Learning of process safety principles through practice is an area that needs promotion in process and chemical engineering academic institutions. This work presents a problem-based learning (PBL) activity to introduce process engineering safety protocols into laboratory experimental procedures. The activities include direct engagement of students in identifying hazards involved with each step in the experimental procedure and respective safety options related to each hazard. The required safety options are then selected in the hierarchy from inherent safety to procedural safety. The selected safety strategies are implemented and practiced during the experiment promoting industrial safety culture within the laboratory. This learning activity was introduced in the laboratory experimental procedure for evaluating the performance of a plug flow reactor. The feedback from students shows that the majority has a positive perception toward the main learning outcomes. (c) 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Process Saf Prog 37:347-354, 2018