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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 Physics

Scientific Investigation Skills and Career Exploration

Ontario Grade 11 Physics — expectation A1.4

A physics investigation is planned work that uses observations or measurements to answer a question. Before collecting evidence, you must consider the equipment, materials, and actions involved. Safe planning is not separate from the investigation: it helps you decide whether the procedure can be done safely and what controls are needed. WHMIS means Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System. It is Canada’s system for communicating information about hazardous products in workplaces, including school laboratories. This lesson focuses on planning with safe laboratory practices and WHMIS, as required by expectation A1.4.

What you will learn

1. Bridge: turn a question into a safe plan

You may already know how to follow a procedure, use equipment as directed, and record observations. Planning asks you to think ahead: What will I do? What could cause harm? What information or help do I need before beginning? A hazard is something that could cause harm. Risk is the chance that harm could occur in a particular situation. A hazard may be present even when the risk is reduced by careful planning.
Begin by stating the investigation question and the steps you expect to take. List the equipment and materials, including any products with WHMIS information. Then review each step for possible hazards. Consider how equipment will be handled, whether anything could spill or fall, and whether the setup could affect people nearby. Do not begin a procedure if a safety detail is unclear. Ask the teacher for direction.
A control is an action that helps prevent harm or reduces exposure to a hazard. Examples include using equipment only as instructed, keeping a work area clear, securing equipment when directed, and wearing the protective equipment required by the procedure. The right control depends on the actual task and the teacher’s instructions. Do not assume that a control suitable for one investigation is suitable for another.

2. WHMIS information and laboratory decisions

WHMIS communicates hazards of hazardous products through labels and safety data sheets. A safety data sheet, or SDS, is a document that gives information about a product’s hazards and safe handling. A pictogram is a symbol on a label that signals a type of hazard. Read the label and the relevant SDS information before working with a hazardous product. Never identify a product by appearance alone.
A supplier label is provided by the product supplier. A workplace label may be used at a workplace when a product is transferred from its original supplier container or when a supplier label is missing or no longer readable, according to applicable requirements. In a school laboratory, follow the teacher’s directions about labels and SDS access. Do not use an unlabeled product, and do not write your own guess about what it contains.
Use the information to make practical decisions. Check the product identity and hazard information. Follow the handling, storage, and emergency directions that apply to the activity. Use only the amount and method specified by the teacher. Keep products in their assigned containers, and do not mix or transfer them unless instructed. If the label or SDS is unavailable, unclear, or does not match the material, stop and tell the teacher.
WHMIS does not replace general laboratory rules or teacher supervision. It helps communicate product hazards, while the investigation plan must also address equipment and the actions in the procedure. For example, a label cannot tell you that a crowded bench is a safe place to set up equipment. You must consider the whole work area and follow the class’s safety practices.

3. Build safety into each stage

Before work begins, review the procedure with the teacher. Identify the materials and equipment, required protective equipment, possible hazards, and controls. Check that the work area is suitable and that you know what to do if something goes wrong. Protective equipment means items worn or used to reduce exposure to hazards, such as the equipment specified for a particular activity. Wear it as directed; it is not a substitute for careful handling.
During the investigation, follow the approved procedure. Keep your attention on the task, use equipment only for its intended classroom purpose, and keep the work area orderly. Avoid actions that could distract others or expose them to a hazard. Do not improvise a new step or change the amount of a material without permission. If the procedure seems unsafe, pause and get the teacher’s help.
If there is a spill, breakage, injury, unexpected reaction, or other safety concern, stop work and alert the teacher immediately. Do not try to clean up, repair, or investigate the problem unless the teacher instructs you to do so. Follow the classroom emergency directions. After the activity, follow instructions for returning equipment, handling waste, and cleaning the work area. Wash your hands when directed.
A strong plan makes these decisions explicit before the activity starts. It names the hazard, the control, and the person to notify if the control is not enough. It also avoids claiming that a plan has already produced evidence. A proposed procedure describes what you intend to do; measured evidence is what you actually observe or record after carrying out an approved investigation. A simulation can help explore a model, but it is not a physical laboratory measurement.

4. Review a plan before approval

Use a final safety review before starting. Can you explain what the procedure asks you to do? Have you identified the relevant hazards from the equipment, materials, and work area? Do you know which controls and protective equipment are required? Can you find the WHMIS label and relevant SDS information for a hazardous product? Do you know who to tell if there is a problem?
If any answer is no, the plan is not ready to begin. Revise it with the teacher’s guidance. A safe plan is specific: it says what the learner will do and what will happen if a hazard cannot be controlled. “Be careful” is not enough because it does not identify an action. “Use the material only as directed, keep its label available, and stop to ask the teacher if its identity is unclear” gives clearer actions.
Safety planning is part of responsible investigation. It helps protect you and the people around you while making the procedure clear. Follow the school’s safety rules and your teacher’s instructions, even when they add steps beyond the general guidance in this lesson.

Worked example

Reviewing a plan that uses a hazardous product

A proposed class investigation includes a product in a container with a WHMIS label. The written plan lists the product but does not mention the SDS, protective equipment, or what to do if the product spills. What should be improved before the investigation begins?
  1. Identify what is missing
    The product is identified, but the plan does not yet explain how its hazards will guide safe handling. A list of materials alone is not a complete safety plan.
  2. Consult the available information
    The teacher should direct students to the product label and relevant SDS information. The plan should reflect the handling and protective-equipment directions that apply to the activity. Students should not guess at these details.
  3. Add controls and a response
    State the required protective equipment and handling controls as directed. Add an instruction to stop work and alert the teacher if there is a spill. Do not tell students to clean it up unless the teacher has specifically instructed them to do so.
Answer: Revise the plan using the label and relevant SDS information, state the required controls and protective equipment, and include a direction to stop and notify the teacher if a spill occurs. Begin only after the teacher has reviewed the plan.
Check: The revision uses product information instead of guessing and gives a clear response to a possible incident.

