Laboratory Skills and Safety

Handle equipment, samples and hazards competently and safely.

What the course covers

8 modules, 32 topics. Open any one to see what sits inside it.

1. 1.1 How a lab is organised, and why
2. 1.2 Roles, supervision and competence
3. 1.3 Lab rules and personal conduct
4. 1.4 Housekeeping and workspace discipline
1. 2.1 Risk assessment before a procedure
2. 2.2 Personal protective equipment in a lab
3. 2.3 Fume cupboards, extraction and ventilation
4. 2.4 Emergency equipment, and what to reach for first
1. 3.1 The common glassware and what each is for
2. 3.2 Cleaning, drying and storage
3. 3.3 Heating and cooling safely
4. 3.4 Vacuum, pressure, and the hazards of both
1. 4.1 Weighing accurately
2. 4.2 Measuring and transferring liquids
3. 4.3 Making up solutions and dilutions
4. 4.4 Filtration, separation and drying
1. 5.1 Handling a sample without contaminating it
2. 5.2 Aseptic technique in outline
3. 5.3 Labelling and chain of custody
4. 5.4 Storage conditions and stability
1. 6.1 pH meters and probes
2. 6.2 Centrifuges and mixers
3. 6.3 Microscopes
4. 6.4 The checks to run before you start
1. 7.1 The laboratory notebook
2. 7.2 Standard operating procedures
3. 7.3 Controls, blanks and duplicates
4. 7.4 Recognising a result that cannot possibly be right
1. 8.1 Spills, breakages and exposure
2. 8.2 Fire and evacuation in a laboratory
3. 8.3 Reporting and investigating
4. 8.4 What you owe the colleague working next to you

By the end of this course you will be able to explain and apply:

Two hours, not two months Eight short modules. Finish in a day, or do one module a night for a week.

Job-ready from the first module Everything here is a task you will actually be asked to do at work, not theory you will never use.

Built for a phone Watch on the bus, pause mid-module, pick up where you stopped. No download, no lab.

A certificate that can be checked Every certificate carries an ID your college or an employer can verify on our site.

Pre-degree / Foundation students in India
Studying: B.Sc. Physics / Chemistry / Mathematics / Biotechnology, Integrated B.Sc.-M.Sc.
Recent graduates strengthening a CV
Anyone working in this field without a formal qualification

About two hours in total — eight modules of roughly fifteen minutes. You can do it in one sitting or spread it across a week. Your place is saved either way.
No. There is no prerequisite course and no software to install. A phone, tablet or computer with an internet connection is enough.
Yes. This course is placed at Pre-degree / Foundation for India, and the content is written for that level. If you are at a different stage, change your level at the top of the page and the courses will change with it.
A certificate for the course, carrying an ID that your college or an employer can check on our verification page. You keep access to the material afterwards.
Yes — ₹450 for this course on its own, or ₹1,450 for all five in this set, which works out cheaper if you want more than one.
There is a short quiz at the end of each module so you can check what stuck. It is not timed and you can retake it.
Change your country using the picker at the top. Level names, degree names and prices all switch to that country, and the courses adjust to its education system.

Wording shown for India. Pick a different country at the top and the terms, currency and programme names change with it.