PURPOSE

Due to insufficient large well designed studies on safety, the Texas Education Agency collaborated with Southwest Texas State University to conduct a large state wide survey of a random representative sample of secondary science teachers on the conditions of safety in Texas secondary science classes.

METHOD AND SAMPLE

A random sample, based on (a) district type, (b) percentage of economically disadvantaged students on the campus, and (c) percentage of students of different ethnicities on campus and drawn by the Texas Education Agency, was surveyed in spring, 2000. Participation of over 1,600 science teachers at 199 secondary school campuses was voluntary and anonymous. Surveys were returned by 856 teachers from 148 schools which was a 53% return rate. The two-part survey, consisting of a 187 item multiple choice survey and an Incident/Accident Report, was based upon a previous study (Ward & West, 1990; West & Cielencki, 1992). Eighty-one Incident/Accident Reports were also analyzed.

The multiple-choice survey was organized around eight topics: (1) Conditions of Science Teaching; (2) Teacher Certification; (3) Science Facilities; (4) Teacher Safety Training; (5) Student Safety Training; (6) Science Safety Incidents; (7) Science Safety Accidents; (8) Most Frequent Hazard; and (9) Incident/Accident Reports.

RESULTS

1. Conditions of Science Teaching

§       34% have five or fewer years of science teaching experience;

§       42% sponsor extracurricular activities such as coaching, drill team or cheerleader sponsor;

§       50% report average science class size greater than 24;

§       41% report their largest science class size is 29 or greater;

§       24% report having at least 16% of their students are inclusion/special needs students;

§       34% report having the science budget reduced in the last five years;

§       70% report having $6 or less per student;

§       11% report having no written safety policy;

§       38% report either not having or not knowing if the district has the required eye safety policy;

§       12% report no administrative support for misbehavior during science lab or field activities;

§       48% report poor or fair school discipline;

§       53% report either not having a chemical inventory or not knowing if one occurred.

2. Teacher Certification

• 13% have either alternative or emergency certification
• 10% report not being certified to teach all the science classes assigned
• 58% have a science major
• 55% have a science minor

3. Science Facilities

§       45% conduct labs in rooms 800 ft² or smaller

• 30% do not have a hands-free, eyewash within 25 ft that provides 15 min of continuous dual eye wash
• 36% have no separate chemical storeroom
• 49% have inadequate ventilation in the classroom
• 85% have no fume hood in the prep room
• 56% have no ADA lab station
• 68% have no hot water
• 44% do not have a sink for each group of four students
• 41% do not have accessible master or emergency cut-offs for electricity, gas, & water
• 20% do not have splash-proof safety goggles when working with hazardous chemicals
• 34% do not have a corrosive chemical storage cabinet
• 68% do not have all of the proper tools and/or equipment in sufficient quantity needed to conduct science inquiry
• 32% rate their housekeeping as poor or fair
• 23% have had circuit breakers trip indicating inadequate electrical capability
• 88% do not flush their eyewashes weekly
• 27% do not deny student access to chemical storage areas

4. Teacher Safety Training

            Participants provided information about the amount and type of safety training they have received.

·      20% of the districts have not provided safety training in more than five years

·      32% of the districts have not provided safety training in more than two years.

Districts are required to provide Texas Hazard Communication Act (Haz Com Act) training to employees who may be exposed to hazardous chemicals prior to working in the area where hazardous chemicals are used.  Teachers who had the Haz Com training reported the following required components were included in the training:

·      33% Training prior to working in the area where hazardous chemicals are used

·      40% MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets)

·      36% Chemical Labels

·      39% Proper storage of chemicals

·      35% Proper disposal of chemicals

·      29% First Aid

Some teachers responded that the district did not provide any safety training for them.  Twenty-five percent of the teachers reported that they attended safety training on their own within the last year. The Texas Haz Com Act requires that the MSDSs be readily available to the used.  However, only 72% of the teachers report that the science MSDS’s are stored in the science area where the chemicals are used. 

Participants provided information about the amount and type of safety training their students have received.

·      68% require their students to be tested for general knowledge prior to participating in hazardous science activities

·      26% require their students to be tested regularly on safety knowledge for specific activities on their quizzes/exams

·      60% provide both written & oral safety precautions for each lab or field activity

·      74 % require their students to wear splash-proof safety goggles (not glasses) when

working with chemicals          

6. Science Safety Incidents (do not involve injury to anyone)

The term“incident” was defined for the participants as an occurrence that“includes spills, broken glass, excessive fumes, small fires, liquids boiling over, etc. during activities in the classroom, lab, or field that do not involve injury to anyone.” Participants were surveyed about the amount and types of incidents that have occurred in their classrooms and labs.

Incidents within in the last year:

·      100% reported chemical spills, equipment, fumes, fires, gas, electrical short incidents

6. Science Safety Accidents (involves human injury)

The term“accident” was defined for the participants as an occurrence that“includes human injuries that occur during activities in the classroom, lab, or field that may or may not require medical attention.” Participants were surveyed about the amount and type of accidents that have occurred in their classrooms and labs.

Minor accidents are defined as involving human injury that required no or only minor medical attention. Minor medical attention includes Band-Aids, minor first aid, or a visit to the nurse.

·      40% reported having minor accidents occurring in their science classes within the last year.

Major accidents are defined as involving human injury that required major medical attention with a visit to a doctor or a hospital.

·      2%reported having major accidents occurring in their science classes within the last year.

7. Most Frequent Hazard

Participants were asked to identify the factors that they feel are safety hazards they face in their own classroom. The most frequently cited hazards included:

·      60% Overcrowding

·      42% Inadequate Facilities

·      38% Inadequate Equipment

·      28% Inclusion of students w/ various needs

Additionally, participants were requested to choose the single greatest hazard in teaching science. Overcrowding was overwhelmingly the number one choice with 49% of the teachers selecting it

8. Incident/Accident Reports

Pertinent data from the analysis of the Incident/Accident Reports included:

·        69% of the incidents or accidents occurred in classes of 22 or more students

·        63% of the incidents or accidents occurred in classes of 24 or more students

·        45% of the incidents or accidents occurred in rooms that had less than 41 ft² per student.

Because crowding, lack of discipline, and poor design lead to more frequent and more serious accidents, districts should:

• limit size of any one class to a maximum of 24 students;
• maintain a minimum of 60  ft² per student in combo rooms and 45 ft² in a pure laboratory;
• enforce a strict discipline policy for misbehavior;
• conduct annual safety inspections of science facilities;
• provide for secure chemical storage separate from laboratory or classroom;
• have the required written eye protection policy
• assure minimum ventilation to exceed 15 ft³ per minute per person (per ASHRAE Standard 62-1989); and
• require science facilities to have safe designs as specified by the Texas Education Agency Facilities Standards and the National Science Teachers Association.

Acknowledgements

            This study was funded in part by the Texas Education Agency, Southwest Texas State University and the Laboratory Safety Institute.

Ward, S. & West, S. S. (1990). Accidents in Texas High School Chemistry Labs. The Texas Science Teacher, 19(2), May.

West, S. S. & Cielencki, C. (1992, March). Lab Safety in Texas. Paper presented at the meeting of the Texas Academy of Science, Wichita Falls, TX.