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A1.4 · Plan investigations using safe laboratory practices and WHMIS

Learn to plan investigations using safe laboratory practices and whmis through clear examples and targeted practice.

Ontario Grade 11 Chemistry

Scientific Investigation Skills and Career Exploration

Ontario Grade 11 Chemistry — A1.4: Plan investigations using safe laboratory practices and WHMIS

A chemical may look harmless in its container, but its contents can still irritate skin, damage eyes, or create another hazard. Safe laboratory work starts before anyone opens a container. In this lesson, you will learn how to plan an investigation so that hazards are identified and managed. WHMIS means the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System. It provides information about hazardous products through labels, pictograms, and Safety Data Sheets. In a school laboratory, follow your teacher’s instructions and your school’s safety rules at all times.

What you will learn

Identify hazards before an investigation begins.
Use WHMIS labels and Safety Data Sheets to find safety information.
Plan controls, safe procedures, waste handling, and emergency responses with teacher guidance.

1. Start with a question and a safety review

An investigation is a planned way to answer a question using observations or measurements. Before planning its steps, be clear about what you want to find out. Then consider what people will do and what materials they will handle. This keeps the plan focused and makes it easier to identify possible hazards.

A hazard is something that could cause harm. Risk is the chance that harm will happen, together with how serious it could be. For example, a liquid that could irritate skin is a hazard. The chance of a spill, and the possible effect of that spill, are part of the risk. A safe plan reduces risk; it does not assume that a hazard has disappeared.

Review familiar safety practices before you begin: wear the protective equipment required by your teacher, keep food and drink out of the laboratory, tie back long hair, and follow instructions for handling equipment and chemicals. Protective equipment, such as splash goggles or gloves when directed, helps reduce exposure. Never start an unfamiliar procedure or handle an unfamiliar product without teacher approval.

State the investigation question before choosing a procedure.
Identify hazards and consider how people could be exposed.
Use teacher direction and school laboratory rules as part of the plan.

2. Use WHMIS information before handling a product

WHMIS communicates information about hazardous products. A supplier label is the label provided with a product. A workplace label may be used when a product is transferred to another container under workplace rules. In a school laboratory, do not use a container if its identity or label is missing or unclear. Tell the teacher.

A WHMIS pictogram is a symbol that gives a quick visual warning about a type of hazard. Read the label rather than guessing from the pictogram alone. Labels can also provide the product name, hazard statements, precautionary statements, and instructions for seeking help. The exact information depends on the product.

A Safety Data Sheet, or SDS, gives more detailed information about a hazardous product. Check the SDS sections that apply to the task. These can include hazards, safe handling and storage, required protective equipment, first aid, accidental release, and disposal. Ask the teacher where the current SDS is kept and how to use it. Do not rely on memory or an online search in place of the school’s approved information.

Not every laboratory material has the same hazards, and not every investigation uses hazardous products. Still, review the available information for the materials you plan to use. If any hazard or instruction is unclear, pause and ask the teacher before proceeding.

Use the product label and the school’s current SDS as sources of safety information.
A pictogram is a warning symbol, not a complete set of instructions.
Do not handle an unidentified or unclearly labelled product.

3. Build safety into the investigation plan

A useful plan links each hazard to a practical control. A control is an action that reduces the chance of harm or limits its effects. For example, goggles can reduce the chance of eye exposure to splashes. Using only the amount approved by the teacher can limit the amount involved in a spill. A control must fit the actual task and the product information.

Write down the materials and equipment that the teacher has approved. For each product, check the label and SDS for relevant hazards and handling directions. Plan where the work will happen, what protective equipment is required, and how materials will be moved and stored during the activity. Do not substitute a different chemical or change the amount without permission.

Include a clear procedure that another student could follow safely. State the order of actions, the equipment to use, and any points where the teacher must check the setup. Avoid vague directions such as “handle carefully.” Instead, describe a specific safe action that follows the teacher’s instructions and product information.

Plan for waste and unexpected events before starting. Find out which waste container to use; never assume a chemical can go down the sink or into regular garbage. Know where the eyewash station, safety shower, spill supplies, and other safety equipment are, and learn how to get the teacher’s attention. If there is a spill, exposure, broken glass, or unexpected reaction, stop, move away if needed, and tell the teacher immediately. Follow the teacher’s emergency directions rather than trying to manage the event alone.

Match each identified hazard with an appropriate control.
Include teacher approval, required protective equipment, and waste instructions.
Plan how to report an incident; do not handle an emergency alone.

4. Check and communicate the plan

Before work begins, check the plan with the teacher. Confirm that the product and procedure are approved, the labels and SDS have been reviewed, and the required equipment and controls are ready. Also check that everyone understands the steps for stopping work and reporting a problem.

