1. A Silent Public Health Menace in Schools: Why A Lab Safety Protocol Could Save Your life!
Cathy Ezrailson, Associate Professor of Science Education
University of South Dakota

2. “A danger foreseen is half avoided.”
—James Wood, comp. Dictionary of Quotations, 1899.
Goals:
Teaching in a lab
Lab Facility Condition
Lab accidents
Safety training – not just for students
State and OSHA regulations – not just for commercial labs
Identifying problem areas and…
Next Steps: Remedies to unsafe facilities/practice

3. Q: In the time that you’ve been engaging in lab science, have you ever sustained an injury of any kind?
Data from the UCLA Center for Laboratory Safety

4. Q: What was the nature of your injuries?

5. Q: How often do you use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) if necessary for your labwork?

6. Q: Who you do think is legally liable for accidents in your lab or classroom?
The School
District
The Teacher
47.2%

7. Q: To what extent do you agree with the following: “I regularly check to make sure that labs are performed in a safe fashion using proper safety equipment?”

8. Q: What are the most significant barriers to improving safety in a lab environment?

9. two students were seriously burned
Rainbow Experiment
In a ‘Rainbow’ Chemistry Experiment That Burned Students: In a Manhattan high school chemistry demonstration,
two students were seriously burned
This demonstration, used to show how mineral salts burn at different colors, has injured numerous other students in the past, alarming a federal agency enough to issue a warning The demonstration included mineral salts being involved with extremely flammable methanol.
—January 14, 2014, New York Times, Science Section

10. A Safe and Secure Science Learning Environment
Per NSTA:
Science experiments must also be reasonably appropriate for the type and size of classroom -- as
laboratory workers (including science teachers) have the legal right to a safe workplace.
Because all lab experiments hold some risk, science teachers must closely comply with safety regulations for storage, use and labeling of materials used in experiments and demonstrations.
Schools are Responsible for…
A Safe and Secure Science Learning Environment

11. The United States Safety Council has estimated the number of science accidents in schools at 500 per year … generally accepted as a low estimate of actual mishaps.
Schools are responsible for OSHA-mandated “standards of care” when teachers design labs and secure equipment for experiments.
School districts also must create policies that clearly state how to provide for regular maintenance and oversight of these materials.
The expectation is that science teachers, as licensed professionals, will be “reasonably prudent” and take precautions to prevent lab accidents from occurring. However, without formal training and oversight, safety checks and safety procedures in place – the results could be disastrous.

12. The Laws and Requirements
OSHA, as established by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, enforces protective safety regulations and standards in all United States workplaces
Many are commonly ignored, most commonly in schools (Stroud and Roy 2009).
Ignoring regulations and guidelines has often led to disastrous consequences

13. What Should be Done?
Become familiar with the Right to Know Laws protecting you, the teacher in your workplace.
Always research the safety element in every lab and demo you do in the classroom with students.
Never practice alone – ALWAYS have someone with you in case of mishap. (Never let students make up a lab alone, either).
Use the necessary protective equipment and make sure that your students do, also
Do not let students handle reagent grade, caustic chemicals or highly reactive solids such as lithium or potassium. And, when you demonstrate these – do it behind a shield and DO NOT store large quantities in your stockroom.
Contract with your students for safety –make them and their parents sign this contract.
Develop a Safety Hygiene Plan and a Safety Protocol for your school

14. 1. How current is the science safety training program?
Developing your Safety Protocol - First Steps:.
Ten questions forms the basis for a school “safety audit.”
1. How current is the science safety training program?
2. What constitutes “safe lab facilities, stockroom, classroom, and prep rooms?
3. What safety equipment is present? Is the quantity sufficient?
4. Is there a written procedure for storage and inventory of lab materials?
5. How knowledgeable about safe lab practice are the instructors? Students?
6. Have the safety hazards been identified in each experiment/demo?
7. Do lab procedures spell out safety?
8. Is there regular inspection and inventory of lab materials, including toxic
chemicals?
9. What provisions have been taken for the safe disposal of toxic wastes and
old or inappropriate chemicals?
10. Who is responsible, besides the teacher and administration, for developing
a Safety Plan?

15. The Second Step: Determining Accident Potential
Periodic inspections can identify and prevent problems before they occur. When problems do arise, a methodical safety protocol should be closely followed.
Purposes: To ensure that the physical space, processes, and practices used in the science lab, classroom and storeroom are safe. This includes assessment of facilities (including stockrooms, prep rooms, classrooms and labs) Areas where materials may be stored outside the storeroom, such as closets, basement storage areas, cabinets and other areas not readily recognized as housing problems, should be regularly checked.

16. Responsibility for Safety
The teacher has the most intimate knowledge of the safety issues. The inspection/ audit protocols should include requirements for all safety procedures anywhere science labs and activities are conducted.
Checklists are used in most laboratories as an effective way to keep track of maintenance and safety issues.
The science teacher should develop one or use either the “Five-Minute Safety Inspection” provided by Flinn Scientific (Flinn Scientific 2014), or adopt the Safety on Site program outlined here.

17. The Third Step: Instituting a Safety on Site Inventory and Protocol
—Personnel compiling an inventory should be prepared to find substances that might be explosive, highly flammable, highly toxic, or unlabeled. If needed, then expert advice should be sought prior to attempting to remove or dispose of such items. Once the inventory is compiled, all items should be evaluated to determine if they are justified for safe use in the school lab and classroom.
Copies of the inventory should be on file with each teacher who uses and/or orders chemicals, with the school principal, and with central administration.

18. The inventory should be updated regularly – no less often than annually.
Inclusion of the following information is essential:
1. School name, address, telephone number
2. Name of person(s) compiling inventory
3. Date of inventory
4. Alphabetical listing of all chemicals
5. Amount
6. Storage location (room number)
7. Storage category (based on chemical compatibilities)
8. Hazardous class information
9. Date purchased and by whom
10. Date disposed of and by whom

19. Leaking containers of unmarked chemicals stored together.
All degrading chemicals MUST be disposed of properly according to OSHA.
Leaking containers of unmarked chemicals stored together.

20. Flinn Scientific, http://www.flinnsci.com/
Selected References
Committee on Hazardous Substances in the Laboratory, Assembly of Mathematical and Physical Sciences. National Research Council. Ed Prudent Practices for Handling Hazardous Chemicals In Laboratories. National Academy Press, Washington, Ezrailson, C.M Danger in the school science lab: Are students at risk? Proceedings South Dakota Academy of Science 92:
Flinn Scientific,
Montana School Lab Waste Management Web Site.
National Science Teachers Association. Position Statement on Science Safety. Available from: [Cited 7/2/13].
Standler, R Injuries in school/collage laboratories in the USA. Available at [Cited 7/23/14].
Stroud, L.M., and K. Roy OSHA Training Requirements and Guidelines for K–14 School Personnel, NSTA Press, Arlington, VA.

21. Cathy Ezrailson, Ph.D. – University of South Dakota
Thank you – questions?
Cathy Ezrailson, Ph.D. – University of South Dakota