Ensuring Science Safety Using Lab Safety Icons

What the TEKS Outlines: (1) Scientific processes. The student, for at least 40% of instructional time, conducts field and laboratory investigations using safe, environmentally appropriate, and ethical practices. The student is expected to: –(A) demonstrate safe practices during field and laboratory investigations; and –(B) make wise choices in the use and conservation of resources and the disposal or recycling of materials.

What Are “Safe Practices?” Spend 2 minutes with people at your table discussing how teachers currently address demonstrating, and assessing students’ ability to use safe practices during experiments.

Why Use Lab Safety Icons? Students who pass lab safety quizzes are not necessarily able to identify possible hazardous situations while reading lab procedures. Lab safety icons can be used in a variety of ways to ensure that all students are able to identify when they need to exercise caution.

When to Use Lab Safety Icons: What do you think this icon could mean? When would a student or teacher use this icon?

When to Use Lab Safety Icons: These icons can be used throughout any lab (in any discipline) to the extent a teacher feels is necessary.

Applications of Safety Icons: With your table, brainstorm three applications of these safety icons. –Teachers can embed these icons into lab procedures. –Teachers can include safety icons on posters & safety equipment (eye wash station) in the classroom. –Students can incorporate safety icons into their own personal sequence of events.

Discussion With a partner, take the sequence of events that you completed yesterday and determine where you would incorporate three of these icons.

Additional Safety Icons Based on the TEKS, students are required to practice safe disposal & recycling methods during labs. Brainstorm additional icons to support this standard or any addition needs that a science teacher may need.