Laboratory Safety and Management

Alison Lam

Science Education Section, EDB

Accident Statistics (05/06)• 464 schools responded (response rate : 93.4% )• Statistics

• 296 schools without accident (64%)• 554 cases in 168 schools (36%)• 1.19 cases per school

• 500 students and 8 staffs injured; most injuries were minor cuts or scalds

• Cause of accidents: Carelessness

(students: 91.7%;teachers: 0.5%; LTs: 1.8%)

Types of accidents (05/06)

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Phy Chem Bio/H Bio IS ES/S&T

Others

Bites by animals

Substances catching fire

Cuts

Discomfort arising frominhalation of gases

Heat burns or scalds

Chemicals spillage

Eye accidents

Chemicals on skin

18 (3%)

134 (24%)

92 (17%)

309 (56%)

1 (~0%)

Subjects involved (05/06)

Why accidents happen?

Careless

Overcrowding

Inadequate FacilitiesInadequate Equipment

Misbehavior

Inadequate Safety Training

Unsafe Experiments

Inadequate Preparation

Poor Laboratory

Management

Teaching Experiences

Inadequate Instructions

Ignorance

Education Regulation 279A (21)

• The responsible person shall ensure that all necessary safety precautions are adopted in school workshops and science laboratories and shall modify or extend those precautions as the Permanent Secretary may require.

• 負責人須確保學校工場及科學實驗室內採取一切所需的安全措施，並且須按照常任秘書長的規定修改或擴展該等措施。

Responsibilities in maintaining a safe learning and working environment

• Who should be responsible? • Students• Teachers• Laboratory Technicians• Laboratory Attendants• Panel Chairpersons• School Authority• …

• Safety is Everyone’s Responsibility• Have you performed your duties? (有否盡一己之本分 )

Students• Know and follow all safety rules• Be alert in the laboratory• Do not attempt unauthorised activities• Exercise proper experimental techniques• Consider the safety of oneself and the others• Read and study lab manual before coming to class• Report lab accidents to teacher immediately• Keep area clean • Proper disposal of biological and chemical waste• Do not enter preparation or store rooms• …

Teachers• Ensure the safety of all practical activities and must be thorough in preparation• Try out experiments in advance• Check that technicians know how to carry out safely the requested hazardous

operations• Issue students with safety rules and explain what they mean and why they are

necessary• Give clear instructions to students and remind them of the potential hazards and

safety precautions• Provide sufficient supervision and guidance to students during experiments• Insist students on using proper personal protective equipment• Never leave students unsupervised in the lab• Familarise with the operation of safety facilities and emergency procedures…

Panel Chairpersons• Set and model high standards of safety• Raise everyone’s concern on safety• Ensure all panel members provide adequate safety instructions and

equipment to students• Be well informed of laws, rules and regulations concerning safety, assist

school principal in formulating and implementation of safety policy• Co-ordinate the provision of safety resources / facilities• Organise/co-ordinate professional development on safety• Access and disseminate up-to-date safety information to teaching and

technical staff• Keep a record of all accidents and details of treatment given• Develop and implement a regular schedule for safety inspection …

Laboratory Technicians• Have responsibilities for each other’s safety and should warn each other of

hazardous situations• Co-operate with safety policies of panel, school and EDB, etc. • Prepare, operate and maintain apparatus and equipment• Procurement of stores and equipment• Tryout experiments• Provide assistance in class demonstrations• Assist teachers in supervising students performing experiments• Observe all the normal safeguard in a laboratory• Familarise with the operation of safety facilities and emergency procedures• Check regularly to ensure all safety measures are in place• Supervise the work of other LTs / laboratory attendants …

School Authority• Ensure school complies with the Education Ordinance• Build up an effective management system• Draw up safety policies, administrative and operational procedures• Set up an accountability mechanism for such policies and procedures

including how to handle emergencies• Provide necessary safety facilities and equipment• Support professional development on safety• …

Safety Management

• Setting up a Standing Committee on Laboratory Safety to:• convene regularly to discuss issues related to lab safety• plan and conduct lab safety programmes• carry out safety inspections regularly• formulate, implement and revise the emergency plan• conduct evacuation drills regularly

