Laboratory and workshop safety
Requirements for personnel working in or visiting NUS teaching and research laboratories and workshops where hazardous materials or activities are present.
Who and where
The policy applies to all personnel, including researchers, contractors, cleaners and visitors, in covered work areas.
Eye protection is required where hazardous materials or activities are present, including:
Wear eye protection by default even when your own task does not appear to involve an eye exposure risk. Hazards can arise from activities in the surrounding area.
Risk-based selection
The Principal Investigator (PI) or Academic Supervisor determines the protection required through a risk assessment, then ensures the requirements are communicated and the equipment is available before work begins.
Identify hazardous materials and activities in the teaching or research laboratory or workshop. Include hazards from nearby work.
The PI or Academic Supervisor conducts a risk assessment to determine the type of eye protection and any additional face protection required.
Tell everyone working in or visiting the area what protection is required. Include researchers, students, contractors, cleaners and visitors.
Ensure that the required eye and face protection is available before the activity begins.
Selection guidance
Consider both the material hazard and the probability of a splash. The PI or Academic Supervisor determines the protection required through the work risk assessment.
Required in teaching and research laboratories and workshops where hazardous materials or activities are present, subject to the exemption provisions below.
Impact-resistant lenses and stronger frames provide protection against physical hazards such as flying particles. Safety glasses do not provide adequate protection against significant chemical splashes.
Required when: Materials have a medium hazard rating, such as corrosive, injurious or infectious materials, and a moderate splash probability exists.
Mixing or pouring corrosive or injurious materials from a stock bottle on the benchtop.
Safety goggles provide impact resistance and greater protection against chemical splashes than safety glasses. Select splash goggles with indirect ventilation and a close fit to prevent liquid entering the eye area. Some models fit over prescription spectacles. Goggles protect the eyes; additional protection may be needed for the face.
Required when: Materials have a medium or high hazard rating, such as corrosive, injurious or infectious materials, and a high splash probability exists.
A face shield provides splash protection to the face. Flying objects or splashes can pass around it, so wear it with suitable safety glasses or goggles as determined by the risk assessment.
Limited exception
Exemptions are for situations where wearing eye protection is not reasonably practicable. The policy’s guiding principles must continue to be met.
The PI or Academic Supervisor first determines that using eye protection is not reasonably practicable and that the guiding principles above are met.
Check the NUS list of approved and rejected eye protection exemption applications (26 February 2020) before applying for an exemption.
Previously approved categories: Teaching or dry-laboratory activities without chemicals or hazardous bench materials; work separated from hazards by a barrier or safe distance; equipment use without hazardous substances or projectiles; and specified equipment handling solid samples. Examples include specimen observation, data analysis in a separated area, certain measurements, and specified microscopy or spectroscopy work. Check the full list and its conditions for your activity.
Rejected examples: Work in a biosafety cabinet or fume hood, cell culture and other listed biological experiments, operating equipment such as centrifuges or HPLC, and transferring chemicals for storage or disposal. These activities are not covered by the previously approved route.
Submit a declaration
Request approval
Documents and links
Use NUS guidance to support risk assessment, exemption requests and selection of suitable protection. Some NUS resources may require sign-in.
Background reading from the NUS safety and health newsletter archive.
Common questions
More detail is available in the full NUS FAQ.
Eye protection is not required under this policy if no hazardous materials or activities are present. The PI or supervisor should assess the actual conditions in the room.
It depends on the activities nearby and the potential for exposure. The NUS FAQ allows for a study area without eye protection where there is no probability of hazardous material splash, and gives a separating barrier or a safe distance of at least 1.5 metres as examples. The PI or supervisor should assess the area; distance alone does not establish that protection can be removed. Follow the exemption process above where applicable.
No. Flying objects or splashes can pass around a face shield and reach the eyes. For higher-risk activities, use a face shield with safety glasses or goggles as determined by the risk assessment.
Check the fit, correct use and condition of the eyewear, including damage or scratches. Try suitable models that fit more comfortably. If you need corrective lenses, consider prescription safety glasses as an alternative to over-the-glasses protection.
Programme enquiries
Contact the Office of Risk Management and Compliance for enquiries about the type of eye protection to use.