LAB AND CLASSROOM
SAFETY: THE VALUE OF A
LAB SAFETY PROTOCOL
Cathy Ezrailson, Associate Professor of Science Education
University of South Dakota
“A danger foreseen is half avoided.”
—James Wood, comp. Dictionary of Quotations, 1899
Goals:
1. What Constitutes Teaching Safely?
Including Nuclear Safety
2. Facility Conditions and Best Practices
3. Avoiding Lab Accidents
4. Safety training – not just for students
5. State and OSHA regulations and
Standards of Care
6. Identifying problem areas in your lab and
classroom and…
7. Next Steps: Remedies to remedy unsafe
facilities/practice
Q: In the time that you’ve been engaging in science
teaching (or working in a lab), have you ever
sustained an injury of any kind?
Data from the UCLA Center for
Laboratory Safety
Q: What was the nature of your injuries?
Other
Q: How often do you personally use Protective
Equipment for your lab work?
Fume
hood
Q: Who you do think is legally liable for accidents
in your lab or classroom?
47.2%
Q: To what extent do you agree with the following: “I
regularly check to make sure that labs are performed in
a safe fashion using proper safety equipment?”
Q: What are the most significant barriers to improving
safety in a lab environment?
Radiation Safety Rules
• Radioactive sources in HS experiments should be very low level isotopes
referred to as "license free" sources.
• NO Eating, drinking, and application of cosmetics in the laboratory
• Pipetting by mouth is NEVER permitted
• Gloves and lab coats should be worn when working with all liquid
radioisotopes.
• Before leaving the lab, students should wash hands thoroughly
• Students should report ALL spills or wounds
• Keep exposure time to a minimum.
• All radioactive liquids wastes are to be poured into the liquid waste container,
NEVER a sink.
• Maintain careful lab procedures at all times in the lab.
• Store radioactive materials only in designated storage areas. Do not
remove sources from the lab.
-- The Nucleus, PO Box T, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, 37830
Rainbow Experiment
In a ‘Rainbow’ Chemistry Experiment
That Burned Students: In a Manhattan
high school chemistry demonstration,
two students were seriously burned
This demonstration, used to show how
mineral salts burn at different colors,
has injured numerous other students in
the past, alarming a federal agency
enough to issue a warning The
demonstration included mineral salts
being involved with extremely
flammable methanol.
—January 14, 2014, New York Times, Science
Because all lab
experiments hold some
risk, science teachers
must closely comply
with safety regulations
for storage, use and
labeling of materials
used in experiments
and demonstrations.
Schools are Responsible for…
Per NSTA:
Science experiments must
also be reasonably
appropriate for the type and
size of classroom -- as
laboratory workers (including
science teachers) have the
legal right to a safe
workplace.
A Safe and Secure Science Learning Environment
The United States Safety Council has estimated the number of science
accidents in schools at 500 per year … generally accepted as a low
estimate of actual mishaps.
• Schools are responsible for OSHA-mandated “standards of care”
when teachers design labs and secure equipment for experiments.
• School districts also must create policies that clearly state how to
provide for regular maintenance and oversight of these materials.
• The expectation is that science teachers, as licensed professionals,
will be “reasonably prudent” and take precautions to prevent lab
accidents from occurring.
• However, without formal training and oversight, safety checks and
safety procedures in place – the results could be disastrous.
The Laws and Requirements
•
OSHA, as established by the Occupational Safety
and Health Act of 1970, enforces protective safety
regulations and standards in all United States
workplaces
•
Many are commonly ignored, most commonly in
schools (Stroud and Roy 2009).
•
Ignoring regulations and guidelines has often led
to disastrous consequences
What Should be Done?
1. Become familiar with the Right to Know Laws protecting you, the teacher in
your workplace.
2. Always research the safety element in every lab and demo you do in the
classroom with students. ALWAYS PERFORM THE LAB FIRST YOURSELF
3. Never practice alone – ALWAYS have someone with you in case of mishap.
(Never let students make up a lab alone, either).
4. Use the necessary protective equipment and make sure that your students
do, also.
