A major cause of injuries in middle and high school science laboratories can be summarized by one word—heat. Heated liquids, glassware, and hot plates are the most common source of student burns in the lab. Training—the key to preventing most burns—should be provided at the beginning of the year and reviewed whenever you are conducting an activity that requires a heat source. Students need to be reminded of the inherent dangers of heat sources and have proper procedure demonstrated by the teacher. In addition to training, the prevention strategies outlined in this month’s column should be adopted to help prevent burn injuries when working in the science laboratory.