Start the School Year Safely!
By Ronald Hammond, PhD

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Every science educator wants to maintain a safe, well-managed classroom and student laboratory. The ideal time to assure a successful, mishap-free year of science teaching is before your students return in the fall. I suggest that you begin your school term with a thorough examination of the laboratory work and storage areas.

First, make sure that eyewash stations, safety showers, fire extinguishers, and fire blankets are positioned correctly and are in good working order. Inventory all chemicals and other hazardous materials to ensure that containers are labeled and stored properly. Insist that only authorized personnel have access to the storage area. Dispose of outdated and unnecessary items in the manner prescribed in their material safety data sheets (MSDS). Current MSDS sheets for all chemicals must be readily available for anybody who requests them.

Check your various forms of personal protective equipment (PPE) to assure that the quantities of goggles, gloves, and aprons in serviceable condition are adequate for the number of students in your classes. Make sure that the goggle sterilization cabinet works correctly.

Overcrowding, a tremendous problem in many schools, is exceptionally unfortunate for those who teach science. The incidence of laboratory accidents escalates dramatically when too many students attempt to work in a confined area. Anything that can be done to reduce crowding in a student laboratory should be given the highest priority!

Also, science classrooms should not be assigned for use by nonscience classes. Curious students cannot resist the wondrous things that reside in a science room. A science teacher really needs to be in charge of these facilities at all times to prevent unfortunate occurrences.

If it’s not already scheduled, initiate a meeting of all science teachers as well as the principal and, if appropriate, the science supervisor. Review your school’s laboratory safety rules and make certain they conform to those mandated at district and state levels.

Every instructor has some safety requirements that are unique to the grade level and the specific activities. However, the primary list of laboratory safety rules for the school science program can be reasonably generic and should include the following:



Your laboratory safety program cannot be successful without the support and commitment of all persons involved in the educational process, from the school administration to your students and their parents. Safety rules, which pertain to teachers and students alike, must be clearly stated and enforced, without exception, in all classrooms and at all levels of authority.

Parents and guardians must be aware of the laboratory safety program that exists for their children’s benefit. Moreover, they must agree to accept the rules as they are implemented on the students’ behalf. This is most satisfactorily accomplished by sending home a laboratory safety contract, to be signed by the student and his or her parent or guardian. The contract explains the safety rules that the student will be required to abide by while participating in laboratory activities. The signatures signify that your students and their guardians agree to abide by the rules and the measures set forth to deal with infractions.

Elementary, middle, and high school teachers have unique laboratory safety issues that involve the age of their students and the types of activities to be performed. Likewise, safety considerations differ among the various disciplines and are influenced by instructional preferences and many other factors. A generic laboratory safety contract does not satisfy every need, but it will provide a platform upon which a customized document can be built. Regardless of the precise wording of the laboratory safety contract, be sure to provide 2 copies of the signature portion so the student’s family and the school each have a copy on file.

We at Carolina join together in wishing you the best of success at the beginning of this school year. Please feel free to contact me at any time for assistance with laboratory safety questions or concerns.