Importance of Safety in STEAM Programs

Safety must be a top priority when planning STEAM laboratory experiments or demonstrations by thoroughly assessing potential hazards and associated health and safety risks and taking appropriate safety measures based on the findings. It is crucial to ensure the well-being of everyone involved and minimize the risk of accidents or injuries.

Health and Safety Risks

Understanding that there are inherent potential safety hazards and health and safety risks in laboratory instructional spaces is central to accurately assessing safer instructional practices and procedures in the teaching/learning site.  Potential safety hazards and resulting health and safety risks in a laboratory or classroom instructional spaces can range from minor accidents, such as cuts and bruises, to more severe incidents, such as chemical spills—the potential for fires or explosions that can result in injury or even death.  

We can prevent incidents with proper training, awareness, and understanding of the materials selected for use, including chemical, biological, and physical hazards in specific STEAM instructional areas in school buildings.

Prioritizing a Plan

Understanding this necessitates how essential it is to prioritize safety when planning and conducting hands-on laboratory experiments and teacher demonstrations.  As the instructor in the instructional space, you must have appropriate safety training annually.  The safety training components must be based on your grade level, discipline, and the materials and equipment used to help you deliver the curriculum expectations to your students covered under OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1450 and 1910.1200. 

There is a requirement to be appropriately safety trained on your initial hire before you step foot in the laboratory or classroom instructional space, and on an ongoing annual basis as well as if you change your assignment, such as a new grade level or subject area.  Can you recall the last time you had this type of comprehensive safety qualification training?  If not, you must register for a cohesive, current, and certificated course for your protection and understanding.

The Importance of Safety Awareness

Here are some of the reasons why safety awareness is crucial in hands-on laboratory experiments:

1. Protecting students and teachers: The primary reason to prioritize safety in hands-on laboratory experiments is to protect students and teachers from potential harm or injury.  The teacher’s responsible for identifying potential safety hazards and resulting health and safety risks and taking appropriate safety action measures to prevent accidents.  Proactively conducting a possible safety hazard analysis, resulting in health and safety risk assessment and taking proper safety actions resulting from this evaluation.
2. Minimizing liability: Schools are legally responsible for providing their students with a safer learning/teaching environment.  Failure to do so can result in lawsuits, financial damages, and a reduction to the school’s reputation caused by legal and often shared liability.  By prioritizing safety in hands-on laboratory experiments, schools can minimize their liability exposure and protect themselves from potential legal consequences, often through having appropriate ongoing safety training and using standard operating procedures in a chemical hygiene plan or safety manual from the school district.
3. Enhancing the learning experience: A safer laboratory environment can enhance students’ teaching/learning experience. When students feel safer and comfortable in the laboratory instructional space, they are likelier to engage in the experiment and focus on learning the material. Conversely, when students are worried about their safety, they may be distracted and unable to focus on the experiment.  Educators should not try to replicate online activities that involve dangerous practices or potentially hazardous materials but use these as teachable moments, having students reflect on the safety rules broken during the move found online to elevate their safety awareness by observing with a critical lens for safety and compliance.
4. Compliance with regulations: Schools must comply with local, state, and federal regulations regarding laboratory safety. Failure to comply with these regulations can result in fines, legal action, and loss of funding. By prioritizing safety in hands-on laboratory experiments, schools can ensure that they comply with these regulations.  There are legal safety standards from OSHA, NFPA, EPA, and others, as well as better professional safety practices from NSTA, NSELA, CSSS, ITEEA, ACTE, and other organizations, all working in tandem to create safer instructional spaces for students and staff members.  Knowingly not following a known safety regulation is a serious violation. It can result in a finding of negligence or recklessness in case an accident or injury results from this poor decision.  It is best to follow established safety procedures/protocols and, when in doubt, ask a colleague or a mentor before proceeding.  Safety first!

How Safe Is Your Instructional Space?

Most teachers consider safety a top priority when planning and conducting hands-on laboratory experiments, which is validated through a survey conducted by the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA).  The survey found that 98% of science teachers believe safety is crucial to science education (NSTA, 2014). This result indicates that most science teachers recognize the importance of safety in hands-on laboratory experiments and prioritize it in their teaching practices.  The same survey found that science teachers reported implementing various classroom safety practices, including enforcing safety rules, using personal protective equipment (PPE), and conducting student safety training. These findings suggest that science teachers recognize the importance of safety and actively work to ensure a safer learning environment for their students. 

Prioritizing Laboratory Safety

In addition to the NSTA survey, other studies have shown that science teachers prioritize safety in hands-on laboratory experiments. For example, a study by Gormally et al. (2009) found that science teachers trained in inquiry-based teaching methods were likelier to prioritize safety in their classrooms than those unprepared.  Overall, there is a consensus among science teachers that safety is essential in laboratory experiments, and many teachers implement various safety practices in their classrooms to ensure a safer teaching/learning environment for their students.

