Osceola District Schools

Osceola District Schools Laboratory Hygiene Program

Module 4: Standard Work Practices

Safety – Student Safety is always the highest priority. Awareness – Be aware of Florida Statutes regarding the use of science equipment. Foreseeability – Anticipate potential safety problems and plan interventions and solutions. Establish Rules – Post and discuss clear rules for science activities. Supervision – Carefully supervise students during hands-on activities and labs. Caution – Inform students of any precautions that are necessary for student safety. Instruction – Teach and review proper safety rules and techniques. Equipment - Use appropriate and safe science equipment. Notice -- Take note of potential hazards and take reasonable precautions. Chemicals -- Use only approved chemicals and store them correctly. Environment -- Maintain a safe and orderly classroom. The Basis of Safe Science

Generic Standard Operating Procedures • Common sense do’s and don’ts • Examples: • Ordering, distribution & storage of chemicals • Safe use of chemicals

SAFETY CHECKLISTGeneral Safety Practices • What follows is a safety checklist. It represents a good guide for the processes involved in teaching science. It is not intended to be all-inclusive and there may be other safety issues that must be addressed as well.

SAFETY CHECKLISTGeneral Safety Practices • Do not leave hazardous materials exposed or in places where they may be knocked over. • Review material safety data sheets (MSDS) when you receive a chemical and before using one.. • Before carrying out an activity or experiment, familiarize yourself with its possible hazards. • Do not use alcohol burners. • Be familiar with the District’s Emergency Mgt. Plan and your school’s emergency action guides, evacuation procedures, and the location and use of firefighting equipment.

SAFETY CHECKLISTGeneral Safety Practices • At start of science activity, instruct students about potential hazards and the precautions to be taken. • Limit size of a group of students working on an experiment to a number that can perform the experiment safely. • Plan enough time for an experiment or activity and for securing the chemicals and by-products. • Clean up and properly store equipment and materials when finished. • Students are likely to use this time to horseplay if not supervised!

SAFETY CHECKLISTGeneral Safety Practices • Instruct students to never taste, or place in their mouths, any substance used in a science laboratory setting. They should develop the habit of washing their hands after every experiment in which they handle chemicals. • Instruct students not to touch classroom substances or material without first obtaining instructions from you. • Instruct students to report all accidents or injuries, however small, to you immediately. Be sure they know that there is no penalty for this.

SAFETY CHECKLISTGeneral Safety Practices • Instruct students that it is unsafe to touch their faces, mouths, eyes, and other parts of their bodies while working with plants, animals, or chemical substances and afterwards, until they have washed their hands and cleaned their nails.

SAFETY CHECKLISTWorking with Chemicals • Wear appropriate protective clothing and insist the students do the same. Safety is an attitude more than it is a behavior. • Teach students not to mix chemicals just to see what happens. Explain that the lesson is only an experiment to them, you know the result because of previous work. • With elementary students, use vinegar or lemon juice for activities calling for an acid. More one substitution in another module.

SAFETY CHECKLISTGlassware • Place broken glass in a separate disposal container with rigid puncture resistant sides and bottom. • Warn students not to drink from glassware used in science experiments. • Use thermometers filled with alcohol, not mercury. • Allow no food in the laboratory. Make sure refrigerators for chemicals and compounds have signs indicating No Food to be Stored.

SAFETY CHECKLISTGlassware • Whenever possible, substitute plastic. • Don’t heat hard glass test tubes from the bottom. They should be tipped slightly, but not in the direction of another student. • Tell students to report sharp edges on mirrors or glassware. • Keep a whisk broom and dust pan available for sweeping up broken glass.

SAFETY CHECKLISTGlassware • Remove sharp edges from mirrors, prisms, and glass plates by grinding or by having edges covered with nail polish. • When inserting glass tubing into a rubber stopper: • End should be fire polished; do not insert tubing with a jagged end • Aim tubing away from palm of hand • Lubricate glass with glycerin or petroleum jelly • Do not let students do this!!!

Use of Electrical Devices • Do not grasp any electrical device that has just been used – it may be hot. • Do not “short circuit” dry cells or storage batteries. Connecting wire will become hot, can cause serious burns or fires. Store dry cell batteries in containers by themselves rather than in “junk” drawers. • Pull on plugs, not on power cords. Plug devices into nearest outlet; try not use extension cords.

