Safety should always be the first priority when working in the laboratory. This primer outlines many of the important chemical, electrical, and radiation safety considerations germane to research in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Tech.

Beyond protective clothing, sensors, and hardware, the most important safety protection is knowledge. A fundamental understanding of potential occurrences in a chemical reaction may be deduced from thermodynamic calculation, and purview of MSDS1 (material safety data sheets), or phone consultation with the Georgia Tech Department of Environmental Science, Health and Safety (DESHS). Electrical safety stems from knowledgeable use of multimeters and reading of circuit diagrams. In all cases, precautions must be made so that the laboratory environment is not booby trapped for future users-sloppy wiring or mis-labeled chemicals are disasters awaiting unknowing downstream researchers.