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Lab Safety Quiz

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Which pictogram would you expect on sodium hydroxide?

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with any school, textbook publisher or curriculum. Bank checked September 24, 2026.

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All 40 questions with answers

Hazard symbols 14

  • A hazard pictogram shows a bomb exploding. What does it warn of? Answer: Explosive or self-reactive substance. Source: Wikipedia, GHS hazard pictograms. Read 2026-09-24.
  • A hazard pictogram shows a dead tree and a dead fish. What does it warn of? Answer: Hazardous to the environment. Source: Wikipedia, GHS hazard pictograms. Read 2026-09-24.
  • A hazard pictogram shows a flame above a circle. What does it warn of? Answer: Oxidizer: it makes other things burn more strongly. Source: Wikipedia, GHS hazard pictograms. Read 2026-09-24.
  • A hazard pictogram shows a flame. What does it warn of? Answer: Flammable: it catches fire easily. Source: Wikipedia, GHS hazard pictograms. Read 2026-09-24.
  • A hazard pictogram shows a gas cylinder. What does it warn of? Answer: Gas under pressure. Source: Wikipedia, GHS hazard pictograms. Read 2026-09-24.
  • A hazard pictogram shows a person's outline with a star-shaped burst on the chest. What does it warn of? Answer: Serious long-term health hazard. Source: Wikipedia, GHS hazard pictograms. Read 2026-09-24.
  • A hazard pictogram shows a skull and crossbones. What does it warn of? Answer: Acute toxicity: it can kill in small amounts. Source: Wikipedia, GHS hazard pictograms. Read 2026-09-24.
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Hazard symbols, continued

  • A hazard pictogram shows an exclamation mark. What does it warn of? Answer: Irritant or less serious harm. Source: Wikipedia, GHS hazard pictograms. Read 2026-09-24.
  • A hazard pictogram shows liquid dripping onto a hand and a metal bar, eating into them. What does it warn of? Answer: Corrosive: it damages skin, eyes and metal. Source: Wikipedia, GHS hazard pictograms. Read 2026-09-24.
  • Which pictogram replaces the exclamation mark on a label when a chemical is also deadly toxic? Answer: The skull and crossbones. Source: Wikipedia, GHS hazard pictograms. Read 2026-09-24.
  • Which pictogram would you expect on a bottle of acetone? Answer: A flame. Source: Wikipedia, GHS hazard pictograms. Read 2026-09-24.
  • Which pictogram would you expect on a flask of liquid nitrogen? Answer: A gas cylinder. Source: Wikipedia, GHS hazard pictograms. Read 2026-09-24.
  • Which pictogram would you expect on concentrated hydrogen peroxide? Answer: A flame over a circle. Source: Wikipedia, GHS hazard pictograms. Read 2026-09-24.
  • Which pictogram would you expect on sodium hydroxide? Answer: Corrosion. Source: Wikipedia, GHS hazard pictograms. Read 2026-09-24.

Safety equipment 11

  • A chemical splashes into your eye. Which equipment do you use? Answer: The eyewash station. Source: National Research Council, Prudent Practices in the Laboratory (2011), chapter 6, Working with Chemicals. Read 2026-09-24.
  • A classmate's clothing catches fire. What is the first choice? Answer: Get them under the safety shower, or drop and roll. Source: National Research Council, Prudent Practices in the Laboratory (2011), chapter 6, Working with Chemicals. Read 2026-09-24.
  • A large chemical spill soaks your clothes. Which equipment do you use? Answer: The safety shower. Source: National Research Council, Prudent Practices in the Laboratory (2011), chapter 6, Working with Chemicals. Read 2026-09-24.
  • For how long should an eye splashed with a chemical be rinsed? Answer: At least 15 minutes. Source: National Research Council, Prudent Practices in the Laboratory (2011), chapter 6, Working with Chemicals. Read 2026-09-24.
  • What is a fume hood for? Answer: Drawing away harmful fumes, vapours and dust. Source: Wikipedia, Fume hood. Read 2026-09-24.
  • What is kept clear at all times, so it can be reached in an emergency? Answer: Exits, safety showers and fire extinguishers. Source: National Research Council, Prudent Practices in the Laboratory (2011), chapter 6, Working with Chemicals. Read 2026-09-24.
  • What should you use to draw a liquid into a pipette? Answer: A pipette bulb or pump. Source: National Research Council, Prudent Practices in the Laboratory (2011), chapter 6, Working with Chemicals. Read 2026-09-24.
  • Where does broken glass go? Answer: A container labelled for broken glass. Source: National Research Council, Prudent Practices in the Laboratory (2011), chapter 6, Working with Chemicals. Read 2026-09-24.
  • Which document gives a chemical's hazards, safe handling and spill steps? Answer: The safety data sheet (SDS). Source: Wikipedia, Safety data sheet. Read 2026-09-24.
  • Which eye protection guards best against splashes? Answer: Chemical splash goggles. Source: National Research Council, Prudent Practices in the Laboratory (2011), chapter 6, Working with Chemicals. Read 2026-09-24.
  • Which piece of protective clothing guards your clothes and arms from splashes? Answer: A lab coat or apron. Source: National Research Council, Prudent Practices in the Laboratory (2011), chapter 6, Working with Chemicals. Read 2026-09-24.

