Laboratory Safety and Management

1
Laboratory Safety and Management

• Alison Lam
• Science Education Section, EDB

2
Accident Statistics (05/06)

• 464 schools responded (response rate 93.4 )
• Statistics
• 296 schools without accident (64)
• 554 cases in 168 schools (36)
• 1.19 cases per school
• 500 students and 8 staffs injured most injuries
  were minor cuts or scalds
• Cause of accidents Carelessness
• (students 91.7teachers 0.5 LTs 1.8)

3
Types of accidents (05/06)
4
Subjects involved (05/06)
5
Why accidents happen?
6
Education Regulation 279A (21)

• The responsible person shall ensure that all
  necessary safety precautions are adopted in
  school workshops and science laboratories and
  shall modify or extend those precautions as the
  Permanent Secretary may require.
• ????????????????????????????,?????????????????????
  ??

7
Responsibilities in maintaining a safe learning
and working environment

• Who should be responsible?
• Students
• Teachers
• Laboratory Technicians
• Laboratory Attendants
• Panel Chairpersons
• School Authority
• Safety is Everyones Responsibility
• Have you performed your duties? (????????)

8
Students

• Know and follow all safety rules
• Be alert in the laboratory
• Do not attempt unauthorised activities
• Exercise proper experimental techniques
• Consider the safety of oneself and the others
• Read and study lab manual before coming to class
• Report lab accidents to teacher immediately
• Keep area clean
• Proper disposal of biological and chemical waste
• Do not enter preparation or store rooms

9
Teachers

• Ensure the safety of all practical activities and
  must be thorough in preparation
• Try out experiments in advance
• Check that technicians know how to carry out
  safely the requested hazardous operations
• Issue students with safety rules and explain what
  they mean and why they are necessary
• Give clear instructions to students and remind
  them of the potential hazards and safety
  precautions
• Provide sufficient supervision and guidance to
  students during experiments
• Insist students on using proper personal
  protective equipment
• Never leave students unsupervised in the lab
• Familarise with the operation of safety
  facilities and emergency procedures

10
Panel Chairpersons

• Set and model high standards of safety
• Raise everyones concern on safety
• Ensure all panel members provide adequate safety
  instructions and equipment to students
• Be well informed of laws, rules and regulations
  concerning safety, assist school principal in
  formulating and implementation of safety policy
• Co-ordinate the provision of safety resources /
  facilities
• Organise/co-ordinate professional development on
  safety
• Access and disseminate up-to-date safety
  information to teaching and technical staff
• Keep a record of all accidents and details of
  treatment given
• Develop and implement a regular schedule for
  safety inspection

11
Laboratory Technicians

• Have responsibilities for each others safety and
  should warn each other of hazardous situations
• Co-operate with safety policies of panel, school
  and EDB, etc.
• Prepare, operate and maintain apparatus and
  equipment
• Procurement of stores and equipment
• Tryout experiments
• Provide assistance in class demonstrations
• Assist teachers in supervising students
  performing experiments
• Observe all the normal safeguard in a laboratory
• Familarise with the operation of safety
  facilities and emergency procedures
• Check regularly to ensure all safety measures are
  in place
• Supervise the work of other LTs / laboratory
  attendants

12
School Authority

• Ensure school complies with the Education
  Ordinance
• Build up an effective management system
• Draw up safety policies, administrative and
  operational procedures
• Set up an accountability mechanism for such
  policies and procedures including how to handle
  emergencies
• Provide necessary safety facilities and equipment
• Support professional development on safety

13
Safety Management

• Setting up a Standing Committee on Laboratory
  Safety to
• convene regularly to discuss issues related to
  lab safety
• plan and conduct lab safety programmes
• carry out safety inspections regularly
• formulate, implement and revise the emergency
  plan
• conduct evacuation drills regularly

14
Safety Policy

• Includes
• Emergency measures and evacuation procedures
• How new staffs are to be inducted
• How students are to be trained in safety
  awareness
• How safety equipment should be kept and used
• How safety information and resources are
  circulated or disseminated

15

• How to keep records of lab accidents
• Under what circumstances may non-science lessons
  be conducted in laboratories
• How to carry out safety inspections
• What procedures for risk assessment are to be
  adopted in open-ended investigations or projects