Increasing Safety Awareness

There are several effective ways to increase safety awareness in instructional space settings. The following are some of the best practices:

Provide safety training: One of the most effective ways to increase safety awareness is to provide safety training to teachers and students. Safety training should include information about the potential hazards/risks in the laboratory/classroom instructional space, safer standardized operating procedures, and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Teachers should also provide regular refresher training to reinforce the importance of safety and to update students on any changes to safety protocols.  Before any hands-on lab activity, the teacher should model the appropriate safety techniques and behaviors for all students, ensure that the procedures have an element of safety before experimentation begins, and review the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for potential concerns.

Post safety signs  Posting appropriate safety signs in the laboratory/classroom instructional space can help to remind students of the potential safety hazards/risks and the safety procedures they should follow.   Posting safety signage also provides for the location of the safety equipment, such as fire extinguishers, eye wash stations, fume hoods, showers, etc. Signs should be clear, concise, and visible from all laboratory/classroom instructional space areas. Safety signs include emergency exit signs, warning signs for hazardous materials, and instructions for using safety equipment.  Some teachers have students create safety signs or posters at the beginning of the year or semester to be advocates and have some agency over safety in their laboratory/classroom instructional space.

Conduct safety inspections Regular inspections can help identify potential safety hazards/risks and ensure safety procedures are in place. Safety inspections should be conducted by an independent inspector or the Chemical Hygiene Officer knowledgeable about laboratory safety and responsible chemical management practices. The inspector should provide recommendations for improving safety and follow up to ensure that any issues are addressed using a defined inspection checklist complete with digital photographs and related regulatory legal compliance (OSHA, NFPA, ANSI/ISEA) and better professional safety practices (NSTA, ITEEA, ACS, etc.) alignment.

Encourage a safety culture Teachers should encourage a safety culture in the laboratory/classroom instructional space by promoting open communication about safety concerns and encouraging students to report any safety issues. If students find a damaged or broken piece of equipment, apparatus, or tool, they should immediately notify their instructor so these can be removed from use to prevent accidents. Teachers should also lead by example and model safer behaviors in the laboratory/classroom instructional space, such as the use of PPE, material handling, emergency procedures (eye wash, shower, fire extinguisher, chemical spills), and use of safety acknowledgment forms with their classes to ensure that every occupant is aware of their responsibility in the laboratory/classroom instructional space.

Use safety checklists These can ensure all safety procedures are followed appropriately. Checklists should include all known protocols and be specific to each laboratory/classroom instructional space. Additionally, checklists need to be reviewed before starting any hands-on experiments. Safety checklists can help identify potential hazards/risks, ensure safety procedures are followed, and provide a platform for elevating safety awareness and regulatory compliance.

Ensure alignment with regulatory compliance

All activities in the STEAM program must be based on an understanding of legal safety standards and better professional safety practices involving multiple dimensions, including chemical labeling, use of SDSs, adherence to a Chemical Hygiene Plan and Hazard Communication standard, the use of appropriate PPE, and conducting a potential safety hazard analysis and resulting health and safety risk assessment and taking any necessary safety actions based upon this evaluation. Recognizing potentially hazardous situations, proactively preventing them based on standard operating procedures and experience, and using critical thinking skills will help make the laboratory/classroom instructional space safer for all occupants.   

Having a Comprehensive Approach

To summarize, increasing safety awareness in laboratory/classroom instructional spaces requires a comprehensive approach that includes safety training, safety signs, safety inspections, a communicated and practiced safety culture, and safety checklists. By implementing these accepted better professional safety practices, teachers can ensure a safer teaching/learning environment for their students in the STEAM program in their buildings. 

Educators have a duty of care obligation to provide a safer instructional space for their students, and having the understanding and ability to recognize potential hazards and resulting risks while proactively making corrective safety actions is central to increasing the level of safer instruction in laboratory/classroom instructional spaces across the country. When in doubt, ASK for help or clarity.  It is that simple to be safer.

References:

• National Research Council (NRC). (2011). Prudent laboratory practices: Handling and managing chemical hazards (Updated Version). Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
• National Science Teaching Association (NSTA). (2014). Safety in the science classroom. Retrieved from https://www.nsta.org/
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). (n.d.). Laboratories. Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/laboratories
• Gormally, C., Brickman, P., Hallar, B., & Armstrong, N. (2009). Effects of inquiry-based learning on students’ science literacy skills and confidence. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 3(2), 1-22.
• National Science Teachers Association. (2014). Safety in the science classroom. Retrieved from https://www.nsta.org/
• Science Safety Resources for Educators 2023 https://edcircuit.com/science-safety-intro/
• STEAM Safety Advice for New Teachers, March 2023 https://edcircuit.com/steam-safety-advice-for-new-teachers/