Lab safety and SDS
Safety gate · before any work
- Wear the required PPE, keep the bench clear, handle equipment only as directed, and know where the eyewash, sink, and spill kit are before you start.
- Human samples and data stay private: label with a code, never a name, and dispose of materials in the correct waste container, then wash your hands.
Do now
Identify core lab safety rules, PPE, and how to read a Safety Data Sheet before completing the PLTW intro task.
- Hand in
- SDS lookup card: for one assigned chemical, record the name, hazard class (Section 2), required PPE (Section 8), first-aid steps (Section 4), and disposal method (Section 13).
- Where
- Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not.
You get two school days for every day you were absent, so this deadline moves with you.
You are handed an unlabeled bottle and told to run a test. What do you need to know, and where do you find it, before you touch it?
Identify core lab rules, PPE, and how to read a Safety Data Sheet before completing the PLTW intro task.
- • I can name the PPE required for a given hazard.
- • I can locate hazard and first-aid info on an SDS.
- Name the four categories of PPE you can think of.
- If you needed a chemical's first-aid steps, where would you look?
- 1Take teacher notes on the four PPE categories and when each is required.
- 2Walk through the 16 sections of an SDS and find the hazard and first-aid sections.
- 3Match three common lab chemicals to their hazard pictograms.
- 4Open the PLTW launch lesson and complete the lab- contract task online.
- 5Write one and one control you will track in any experiment.
What did this day actually feel like?
Lab safety and SDS
Content day. Four categories of personal protective equipment and when each is required, then Safety Data Sheets, which are the documents that come with every chemical. They have sixteen sections and we had to find the hazard section and the first aid section fast.
We each got a chemical and made a lookup card: name, hazard class from section two, required PPE from section eight, first aid. The point is that in a real lab you do not get to touch anything until you can do this. He framed it as earning entry rather than as a rule, which landed better.
AT HOME, THE NIGHT BEFORE FRI SEP 4 PPE and notebook practical LAB First real lab day. Three stations, each with a different hazard, and at each one I had to put on the correct PPE and have a partner verify before I could proceed. My partner caught that I had gloves on but had not tied my hair back. Small thing, and it would have been a real problem at the station with the open flame.
That partner check is built into the procedure on purpose. He said the reason labs use two sets of eyes is not that people are careless, it is that nobody can see their own blind spot.
Then the notebook page, written to standard operating procedure format: purpose, materials, steps, PPE chosen, the SDS lookup. He made the point that two scientists running the same experiment usually get different results not because one is smarter but because one documented properly.
Turned in: notebook SOP page → Lab Notebooks folder
Fiction. There is no such student. The lessons, labs and dates are the real planned course; the student, the classmates and the conversations are invented.
The same day, drawn.
Sixteen sections in a Safety Data Sheet. You do not touch anything in a real lab until you can find the hazards and the first aid.
Fiction. There is no such student. The lessons, labs and dates are the real planned course; the student, the classmates and the conversations are invented.
🛠 Get unstuck · pick your level
Lab day: Tier 1 is the whole class at the bench. No extension today.
🔑 Today's words · 5
Tap a word in the lesson for a plain meaning and one example. Recycled into next week's Do-Now.
Do the work · 80-minute blockfirst 5 min = hook▸
💡 Big idea: Proper PPE and SDS literacy are non-negotiable prerequisites before anyone enters a biomedical lab.
- 0:00Overview: why handling, preparation, storage, and disposal is one of the largest parts of the WebXam; real consequences of PPE failure
- 0:10Teacher-led notes: four PPE categories, when each is required, and how to select glove type
- 0:25SDS walkthrough: navigate all 16 sections; students highlight Sections 2, 4, 6, 8, and 13 (disposal)
- 0:45Chemical pictogram matching activity: match three chemicals to GHS hazard pictograms
- 0:55myPLTW: open lab- contract task, read, and complete online signature
- 1:10Exit: write one and one control for a future experiment; collect contracts
- • Before we touch anything in this lab all year, we have to talk about . Not as a formality, but because in biomedical science, a mistake with chemicals or a can genuinely harm you.
