Education
School lab safety aim of Delaware program State program for inspection of chemistry labs, education of teachers on likely hazards illustrates rising national concern for student safety "I'm a missionary for lab safety," says Charles 0. Hanssmann, chairman of the chemical safety committee of the American Chemical Society's Delaware Section. He means that literally. Since April, the 29-year veteran of Du Pont's Wilmington Experimental Station has driven some 900 miles through the state—at his own expense and on his own vacation time—to help the Delaware public school system in its efforts to correct unsafe conditions in student chemistry labs. "I don't have any children myself," says Hanssmann. "I started doing this because I'd seen too many school science labs I'd be afraid to walk into." Hanssmann isn't the only one who's afraid. Student safety is causing more and more concern nationwide, not only in high schools but in the country's four-year colleges and junior colleges as well. The biggest single catalyst for this concern has been the Occupational Safety & Health Act of 1970 (C&EN, May 24,1976, page 15). Technically, the act applies only to workers in industry, but it has raised the public's awareness of safety matters in general. In addition, science teachers are worried about their legal liability should one of their students be hurt. Thus, teachers and principals in Delaware have been enthusiastic about Hanssmann's inspection tours. He is joined in his safety crusade by Dr. Douglas Macbeth, supervisor of science in the Delaware Department of Public Instruction. At the request of an individual school, one or the other of the men will inspect that school's labs, prepare written recommendations for bringing the labs up to par, and remove or destroy outdated or dangerous chemicals—some of which have been linked to cancer. "The big thing is that teachers often are not aware of what constitutes a safety hazard," says Macbeth. "No teacher I know of has had actual training in science safety. Mostly, they just learned by example in their own college labs—but the examples there weren't always very good." The examples he and Hanssmann cite include all the drearily familiar symptoms
Pan of program is to ensure that students are using safe lab techniques
of ignorance, administrative neglect, and lack of money; inoperable showers, eyewash fountains, and overhead sprinklers; not enough fire extinguishers; faulty sink traps; unlabeled chemicals; old and outdated chemicals; and the tendency of many teachers to store chemicals by alphabet—which leads them to store some of the largest bottles on the highest shelves. Some of the safety hazards are, at least, more creative, such as the chemistry lab floor which Hanssmann found carpeted wall-to-wall. "Sometimes the architect doesn't have any idea of what a good lab is supposed to be like," he says. Occasionally, a school administrator inherits a safety problem, Macbeth says. One middle school, for instance, had a stock of chemicals left over from the days when the building had been a high school. No one in the middle school had any use for the chemicals, and no one had any idea of how to dispose of them safely. And so they remained, as labels fell off the bottles and contents deteriorated. In a case like that, Macbeth says, the administrators seem relieved that someone is taking care of the stuff. "We consider a chemical unsafe primarily if it is unknown, without alabel," he says. "Also, if it is improperly stored, if it is inherently dangerous (such as ethyl ether, which can become explosive), or if it is a direct health hazard, such as carbon tetrachloride, which has been linked with cancer, or acetone, which has been linked with respiratory disease." Both Hanssmann and Macbeth agree that the core of the lab safety problem is the inadequate training of teachers. The ideal solution would be to make lab safety a required course for science education majors (C&EN, Sept. 18, page 4). But Dr.
Ernest I. Becker of the University of Massachusetts, who is secretary-treasurer of ACS's probationary Division of Chemical Health & Safety, points out that this reform won't come easily. A safety course, carrying one, two, or three credit hours, somehow would have to be squeezed into an already crowded curriculum, Becker explains. And who would teach it? Very few schools have a safety engineer on the faculty, so a professor must be found who is interested in spending a year or more to prepare such a course. Furthermore, a safety course would have to be approved by the department—composed of professors who have never had to take such a thing themselves—and by the college or university administration. Despite the roadblocks, however, safety courses may become more common. Becker points out that new laws have created an atmosphere of "need to know" among high school and college teachers. He also notes that a lawyer experienced in accident liability cases is always a popular speaker at teachers' conventions. To fill in the gaps left in teachers' college training, many states are conducting special safety symposia. Last spring, for example, Delaware held day-and-a-half safety conferences at three locations around the state. Attendance was excellent, say Macbeth and Hanssmann. Another round of symposia will be held this fall and will include awards to both the individual school and the individual teacher or administrator who has set the best example for lab safety. On the national level, ACS is sponsoring a short course on lab safety for twoand four-year college teachers. The twoday course will be held Oct. 14-15 at Alvernia College in Reading, Pa. G Oct. 9, 1978 C&EN
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