Practical investigations

Risk assessment in chemistry: general guidelines

Before attempting any practical work based on the advice and suggestions on this website, you must carry out your own assessment of the risks and have them approved by those in authority in your school or college laboratory. Do not rely on what is said on this website.

These guidelines refer to procedures in the United Kingdom. If you are working in another country you may need to make alternative provision.
 
You should consider hazards associated with the chemicals and equipment you are starting with, the procedures you adopt, and the chemical and other products of your work. What harm could they cause? You must also think about the safe disposal of any chemicals at the end.
 
Laboratory safety is about minimizing exposure to risk as well as protecting yourself and others from the results of mishaps. For instance, when you do an experiment involving hazardous substances, you should think about using small quantities and containing any harmful fumes in a fume cupboard, as well as considering what you might need to do if such a substance was spilt, or if a reaction was more vigorous than expected.
 
Under the COSSH Regulations, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, and other regulations in the UK, the employer of the staff in your school or college is responsible for risk assessments before hazardous procedures are undertaken or hazardous chemicals used or made. Those in charge of the laboratories you work in are required to ensure that such risk assessments are complied with.
 
Therefore, before carrying out any practical activity, you must check with your supervisor that what you are proposing to do is compatible with the local rules on risk assessments and does not need modification for particular circumstances. Any local rules issued by your school or college must always be followed, whatever is suggested on Re:act.
 
The student’s role
Here is a summary of what a student should do.
Before carrying out practical work you should check:
• What are the hazards of any chemicals you are using or making;
• What are the hazards of any procedures you are carrying out;
• What advice is available to you on these hazards and how to minimise the risks from them, that is what control measures are necessary;
• How reliable is this advice (in the UK advice from the ASE, CLEAPSS and SSERC will be sound but you should mistrust much of the information on the internet);
• Whether it is possible to follow that advice in your situation, ie in your school or college;
• Whether your teacher approves of your plans.
 
Always carry out a risk assessment before starting any practical work. Download the risk assessment form and guidance for more instructions about this.
 
Most school and colleges in the UK will have based their risk assessments on information from the following sources:
 
CLEAPSS Hazcards (see annually updated CLEAPSS Science publications CD-ROM) {Note there was a major update of the paper version in 2007, which will be on the 2008 and later CDs}
CLEAPSS Laboratory handbook (see annually updated CD-ROM)
CLEAPSS Recipe cards (see annually updated CD-ROM)
ASE Safeguards in the school laboratory 11th edition 2006
ASE Topics in Safety 3rd edition, 2001
ASE Safety reprints, 2006 or later
SSERC Hazardous Chemicals Manual CD2 (in Scotland)
 
CLEAPSS Hazcards are the most useful source of information for you about the use hazardous chemicals in schools and colleges in the UK except Scotland, where the Hazardous Chemicals Manual has a similar role. If you do not have access to Hazcards, or some of the substances you are intending to work with are not covered by them, you will need to consult the person in charge of your laboratory about any additional risk assessments that may be necessary.
 
Download a Risk Assessment form - above right
 
External websites
The Nuffield Foundation is not responsible for the content of external websites which may be linked from pages on this one.

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Sophia
This page was extremely helpful in my assessment! But it should have had sources of error etc.
21 April 2010

jessica
this website has proved to be very useful to me informing me well and using many examples, thankyou
07 July 2009

updated: 12 November 2007