- • OSHA, the Occupational and Health Administration, requires anyone working with hazardous chemicals to have access to a Safety Data Sheet. We will learn to read one today.
- • Every chemical in this lab has an SDS. The SDS tells you exactly what protective equipment to wear, what to do if you spill it, and how to dispose of it properly.
- • By the end of today you will sign your lab contract, which means you are making a commitment to your own safety and your partners'.
- • The four PPE categories are eye/face protection, gloves, protective clothing, and respiratory protection.
- • An SDS has 16 standard sections; hazard identification is Section 2, first aid is Section 4.
- • Controlled variables are kept constant so that only the causes changes in results.
Unit Course Launch: PLTW access, lab notebook, PPE/SDS, evidence handling, variables, controls, graphing, descriptive statistics. · Lab and SDS
Day 2 of this lesson. Open this exact section in myPLTW (find it in Clever, Microsoft sign-in), then do the work below.
Do this: Open the launch unit in myPLTW and complete the lab- contract task, including the online acknowledgment signature.
Mark the lab- contract task complete and show the completion screen to your teacher before packing up.
You finished the course overview on Monday. By the end of today the lab- contract should be fully submitted in myPLTW.
Signed digital lab- contract recorded in myPLTW.
The official PLTW activity stays inside myPLTW. If myPLTW will not open, use F1 and E1-E3 on this page to complete today's local evidence decision, then make up the official activity when access returns. Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not.
Check things off as you work, then submit. This tells Mr. Mendoza how you're doing so he can help the class. It does not replace turning in your producible through the submission route shown below.
Use the code Mr. Mendoza gave you, not your name. Saved on this device.
Unit Course Launch: PLTW access, lab notebook, PPE/SDS, evidence handling, variables, controls, graphing, descriptive statistics. · Lab safety and SDS
Open the launch unit in myPLTW and complete the lab- contract task, including the online acknowledgment signature.
You finished the course overview on Monday. By the end of today the lab- contract should be fully submitted in myPLTW.
This is how Mr. Mendoza sees the class keeping pace with PLTW. Be honest, it only helps if it is accurate.
🎯 Identify core lab rules, PPE, and how to read a Safety Data Sheet before completing the PLTW intro task.
- Take teacher notes on the four PPE categories and when each is required.
- Walk through the 16 sections of an SDS and find the hazard and first-aid sections.
- Match three common lab chemicals to their hazard pictograms.
- Open the PLTW launch lesson and complete the lab- contract task online.
- Write one and one control you will track in any experiment.
Vocabulary task: SDS lookup card: for one assigned chemical, record the name, hazard class (Section 2), required PPE (Section 8), first-aid steps (Section 4), and disposal method (Section 13).
Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not. Use the checklist just below and upload by 11:29 PM for full credit. Absent with an excused absence? You get two school days for every day you were absent, so this deadline moves with you.
| Task | Who |
|---|---|
| Take teacher notes on the four PPE categories and when each is required. | _______ |
| Walk through the 16 sections of an SDS and find the hazard and first-aid sections. | _______ |
| Match three common lab chemicals to their hazard pictograms. | _______ |
| Open the PLTW launch lesson and complete the lab- contract task online. | _______ |
| Write one and one control you will track in any experiment. | _______ |
Working solo? Put your own name in "Who" for every row.
- I can name the PPE required for a given hazard.
- I can locate hazard and first-aid info on an SDS.
- 1Do thisIdentify core lab safety rules, PPE, and how to read a Safety Data Sheet before completing the PLTW intro task.
- 2Use this resource
- 3Submit thisVocabulary task: SDS lookup card: for one assigned chemical, record the name, hazard class (Section 2), required PPE (Section 8), first-aid steps (Section 4), and disposal method (Section 13).