16
Resources for Lab Safety
17
Laboratory Safety and Management
(http//www.edb.gov.hk/cd/sc ? References
Resources ? Laboratory Safety and Management)
18
(No Transcript)
19
Handbook on Safety in Science Laboratories
http//cd1.edb.hkedcity.net/cd/science/laboratory/
safety/SHB_2002e.pdf
20
Collection form http//resources.edb.gov.hk/cd/s
cience/laboratory/safety/form.pdf
21
Learning and Teaching Resources on Safety in
Science Laboratories
http//cd1.edb.hkedcity.net/cd/science/laboratory/
SAFETY/safety_exemplars_e.pdf
22
http//resources.edb.gov.hk/ses/
23
Safety issue in NSS science curricula

• Value learning experience from scientific
  investigations and inquiry- based experiments
• Cultivate correct attitude towards lab safety
• Train students to be responsible for their and
  others safety at lab
• Follow safety regulations
• Conduct risk assessment
• Be alert and clear on every procedure to be taken

24
Risk Assessment

• An analysis of a practical activity to identify
  hazards and to take precautions to minimise the
  risk
• Procedures
• Identifying hazards (Materials / Procedures /
  Equipment)
• Assessing how likely the hazard will actually
  cause harm (risk)
• Deciding what control measures to reduce risk to
  acceptable level
• Emergency procedures in case of accidents
• Finding out how to dispose of hazardous residues

25
Safety information about chemicals

• Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) CityU
• http//cd1.edb.hkedcity.net/cd/science/laboratory/
  safety/msds_ss_2000.pdf

• International Chemical Safety Cards ILO
• http//www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/safew
  ork/cis/products/icsc/dtasht/index.htm

26
Maintenance and repairs for labs
27
Tendering Requirements

• Guidelines on Tendering and Purchasing
  Procedures in Aided Schools in
• EDBC015/2007 Tendering and Purchasing
• Procedures in Aided Schools
• (http//www.edb.gov.hk gt school
  administration gt Regulations gt School
  administration guide gt 6.4.2.Tendering
  Requirements)

28
Minor repairs

• OEBG (????????)
• CFEG (?????????)
• EOEBG (???????????)

• EDBCM No.119/2008
• For details http//www.edb.gov.hk/index.aspx?node
  id4766langno1
• (http//www.edb.gov.hkgt school administration
  gt financial management)

29
Major repairs

• Cost gt 8000 (e.g. installation of fume cupboard,
  fire service installation, exhaust fan
  maintanance)
• Apply for non-recurrent grants in Apr/May every
  year
• EDBCM No.072/2008 (Estimates for 2009-10
  Financial Year - Aided Schools Applications for
  Non-Recurrent Grants Major Repairs/Alterations)
• Estate schools gt Housing Department
• Non-estate schools gt Architectural
• Services
  Department

30
Procedures for Major Repairs
3. Classify items into essential , desirable
but not essential and not necessary
1. Application for funding by school
2. HD or ASD conducts site inspection
4. EDB estimates budget
5. HD or ASD initiates meetings with school
6. Repair works by contractor
31
Emergency Repairs

• Cost lt 200,000
• Submit Standard Request Form for emergency
  repairs to HD or ASD with a copy to REO.
• Examples of emergency repairs
• Blackboard repair, serious water seepage,
  re-charging of fire extinguishers, broken
  windows, etc.

32
Conversion with structural alteration and
extension

• Requires approval from EDB
• Seek advice from
• Regional Education Office
• Housing Department / Architectural Services
  Department
• Department of Health
• Fire Services Department

33

• For details on Maintenance of Premises
• http//www.edb.gov.hk/FileManager/EN/Content_69
  3/sag-200809-e-2008.11.17.pdf
• (http//www.edb.gov.hk gt school
  administration gt Regulations gt School
  administration guide gt 8.School premises
  safety)

34
Designing and Planning Laboratories
http//www.ase.org.uk/ldtl/docs/L014.pdf
35
(http//edb.gov.hk/cd/sc ? References
Resources ? Laboratory Safety and Management)
Science Laboratories Fixtures and
Furniture http//cd1.edb.hkedcity.net/cd/science/l
aboratory/layout/fixfur95.pdf
36
Group Discussion
37
Thank you!
Alison Lam cmlam_at_edb.gov.hk 3698 3438