Safety in Science

1. Safety in Science Professional Expectations and Teacher Liability

3. Outline • Overview of Regulations: OSHA • Professional Expectations & Teacher Liability • Best Practices for the Laboratory • Reducing/Sharing Liability • Teaching Strategies • Departmental Safety

4. OSHA • Occupational Safety and Health Administration • Protects faculty and staff, not students. • Safety guidelines are pertinent for everyone! • Two regulations: • HAZCOM • “Lab Standard”

5. Laboratory Standard • Scope and Application (all science teachers) • Exposure Limits • Chemical Hygiene Plan and Operating Procedures • Employee Training • Hazard Identification • Establishes minimum requirements for effective safety program.

6. Teacher Expectations • 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.

7. Teacher Expectations • 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

8. Teacher Liability Concerns • 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.

9. Best Practice in The Laboratory Strategies for Student Safety and Teacher Liability

10. Best Practice in the Laboratory • Safety should be the commitment of every student and teacher. • If it might happen, it will eventually happen. • Shared Liability – from department (and CHP) • Establish a pattern of safety within your classroom!

11. Laboratory Safety Training • 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.

12. Safety Documents • 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 (e-mail or phone log) and sign and date form with a note.

13. Safety Documents • 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.

14. Safety Assessment • 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.

15. Lesson Plans • 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.

16. Pre-Lab Assignments • Consider the following: • Have students research MSDS information to find chemical concerns. Review these together. • Have students draw flow charts of the lab procedure. This forces them to read in more detail and to visualize the experiment (literacy strategy!)

17. Departmental Safety Status and Future Goals

18. Training and Resources • December meeting: Safety Protocols • Safety Topics • Safety Resources on P drive in Science Folder

19. Chemical Storeroom • Organization of Equipment • Chemical Inventory and Tracking • New Safety Equipment • Acid Cabinet • Labeling System (new label maker!)

20. Mission Accomplished! • Chemical Inventory: ~2/3 completed • Storeroom Organization: Solutions Equipment • Equipment: • Pipet holder and pipetters • Mercury-free barometer • Stock Solutions: 3M HCl & NaOH

21. Future Plans • Fall 2009: • Complete storeroom inventory • Acid cabinet and safety equipment • Spring 2010: • Inventory management protocols • Complete chemical inventory • Finish database • Fall 2010: Digital MSDS library • Spring 2011: Completion of Chemical Hygiene Plan • Fall 2011: Implement CHP

22. Resources • Check the new P drive for new resources soon. • Flinn Scientific – MSDS search • NSTA – position statements and books • ACS – several free articles and publications

23. References • 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.