A school chemistry classroom in Ukraine operates together with a preparation (lab assistant's) room where experiments are prepared and reagents and demonstration equipment are stored. The requirements are set by the Safety Rules for physics and chemistry classrooms (Order No. 992 of 16.07.2012, in force) and the Regulation on science classrooms (Order No. 1423).

Layout and utilities

The prep room must connect directly to the classroom and have a second exit to a corridor or an adjacent room. Both rooms need running water, drainage, heating and supply-and-exhaust ventilation; temperature 17–20 °C, humidity 40–60 %.

Furniture and equipment

The minimum set includes storage cabinets or shelving for demonstration equipment, lockable reagent cabinets, a metal box or safe for storage group 7 reagents, a preparation workbench with a chemically resistant top, and a fume hood for work that releases harmful gases or vapours.

Reagent storage

Reagents are stored in the prep room by storage groups (Annex 3 to Rules No. 992): groups 2–6 on separate shelves in lockable cabinets (keys kept by the chemistry teacher), group 7 separately in a safe (keys kept by the head of the institution and the classroom supervisor). Only group 8 reagents and solutions for practical work may be kept in the classroom itself, in locked cabinets. Students must have no access to storage areas.

Fume hood requirements

Upper and lower extraction, spill-retaining edges, vertically sliding sashes with position locks, explosion-proof internal lighting with switches outside the hood, connected water supply and drainage; metal parts are periodically coated with acid-resistant paint.

Procurement

Laboratory tables, fume hoods and reagent cabinets are usually procured under DK 021:2015 (CPV) code 39180000-7 "Laboratory furniture"; standard cabinets and shelving under 39160000-1 "School furniture".

FAQ

Is a prep room mandatory for a chemistry classroom? Yes — the chemistry classroom is designed as a laboratory classroom with a prep room, an internal connection and a second exit.

Where are reagents stored? In the prep room by storage groups: 2–6 in lockable cabinets, group 7 in a safe with keys held by the school head and classroom supervisor.

What are the fume hood requirements? Upper and lower extraction, spill edges, vertical sashes, explosion-proof lighting and connected water supply.