Answer:

Laboratories are HAZARDOUS PLACES. Handling dangerous chemicals and performing experiments puts scientists and their colleagues at risk of injury or even death.

Lab safety has come a long way over the years and common-sense safety requirements MINIMIZE risks to lab users, even so accidents do still happen.

We spoke with a number of scientific groups to hear their stories of scientists tempting fate and narrowly escaping the jaws of death, and we present the top 8 in this list.

1. SMOKING Whilst Handling Ether

An anonymous submission, "During my time as an ERASMUS student in Portugal I was amazed by the lack of safety precautions in the chemistry lab I was working in. In particular, there was one PhD student who enjoyed smoking in the lab. I watched part in amazement, part in horror as, smoking whilst working with ether, he set himself on fire. He was quickly extinguished, only to reignite a further three times. Luckily, he escaped unscathed and smoking in the lab was QUIETLY banned shortly after."