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Safety Blog

Starting the New School Year: Seven Safer Science Strategies

By Kenneth Roy

Posted on 2016-08-04

Before starting the new school year, in terms of safety, a little planning can go a long way. Science teachers, supervisors, and administrators should check out the Safer Seven checklist below for strategies that improve laboratory safety.

  1. Know the rules and practices. No matter where you teach, legal safety standards must be followed. Before working in the laboratory, research, review, adopt, and enforce the legal safety standards, which may include building codes, fire codes, environmental codes, and occupational codes.

     

    Also, pay attention to better professional practices. Organizations such as NSTA and the National Science Education Leadership Association have position papers and professional practices (see Resources), which are standards developed by professional organizations (e.g., keep lab doors locked when not in use). It is important to follow legal standards and better professional practices to ensure the safety of students and to protect science teachers from legal entanglements, including negligence charges.

  2. Rules of the home base. The employer, with the help of science teachers, needs to have a written safety plan with standard operating laboratory procedures, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA requires a written safety plan, called the Chemical Hygiene Plan, and one or more Chemical Hygiene Officers to make sure the plan is applied (see Resources).

    Supervision and progressive discipline for students and employees help secure and maintain a safer working environment. Moreover, all employees working in science laboratories should take safety training based on standard operating procedures, use of engineering controls, and personal protective equipment.

  3. Safety committee.  Every school should have a safety committee, with representation from the employer, employees, and the science department. The safety committee should be trained to conduct, or have outside safety consultants perform, periodic safety inspections of science laboratories, including engineering controls, standard operating procedures, personal protective equipment, and storage facilities.

  4. Student safety training. Students need to have safety training on biological, chemical, and physical hazards, while also going through laboratory safety procedures and assessments for understanding safety, and reviewing a safety acknowledgement form (see Resources). The acknowledgement form should be signed by the student and parent or guardian. Safety training should be an ongoing activity throughout the school year.

  5. Emergency response. The safety plan must include emergency procedures: first aid, evacuation routes, spill control, etc. Teachers should make sure they have a written record in their lesson plans of safety precautions taken and safety training for each hands-on activity.

  6. Appropriate use of hazardous materials. Microscale, or green chemistry, helps secure a safer working environment. Store hazardous chemicals in labeled containers in secured areas. Before purchasing the chemicals, read Safety Data Sheets to know how to safely use, store, and dispose of them. These steps are all part of a comprehensive chemical management plan.

  7. The history. Keep a paper trail of accidents in the form of inspection reports, accident reports, and signed safety acknowledgement forms. The paper trail helps keep the science teacher out of legal trouble. Provide written rationales for safety equipment in budget requests and keep those as records.

Final thoughts

Clearly, science teachers need to create a safer working and learning environment for students and themselves. Feel free to share your thoughts, ideas, or questions in the Comment section.

Submit questions regarding safety in K–12 to Ken Roy at safesci@sbcglobal.net. Follow him on Twitter: @drroysafersci.

Resources

Better professional practices—www.nsta.org/about/positions, www.nsta.org/safety, www.nsela.org/safe-science-series

Chemical Hygiene Plan—www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_id=10106&p_table=STANDARDS

Safety Acknowledgment Form—www.nsta.org/docs/SafetyInTheScienceClassroomLabAndField.pdf

NSTA resources and safety issue papers

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Before starting the new school year, in terms of safety, a little planning can go a long way. Science teachers, supervisors, and administrators should check out the Safer Seven checklist below for strategies that improve laboratory safety.

  1. Know the rules and practices. No matter where you teach, legal safety standards must be followed. Before working in the laboratory, research, review, adopt, and enforce the legal safety standards, which may include building codes, fire codes, environmental codes, and occupational codes.

     

Plate Tectonics

Submitted by webmaster on
The Plate Tectonics Interactive E-book* explores the materials that make up Earth and the processes they undergo, providing a framework for understanding how continents are created and changed over time. Earth is not a static planet. Rather, Earth is layered with a thin, rocky crust divided into plates; a hot, deformable mantle; a liquid outer core; and a solid, metallic, dense inner core. Transfer of heat from inside Earth and gravitational pull cause Earth’s plates to move.

