Work-benches should be placed against a wall and should receive natural light preferably from the left side. A fume cupboard or a table with a ventilator above it should be installed in one corner of the room.

The tops of work-benches should have a white or black acid-resistant plastic cover; a glass or ceramic top will result in increased breakage of glassware. Unpainted wooden surfaces should be impregnated with soft paraffin. Paints or resins used to protect these surfaces should be resistant to dilute acids. The work-benches should be of a height that enables work to be undertaken comfortably in both standing and sitting positions. They should include shelves and drawers that are not unnecessarily deep and are adapted to the items that will be stored in them. Chairs should be strongly built and stable.

Cupboards and glass cases should be easy to maintain and to clean and resistant to chemicals. Reagent shelves should be covered with unpolished glass plates and firmly fixed to walls or benches. Flammable solvents and concentrated mineral acids should be stored in tightly closed containers with a capacity of not more than 2 litres. Larger volumes held in stock should be stored in a separate room that complies with local fire safety requirements. Concentrated acids and ammonia solutions should be stored separately, preferably in a fume cupboard which should be recessed in the wall, lined with tiles or acid-resistant plastic, and fitted with a glass door in an acid-resistant plastic frame.