Use of Optics and Light • Never permit students to look into direct or reflected laser beams. • Set up experiments at a low height, making it more difficult to look into the beam. • Holograms should be viewed with a beam greatly expanded (use firmly mounted diverging lens). • Beam intensity can be reduced by: • Using beam splitters or spreaders • Using neutral density filters • Working at greater distances from the laser

Observing the Sun • NEVER look directly at the sun with unaided eye or camera, telescope, binoculars, etc. • NEVER use an eyepiece filter. • To observe the sun, you CAN safely use: • Projected pinhole image. • Projected telescope image • Telescope with full aperture solar filter (1/100,000 intensity or less)

Use of Tools and Machines • If using hand tools, have a suitable work space and storage facility for tools. • Use tools only for the purpose for which they were designed. • Ties, gloves, or loose clothing should not be worn when using power tools. • Avoid contact with heating elements or moving parts. • Ensure that guards are in place and that appropriate protective clothing (eyes) is used.

Good Practice • Lesson plans: In any lesson plan that includes an activity, list all safety precautions and announcements. • Safety contracts: a good start to any school science class is to have the students and parents become aware of the standards of behavior and any consequences • Document! Get a signature.

Chemical and HazardousAcquisition and Storage

CHEMICAL ACQUISITION • One of the most important control measures that science teachers can participate in is the management of chemical inventories. Careful attention to which chemicals are purchased, their potential good (learning) vs. their potential risk (incompatibility and health hazard) must always be evaluated. Chemical inventories should precisely match lesson plans. We will look at four area of concern: Procurement, Receipt, Distribution and Storage.

CHEMICAL ACQUISITION • Procurement - Chemicals for lab work or demonstrations must be ordered through the school. Acquiring chemicals through other means, including self-purchase by instructors or donations is strictly prohibited unless specifically approved by the Health and safety Specialist. Highly toxic chemicals of any nature cannot be used. • Purchase the minimum amount of chemicals necessary for short term use and distribution. If possible, purchase chemicals in class-size quantities only. Plan to use for no more than one or two years. Do not stockpile chemicals! It is expensive and can be hazardous.

Some chemicals are not allowed: • For obvious reasons certain chemicals are restricted from use on school property. A list of these is available here and in the Chemical Hygiene Plan in Appendix B. • Teachers are sometimes tempted to enhance the laboratory experience by bringing in their own supplies or individual chemicals. According to the NSTA this is one of the leading problems associated with accidents in the laboratory classroom. Prohibited Chemicals

Some chemicals are not allowed There are several reasons beyond the District prohibition for not bringing in your own chemicals and supplies. The first is that your lab classroom is already set up to accommodate lessons under the direction of the science department. The next reason is that when a teacher brings in these materials he or she accepts almost all of the liability for anything that happens should something go wrong. The teachers protection requires that he or she act as a reasonable person. Violating policy take the teacher out of that arena.

CHEMICAL ACQUISITION • Receipt - Before a hazardous chemical is received review the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and any other manufacturer information for proper handling, storage and disposal. Make this information available to all staff involved in shipping, receiving, storage and distribution. Preferably, all hazardous chemicals should be received in a central location within the department and inspected.

CHEMICAL ACQUISITION • If a chemical is received without a manufacturer’s label do not accept it. Send it back! Manufacturer labels must have the name and address of the manufacturer, name of the chemical, and hazard information. By law, it is the manufacturer’s responsibility to label containers. • Never open a reagent package until the label has been read and completely understood. • The receiving party should initial all incoming chemicals with the date received.

CHEMICAL ACQUISITION • Distribution - Clearly label all chemical storage areas. Use labels or placards on access doors to warn occupants and emergency response personnel such as fire fighters or paramedics. • An inventory of all chemicals must be maintained and readily available for review.

CHEMICAL ACQUISITION • Storage - Properly store flammable liquids in small quantities in containers with a provision for bonding vessels when the liquid is transferred. • Students should have limited access to the chemical storage area. Although chemical inventories aid in assuring that all the chemicals that are supposed to be present students have been known to substitute materials for desired chemicals. It is best to restrict their access. • Your chemicals should be stored in an area that is well illuminated and well vented to the outside. You should not store favorite or “special” stocks of chemicals in other places in the classroom or school.

