This presentation provides an overview of laboratory safety for science teachers. It discusses teachers' legal duty to provide instruction on safety procedures and ensure a safe learning environment. Accidents are often caused by students failing to follow instructions or inexperience. The presentation recommends safety training for teachers and students to help prevent accidents. It also reviews how to properly read an MSDS form and ensure compliance with the new chemical hygiene plan. Teachers are advised to clearly demonstrate safe practices to fulfill their responsibility of keeping students safe in the science laboratory.

1. Safety Dance

2. Science Laboratory Safety
Teacher Training
Your School Name
Date of Presentation

3. Objectives
• Participants will be briefed on the legal
obligations of science teachers.
• Participants will practice reading an MSDS.
• Participants will review the new chemical
hygiene plan and understand their role in
supporting the plan.

4. Teacher’s Duty of Care
• Teachers have the duty to
– Instruct and warn
– Supervise
– Provide a safe learning environment
• Negligence
– If you can reasonably foresee the consequences
of what you are about to do or not do, then you
may be held responsible.

5. Laboratory Accidents
• Main Causes
– Students’ failure to follow instructions
– Students’ (and teachers’) inexperience
• Practical Prevention Solutions
– Safety training for teachers
– Training students

6. Legal Foundation of Negligence
• Judge decides whether duty of care was
owed
• Duty of care in the classroom and lab
– Provide adequate instructions
– Provide adequate supervision
– Maintain equipment
– Provide safe facilities and equipment
– Warn students of possible dangers

7. Duty to Instruct and Warn
• For every lab/activity, teachers need to
– Remind students to follow instructions
– Warn students of potential hazards
– Demonstrate proper technique
– Follow through

8. How can you demonstrate you are a
responsible science teacher?

9. Ways to Demonstrate You are a
Responsible Science Teacher
• Safety contract
• Safety video
• Fall safety quiz and re-quiz
• Model safety
• Explain terms
• Pre-lab safety instructions

10. Ways to Demonstrate You are a
Responsible Science Teacher
• Safety component in lab report
• Safety posters
• Document all safety instructions
• Enforce safety rules

11. How to Read an MSDS
1. What is the material and what do I need to
know in an emergency?
2. What should I do if a hazardous situation
occurs?
3. How can I prevent hazardous situations
from occurring?
4. What is other useful information listed on
an MSDS?

12. Chemical Hygiene Plan Questions

13. Wrap-Up
• Comments?
• Concerns?
• Questions?
Don’t forget to sign the
CHP Training Acknowledgement Form
Thank you!