Chapter 9: Safety

Objectives:

1. Understand legal responsibilities for safety in curriculum

2. Know safety preparations to make before school-year

3. Know responsibilities for promoting safety during year

4. Present specific safety guidelines for biology, chemistry,

physics

5. Discuss necessity of direct instruction on safety both for

students and for science teachers
I. Safety and the Law
A. How courts look at safety issues
1. Is there a duty owed? YES
2. What was the standard of care provided?
a. Active instruction on conduct and safety in the classroom
b. Adequate supervision
c. Consideration of potential hazards

B. Liability
1. State regulations must be followed
2. If accidents occur, the teacher may be liable to fine or lawsuit
3. Local school boards often have safety policies; won’t be in contract
4. Contributory Negligence:
a. Defense that student behaved in a way contributing to the accident
b. Teacher may still be held partially liable (20% teacher’s fault)
5. Must be in a position to show you took reasonable precautions
a. Prepare students for an activity
b. Point out possible danger
c. Proper supervision
II. General Safety Responsibilities
A. Preparing for the school year
1. Inspect classroom and lab for dangers (checklist p. 176)
2. Keep records of inspection and changes made
a. Get cooperation of administrators
b. Get qualified individuals to make repairs
3. Arrange room to prevent congestion
4. Plan for evacuation in case of emergency
5. Storage area should be uncluttered and items properly stored

B. During the school year

1. Class size must be appropriate to the activity
2. Unit on safety at the beginning of the year
a. Direct instruction prevents accidents later on
b. Grade it and treat it as important
3. Teacher must model good safety practices throughout the year
a. Demonstrate dangerous procedures before (or instead of) students do
b. Report any accidents and keep a record
c. Have first-aid kit and know how to use it
 C. Eye Protection
1. Eye is vital, vulnerable sensory organ exposed to the environment
2. Eye protection is always mandatory: it is the law
a. Should be in good condition
b. Should be sanitized when shared
3. Contact lenses are generally not allowed due to increased risk
a. Some evidence that hard lenses are not that unsafe
b. Often have a waver form to sign if students allowed to wear contacts

III. Specific Safety Guidelines

A. Biology
1. Precautions for using animals
a. Handle cautiously and with thick leather or rubber gloves
b. Discourage teasing, poking, prodding behaviors
c. Illegal to use poisonous or known disease carrying animals
d. Inoculate any animals known to carry rabies
e. Cages should be clean and well maintained
f. Arrangement for care over breaks and holidays must be made
g. ILAR = Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources p. 182
 h. Animal research should not cause harm to vertebrates
i. Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement of experimental procedures

2. Care during animal dissection

a. Clean scalpels only to reduce infection from cuts
b. Substitute razor blade or scissors if needed
c. Incisions should be made away from students body
d. Wear gloves to prevent cuts and infection

3. Using live material

a. Store decaying material in a refrigerator
b. Avoid allergy inducing materials
c. Don’t use pathogenic bacteria
d. Don’t use viruses in the secondary school
e. Don’t use human oral material—can lead to pathogenic bacteria
f. Sterilize all lab equipment following use

4. Using Hypodermic Syringes

a. Drug related implications argue for avoidance or demonstration only
b. Teacher needs to lock, account for, and control
 5. Body Fluids and Tissue
a. Common to use blood, saliva, etc… from students
b. Considered biological hazards; disposal is regulated
c. Some schools have restrictions on these materials
d. Get permission from parents; student shouldn’t have medical condition
e. Draw blood from fingertip using alcohol sterilization
f. Alternative: use blood samples from biological supply company

6. Additional Considerations
a. Fully inform students about safety precautions for field trips
b. Avoid direct sunlight when using microscopes
c. Avoid alcohol burners; use Bunsen burners or hot plates
d. Require appropriate clothing/shoes in lab
e. Require students to wash hands after any lab

B. Chemistry
1. Basic safety rules
a. Lubricate glass tubing and wear heavy gloves when inserting
b. Light match before turning on gas to Bunsen burner
c. Point test tubes away from people when heating
 d. Use only clean glassware; residue may cause unintended reaction
e. Clean up spills immediately
f. Use tongs, gloves with hot glassware; it looks like cold glassware
g. Never heat a closed vessel; use boiling chips
h. Use fume hood with toxic/dangerous materials
i. Avoid flames around flammable materials
2. Chemical storage
a. Combustibles stored in metal cabinets
b. Acids and bases separated and in metal cabinets
c. Glycerin and nitric acid should be separate
d. Acids and cyanides should be separate
e. Potassium chlorate and organics should be separate
f. Organics, organics, volatiles, acids, and bases separate
g. Teratogens cause birth defects; avoid using them
h. Carcinogens cause cancer; avoid using them (p. 189)
3. Chemical Disposal
a. Federal, state, and local regulations must be followed
b. Don’t store waste for long periods
c. Contract with a disposal company if possible
d. Check with someone who knows before disposing of chemicals
C. Physics/Physical Science
1. Electrical safety
a. Know voltage and current in circuits before using
b. Turn off power before working on circuits
c. Use properly insulated tools that are in good condition
d. Don’t wear metal rings or necklaces
e. Use Underwriters Laboratories approved electrical equipment
f. Use electric motors approved by National Electric Code
g. Properly ground all electrical devices
h. Use GFI (ground fault interrupters) in outlets to avoid electrocution
2. Wall outlets
a. Inspect periodically
b. Teach using low voltage rather than 110-120 V regular outlets
c. Don’t expose students to high voltage
3. Vacuum pumps
a. Wear safety glasses when evacuating glassware
b. Make sure belt guards are in place
4. Ovens and Refrigerators
a. Use only approved refrigerators for storing flammable materials
b. Drying ovens shouldn’t have exposed heating coils
IV. Safety Units
A. Research indicates direct instruction is useful
1. Dombrowski and Hagelberg, 1985
2. Develops awareness and responsibility in early stages
3. Teach how to avoid and how to respond to emergencies
4. Stress housekeeping as important safety precaution
5. Hands on activities, handouts, demonstrations are useful
6. Administer safety quiz at mastery level before going on (p. 195)
7. Student safety contract signed by student and parents (p. 195)