Classroom Safety

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses what procedures and plans should be known to every elementary science school teacher. In particular, the paper looks at how teachers should "pre-plan" activities and why it is vital that the guidelines for classroom deportment be set down from the very beginning and rigorously maintained. The paper then discusses what safety protocols teachers should have in place when dealing with potentially hazardous chemicals, flammable elements and animals. The paper also briefly examines why it is essential that science teachers understand the limitations of the facilities within which they work.

Table of Contents:
Abstract
What Every Elementary Science Teacher Should Know

From the Paper:

"The matters of shoddy ventilation or over-crowding lead into a discussion of emergency procedures. Understandably, these should be brought to the attention of students prior to any science activity being performed. Beyond that, some emergency procedures appear to be more important - or more likely - than others. For instance, the Committee on Chemical Safety of the American Chemical Society (2001) reveals that emergency procedures should be put in place for emergency first aid, for poisoning, for burns, for evacuations, for chemical spills, and for animal bites. The same body also takes the position that experiments should be evaluated before-hand so that possible plans for potential contingencies can be arranged. Likewise, teachers who expect to be using Bunsen burners or chemicals which could be dangerous (especially if ingested by students) must have in place procedures for expeditiously contacting authorities in the event of an emergency (Committee on Chemical Safety of the American Chemical Society, 2001). All in all, it is hard to escape the conclusion that classroom safety begins with provisional plans being drawn up long before the first experiment is drawn up on a chalkboard or in a lesson plan."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Blosser, Patricia E. (1986). Safety hazards in science classrooms. ERIC/SMEAC Science Education Digest, No.1. Columbus OH: Eric Clearinghouse for Science, Mathematics, and Environmental Education. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED274556).
• Committee on Chemical Safety of the American Chemical Society. (2001). Safety in the elementary (K-6) science classroom. Retrieved October 21, 2006, from <http://membership.acs.org/c/ccs/pubs/K-6_art_2.pdf>
• Council of State Science Supervisors. (n.d.). Science and safety: Its elementary! Retrieved October 20, 2006, from <http://www.csss-science.org/downloads/scisaf_cal.pdf>
• Feldkamp-Price, Betsy, and Rillero, Peter. (1994). Filtering for the best science activities. Teaching PreK-8, 24(5): 52-54. Retrieved October 20, 2006 from Academic Search Elite database (EBSCOhost).
• Frazier, Wendy M., and Sterling, Donna R. (2005). What should my science classroom rules be and how can I get my students to follow them? Clearing House, 79(1): 31-35. Retrieved October 20, 2006, from Academic Search Elite database (EBSCOhost).

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