Safety And Education Go Hand In Hand

Another day, another lab class. How can you maintain your students' interest and safety? Following are some tips from experts to insure a safe lab experience. Frankie Wood-Black, Ph.D., Phillips 66 environmental scientist and David Jelmini, Health, Environment and Safety manager, both of Phillips' Woods Cross (Utah) refinery, offer the following ideas to keep your students and your lab safe.

• Follow all safety precautions. Most text books and science guides outline the safety equipment and procedures necessary for each experiment. Discuss these precautions with your students before beginning. Also discuss every- day activities in which the same safety procedures should be used - such as mowing the lawn or mixing paint.

• Proper safety equipment is a must in any lab setting. Make sure everyone wears protective eye wear and lab coats. Warn your students not to wear sandals, open-toed shoes or clothing with holes on lab days. Provide lab coats to properly protect them from a spill, and use other personal protective equipment as needed, such as gloves, aprons, face shields, etc. Remember, children (as well as adults) learn by example!

• Review your school's emergency plan, and discuss it with your class. Conduct evacuation drills at irregular intervals.

• Try experiments in controlled conditions before performing the experiment in class.

• Assign "lab buddies" or groups of students work to together, and encourage them to help each other with safety procedures.

• Lab equipment and gloves should be maintained and inspected regularly. Test your safety equipment monthly and laboratory equipment every year. Safety goggles should be discarded if they become cracked or scratched. Retire lab coats when they become frayed or worn out from extensive use. 

• Teachers must maintain control in the laboratory classroom. If you have a large class, you might consider asking for assistance on lab days. Students should not be left unattended in the lab. Chemicals should be left under lock and key to maintain safety.

• If an emergency does arise in the lab, remain calm, assess the situation and act accordingly. Become familiar with the use of fire extinguishers, eye wash stations and first aid kits. After any emergency in a lab class, review the situation and what led up to the incident. Then develop plans to insure that a similar incident does not happen again.

According to Wood-Black and Jelmini, lab safety is just as important in classrooms as in professional laboratories. Students, teachers and professionals must make safety precautions a habit. Being aware and maintaining a safe lab can make every day a safe lab day, rather than an accident waiting to happen.