What personal protective equipment is essential in a chemistry laboratory?

In a chemistry laboratory, wearing gloves and goggles is crucial for ensuring personal safety. Gloves serve as a barrier to protect the skin from direct contact with potentially harmful chemicals, which can cause skin irritation, burns, or even systemic toxicity if absorbed. Goggles are necessary to safeguard the eyes from splashes, spills, or flying debris that could result from chemical reactions or handling of reactive substances. Together, gloves and goggles form a fundamental part of personal protective equipment by minimizing the risk of chemical exposure and injuries in the lab environment.

While safety shoes and body suits may provide additional protection in certain situations, they are not universally essential in every chemistry laboratory setting like gloves and goggles are. Thus, the dual combination of gloves and goggles represents the minimum necessary protective measures for safe laboratory practice.