Rules and scenarios 15

  • A beaker breaks on the bench. How do you clear it? Answer: Tell the teacher; it is picked up with tools or thick gloves. Source: National Research Council, Prudent Practices in the Laboratory (2011), chapter 6, Working with Chemicals. Read 2026-09-24.
  • A chemical splashes on your skin. What do you do? Answer: Rinse it with lots of water and tell the teacher. Source: National Research Council, Prudent Practices in the Laboratory (2011), chapter 6, Working with Chemicals. Read 2026-09-24.
  • A student wants to eat a snack at the lab bench. What does the rule say? Answer: No eating or drinking in the lab. Source: National Research Council, Prudent Practices in the Laboratory (2011), chapter 6, Working with Chemicals. Read 2026-09-24.
  • A student wears contact lenses. What must they wear during a lab with chemicals? Answer: Chemical splash goggles. Source: National Research Council, Prudent Practices in the Laboratory (2011), chapter 6, Working with Chemicals. Read 2026-09-24.
  • Can a student do a lab experiment alone after school? Answer: No, lab work is never done alone. Source: National Research Council, Prudent Practices in the Laboratory (2011), chapter 6, Working with Chemicals. Read 2026-09-24.
  • How should you find out what an unknown liquid is? Answer: Ask the teacher or read the label, never taste or sniff it. Source: National Research Council, Prudent Practices in the Laboratory (2011), chapter 6, Working with Chemicals. Read 2026-09-24.
  • Two chemicals of unknown hazard are mixed. How should you treat the mixture? Answer: As more harmful than either one alone. Source: National Research Council, Prudent Practices in the Laboratory (2011), chapter 6, Working with Chemicals. Read 2026-09-24.
  • When do you wash your hands in a lab? Answer: After the work, even if you wore gloves. Source: National Research Council, Prudent Practices in the Laboratory (2011), chapter 6, Working with Chemicals. Read 2026-09-24.
  • Where do coats and school bags go during a lab? Answer: In the place set aside for them, off benches and aisles. Source: National Research Council, Prudent Practices in the Laboratory (2011), chapter 6, Working with Chemicals. Read 2026-09-24.
  • Which shoes are right for the lab? Answer: Shoes that cover the whole foot. Source: National Research Council, Prudent Practices in the Laboratory (2011), chapter 6, Working with Chemicals. Read 2026-09-24.
  • Why is goggle-wearing the rule even when you are only watching? Answer: Splashes and flying glass reach people nearby too. Source: National Research Council, Prudent Practices in the Laboratory (2011), chapter 6, Working with Chemicals. Read 2026-09-24.
  • You find a beaker with a crack in it. What do you do? Answer: Stop using it and hand it in for disposal. Source: National Research Council, Prudent Practices in the Laboratory (2011), chapter 6, Working with Chemicals. Read 2026-09-24.
  • You knock over a beaker and the liquid spills. What do you do first? Answer: Tell the teacher at once. Source: National Research Council, Prudent Practices in the Laboratory (2011), chapter 6, Working with Chemicals. Read 2026-09-24.
  • You need to dilute a concentrated acid. What is the safe order? Answer: Add the acid slowly to the water. Source: Wikipedia, Sulfuric acid. Read 2026-09-24.
  • You pour some of a chemical into a new beaker to use later. What must you do? Answer: Label the beaker with the chemical's name. Source: National Research Council, Prudent Practices in the Laboratory (2011), chapter 6, Working with Chemicals. Read 2026-09-24.

How this list was compiled: Questions, wrong choices and explanations were written for this site. Pictograms were checked on Wikipedia's GHS hazard pictograms (with its examples) and rules on the National Research Council's Prudent Practices in the Laboratory (2011), chapter 6, read 2026-09-24; each question names its source. Licence: own work

How it works

This lab safety quiz has 40 questions for a school science or chemistry lab: the nine hazard pictograms, safety equipment such as the eyewash and fume hood, and what to do when something spills, breaks or splashes.

Read the full guide

Three sets

Hazard symbols describes each of the nine GHS pictograms and asks what it warns of. Safety equipment covers goggles, the eyewash, safety shower and fume hood. Rules and scenarios asks what you do next.

For a safety unit

Practice brings a missed question back until you get it right. After a round, Print lists its questions for a paper quiz; its last row brings in the rest of the 40, and a tick on With answer key adds the key.

  • Flame means it burns; flame over a circle means it makes other things burn harder.
  • Acid goes into water, never water into acid.
  • When anything spills, breaks or splashes, tell the teacher first.

Questions and answers

What are the most important lab safety rules?

Wear splash goggles, keep food and drink out, never taste or sniff chemicals, wear closed shoes, label every container, report every spill and breakage, and know where the eyewash, safety shower and exits are. Your school's own safety contract comes first.

What do the lab safety symbols mean?

Nine GHS pictograms: flame (flammable), flame over circle (oxidizer), exploding bomb (explosive), gas cylinder (gas under pressure), corrosion, skull and crossbones (toxic), exclamation mark (irritant), health hazard, and environment.

How long do you use the eyewash?

Rinse the eye with gently flowing water for at least 15 minutes, holding the eyelids open and moving the eye, and tell the teacher straight away. The same 15 minutes applies to a large splash on the skin, under the safety shower.

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