1. Survey on School Laboratory Accidents (2002/03) Mr W C HO, EMB June 2004

2. Discussion 1.Are your laboratories safe? 2.Were there any accidents happened in your laboratories recently? 3.Why accidents happen? 4.What are your strategies to ensure a safe environment for learning and working?

3. Why accidents happen? Careless? Overcrowding? Inadequate Safety Facilities? Problem of Equipment/Chemicals? Misbehavior? Inadequate Safety Training? Unsafe Experiments? Inadequate Preparation? Poor Laboratory Management? Teaching Experiences? Inadequate Instructions? Ignorance?

4. 上海兒童醫學中心提供的資料顯示， –52% 的兒童意外傷害發生在家庭， –19% 發生在街道， –12% 發生在學校。 其中學齡前兒童的意外傷害多發生在家里，學齡 兒童的意外傷害多發生在學校和上學途中，且與 學校體育運動設施和騎自行車有密切關係。 深圳南方日報 (2004-04-08)

5. Who is safest at school? Health and Safety Executive Statistics for 1996/97, UK PlaceReal % of accidents to students Sport activities Gymnasium Extracurricular activities Corridors, stairs & cloakrooms Toilets Science laboratories D&T workshops Food technology rooms Classrooms Play area (inside & outside) Other 28.9 18.4 13.3 10.3 5.3 2.3 2.2 1.2 1.0 0.4

6. Triennial Survey for 02/03 Dec 03 EMBCM 328/2003 http://cd.emb.gov.hk/sc_s urvey Jun 04 EMBCM 132/2004 (collection form) EMBCM 132/2004

7. Accident Statistics (02/03) 422 Schools responded Statistics –274 schools without accident (65%) –475 cases in 148 schools (35%) –1.10 common accidents / school –325,727 students studying science courses –1,316,929 practical periods 358 students & 8 staff injured Carelessness (students: 94.5%;teachers: 0.4%; LTs: 1.1%) Nature of accidents similar to previous surveys

8. Accident Rates (02/03) 1.46 cases per 1,000 students In 2002, –Road traffic accident rate: 2.3 cases per 1,000 population (Transport Dept) –Industrial accident rate: 37.4 cases per 1,000 workers (OSHC) 3.61 cases per 10,000 practical periods

9. Types of Accidents (02/03) (37.5%) (34.7%) (6.3%) (9.9%) (6.9%)

10. Subjects Involved (02/03) 12 (2.5%) 152 (32%) 85 (17.9%) 225 (47.4%) 1 (0.2%)

11. Evaluating Lab Accidents Find our how the accident happened Ask the students involved Identify the causes Was the accident handled properly? Learn from events and take steps to prevent recurrences Keep proper records (minor and serious accidents)minorserious accidents Review in Subject Panel & SCLS meetings Identify underlying failures in the safety management system Accident Case 10/2002

12. Analysis: Type-Month Number of Accidents Type of Accidents SeptOctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJun Chemicals on skin Eye accidents Chemical spillage Heat burns or scalds Discomfort arising from inhalation of gases Cuts Substances catching fire Bites by animals Others Total

13. Analysis: Type-Year Number of Accidents Type of Accidents 95/9696/9797/9898/9999/0001/0202/0303/0404/05 Chemicals on skin Eye accidents Chemical spillage Heat burns or scalds Discomfort arising from inhalation of gases Cuts Substances catching fire Bites by animals Others Total

14. Analysis: Subject-Month Number of Accidents Subject Involved SeptOctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJun S1 Science S2 Science S3 Science S4-5 Physics S6-7 Physics S4-5 Chemistry S6-7 Chemistry S4-5 Biology S6-7 Biology Total

15. Zero Accident Number of accident-free days/months/years Do you believe that all accidents are preventable? How can we achieve ZERO ACCIDENT?

16. References Gerlovich, J. A. (2002) NSTA analyzers Safety in the classroom, The Science Teacher, Oct, pp. 52-55 Gerlovich, J. A. (2001) et al, Surveying Safety: How researchers addressed safety in science classrooms in Wisconsin, The Science Teacher, Apr, pp.31-34 Charles A Dana Centre (2001) An Analysis of Laboratory Safety in Texas, University of Texas at Austin http://www.tenet.edu/teks/science/safety/index.html http://www.tenet.edu/teks/science/safety/index.html ASE (1996) Safeguards in the School Laboratory, ASE OSHC (2000) Safety and Health Management DIY Kit for SMEs, OSHC

17. “Practical work is much more enjoyable if safety procedures have been carefully planned and followed.” Alasdair Thorpe (2000), Assessing the Risks in Practical Work, Chemistry Review, Sept, pp.25-26

18. “It requires constant vigilance and attention even if it’s gone right 999 times.” Kaufman, Dow Chemical Co.

19. Safety is Everyone ’ s Responsibility