- 4Submit it here
- 1Open the drop folder.
- 2Sign in with your district Microsoft account, not a personal one.
- 3Upload the file, named Lastname_Firstname__Assignment Title.
- 4Your own upload panel says Uploaded with a green check: that is your receipt.
Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not. Principles of Biomedical Technology (Principles of Biomedical Science) › Unit Course Launch: PLTW access, lab notebook, PPE/SDS, evidence handling, variables, controls, graphing, descriptive statistics. › Vocabulary taskOpen the drop folder
Learn it · deck, reading, and vocabulary▸
The deck carries the prior idea forward, lets you inspect an analogy, maps the rule to biology, and ends with the same evidence decision and exit ticket used on this page.
Generated from this lesson's canonical data with a red-team citation check.
A is not a test you can fail. It shows where you start so we can measure how far you grow.
Proper PPE and SDS literacy are non-negotiable prerequisites before anyone enters a biomedical lab.
A pilot uses a preflight checklist before the aircraft moves.
- Which checks happen before action?
- Which hazard does each check control?
- What happens if a familiar step is skipped?
A routine works when each action controls a named hazard before exposure begins.
A laboratory hazard can change during a procedure, so students must keep monitoring conditions after the checklist.
- • Preflight checks map to PPE and setup.
- • Aircraft hazards map to chemical, biological, heat, or sharps hazards.
- • Go or no-go maps to the pre-lab readiness decision.
Driving question: You are handed an unlabeled bottle and told to run a test. What do you need to know, and where do you find it, before you touch it?
What you already know: A is not a test you can fail. It shows where you start so we can measure how far you grow.
New idea: Proper PPE and SDS literacy are non-negotiable prerequisites before anyone enters a biomedical lab.
Visual or model: F1. F1. A lesson illustration or teaching diagram for Lab safety and SDS. Use it with E1-E3; it is a model or context image, not experimental or patient data. What to notice: Trace the labeled observation or evidence sequence before choosing an explanation.
- Observe or measure the relevant feature in Lab and SDS.
- Organize the observation with a stable evidence ID.
- Apply this rule: A routine works when each action controls a named hazard before exposure begins.
- Choose the option the evidence supports and state the limit of the conclusion.
Real biomedical example: You are handed an unlabeled bottle and told to run a test. What do you need to know, and where do you find it, before you touch it?
What the evidence supports: E1-E3 and F1 support the daily take-home when the response meets the stated success criteria.
What it cannot prove: The package does not support claims beyond this lesson's or any real patient diagnosis.
- • : Practices and precautions that protect people from harm, such as wearing protective equipment and handling hazards correctly in a lab or clinic.
- • PPE: Personal protective equipment, the gear like gloves, goggles, lab coats, and masks worn to shield the body from chemical, biological, or physical hazards.
- • SDS: A data sheet: a standardized document listing a chemical's hazards, safe handling steps, and emergency measures for anyone using it.
- • variable: Any factor in an experiment that can change or be changed, including what you test, what you measure, and what you hold steady.
- • control: The comparison condition that isolates the effect of the variable being tested by keeping everything else the same.
- • evidence: The facts, data, and cases that carry your claim. Opinions are free; evidence costs homework.
- • : The documented record of who handled a piece of evidence, when, and where, proving it was never lost, swapped, or tampered with.
- • : Numbers and graphs, such as the mean, median, and range, that summarize and describe a set of data without drawing wider conclusions.
Use it now: Choose one decision option. Cite E1 and E3, then explain how the rule connects the evidence to your choice.
Go further, optional: The source links below are optional enrichment. Every fact required for today's local evidence decision appears in this lesson package.
The four PPE categories are eye/face protection, gloves, protective clothing, and respiratory protection.
Limit: E1 supplies context or an observation; it does not by itself establish the explanation.