Gravity and Orbits

Submitted by webmaster on
The Gravity and Orbits Interactive E-book* investigates concepts related to Earth’s universal gravitation and how gravity affects the universe around us. All objects that have mass have a gravitational force and every object exerts a gravitational force on every other object. The force is hard to detect unless at least one of the objects has a lot of mass. Distance also influences the strength of gravitational force. We see the effects of gravity on Earth as well as in how objects with mass interact in space.

Rocks

Submitted by webmaster on
Different rocks have different mineral compositions and different textures. Observing and documenting these differences provide insight into a rock’s larger geologic context and natural setting. Observations of rocks can tell us about the processes and the environment in which they formed, giving us clues about the composition and age of Earth. The Rocks Interactive E-book* explores different kinds and categories of rocks, the major processes through which they form, and the cyclical nature of the formation and transformation of rock materials.

Rocks (Student Edition)

Submitted by webmaster on
Different rocks have different mineral compositions and different textures. Observing and documenting these differences provide insight into a rock’s larger geologic context and natural setting. Observations of rocks can tell us about the processes and the environment in which they formed, giving us clues about the composition and age of Earth. The Rocks Interactive E-book* explores different kinds and categories of rocks, the major processes through which they form, and the cyclical nature of the formation and transformation of rock materials.

Gravity and Orbits (Student Edition)

Submitted by webmaster on
The Gravity and Orbits Interactive E-book* investigates concepts related to Earth’s universal gravitation and how gravity affects the universe around us. All objects that have mass have a gravitational force and every object exerts a gravitational force on every other object. The force is hard to detect unless at least one of the objects has a lot of mass. Distance also influences the strength of gravitational force. We see the effects of gravity on Earth as well as in how objects with mass interact in space.
 

Could a Species Like Bigfoot Have Evolved? 17 Mysteries Revealed at #STEMforum Last Week

By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director

Posted on 2016-08-01

2016 STEM Forum and Expo
Denver, Colorado, July 27–29
As Seen on Twitter

How do you make a banana piano?

Is it true that STEM lessons can be found anywhere?

Could a species like Bigfoot have evolved?

Where do Science Superheroes go to meet their peers?

What do students have to say about STEM education?

What will it take to revolutionize education?

How will teachers’ #STEMvoices be heard by the future president?

Anatomy: Can you teach it at the K–12 level?

What can you do at the elementary level to advance children’s STEM skills?

Who made the 2016 STEM Forum and Expo so dynamic?

How many STEM teachers does it take to defy the laws of physics?

Where can you strut your STEMtastic self?

Is it work if you play with robots?

What are all the cool kids wearing?

Can you really go scuba diving virtually anywhere?

Can circuits come to life?

How far would you travel for good STEM education?

The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.

Future NSTA Conferences

2016 Area Conferences

2017 National Conference

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2016 STEM Forum and Expo
Denver, Colorado, July 27–29
As Seen on Twitter

Energy (Student Edition)

Submitted by webmaster on
Most of what goes on in the universe—from exploding stars and biological growth to the operation of machines and the motion of people—involves energy being transformed from one form into other forms.

Electric and Magnetic Forces (Student Edition)

Submitted by webmaster on
The Electric and Magnetic Forces Interactive E-book* uses everyday events and items, like lightning, flashlights, batteries, compasses, and maglev trains, to examine electricity and magnetism. It provides detailed explanations of key science concepts, plus self-directed, embedded assessment to allow readers to check their learning. Teaching strategies will help teachers better understand student preconceptions and inquiry learning. The book's appealing multimedia and interactive simulations can also be used in the classroom.

Earth's Changing Surfaces (Student Edition)

Submitted by webmaster on
Earth is a system that exists in dynamic equilibrium. The Earth of today does not look the same as it did millions of years ago. Even the Earth thousands of years ago has distinct differences from the Earth we know today. The Earth’s Changing Surface Interactive E-book* explores how Earth’s ever-changing surface is due to continuous natural processes such as tectonic activity, earthquakes, volcanic activities, weathering and erosion, and sedimentation and the reformation of rock.
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