SAFETY IN SCIENCEProfessional Expectations and Teacher Liability

Outline

Overview of Regulations: OSHA

Professional Expectations & Teacher Liability

Best Practices for the Laboratory

Reducing/Sharing Liability

Teaching Strategies

Departmental Safety

OSHA

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Protects faculty and staff, not students. Safety guidelines are pertinent for

everyone! Two regulations:

HAZCOM

“Lab Standard”

Laboratory Standard

Scope and Application (all science teachers)

Exposure Limits Chemical Hygiene Plan and Operating

Procedures Employee Training Hazard Identification Establishes minimum requirements for

effective safety program.

Teacher Expectations

Teachers are trained and licensed professionals.

Teachers are responsible for determining if the lab is safe for students (not administrators).

Teachers are to have taken every possible action to prevent an accident from occurring.

Teachers should adhere to the prudent safety practices acceptable in the profession.

Teacher Expectations

Duty of Care: Teachers are to protect students from unreasonable risk or harm.

Science teachers are responsible for all employees that come in contact with laboratory hazards in their classrooms and laboratories.

Professional Expectations: NSTA, ACS, and other content area organizations

Teacher Liability Concerns

Chemicals should not be stored in classrooms except when being used.

You are responsible for your room even when you aren’t in it.

A teacher and school district were successfully sued when a janitor let two students into a classroom.

Substitute teachers: should remove chemicals and avoid labs without prior arrangements.

You are responsible for faculty and staff that may enter your classroom.

Best Practice in The LaboratoryStrategies for Student Safety and Teacher Liability

Best Practice in the Laboratory

Safety should be the commitment of every student and teacher.

If it might happen, it will eventually happen.

Shared Liability – from department (and CHP)

Establish a pattern of safety within your classroom!

Laboratory Safety Training

Good: Provide a safety test that students must pass regarding the training.

Better: Safety test and safety drills as part of the training.

Best: Continue to review and perform drills throughout the year.

Safety Documents

Safety Contracts/Agreements are not enforceable.

Safety Acknowledgement Document: Places student and parent on notice of the inherent risks in the lab and warns of dangers.

If parent refuses to sign, establish a record (e-mail or phone log) and sign and date form with a note.

Safety Documents

Good: Maintain signed safety forms for the entire year.

Best: Maintain signed safety forms for the time the student is enrolled in the school.

The statute of limitations for negligence in most states is 3 years.

Safety Assessment

Good: Provide safety test that all students must pass.

Better: All students pass with 90%.

Best: All students pass with 90% and safety questions are included on tests/quizzes throughout the year.

Lesson Plans

Every lab should have a lesson plan.

Lesson plans are legal documents. Take advantage of this!

Good: Note that “relevant safety info was reviewed”

Best: Note the exact safety information reviewed and include a copy of MSDS for all chemicals.

Pre-Lab Assignments

Consider the following:

Have students research MSDS information to find chemical concerns. Review these together.

Have students draw flow charts of the lab procedure. This forces them to read in more detail and to visualize the experiment (literacy strategy!)

Departmental SafetyStatus and Future Goals

Training and Resources

December meeting: Safety Protocols

Safety Topics

Safety Resources on P drive in Science Folder

Chemical Storeroom

Organization of Equipment

Chemical Inventory and Tracking

New Safety Equipment

Acid Cabinet

Labeling System (new label maker!)

Mission Accomplished!

Chemical Inventory: ~2/3 completed

Storeroom Organization: Solutions Equipment

Equipment:

Pipet holder and pipetters

Mercury-free barometer

Stock Solutions: 3M HCl & NaOH

Future Plans

Fall 2009: Complete storeroom inventory Acid cabinet and safety equipment

Spring 2010: Inventory management protocols Complete chemical inventory Finish database

Fall 2010: Digital MSDS library Spring 2011: Completion of Chemical

Hygiene Plan Fall 2011: Implement CHP

Resources

Check the new P drive for new resources soon.

Flinn Scientific – MSDS search NSTA – position statements and books ACS – several free articles and

publications

References

American Chemical Society. Chemical Safety for Teachers and Their Supervisors. Washington, D.C. American Chemical Society, 2001.

Roy, Kenneth. “Safer Science Seminar.” Indianapolis, 2009.

Roy, Kenneth. The NSTA Ready-Reference Guide to Safer Science. Arlington: NSTA Press, 2007.