Proper PPE and SDS literacy are non-negotiable prerequisites before anyone enters a biomedical lab.
Limit: E2 is a teaching statement or comparison and must be checked against the task evidence.
I can name the PPE required for a given hazard.
Limit: E3 supports only the result or product criterion named here; it cannot justify a broader clinical or causal claim.
PLTW-PBT-2026-09-03 · Simulated classroom evidence scenario
Your role: biomedical investigator
Decision: Your team must decide what the evidence from Lab and SDS supports before submitting the vocabulary application named on the lesson page.
- • Proceed because the readiness evidence is complete.
- • Pause and correct the named setup or gap.
- • Repeat the measurement because quality controls are not acceptable.
Response: State one choice, cite at least two evidence IDs, explain the rule that connects them, and add one limitation. Submit it as the vocabulary application.
Claim ceiling: The supplied lesson evidence can support an observation, pattern, classroom mechanism, or next-step decision about Lab and SDS. It cannot by itself prove causation, establish a real clinical diagnosis, or justify action outside this classroom task.
Reason for review: Your team must decide what the evidence from Lab and SDS supports before submitting the vocabulary application named on the lesson page.
Context: PPE and the ability to read a chemical's hazards are non-negotiable prerequisites, because they are what keep an investigator and everyone nearby safe.
- • T1: Take teacher notes on the four PPE categories and when each is required.
- • T2: Walk through the 16 sections of an SDS and find the hazard and first-aid sections.
- • T3: Match three common lab chemicals to their hazard pictograms.
- • T4: Open the PLTW launch lesson and complete the lab- contract task online.
- • T5: Write one and one control you will track in any experiment.
- • E1: The four PPE categories are eye/face protection, gloves, protective clothing, and respiratory protection.
- • E2: Proper PPE and SDS literacy are non-negotiable prerequisites before anyone enters a biomedical lab.
- • E3: I can name the PPE required for a given hazard.
Measurements: No patient measurement is supplied unless it appears explicitly in E1-E3 or F1. Do not invent a value.
Figure finding: Teaching diagram for Lab and SDS. Trace the labeled observation or evidence sequence before choosing an explanation. This is a teaching model, not patient or experimental data.
Uncertainty: This is a composite classroom scenario. Missing history, measurements, or confirmation tests remain unknown and limit the conclusion.
Students often think any gloves and goggles will do for any chemical. The trap: PPE has to match the specific hazard, so the SDS tells you which glove material and eye protection the chemical actually requires
Chemical: Hydrogen peroxide, 3 percent solution
Hazard class (Section 2): Mild eye and skin irritant; oxidizer
Required PPE (Section 8): Splash goggles and nitrile gloves
First aid (Section 4): For eye contact, rinse with water for at least 15 minutes and seek help if irritation continues. For skin contact, wash with soap and water.
Disposal (Section 13): Dilute with water and flush down the drain only if local rules allow, otherwise collect in the labeled waste container.
Note: I found hazards in Section 2 and first aid in Section 4, exactly where the SDS standard puts them.
| SDS Section | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Section 2 | Hazard identification |
| Section 4 | First-aid measures |
| Section 8 | Exposure controls and PPE |
| Section 13 | Disposal considerations |
This model shows the level of evidence and organization needed to complete: A reference card that records the key safety information a student pulls from a Safety Data Sheet for one assigned chemical, used to complete the launch safety task.
- Define the term in plain scientific language.
- Connect it to the current investigation.
- Use it accurately in a new example or contrast.
Keep the structure. Replace the question, facts, measurements, and evidence. Then recheck units, vocabulary, and whether the conclusion goes beyond the evidence.
Also due today: Hand in your completed SDS card at the end of class. Also complete the online lab-safety contract task.
- CER:
- Claim, Evidence, Reasoning: make a claim, back it with evidence, explain your reasoning.
- SOP:
- Standard Operating Procedure, the exact steps to follow (especially in a lab).
