Laboratory activities and demonstrations represent an essential part of effective science teaching. Written materials and pictures can convey an enormous amount of information, but students more fully understand the concepts related to science when they participate in or observe learning activities involving laboratory experiments and demonstrations. Although many science activities present potential hazards, reasonable and prudent safety practices greatly reduce the likelihood of accidents. When students adhere strictly to standard safety precautions, they are unlikely to encounter any risks greater than those they might encounter in physical education, vocational education, or home economics classes [1]. Knowing the possible …show more content…
No reference point has been established as to what constitutes a truly safe and hazard free atmosphere in laboratories. It is impossible to remove all dangers from a laboratory, therefore, we should strive to make the laboratory reasonably safe. In 1990 the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) introduced the Laboratory Standard to protect employees working in laboratories. it is a performance standard designed to protect employees working in laboratories [2]. Many students ignore safety during the course of their studies. They are likely unaware that safety education and safety ethics were not part of their education. This often only becomes evident when they arrive at their school as teachers and learn they are now responsible for the safety of their students, the safe operation of their laboratories, and the safety of their experiments and demonstrations. Now that they are teaching our children, they want keep their students safe, want to be able to think critically about safety, and want to be able to conduct lab exercises and demonstrations safety . The Lab Standard brought about positive changes in academic institutions [2]. How has lab safety developed, and hopefully improved, in the 25 years since the OSHA Lab Standard was developed? Prior to 1990, there were no OSHA regulations that applied …show more content…
This manual describes general standards and guidelines that should be followed to keep laboratory accidents to a minimum. Students should initiate habits and practices that will insure their safety and take safety awareness into their future