Maintaining safety equipment, cleaning work area, and cleaning laboratory supply and storage areas includes the following:

• Keeping the equipment clean, in good condition, and in good repair
• Explaining proper sanitation and disinfection of work area and laboratory supplies
• Adhering to laboratory prohibitions (e.g., no eating, no drinking, no applying make-up, no putting on contacts or lip balm, no gum chewing, no neglect of personal hygiene)
• Attending to inventory control
• Following industry guidelines and regulations
• Identifying precautions to prevent contamination of apparatus, work surfaces, self, others, and work environment

Process/Skill Questions:

• Why is it important to keep the laboratory equipment clean?
• Why is it important to keep the laboratory equipment in good repair and condition?
• Why are safety and cleanliness so essential in a laboratory environment?
• What procedures should be in place for reporting equipment problems?