- Tracker:
- Your PLTW progress log where you record completed evidence.
- myPLTW:
- The PLTW course site where you do the online activities. Find it in Clever with your Microsoft sign-in, right next to Schoology.
Tap the speaker to hear a term. Add two of these to your notebook glossary with a definition and an example in your own words.
Pick just 2 or 3 words from today and make them yours: write what each one means in your own words, name the context clue or evidence that helped, then give one example from what you actually did in Lab safety and SDS. Try your own words first; the glossary is there if you get stuck. This is voluntary and counts as extra credit, so keep it short.
Saved on this device. Show Mr. Mendoza or add these to your notebook glossary to claim the extra credit.
Hand-picked readings and interactives for this lesson, from authoritative open organizations and PLTW's own public course outline.
Check yourself · commit, then reveal▸
Claim ceiling for this check: The supplied lesson evidence can support an observation, pattern, classroom mechanism, or next-step decision about Lab and SDS. It cannot by itself prove causation, establish a real clinical diagnosis, or justify action outside this classroom task.
Which SDS sections give you a chemical's hazards and its first aid, and why check them before you start?
Write an answer and pick a confidence to unlock the key.
Fast retrieval with instant answers, not the commit-then-reveal check above. Try each from memory first: write what you remember about the earlier units, then check yourself here.
Go further and get help▸
Before Wednesday's PPE station rotation, review the four PPE categories and practice reading a pictogram. Know which glove type is required for biological vs. chemical hazards. Bring your completed SDS card.
Finish the checklist before you handle any material.
- • Wear the required PPE, keep the bench clear, handle equipment only as directed, and know where the eyewash, sink, and spill kit are before you start.
- • Human samples and data stay private: label with a code, never a name, and dispose of materials in the correct waste container, then wash your hands.
- 1Before materials are handled, identify the purpose, variables or comparison, controls, measurement units, and stop-work condition.
- 2Take teacher notes on the four PPE categories and when each is required.
- 3Walk through the 16 sections of an SDS and find the hazard and first-aid sections.
- 4Match three common lab chemicals to their hazard pictograms.
- 5Open the PLTW launch lesson and complete the lab-safety contract task online.
- 6Write one independent variable and one control you will track in any experiment.
- 7Record each result in the prepared table before interpreting it. Mark missing, repeated, or invalid results truthfully.
- 8Complete the named cleanup and waste route, remove PPE safely, wash hands when required, and confirm the station is ready for the next group.
| Trial or sample ID | Independent condition | Measured result with units | Observation before interpretation | Quality-control note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Before the procedure, predict the result and cite the rule behind the prediction.
After the procedure, compare the result with the prediction and name one limitation or source of uncertainty.
What today's skills lead to. These are real health-science careers this course builds toward. Tap one to see, on the US Department of Labor's O*NET site, what the job actually involves, what it pays, and how fast it is growing.
Today's work depends on equipment and locations in our lab, so it cannot be finished from home. Do the part that travels: read the target above and the safety notes, and write what you already know.
Back in class. The in-room part has to be done in the room. See Mr. Mendoza on your first day back and he will run it with you before you work at the bench.
Class still runs. Complete the online activity above (it's self-guided). Need the concept taught without a teacher? Use this authoritative explainer:
OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (SDS format)- CompleteEvery required part of the artifact is present, nothing left blank.
- AccurateThe science and the data are correct and match the evidence.
- Scientific reasoningYou explain your claim with evidence and reasoning (CER), not just an answer.
- Professional communicationClear, organized, labeled, and written the way a clinician or scientist would.
- SubmittedTurned in the right way, on the class site or handed to Mr. Mendoza in class, and confirmed. Not in Schoology: that is where the report-card grade appears later.
- Error analysis and method · counts doubleName a specific limit of the method and how it moved your result, and compare what you predicted to what happened. "Human error" does not count; say what about the procedure or instrument caused it.