A good plan is specific enough to guide safe actions, but it does not claim that an investigation has already happened. Planning describes what the group intends to do. Observations and results can only be recorded after an approved investigation is carried out. If a condition changes, such as a different product being supplied, stop and review the safety information again.

Review the whole plan with the teacher before beginning.
Reassess safety if materials or conditions change.
Keep planned actions separate from observations that have not yet been made.

Worked example

Planning before a teacher-approved investigation

A group proposes comparing how quickly equal portions of two teacher-approved solid samples dissolve in water. The students have not begun the investigation. Describe the safety planning they should complete before starting.

Clarify the proposed task
Write the question and identify the planned materials and actions. The group should say that it intends to compare the samples using the same approved procedure. It must not report results before doing the investigation.
Check product information
Ask the teacher to confirm the identity and approval of each sample. Read each label and consult the school’s current SDS when available. Note relevant hazards, handling directions, protective equipment, first aid, and disposal information. If a label or instruction is unclear, stop and ask the teacher.
Choose controls and safe steps
Follow the teacher’s directions for the amount of each sample, the equipment, and the procedure. Wear the protective equipment required for the task. Keep containers identified, avoid contact with the samples, and do not taste or directly handle them. Include a teacher check before the group begins.
Plan waste and response
Confirm the correct waste route with the teacher and SDS information; do not assume the mixtures can be poured into a sink. Locate the safety equipment and know how to alert the teacher. If a spill or exposure occurs, stop and report it immediately.

Answer: The group has a usable safety plan only after the teacher approves the materials and procedure, the relevant label and SDS information has been checked, controls and protective equipment are identified, and waste and emergency directions are clear. This is a proposed plan, not evidence that the investigation has been performed.

Check: The plan identifies hazards and specific actions to reduce risk, while leaving approval and any actual investigation to the teacher and students.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

Treating a pictogram as the only safety information needed.

Correction: Read the full product label and consult the school’s current SDS for task-relevant information.

Assuming a familiar-looking product or clear liquid is safe.

Correction: Identify the product and check its safety information before handling it.

Writing “be careful” as the only control.

Correction: Name a specific action, such as using the required goggles or following the teacher-approved handling procedure.

Pouring leftover material down the sink without checking.

Correction: Follow the teacher’s and SDS disposal directions. Ask if the waste route is uncertain.

Trying to clean up a spill or treat an exposure without help.

Correction: Stop, move away if needed, and alert the teacher immediately. Follow the school’s emergency directions.

Lesson summary

Plan safety before handling materials or starting a procedure.
Use WHMIS labels and the school’s current SDS to identify hazards and precautions.
Link each hazard to suitable controls, protective equipment, and teacher-approved steps.
Confirm waste and emergency directions before beginning.
Pause and ask the teacher whenever product information or instructions are unclear.

Check your understanding

Question 1

What should you do if a chemical container has no clear identity?

Use a small amount to see what it does.
Ask a classmate to identify it by appearance.
Do not use it; tell the teacher.
Pour it into a labelled container.

Show answer and explanation

Do not use it; tell the teacher.

An unidentified product cannot be checked reliably against its label or SDS. Do not handle it; tell the teacher.

Question 2

Which source gives more detailed information about a hazardous product than a pictogram alone?

The school’s current Safety Data Sheet
A guess based on the product’s colour
A result from a different class
A student’s memory of another experiment

Show answer and explanation

The school’s current Safety Data Sheet

The SDS provides detailed product safety information. It should be used with the label and teacher instructions.

Question 3

What is the safest response if the planned waste-disposal method is unclear?

Pour the waste down the sink.
Put it in regular garbage.
Leave it beside the sink.
Stop and ask the teacher for the approved disposal method.

Show answer and explanation

Stop and ask the teacher for the approved disposal method.

Waste must be handled according to the teacher’s directions and product information. Do not guess.

Key terms

Investigation: A planned way to answer a question using observations or measurements.
Hazard: Something that could cause harm.
Risk: The chance that harm will happen and how serious it could be.
Control: An action that reduces the chance of harm or limits its effects.
WHMIS: The Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System, which communicates information about hazardous products.
Pictogram: A symbol on a WHMIS label that gives a quick visual warning about a type of hazard.
Safety Data Sheet: A document that gives detailed safety information about a hazardous product.
Protective equipment: Equipment worn or used to help reduce exposure to hazards, such as splash goggles when required.

Continue through SCH3U

View the complete SCH3U Ontario Grade 11 Chemistry curriculum and lessons

About this lesson and its review

Published by DoAssignment. This AI-assisted lesson follows Ontario Grade 11 Chemistry (SCH3U), expectation A1.4. It is a study resource, not an official curriculum publication.

Before publication, the draft is checked for structure, mathematical or chemical notation, calculations, course boundaries, and readability, and then requires administrator approval. Errors can still occur, so corrections are welcomed.

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