WS/FCS Science Department
2010-11
Inquiry Science
• Inquiry is required by the NCSCOS
for Science.
• As more inquiry science is taught the
number of safety related lawsuits
increases.
• The more students “do” the greater
the chance of an accident.
Duties of a teacher
• Duty of instruction.
• Duty of supervision.
• Duty to properly maintain facilities and
equipment.
• Failure to perform any duty may result in a
finding that a teacher and/or administrator
within a school system is/are liable for
damages and a judgment and award
against him/them.
DUTY OF INSTRUCTION includes adequate
instruction before a laboratory activity (preferably
in writing) that:
• Is accurate; is appropriate to the situation,
setting, and maturity of the audience; and
addresses reasonably foreseeable dangers.
• Identifies and clarifies any specific risk involved,
explains proper procedures/techniques to be
used, and presents comments concerning
appropriate/inappropriate conduct in the lab.
• Teachers who set bad examples by not following
proper laboratory procedures may be sued if
injury results from students following the
teacher’s bad examples.
DUTY OF SUPERVISION includes adequate
supervision as defined by professional, legal, and
district guidelines to ensure students behave
properly in light of any foreseeable dangers.
• Misbehavior of any type must not be tolerated.
• Failure to act or improper action is grounds for
liability.
• The greater the degree of danger, the higher the
level of supervision should be.
• The younger the age of students or the greater
the degree of inclusion of special population
students, the greater the level of supervision
should be.
More to remember:
• Students must NEVER be left unattended,
except in an emergency where the
potential harm is greater than the
perceived risk to students. Even then, risk
should be minimized or responsibility
transferred to another authorized person if
the situation allows.
DUTY OF MAINTENANCE includes ensuring
a safe environment for students and teachers.
• Never use defective equipment for any reason.
• File written reports for maintenance/correction of
hazardous conditions or defective equipment
with responsible administrators.
• Establish regular inspection schedules and
procedures for checking safety and first-aid
equipment.
• Follow all safety guidelines concerning proper
labeling, storage, and disposal of chemicals.
Keep Records!
• By keeping files of all hazard notifications
and maintenance inspections, teacher
liability in the event of an accident is
minimized in cases where no corrective
actions were subsequently made.
Teacher responsibilities in regard to
Negligence
• The LEGAL DEFINITION of "negligence" is
important for every teacher to know. Negligence,
as defined by the courts today, is conduct that falls
below a standard of care established by law or
profession to protect others from an unreasonable
risk of harm, or the failure to exercise due care. It
should be noted that in the absence of specific
laws or local policies, the standard of care expected
is set by the profession, e.g., position statements
adopted by the National Science Teachers
Association.
Chemical Management
Does your school have a current, accurate
Chemical Inventory?
Does your school have a comprehensive
Chemical Management Plan? (Required
by Jan 07)
Are your MSDS sheets up to Date with your
Chemical Inventory?
District Chemical Management Plan is
posted on Science Dept. web page.
Proper
Chemical Storage
• Does not look like
this!
Do you have anything that looks
like this?
This is more like it!
Have a Safety Plan
Keep a Safety file with:
Your individual safety plan
Student contract
Safety checklist
Accident report form
CASE STUDY
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Ballou High School, Washington DC
On October 2, 2003, the Washington, D.C.'s Fire Department Hazmat Unit responded
to an emergency call unlike any call Ballou High School had ever had to make. What
the D.C.'s Hazmat unit found that afternoon proved to be the beginning of a long,
exhausting search for, and clean up of, an elemental mercury spill. A student had
obtained 250 milliliters of liquid elemental mercury from a science laboratory and had
sold some of it to other students. Students had to be dismissed. By the time the D.C.
Hazmat Team and the D.C. public health officials arrived, it was too late to contain all
the spills; varying amounts of mercury were found in the classrooms, gymnasium,
and cafeteria. EPA responded by establishing a mobile command post, measuring
mercury air concentrations and noting visual contamination of the science laboratory,
cafeteria, gym and administration areas.
Contamination did not stop at the school. Students unknowingly carried mercury on
contaminated shoes and clothing through the streets, onto city and school buses, and
into their homes. Eleven homes and one common area were found to be
contaminated and about 16 families were displaced for a month. EPA assisted with
screening of residences.
As a result of the spill, Ballou High School was closed for 35 days and over 200
homes were tested for mercury contamination. Total cleanup costs were about
$1,500,000.
DEHNR threatens WS/FCS with
$500,000 Fine
• A jar of Mercury was
thrown in a dumpster by
mistake and buried in the
landfill.
• After investigation, fine
was waived.
• Chemical purge
completed, we thought…
• Department of
Environmental Health and
Natural Resources
Mercury
• BANNED from
Schools 2003 by law
• We have found some
after each purge we
have made, 2003; 05,
and 07. and we will
find some more
• Fine threatened in
2005 - $500,000
Do you know what to do in case of
a chemical spill?
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Proper disposal?
If no – find out!
When you mix something LABEL it!
$500 minimum to dispose of an unknown
Somehow mercury is spilled on
your lab floor…
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Get students out of the room
Cool the room below 64 degrees F if possible
Sprinkle sulfur or zinc (2+) over area
Notify administrator
Less than 2 tablespoons does not have to be
reported to DEHNR
• Gather and dispose of properly
• Fill out a report to Program Science Manager’s
office (keep a copy)
How to Discard chemicals
•
Waste chemicals should be boxed and stored by
compatible families, and labeled “To be Discarded by
Hazardous Waste Team” and stored in a secure and safe
place until pick-up. An on-line work order should be
initiated and sent to the maintenance department. An
email should also be sent to Bill Vaught and cc’d to
Rachel Sari at the WSFCS Maintenance Department
with the work order number, and a complete inventory of
chemicals and their approximate amounts that need to
be removed. The email should also include the location
of chemicals and the name of a contact person to ensure
timely pick-up.
Think about what you are doing.
• Is this lab appropriate? Does it correlate
with the NCSCOS.
• How would it look if it was on television or
in the newspaper?
Johnston Teacher
Fired After Milk
Experiment
JOHNSTON COUNTY, N.C. — A Smithfield-Selma
High School science teacher is out of a job because of a
questionable experiment.
Tuesday, the school board voted 4-1 not to renew Jeff
Ferguson's contract. The school's principal made the
request earlier in the day.
In November, Ferguson asked students to drink milk until
they got sick. Ferguson was suspended with pay, then was
allowed back in the classroom.
Judgment Day…
• If a safety incident goes
to court you need to
show a “preponderance”
of evidence that you
have worked hard to
provide a safe laboratory
environment for students.
Prevention/Defense
• Membership in a
professional
organization FCAE,
PENC or NSTA.
• Safety records
• Safety lessons
• Safety Contracts
• Safety questions on
tests
• Safety addressed
regularly
Be able to show evidence
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Lesson plans with safety notes
Accident reports
Copies of safety related memos
PROPER STORAGE
SAFETY POSTERS
SIGNAGE
Safety addressed at departmental
meetings
Fly Safe!
• Goggles for Visitors
• Student made Safety
posters
• Goggles ON ALL
STUDENTS AND
TEACHER
• Proper Signage
Additional Resources
Material Safety Data Sheets
Flinn has MSDS available online
http://www.flinnsci.com/search_MSDS.asp
Safe Science Series-National Science
Education Leadership Association
http://www.nsela.org/roysafe.htm
Attend a Lab safety workshop
http://www.labsafety.org/
Questions?