Hang this poster by the microscope cabinet, so the rules are in front of whoever carries one to the bench.
What is on the poster
Do
- Carry it upright with one hand under the base and one on the arm, and set it down away from the bench edge.
- Wash your hands before and after. Clean gloves with 70% alcohol before touching it.
- Start on the lowest objective (4x) with the stage down; focus, then move up in power. Fine focus only on high power.
- Slides and cover slips are glass: pick them up by the edges, and put broken ones in the glass box.
- Stains are chemicals: goggles and gloves, and nothing down the drain.
- Lens paper only on a lens, with the cleaner on the paper, never on the microscope.
- Between users, wipe the eyepieces, eyecups, focus knobs and stage controls with disinfectant on lens paper.
- Power off, lowest objective in place, cord coiled, dust cover on.
Never
- Carry it by the arm alone, or swing it.
- Use paper towels, tissues or your sleeve on a lens.
- Spray any liquid onto the microscope.
- Focus downward on high power with the coarse knob: it smashes the slide and the lens.
- Touch a slide or a specimen with bare fingers.
- Leave it on, uncovered or with a slide on the stage.
A scratched lens cannot be saved. A cracked slide goes in the glass box, not the trash.
Built to the Science Safety Teaching Standard
This poster carries the SSTS mark. Like every Science Safety course, it is built to the Science Safety Teaching Standard (SSTS): every rule on it is taken from the body that governs it, at its current edition, and the source is printed on the poster, so you can check it yourself.
Stay current
When you get this poster, it is saved to your Science Safety account. If we revise the poster, or the Microscopes and Microscope Safety module it comes from changes, we will email you, and the latest version will be waiting under Downloads in your account. Every revision carries its revision number and date at the bottom of the poster, so you can tell at a glance whether the copy on your wall is current.
Printing and hanging
- One-page PDF, US letter (8.5 by 11 inches).
- White background, so it prints clearly on any office or classroom printer without using much ink.
- Hang it by the microscope cabinet, at eye level.
- The QR code in the blue title band opens this page, so anyone can get their own copy.
- The QR code at the bottom opens the Microscopes and Microscope Safety module.
Learn more
The Microscopes and Microscope Safety module teaches the full topic this poster comes from.
Sources:
- Microscopes and Microscope Safety module – Science Safety (reviewed September 30, 2026)
- Microscope care and cleaning webinar – Ward's Science (reviewed September 30, 2026)
- Cleaning and disinfection guidance – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (reviewed September 30, 2026)
Poster SSP-0036, Rev. 1, September 2026.