Safety Policy

• Includes:• Emergency measures and evacuation procedures• How new staffs are to be inducted• How students are to be trained in safety awareness• How safety equipment should be kept and used• How safety information and resources are circulated or

disseminated

• How to keep records of lab accidents• Under what circumstances may non-science lessons be

conducted in laboratories• How to carry out safety inspections• What procedures for risk assessment are to be adopted

in open-ended investigations or projects

Resources for Lab Safety

Laboratory Safety and Management (http://www.edb.gov.hk/cd/sc References & Resources Laboratory Safety and Management)

Handbook on Safety in Science Laboratories

http://cd1.edb.hkedcity.net/cd/science/laboratory/safety/SHB_2002e.pdf

Collection form: http://resources.edb.gov.hk/cd/science/laboratory/safety/form.pdf

Learning and Teaching Resources on Safety in Science Laboratories

http://cd1.edb.hkedcity.net/cd/science/laboratory/SAFETY/safety_exemplars_e.pdf

http://resources.edb.gov.hk/~ses/

Safety issue in NSS science curricula

• Value learning experience from scientific investigations and inquiry- based experiments

• Cultivate correct attitude towards lab safety• Train students to be responsible for their and others’ safety at lab

• Follow safety regulations• Conduct risk assessment• Be alert and clear on every procedure to be taken

Risk Assessment

• An analysis of a practical activity to identify hazards and to take precautions to minimise the risk

• Procedures:• Identifying hazards

(Materials / Procedures / Equipment)• Assessing how likely the hazard will actually cause harm

(risk)• Deciding what control measures to reduce risk to

acceptable level• Emergency procedures in case of accidents• Finding out how to dispose of hazardous residues

Safety information about chemicals

• Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS); CityU• http://cd1.edb.hkedcity.net/cd/science/laboratory/safet

y/msds_ss_2000.pdf

• International Chemical Safety Cards; ILO– http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/safework/cis

/products/icsc/dtasht/index.htm

Maintenance and repairs for labs

Tendering Requirements

• “Guidelines on Tendering and Purchasing Procedures in Aided Schools” inEDBC015/2007 “Tendering and Purchasing

Procedures in Aided Schools”

(http://www.edb.gov.hk => school administration => Regulations => School administration guide => 6.4.2.Tendering Requirements)

• OEBG ( 營辦開支整筆津貼 )• CFEG ( 綜合家具及設備津貼 )• EOEBG ( 擴大的營辦開支整筆津貼 )

• EDBCM No.119/2008• For details:

http://www.edb.gov.hk/index.aspx?nodeid=4766&langno=1

(http://www.edb.gov.hk=> school administration => financial management)

Minor repairs

Major repairs

• Cost > $8000 (e.g. installation of fume cupboard, fire service installation, exhaust fan maintanance)

• Apply for non-recurrent grants in Apr/May every yearEDBCM No.072/2008 (Estimates for 2009-10 Financial

Year - Aided Schools Applications for Non-Recurrent Grants: Major Repairs/Alterations)

• Estate schools => Housing Department• Non-estate schools => Architectural Services Department

1. Application for funding by school

2. HD or ASD conducts site inspection

4. EDB estimates budget

5. HD or ASD initiates meetings with school

6. Repair works by contractor

Procedures for Major Repairs

3. Classify items into “essential” , “desirable but not essential” and “not necessary”

Emergency Repairs

• Cost < $200,000• Submit Standard Request Form for emergency repairs to

HD or ASD with a copy to REO.• Examples of emergency repairs:

• Blackboard repair, serious water seepage, re-charging of fire extinguishers, broken windows, etc.

Conversion with structural alteration and extension

• Requires approval from EDB• Seek advice from

• Regional Education Office• Housing Department / Architectural Services

Department• Department of Health• Fire Services Department

• For details on Maintenance of Premises:

http://www.edb.gov.hk/FileManager/EN/Content_693/sag-200809-e-2008.11.17.pdf

(http://www.edb.gov.hk => school administration => Regulations => School administration guide => 8.School premises & safety)

Designing and Planning Laboratories

http://www.ase.org.uk/ldtl/docs/L014.pdf

(http://edb.gov.hk/cd/sc References & Resources Laboratory Safety and Management)

Science LaboratoriesFixtures and Furniture

http://cd1.edb.hkedcity.net/cd/science/laboratory/layout/

fixfur95.pdf

Group Discussion

Thank you!

Alison Lamcmlam@edb.gov.hk3698 3438