Safety Practices With Laboratory Glassware

A significant part of safety is awareness. Laboratory workers typically work with dangerous apparatus and chemicals and are constantly exposed to dangers from breakage, explosions, heat and other hazards. It is important that laboratory workers do not allow themselves to become complacent due to their familiarity and ignore the dangers that lurk and can cause very serious injury. This paper attempts to describe the general nature of the various types of laboratory glasses, draw attention to the dangers when glass is broken, and offer some guidance and suggestions on how to avoid breakages and the concomitant dangers.