CHEMICAL ACQUISITION • The storage room should be kept at moderate temperature all year. Sunlight may also be an issue. The MSDS will tell you if the chemical is sensitive to ultraviolet light. If so the chemical should be inside a closed cabinet unless it is being used. • Avoid storing chemicals or empty containers on the floor in the storage room. A clear floor space makes it less likely that someone will have to reach to acquire a container. • Heavy containers, particularly those of glass should be store on lower shelves to avoid pulling them down on yourself and to promote proper lifting technique.

Stored chemicals must have specific information on the label. When receiving chemicals and when returning them to the storage room, teacher should make it a habit to examine the container label. All labels must have the following information. 1. The chemical name 2. The supplier’s name 3. The date of purchase or mix 4. The concentration 5. The associated hazards pertinent to the chemical

Chemical Storage

Storage • When storing chemicals that are some basic procedures that should be followed in order to limit the risk of cross contamination, amount of material involved in an accident and the severity of any accidents. They are: • Be sure to provide enough shelf space so there is no crowding. • Insist on bars or lips on the edge of shelving as it helps prevent items from falling off. • Store chemicals, large glassware, and heavy articles on lower shelves.

Storage • Keep all toxic substances behind a locked door. (Suggestion: use the same precautions you would with a small child in the home.) • Keep materials in easily handled containers appropriate and approved for the materials they contain. When using portable containers remember that they must be labeled appropriately. Federal and State regulations require this labeling. • Consider the volatility of chemicals when storing them. Flammables must be kept away from ignition sources. Light sensitive chemicals must be in opaque or amber glass containers and should be store in closed cabinets.

Storage • Know which of your chemicals react to others (MSDS) and store reacting materials away from each other. • Don’t store anything you don’t need. If you don’t have a plan for it this session, don’t keep it. Dispose of it properly. • Store only what you are going to use – a year’s supply is recommended. • For a one-shot activity, have on hand only what is needed for the activity.

Labeling • When storing chemicals you should label both storage area and individual items so that they can be easily replaced after use. This will ensure that you can find them when needed. • Use caution in accepting old material from another class, school, teacher, or other source. Many materials are altered by age and you have no idea how this material was treated or stored. • Every material you have in the classroom (other than household chemicals with the labels in place) must have a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) in room and in school office. You must be able to locate these rapidly.

Labeling • Chemicals should be identified by common name, scientific name, formula, precautions, and antidote. • Appropriately dispose of substances if they have lost their labels. • Always store acids, bases, and salts in separate areas and advise students to do the same when these materials are being used. • Develop a system for moving materials from storage to classroom areas (e.g., rolling carts). Many chemical releases occur during movement. • Mercury – Under no circumstances is any form of MERCURYallowed in the School District of Osceola

RECORDS AND REPORTS • Accident reports – Accident reports serve several purposes. One is to provide the District and your school with viral information as to how to prevent accidents in the future. Another is to meet insurance, worker’s compensation and regulatory requirements. Accident investigation is therefore very important. • In the event of an accident the school administrator or the District may decide to involve the District’s Health and Safety personnel. This extra set of eyes can act as an neutral party that can offer accident investigation and prevention. • Student should be encouraged to report accidents and should understand that there is no punishment involved.

RECORDS AND REPORTS • Chemical inventory list – Each science area which uses chemicals is required to maintain a chemical inventory. This inventory should describe the material, amounts in stock and the location of the material. • The District will provide an inventory tool that allows the teacher to record this information in a uniform and consistent manner using the District intranet or other similar process.

RECORDS AND REPORTS • Training reports – Certain training, such as this and other modules, are required by the District or other body. You should ensure that this training is recorded and that you are up to date on any certifications that are required by you position. • Medical reports – Federal regulations discussed in Module 2 require that anyone working with chemicals have a baseline physical and an additional physical upon exposure to certain substances. These medical reports are required to be kept by the SDOC for thirty (30) years in most cases.

