical spill; using acetone or another solvent would likely cause more harm than good. Do not wait around to ask your TA what to do - start rinsing with water immediately, but do consult your TA or the Lab Coordinator while rinsing your skin; they might recommend a weak acid or base solution to help neutralize a base or acid spill, or they might decide that you need to seek medical attention, e.g., Wardneburg.
Please always to be prepared to help your neighbor if he or she spills something on themself and is so incapacitated that they are unable to help themself. Get them flushing the affected area, then tell the TA what is going on.
2) Answer: b. You do not have to wear your goggles when no one is doing a lab, like when you first walk in and the TA is talking or giving a quiz. The moment someone begins either washing glassware or doing an experiment, you must don your goggles. Wearing goggles when handling chemicals in a student lab is a State of Colorado Law.
3) Answer: c: Never! Never wear contact lenses in lab, even under goggles. Soft lenses can be affected by solvent vapors, causing permanent eye damage and possibly even fusing to the eye. Contacts also make it difficult to rinse your eyes quickly and properly if you spill something in them.
4) Answer: d. Yes, this may seem like a silly question. But in the past, TAs and the Lab Coordinator have frequently found broken glassware lying around the lab in the places mentioned. Please, put broken glassware in the proper receptacle so that your lab mates do not cut themselves.
Proper receptacle for broken glassware: please see the disposal section on the page on proper care of Pasteur pipets. The same rules for disposal of these glass pipets pertain to all broken glassware in the lab.
5) Answer: e. Wear protective clothing, including gloves and of course goggles, and a lab coat if possible, and keep the chemicals in your student hood as much as possible. Open toed shoes and clothing that does not cover your legs do not protect your skin from chemicals, and therefore should not be worn to lab.
6) Answer: c. Both of these measures will help reduce the amount of vapors released from volatile solvents into the lab.
7) Answer: a. "Drop and Roll" -- this smothers the flames quickly. Running only fans them. Always remember that if a person is on fire, they might not be thinking clearly enough to undertake the proper measures on their own, and you may need to assist them in the "Drop and Roll" procedure.
8) Answer: b. This is the best answer to the question. Remember though, that you should only attempt to extinguish a flame if it is safe to do so. Do not risk your life -- be prepared to immediately evacuate the lab if necessary.
9) Answer: c. Leave the building immediately. Do not take the time to shut down your experiment! You may quickly flip off the power switch, however, if you have a heat source on.
10) Answers: c is the eye/face wash, b is the safety wash. Both are located in the lab rooms.
11) Answer: c. Immediately begin rinsing your eye with water if you get anything in it! Do not stop to figure out whether or not you should rinse it, or where you should rinse it, just go directly to the eye/face wash and begin rinsing. Then you can tell your TA, who will assist you and contact emergency assistance if necessary.
12) Answer: b. Cords strewn across the floor are a trip hazard. This could cause a serious accident, if a student who is carrying a corrosive chemical trips and falls during lab.