5. Do not let students handle reagent grade, caustic chemicals or highly reactive
solids such as lithium or potassium. And, when you demonstrate these – do it
behind a shield and DO NOT store large quantities in your stockroom.
6. Contract with your students for safety –make them and their parents sign this
contract.
7. Develop a Safety Hygiene Plan and a Safety Protocol for your school
Developing your Safety Protocol - First Steps:.
Ten questions forms the basis for a school “safety audit.”
1. How current is the science safety training program, if any?
2. What constitutes “safe lab facilities, stockroom, classroom, and prep rooms?
3. What safety equipment is present? Is the quantity sufficient?
4. Is there a written procedure for storage and inventory of lab materials?
5. How knowledgeable about safe lab practice are the instructors? Students?
6. Have the safety hazards been identified in each experiment/demo?
7. Do lab procedures spell out safety?
8. Is there regular inspection and inventory of lab materials, including toxic
chemicals?
9. What provisions have been taken for the safe disposal of toxic wastes and
old or inappropriate chemicals?
10. Who is responsible, besides the teacher and administration, for developing
a Safety Plan?
The Second Step: Determining Accident Potential
Periodic inspections can identify and prevent problems before they
occur. When problems do arise, a methodical safety protocol should
be closely followed.
Purposes: To ensure that the physical space, processes, and
practices used in the science lab, classroom and storeroom are safe.
This includes assessment of facilities (including stockrooms, prep
rooms, classrooms and labs) Areas where materials may be stored
outside the storeroom, such as closets, basement storage areas,
cabinets and other areas not readily recognized as housing problems,
should be regularly checked.
Responsibility for Safety
•
The teacher has the most intimate knowledge of the safety
issues. The inspection/ audit protocols should include
requirements for all safety procedures anywhere science labs
and activities are conducted.
•
Checklists are used in most laboratories as an effective way to
keep track of maintenance and safety issues.
•
The science teacher should develop one or use either the
“Five-Minute Safety Inspection” provided by Flinn Scientific
(Flinn Scientific 2014), or adopt the Safety on Site program
outlined here.
The Third Step: Instituting a Safety on Site
Inventory and Protocol
—Personnel compiling an inventory should be prepared to find
substances that might be explosive, highly flammable, highly toxic,
or unlabeled. If needed, then expert advice should be sought prior
to attempting to remove or dispose of such items. Once the
inventory is compiled, all items should be evaluated to determine if
they are justified for safe use in the school lab and classroom.
Copies of the inventory should be on file with each teacher who
uses and/or orders chemicals, with the school principal, and with
central administration.
The inventory should be updated regularly
– no less often than annually.
Inclusion of the following information is essential:
1. School name, address, telephone number
2. Name of person(s) compiling inventory
3. Date of inventory
4. Alphabetical listing of all chemicals
5. Amount
6. Storage location (room number)
7. Storage category (based on chemical compatibilities)
8. Hazardous class information
9. Date purchased and by whom
10. Date disposed of and by whom
All degrading chemicals MUST be disposed of
properly according to OSHA
Leaking containers of unmarked
chemicals stored together.
Selected References
Committee on Hazardous Substances in the Laboratory, Assembly of
Mathematical and Physical Sciences. National Research Council. Ed. 1981.
Prudent Practices for Handling Hazardous Chemicals In Laboratories.
National Academy Press, Washington,
Ezrailson, C.M. 2013. Danger in the school science lab: Are students at risk?
Proceedings South Dakota Academy of Science 92:149-164.
Flinn Scientific, http://www.flinnsci.com/
Montana School Lab Waste Management Web Site.
http://deq.mt.gov/HazWaste/schoollab/default.mcpx
National Science Teachers Association. Position Statement on Science
Safety. Available from: www.nsta.org:about:positions:safety.aspx [Cited
7/2/13].
Standler, R. 1999. Injuries in school/collage laboratories in the USA.
Available at http://www.rbs2.com/labinj.htm [Cited 7/23/14].
Stroud, L.M., and K. Roy. 2009. OSHA Training Requirements and
Guidelines for K–14 School Personnel, NSTA Press, Arlington, VA.
Thank you – questions?
Cathy Ezrailson, Ph.D. – University of South Dakota
cathy.ezrailson@usd.edu