Title: Laboratory Safety Management
1Laboratory Safety Management
- Mr W C HO
- Science Education Section, EMB
2Outline
- Discussion
- Laboratory Safety Management
- Responsibility
- Safety awareness
- Risk assessments
- Staff training
- Monitoring and review
3Laboratory Accidents (2002/03)
Phy Chem Bio IS ES
Chemical on skin 0 34 3 10 0
Eye accidents 0 14 1 18 0
Chemical spillage 2 18 4 6 0
Heat Burns 2 53 13 109 1
Inhalation of gas 0 2 0 0 0
Cuts 6 24 62 73 0
Substances catching fire 0 5 1 2 0
Bites by animals 0 0 0 1 0
Others 2 2 1 6 0
12 152 85 225 1
4Accident Rates (02/03)
- 422 Schools responded
- 475 cases in 148 schools (35)
- about 72 cases due to cuts and burns
- 1.46 cases per 1,000 students
- In 2002,
- Road traffic accident rate 2.3 cases per 1,000
population (Transport Dept) - Industrial accident rate 37.4 cases per 1,000
workers (OSHC) - 3.61 cases per 10,000 practical periods
5Survey on School Laboratory Accidents (2005/06)
- CM No.193/2006
- http//cd.emb.gov.hk/sc_survey
- input the data on or before 30 Nov 2006
6Why accidents happen?
Inadequate Safety Training
Inadequate Instructions
Careless
Unsafe Experiments
Over crowding
Inadequate Facilities
Inadequate Equipment
Inadequate Preparation
Misbehavior
Ignorance
Teaching Experiences
Poor Laboratory Management
7Education Regulation 279A (21)
- The responsible person shall ensure that all
necessary safety precautions are adopted in
school workshops and science laboratories and
shall modify or extend those precautions as the
Permanent Secretary may require. - ????????????????????????????,?????????????????????
??
8Science Teachers Legal Liability
- If an accident and injury occurs during a science
class, a science teachers legal liability for
that injury will be judged by considering some of
the following criteria - Did he/she use appropriate activities for the
grade level? - Did he/she give careful instruction of all
aspects of the activity? - Did he/she teach safety rules, and satisfy
himself/herself that the students understood the
activity and safety requirements ( safety tests
are helpful)? - Did he/she carefully supervise the activity?
- Did he/she strictly enforce safety rules?
- British Columbia
9Managing Laboratory Safety Effectively
- Ensure objectives are met and to seek improvement
- Safety Policy
- Commitment of management in improving safety
- Defines procedures and areas of responsibility in
order to promote safe working for students and
staff - Reviewed and revised regularly
10Responsibilities in maintaining a safe learning
and working environment
- Who should be responsible?
- Students
- Teachers
- Laboratory Technicians
- Panel Chairpersons
- School Authority
-
- Safety is Everyones Responsibility
- Have you perform your duties? (????????)
Accident Case10/2001
11Students
- Know and follow all safety rules
- Be alert in the laboratory
- Do not attempt unauthorised activities
- Exercise proper experimental techniques
- Consider the safety of oneself and the others
- Read and study lab manual before coming to class
- Report lab accidents to teacher immediately
- Keep area clean.
- Proper disposal of biological and chemical waste.
- Do not enter preparation or store rooms
Accident Case5/2000
Safety Rules
12Teachers
- Ensure the safety of all practical activities and
must be thorough in preparation - Try out experiments in advance
- Check that technicians know how to carry out
safely the requested hazardous operations - Issue students with safety rules and explain what
they mean and why they are necessary - Give clear instructions to students and remind
them of the potential hazards and safety
precautions - Provide sufficient supervision and guidance to
students during experiments - Insist students to use proper PPE
- Never leave students unsupervised in the lab
- Familarise with the operation of safety
facilities and emergency procedures
13Panel Chairpersons
- Set and model high standards of safety
- Raise everyones concern on safety
- Ensure all panel members provide adequate safety
instructions and equipment to students - Be well informed of laws, rules and regulations
concerning safety, assist school principal in
formulating and implementation of safety policy - Co-ordinate the provision of safety resources /
facilities - Organize/co-ordinate professional development on
safety - Access and disseminate up-to-date safety
information to teaching and technical staff - Keep a record of all accidents and details of
treatment given - Develop and implement a regular schedule for
safety inspection
14Laboratory Technicians
- Have responsibilities for each others safety and
should warning each other of hazardous situations - Co-operate with safety policies of panel, school
and EMB, etc. - Prepare, operate and maintain apparatus and
equipment - Procurement of stores and equipment
- Tryout experiments
- Provide assistance in class demonstrations
- Assist teachers in supervising students
performing experiments - Observe all the normal safeguard in a laboratory
- Familarise with the operation of safety
facilities and emergency procedures - Check regularly to ensure all safety measures are
in place - Supervise the work of other LTs / laboratory
attendants
15School Authority
- Ensure school complies with the Education
Ordinance - Builds up an effective management system
- Draw up safety policies, administrative and
operational procedures - Set up an accountability mechanism for such
policies and procedures including how to handling
emergencies - Provide necessary safety facilities and equipment
- Support professional development on safety
16Safety Procedures/Plans
- Includes
- Emergency procedures
- How new staff are to be inducted?
