Science Safety Reminders: Oct 22, 2014
Science Lab
Activity
1. Burning of
Nuts for any
lab activity is
NOT allowed
at any level
Notes/Points of Clarification
2. Flame Tests
The burning of any accelerant (various alcohols) is NOT allowed for this.
-Middle and Elementary schools should NOT perform flame tests in science
labs as demos or as student labs.
-High Schools using water as the solvent have permission to continue with
flame tests.
3. Reacting
Sodium Metal
(Na) or other
highly reactive
metals
-Middle and Elementary schools should NOT do this activity.
-High Schools who perform this activity should only conduct it as a teacher led
demonstration.
-Any purchases and subsequent use of Sodium (Na) should only involve very
small, single use size pieces of the metal: see example here
http://www.flinnsci.com/store/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=21210
-Do not purchase or hold in inventory any larger chunks or pieces of Sodium
or other highly reactive metals.
-Remember that the products from this reaction includes NaOH and needs to
be disposed of/neutralized appropriately after the reaction.
-All Sodium and any other reactive metals must be stored appropriately for
safety and kept under teacher supervision at all times.
4. Cultivating
Bacteria
-Definition: Purposefully growing bacteria on agar or other growth media in
petri dishes or other containers.
-Middle and Elementary schools should NOT cultivate bacteria at school or
send as home assignments for children. The facilities are not equipped for
proper containment or disposal of this level of biohazard.
-High Schools are equipped for handling this level of biohazard but it should
be utilized as a learning activity on a limited level. -In high schools, if used in
student research for science fair/IB research or part of Biotechnological
studies, it is appropriate. It is not appropriate for general class use.
-Cultivating bacteria requires following BSL-1 hazard facilities and practices at
-Here is the reference article to review:
http://static.nsta.org/files/ss0901_66.pdf
-High Schools have used Cheetos or corn chips successfully for the
Calorimetry lab. In high schools, burning of such items should occur under
the fume hood rather than out in the classroom.
-Middle and Elementary schools should NOT perform this lab; that includes
teacher demos as well as student labs.
-Middle and Elementary school labs are typically not equipped with enough
ventilation to handle incineration of any material across the entire room.
Having multiple candles used across the room can even be a challenge.
a minimum and may not be conducted in a home environment for any school
initiated/supported projects.
5. Whoosh
Bottle
-Methyl alcohol ignition in 5 gallon water bottles
-Middle and Elementary schools should NOT do this activity.
-High Schools may perform this as a teacher led demo only with the use of a
demo shield. Students are NOT permitted to help with this demonstration.
6. Alcohol
Burners
No schools should be using these under any circumstances. All alcohol
burners should be disposed of immediately and removed from inventory.
Contact Dr. Kelly Price to assist if you discover alcohol burners in your school
science inventory.
Additional Safety Info/Resources:
Science Safety Certification: How can you become Science Lab Safety “Certified”? Flinn
Scientific has a very comprehensive online safety course for teachers.
I strongly recommend you go through it at least once every 2 years. You can work at your own
pace and it will produce a certificate of completion at the end of the online course.
This online course is FREE . http://labsafety.flinnsci.com/Home.aspx
Virtual Demos for the activities above:
Steve Spangler Science: http://www.stevespanglerscience.com
Univ of Washington Dept of Chem Lecture Demos:
http://depts.washington.edu/chem/facilserv/lecturedemo/index.html
http://sciencedemo.org/
Science In-School Field Trip/Program Providers: (Programs offered at FCS buildings)
Remember that all of the science programs must have prior district approval before you
schedule/contract for their services with FCS students. Requirements for district approval:
1. Proof of company liability insurance with minimum coverage of 1 million dollars.
2. Written description of the activities presented to the students with the GPS correlations.
3. A Risk or safety assessment of any activities in the program including how safety will be
addressed. If personal protection equipment is necessary for any of the learning activities, who
is responsible for providing the PPE.
All of these documents must be submitted to Dr. Kelly Price for review and approval prior to
scheduling/contracting for services.
Current list of approved Science In-School Field Trip/Program Providers: Click Here
If you question the safety of a science lab, contact me prior to doing the lab. I am happy to
review it for safety issues as well as provide alternatives where needed.
Dr. Kelly Price, [email protected]
770-887-2461, x202257; cell: 404-668-2096