Professional Expectations and Teacher Liability
Federal & State
Regulations
Professional
Expectations
School
Policies
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Overview of Regulations: OSHA
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Professional Expectations & Teacher Liability
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Best Practices for the Laboratory
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Reducing/Sharing Liability
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Teaching Strategies
Departmental Safety
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Occupational Safety and Health
Administration
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Protects faculty and staff, not students.
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Safety guidelines are pertinent for everyone!
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Two regulations:
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HAZCOM
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“Lab Standard”
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Scope and Application (all science teachers)
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Exposure Limits
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Chemical Hygiene Plan and Operating
Procedures
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Employee Training
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Hazard Identification
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Establishes minimum requirements for
effective safety program.
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Teachers are trained and licensed professionals.
Teachers are responsible for determining if the
lab is safe for students (not administrators).
Teachers are to have taken every possible
action to prevent an accident from occurring.
Teachers should adhere to the prudent safety
practices acceptable in the profession.
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Duty of Care: Teachers are to protect students
from unreasonable risk or harm.
Science teachers are responsible for all
employees that come in contact with laboratory
hazards in their classrooms and laboratories.
Professional Expectations: NSTA, ACS, and
other content area organizations
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Chemicals should not be stored in classrooms
except when being used.
You are responsible for your room even when
you aren’t in it.
A teacher and school district were successfully
sued when a janitor let two students into a
classroom.
Substitute teachers: should remove chemicals
and avoid labs without prior arrangements.
You are responsible for faculty and staff that
may enter your classroom.
Strategies for Student Safety and Teacher Liability
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Safety should be the commitment of every
student and teacher.
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If it might happen, it will eventually happen.
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Shared Liability – from department (and CHP)
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Establish a pattern of safety within your
classroom!
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Good: Provide a safety test that students must
pass regarding the training.
Better: Safety test and safety drills as part of
the training.
Best: Continue to review and perform drills
throughout the year.
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Safety Contracts/Agreements are not
enforceable.
Safety Acknowledgement Document: Places
student and parent on notice of the inherent
risks in the lab and warns of dangers.
If parent refuses to sign, establish a record (email or phone log) and sign and date form with
a note.
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Good: Maintain signed safety forms for the
entire year.
Best: Maintain signed safety forms for the time
the student is enrolled in the school.
The statute of limitations for negligence in most
states is 3 years.
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Good: Provide safety test that all students
must pass.
Better: All students pass with 90%.
Best: All students pass with 90% and safety
questions are included on tests/quizzes
throughout the year.
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Every lab should have a lesson plan.
Lesson plans are legal documents. Take
advantage of this!
Good: Note that “relevant safety info was
reviewed”
Best: Note the exact safety information
reviewed and include a copy of MSDS for all
chemicals.
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Consider the following:
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Have students research MSDS information to find
chemical concerns. Review these together.
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Have students draw flow charts of the lab
procedure. This forces them to read in more detail
and to visualize the experiment (literacy strategy!)
Status and Future Goals
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December meeting: Safety Protocols
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Safety Topics
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Safety Resources on P drive in Science Folder
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Organization of Equipment
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Chemical Inventory and Tracking
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New Safety Equipment
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Acid Cabinet
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Labeling System (new label maker!)
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Chemical Inventory: ~2/3 completed
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Storeroom Organization: Solutions Equipment
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Equipment:
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Pipet holder and pipetters
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Mercury-free barometer
Stock Solutions: 3M HCl & NaOH
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Fall 2009:
Complete storeroom inventory
 Acid cabinet and safety equipment
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Spring 2010:
Inventory management protocols
 Complete chemical inventory
 Finish database
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Fall 2010: Digital MSDS library
Spring 2011: Completion of Chemical Hygiene
Plan
Fall 2011: Implement CHP
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Check the new P drive for new resources soon.
Flinn Scientific – MSDS search
NSTA – position statements and books
ACS – several free articles and publications
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American Chemical Society. Chemical Safety for
Teachers and Their Supervisors. Washington, D.C.
American Chemical Society, 2001.
Roy, Kenneth. “Safer Science Seminar.” Indianapolis,
2009.
Roy, Kenneth. The NSTA Ready-Reference Guide to
Safer Science. Arlington: NSTA Press, 2007.