Worked example

Responding to an unclear label

A container needed for a planned activity has a label that cannot be read. A student thinks they recognize the product and suggests continuing. What is the safe planning decision?
  1. Recognize the uncertainty
    An unreadable label means the product identity and hazard information cannot be confirmed from the container. Appearance or memory is not a safe replacement for product information.
  2. Pause the activity
    Do not use, open, or transfer the product. Keep others from treating it as identified, and tell the teacher that the label is unreadable.
  3. Wait for teacher direction
    The teacher can determine whether the material can be identified and whether the plan must change. Students should not make a new label or select handling steps by guessing.
Answer: Do not use the container. Stop and tell the teacher, then wait for clear identification and instructions before revising or carrying out the plan.
Check: The decision avoids exposure to an unknown product and leaves identification to the responsible teacher.

Worked example

Improving a vague equipment-safety step

A proposed investigation uses classroom equipment. Its only safety note says, “Be careful.” How can the plan become more useful without assuming hazards that have not been checked?
  1. Review the real procedure
    The plan must first name the equipment and describe the actions students will take. The hazards depend on that setup, so the writer should not invent a specific hazard before checking the procedure with the teacher.
  2. Name suitable directions
    Replace the vague note with specific instructions that match the approved activity, such as following the teacher’s setup and handling directions, keeping the work area orderly, and not changing the setup without permission.
  3. Include a pause-and-report action
    Add that students should stop and tell the teacher if equipment is damaged, the setup becomes unsafe, or an instruction is unclear. The teacher can decide what action is appropriate.
Answer: Describe the equipment-specific steps after reviewing the approved procedure, state the required handling directions, and include a clear stop-and-report action for damage or uncertainty.
Check: The improved plan gives actionable directions without claiming an unverified hazard or inventing experimental results.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

Treating a WHMIS pictogram as the full safety plan.
Correction: Use the label and relevant SDS information, then apply the teacher’s directions and controls for the actual procedure.
Guessing a product’s identity from its appearance or an unreadable label.
Correction: Do not use it. Stop and tell the teacher so the material can be identified safely.
Writing “be careful” as the only safety instruction.
Correction: Name clear actions, required controls, and what to do if a concern occurs.
Trying to clean up a spill or repair equipment without permission.
Correction: Stop work, alert the teacher, and follow the teacher’s directions and classroom emergency procedures.
Describing a planned procedure as if it already produced measurements.
Correction: Keep proposed steps separate from observations or measurements collected during an approved investigation.

Lesson summary

Check your understanding

Question 1

You find a product with a label you cannot read. What should you do?
  1. Use it if its appearance seems familiar.
  2. Ask a classmate to identify it and continue.
  3. Do not use it; tell the teacher and wait for instructions.
  4. Transfer it to a clean container and label it from memory.
Show answer and explanation
Do not use it; tell the teacher and wait for instructions.
An unreadable label does not confirm the product’s identity or hazards. Do not use or transfer it; alert the teacher.

Question 2

What information does an SDS provide?
  1. Information about a hazardous product and its safe handling.
  2. A record of measurements from every class investigation.
  3. Permission to use any product without teacher direction.
  4. A replacement for laboratory rules and supervision.
Show answer and explanation
Information about a hazardous product and its safe handling.
An SDS gives information about a product’s hazards and safe handling. It does not replace teacher instructions or general safety practices.

Question 3

During an activity, you notice a spill. What is the best first response?
  1. Clean it up immediately, even if you do not know what it is.
  2. Stop work and alert the teacher.
  3. Continue the activity and report it afterward.
  4. Move the spill to another work area.
Show answer and explanation
Stop work and alert the teacher.
Stop and notify the teacher immediately. Do not attempt cleanup unless instructed.

Question 4

Which statement correctly separates a plan from evidence?
  1. A proposed procedure is a set of intended steps; measured evidence is what is observed or recorded when an approved investigation is carried out.
  2. A proposed procedure counts as measured evidence as soon as it is written.
  3. A simulation is always a physical laboratory measurement.
  4. A safety plan proves that no hazard can occur.
Show answer and explanation
A proposed procedure is a set of intended steps; measured evidence is what is observed or recorded when an approved investigation is carried out.
A plan describes intended actions. Evidence comes from observations or measurements actually collected during the investigation; a plan cannot guarantee that no hazard will occur.

Key terms

Hazard
Something that could cause harm.
Risk
The chance that harm could occur in a particular situation.
Control
An action that helps prevent harm or reduces exposure to a hazard.
WHMIS
Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System, Canada’s system for communicating information about hazardous products in workplaces.
Safety data sheet (SDS)
A document that provides information about a hazardous product, including hazards and safe handling.
Pictogram
A symbol on a label that signals a type of hazard.
Protective equipment
Items worn or used to reduce exposure to hazards, as specified for an activity.

Continue through SPH3U

View the complete SPH3U Ontario Grade 11 Physics curriculum and lessons

About this lesson and its review

Published by DoAssignment. This AI-assisted lesson follows Ontario Grade 11 Physics (SPH3U), 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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