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SAFETY IN SCIENCEProfessional Expectations and Teacher Liability
Outline
Overview of Regulations: OSHA
Professional Expectations & Teacher Liability
Best Practices for the Laboratory
Reducing/Sharing Liability
Teaching Strategies
Departmental Safety
OSHA
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Protects faculty and staff, not students. Safety guidelines are pertinent for
everyone! Two regulations:
HAZCOM
“Lab Standard”
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.
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.
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
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.
Best Practice in The LaboratoryStrategies for Student Safety and Teacher Liability
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!)
Departmental SafetyStatus and Future Goals
Training and Resources
December meeting: Safety Protocols
Safety Topics
Safety Resources on P drive in Science Folder
Chemical Storeroom
Organization of Equipment
Chemical Inventory and Tracking
New Safety Equipment
Acid Cabinet
Labeling System (new label maker!)
Mission Accomplished!
Chemical Inventory: ~2/3 completed
Storeroom Organization: Solutions Equipment
Equipment:
Pipet holder and pipetters
Mercury-free barometer
Stock Solutions: 3M HCl & NaOH
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
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
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.