• Question: Have you done an experiment at some stage and have destroyed the lab?

    Asked by 635anta39 to Ceri, Marikka, Matt, Rob, Sally on 10 Nov 2014.
    • Photo: Sally Cutler

      Sally Cutler answered on 10 Nov 2014:

      Thankfully no, but I have seen some accidents (not mine). One of the most common is with flames as often you need to work with a Bunsen burner and so setting fire to things can happen. Another common problem is when centrifuges are not properly balanced. You should always get training when using new equipment to prevent accidents.

    • Photo: Ceri Dare

      Ceri Dare answered on 11 Nov 2014:

      Haha yes, I was *terrible* at lab work at school, because I have dyspraxia which makes me really clumsy. I set fire to my teacher’s tie, and flooded the department with acid!

      But fortunately for me, you don’t have to work in a lab to be a scientist. I did my first degree in Psychology, then Public Health – no labs in either of them. Now I work with computers, and three weeks out of every four I work from home, one week in four from a hospital – so no labs!

    • Photo: Robert Hampson

      Robert Hampson answered on 11 Nov 2014:

      No, though I have broken my fair share of flasks and other minor lab equipment.

      Labs are dangerous places though, I often hear reports of fatal or serious accidents at other universities, especially in chemistry labs where there is a lot of liquid solvents lying around that are more flammable than petrol!

    • Photo: Marikka Beecroft

      Marikka Beecroft answered on 12 Nov 2014:

      No but that would be one cool story to tell! I was helping out in a teaching lab once and a student had set fire to her beaker of alcohol and in a panic managed to knock the bacteria she was using all over the floor. That was nearly a disaster!

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