Secondary Science Safety

Safety Is Never an Accident

Warm-up

Preliminary Safety Quiz.

Essential Question

How do secondary science teachers incorporate science safety into standards-based curriculum and instruction?

Classroom teachers are expected to provide a standard of safety in their teaching environments. The Council of State Science Supervisors (CSSS) gives the following definition of the term negligence.

The LEGAL DEFINITION of "negligence" is important for every teacher to know. Negligence, as defined by the courts today, is conduct that falls below a standard of care established by law or profession to protect others from an unreasonable risk of harm, or the failure to exercise due care.

It should be noted that in the absence of specific laws or local policies, the standard of care expected is set by the profession, e.g., position statements adopted by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT), the American Chemical Society (ACS), or the Council of State Science Supervisors (CSSS).

Three Duties of the Teacher

• Duty of Instruction

• Duty of Supervision

• Duty of Maintenance

Duty of Instruction: adequate instruction before a laboratory activity

What does this mean?

Students must be thoroughly instructed of all safety considerations and procedures relevant to the class before any potentially hazardous work begins. This instruction must be accurate, appropriate to setting, appropriate for the maturity of the audience, and current.

Teachers should assess understanding of safety rules regularly, and document such instruction in the form of a safety contract. Students and their

parents/guardians should sign this contract as soon as students join the class.

Safety rules should be posted in the classroom in a prominent place.

The teacher should identify and clarify any specific hazards involved with individual activities. This instruction should include proper handling and disposal of materials, possible (but realistic) hazards associated with each procedure, ways to prevent hazardous situations, and the necessary course of action if a hazardous situation should occur.

Activity

• Work with 2-3 members of your same teaching assignment.

• Based on what you teach, list the top ten safety rules that would be posted in your room on the chart paper. These are the ten rules that will be most rigorously enforced.

• Gallery walk—use Post-its™ to leave feedback.

Guidelines for Duty of Supervision:

The most effective way to prevent hazards in any classroom is with clear consistent standards of behavior, including consequences for infractions. Misbehavior and horseplay create an unsafe environment for all, and must never be tolerated!

Students must be supervised by a teacher or other authorized personnel at all times. This is particularly important in laboratory situations.

If the teacher is absent, laboratory work must not be left as a substitute lesson plan.

Materials for laboratory exercises should be removed from the student areas when not in use and stored securely.

The teacher should ensure that students have adequate workspace and that all areas where students are working are accessible by the teacher.

Discussion Points

• What issues about Duty of Supervision are important for your administrators to know and to enforce?

• What are major obstacles that you encounter with Duty of Supervision? How do you overcome these?

Guidelines for Duty of Maintenance:

All chemicals will be properly labeled and prepared fresh. Teachers should only prepare sufficient

quantities of working solutions of chemicals to complete a given activity. At the end of the activity, surplus quantities of working solutions should be discarded if they will not be used in a reasonable amount of time

Teachers should provide necessary maintenance on apparatus used in student instruction. Defective equipment must either be repaired or discarded if repair is impossible.

End of year maintenance checklist

• Goggles—order new goggles if needed.

• Goggle cabinet. Should be accessible.

• Eyewash and shower—fully functional, not leaking

• Fire extinguishers: ABC

• Damaged equipment or facilities.

• Broken glassware. Get rid of it!

What is the “law of the land” regarding science safety?

Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970:

To assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women; by authorizing enforcement of the standards developed under the Act; by assisting and encouraging the States in their efforts to assure safe and healthful working conditions; by providing for research, information, education, and training in the field of occupational safety and health; and for other purposes.

For the entire text: www.osha.gov/fso/osp/index.html

However….

• Students are not considered “employees” so this standard does not apply to them.

• OSHA asks states to develop their own job safety and health plans. This is voluntary. Only 25 states and 2 territories have done this. Delaware is not among them.

Delaware Law:

The Delaware Administrative Code:

http://regulations.delaware.gov/AdminCode/

Title 14: Education

Section 885 Health and Safety: Safe Management and Disposal of Chemicals in the Delaware Public School System

Delaware Science StandardsThe word “safety” does not appear in middle

school or high school Delaware content standards.

Discussion point: If there is no “law,” “regulation,” or “policy” specifically requiring safety instruction in science…

What problems will a prudent science What problems will a prudent science teacher encounter in delivering inquiry teacher encounter in delivering inquiry laboratory science instruction?laboratory science instruction?

We maintain a safe environment because for our children, a safe environment must come before

instruction begins.