RECORDS AND REPORTS • Records of exposure – any time a teacher, staff member, student or visitor is exposed to any chemical where there is reason to believe that a health hazard exists an exposure report must be written. • When we talk about exposure, it means that you have come into contact with a chemical and it has gotten into your body. In order to understand whether or not this is serious it is important to evaluate the kind of exposure involved.

RECORDS AND REPORTS • You can be exposed to a chemical in three main ways: • Inhalation — breathing in chemical vapors or air with a chemical in it • Ingestion — swallowing a chemical in food, soil, or water • Dermal — a chemical soaking through your skin (the MSDS will identify dermal hazards). • Being close to a chemical source does not necessarily mean you have been exposed to the chemical. And even if you are exposed to a chemical, it may not make you sick.

RECORDS AND REPORTS • A chemical can harm you ONLY if you can say yes to ALL of the questions below: • Source – Was there a chemical present with which you could have contact? • Exposure Route - Did you breathe in the chemical, swallow it, or touch it? • Toxicity - Is this chemical toxic by this particular exposure route? • Dose - Did enough of the chemical get into your body to cause harm? • Duration & Frequency - Did exposure happen long enough and often enough to cause harm?

RECORDS AND REPORTS • Each of these questions must be considered to determine if a harmful exposure has occurred. For example, if someone swallowed some elemental mercury it may not have a serious effect because elemental mercury is not well-absorbed by the digestive system. However, if the mercury sat in a warm, enclosed room, turned into vapor, and you breathed in the vapor, it wouldn't take a large amount to make you sick since mercury vapor is absorbed readily through the lungs.

RECORDS AND REPORTS • Any exposure should be evaluated by asking the questions just covered. If there is any suspicion that an exposure has occurred it is better to report it than ignore it. Use the District’s exposure report process to record the event and your supervisor will take the steps necessary to process the event.

Teachers have two roles in handling chemicals at work. The first is obvious, teaching our students the joys and practice of science. Beyond that however teachers are also the stewards of the District’s property and the safety of the environment. For this reason, proper disposal of chemicals and chemical waste is very important. Teachers and administrator must help protect the environment through accurate reporting of chemical inventories and proper disposal of unwanted chemicals and waste. Proper Disposal of Chemicals

Laboratory wastes or discarded chemicals should be reused or recycled whenever possible. Before discarding unwanted chemicals, contact other schools to determine if your over-stock could be used at their location. Overstock is defined as unopened uncontaminated product. The science teacher must ensure that laboratory chemicals are disposed of in compliance with appropriate regulations and in a manner which minimizes damage to people and to the environment. Be aware of and respect expiration dates. Expired or obsolete chemicals must be properly disposed. Proper Disposal of Chemicals - Guidelines

Chemicals must be disposed of properly via instructions obtained from the manufacturer or through a licensed chemical removal company. You should develop a plan for disposal procedures for chemicals before they are purchased. First, prepare a complete list of chemicals of which you wish to dispose. Place the MSDS(s) with the chemical(s) to be disposed. Classify each of the chemicals on the disposal list into a hazardous or non-hazardous waste chemical. Proper Disposal of Chemicals - Guidelines

Unlabeled bottles (a special problem) must be identified to the extent that they can be classified as hazardous or non-hazardous wastes. (Some laboratories will analyze a mystery bottle for a fee.) When in doubt concerning the disposal of unwanted or waste chemicals, contact the School District of Osceola County Health and Safety Division of Risk & Benefits Management. Proper Disposal of Chemicals - Guidelines

CAUTION – The “Flinn Scientific, Inc.” catalog describes ways to “treat” waste chemicals. The only disposal “treatment” permitted in the District is the evaporation of water, and the neutralization of small quantities of acids and bases. When in doubt concerning the disposal of unwanted or waste chemicals, contact the School District of Osceola County Health and Safety Division of Risk & Benefits Management. The Health and Safety Specialist will arrange for the disposal of unwanted chemicals through a licensed chemical removal company. Proper Disposal of Chemicals - Guidelines

The Basis of Safe Science is how we prepare ourselves, our classroom laboratory and our students for the science experience. Teachers must make every effort to control the elements that go into the making of a safe science environment. Safety is not just about being careful, it is about being methodical in the way we practice science and how we acquire, store, handle and dispose of the chemicals we use to explore science with our students. Summary

End of Module References Go to the Quiz

Osceola District Schools