As with any job, safety is a very important aspect of stone carving. The main hazards while carving stone are flying chips and the dust created. You will want to protect your eyes with some quality safety goggles. Also, protect your skin with sturdy gloves and full body covering. The dust from stone carving can cause respiratory problems, so wearing a dust mask and working in a ventilated area are two important things to remember when carving stone.
Before beginning a carving project it is suggested you know what you are going to carve. You can either draw out a sketch of your work on paper or you can make a miniature version of your sculpture to work from. If you are going to sketch your sculpture and then transfer some markings on the stone, make sure to use pencil or crayon; if you use ink it can bleed into the stone, which will leave a streak when you are done.
When making your first cuts into the stone, do not try to take large chunks of the stone out at one time, because this can lead to ruining the stone if you take too much or if the heavy pounding required to remove a large chunk damages the rest of the stone. Instead, make small cuts in the stone to be removed as you go. These relief cuts require much less effort to chip away.
When working with alabaster, make sure that you wet the stone down and look for the fault lines of the stone. The fault lines will be boundary lines between colors or textures on the stone. Avoid applying a lot of pressure to the fault lines, because they can fracture all the way through the rock, cleaving off a large chunk. Also, if you notice crystalline structures in the rock, it may be too weak to use a chisel and mallet, so you will want to use files and grinders to do the majority of your work, so you do not break thee stone apart.