Where do we receive direction for science safety?

Red Clay Secondary Science Safety Manual

This is a comprehensive document that outlines the safety procedures for all secondary science grades specific to Red Clay.

https://rcweb.redclay.k12.de.us/Intranet/CI/cipublications.htm

Important Features of the Red Clay Safety Manual

• Specific safety training for students. (pp. 4-6)

• The Laboratory Safety Contract to be signed by student and parent/guardian. (p. 25)

• Information about latex: Latex (gloves or balloons) is not to be used in any science classroom in Red Clay because of the possibility of life threatening latex allergic reactions. (p. 7)

• First Aid kits are not to be used by science teachers to treat minor injuries sustained by students. These incidents must be reported to the school nurse. (p. 6) Exception is on field trips (p. 23)

Good Samaritan Act (p. 8)

Any person, who in good faith gratuitously renders emergency care at the scene of an accident or emergency to a victim thereof, shall not be liable for any civil damages for any personal injury resulting from an act or omission by the person rendering the emergency care or as a result of any act or failure to act to provide or arrange for further medical treatment or care for the injured person, except acts or omissions amounting to gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct.

(Source: 16 Del. C. 1953, #6801; 58 Del. Laws, c. 105; 59 Del. Laws, c. 361, #1.)

AUDITS

Red Clay is audited by the Department of Education each fall for compliance to federal and state regulations.

High schools are inspected for compliance to DE regulation 16:885

Utica National Insurance Group

Red Clay’s insurer does annual audits of various areas of concern. One of these is science classrooms and chemical storage areas. One other concern is with safety goggles.

The best way to prepare for an outside audit:

Conduct your own audit

Before the DOE audit (usually in October), I will go through the science rooms in high schools and middle schools with the checklists from our district safety plan.

Findings with recommendations for each school will be sent to the building principal, the curriculum council member (high schools—the Chemical Safety Officer), Director of School Operations (Sam Golder) and Assistant Superintendant (Mary Norris).

Purpose of our audit:

• To identify any problems or issues that can be corrected immediately.

• To identify any long range issues that may need planning or building funds to correct.

• To provide a record of self monitoring.

Video clip:

Discussion: How can we make use of this program in Red Clay?

Safety equipment—What do We Need to be Safe?

Safety Goggles: Delaware law requires that teachers,

students, and visitors wear approved safety goggles during any activity that is potentially hazardous to the eye.

Goggles must be worn at all times when chemicals are used and it is strongly recommended that goggles be worn for all activities where glassware is used.

Goggle cabinets

• Not specifically required, but if they are available, 15 minutes will kill most germs.

• Cabinet must be at a height where you can use it.

Eyewash facility

There must be some convenient provision for the copious flushing of the eyes with water in every laboratory or classroom using chemicals for student experiments.

Recommended:

• Eyewash must be unobstructed and accessible within 10 seconds.

• Students should flush the eyes for 15 minutes, during which time the nurse is summoned.

• The eyewash should be tested weekly (a quick on/off)

• Suggestion: eyewash drills.

Alternative eyewash: connects to the faucet.

Not acceptable as an eyewash:

Solution in the bottles has an expiration date, and must be replaced after use.

Fire Safety

Heating in the middle school should be done using hot plates or water baths. Heating with an open flame is not recommended.

Classrooms should be equipped with a class ABC fire extinguisher (tested annually) and a safety blanket. Teachers should be instructed to the proper use of each.

Field Trips

• State law requires one adult chaperone to every ten students on a field trip. One of these will be in charge of safety concerns (medication, sunscreen, first aid, etc.)

• Be sure you have obtained all necessary pertinent information about each student relating to safety. This includes medications, allergies, recent illnesses, disabilities.

• The teacher should visit the field trip site ahead of time if possible to assess any potential hazards. These may relate to terrain, remoteness (does the cell phone get a signal?), weather, or other factors.

• Teachers must remind students not to collect unauthorized specimens nor to leave any refuse (trash) behind at the field trip site. Students should be briefed on the appearance of hazardous plants and animals in the vicinity.

• Students must not approach any animals in natural settings. Likewise, they must not approach animal corpses.

• Students should always be paired with at least one other student. There should also be a rendezvous point where all participants come for a head count at a specified time.

Other considerations

• Science teachers should work in concert with each other, the school nurse, the principal, and the Science Supervisor to ensure a safe environment for inquiry.

• The three most important components of any safety plan are planning, organization, and common sense.