- How students are to be trained in safety
awareness? - How should safety equipment be kept?
- How new safety information are disseminated?
- In what circumstances non-scientists may use
laboratories? - How safety matters get onto the agenda of
departmental meetings? - What procedures for risk assessment are to be
adopted in open-ended investigations or project? -
- Event ? Procedure ? Effective result
17Online Laboratory Information Management System
- Accidents occurred
- Experiments in different levels and subjects,
- Booking of laboratories, inventory of relevant
documents and equipment
18Reporting of Laboratory Accidents
19Promoting Safety Awareness
- The most effective way to eliminate accidents
- Develop and maintain safety and health awareness
among all students and personnel - Recognize and promote safe work practices and
reinforce positive attitudes towards safety - General and specific safety rules
20Designing Safety Poster
21Safety Demonstrations
Acid in the Eye
Holey Socks
Pie in the Face
It doesnt look hot!
When Wig Head Go Bad
Lab Safety Challenge
Flaming Vapour Ramp
22Safety in Exploring Science
- Interactive learning package
- On-line and CD-ROM versions
- http//resources.emb.gov.hk/ses
23Learning and Teaching Resources on Safety in
Science Laboratories
- Laboratory Safety Rules
- Eye Protection
- Safety Information on Chemicals
- Risk Assessment
- What if a Laboratory Accident Happens?
(discussion activities) - http//cd.emb.gov.hk/sci
24Are your experiments safe?
- Teachers must be careful when selecting
experiments from various sources, especially
older books and laboratory manuals prepared by
others, etc. - As needed, teachers should consult science
journals and publications to keep current on
safety techniques - Discuss with your colleagues including science
teachers and laboratory technicians
25Microscale Version
Pins
Shampoo solution
0.4 M NaOH
26Risk Assessment
- No experiment is completely safe and without risk
- Any experiment worth doing is worth doing safely
- Do it this way, rarely say Don't do this
27Risk Assessment
- An analysis of a practical activity to identify
hazards and to take precautions to minimise the
risk - Procedures
- Identifying hazards (Materials / Procedures /
Equipment) - Assessing how likely the hazard will actually
cause harm (risk) - Deciding what control measures to reduce risk to
acceptable level - Finding how to dispose of hazardous residues
- Review
28Reducing the Risks
- Using safer alternatives
- Modifying experimental procedures
- Reducing the scale of experiments
- Reducing the concentrations of solutions
- Using protective measures
- Wearing appropriate PPE
- Alasdair Thorpe, Chemistry Review, Sept 2000
29Thermometer
- Digital thermometer
- No-roll thermometer sleeve
- Break-safe thermometer (encased in a PVC coating,
10-100oC) - Low toxicity non-mercury filled thermometer, max
110 / 330oC
30Hand Protector ?????
31Monitoring and Review
- See whether management system and practices is
working as planned and risk control measures are
effective and maintained - Enquiries at departmental meetings
- Discussions with teachers/LTs/students
- Schemes of work, student worksheets, laboratory
request forms, accident records, etc. - Occasional lesson observations
- Safety Inspection /Audits
- Keep record of monitoring e.g. inspection
checklists - Standing Committee on Laboratory Safety
32Self-learning Programme, SEPO, HKUST
- http//www.ab.ust.hk/sepo/training/
33Good Laboratory Practices
Distribution of Equipment
Spectacle Cabinet
Bunsen Burner Screen
Flexicam
Yellow Line
34Manage a Safe LT Environment