Teacher, 3 students hurt in NY school lab fireWall Street Journal  AP CLAY, NY — Authorities say a teacher and three students are recovering from burns suffered in a small explosion and fire during a science class demonstration at their suburban Syracuse school. Officials with the Liverpool Central School District ...

One student remains hospitalized day after Soule Road Middle School explosion Syracuse.com   Video by John Berry / The-Post-Standard Watch video Syracuse, NY – One girl was listed in good condition at Upstate University Hospital this morning after she was burned in an explosion Thursday in a science lab at Soule Road Middle School in Clay, ...

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Accidents Haunt Experimental Science

From the August 2010 Scientific American Magazine   Danger in School Labs: Accidents Haunt Experimental Science by Beryl Lieff Benderly  

 http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=danger-in-school-labs

Do you know your legal responsibilities?

TO: Superintendents, Principals, Teachers . . .  

RE: Safety at School

It is the legal and professional obligation of all school personnel to provide a safe and healthy learning environment for students and staff.  Administrators, staff and students are responsible for developing and following safety protocols and regulations in the science laboratory. Each must maintain a concerted effort to avoid the apathetic and laissez-faire attitudes which are a major cause of accidents in the laboratory.

Effective laboratory safety is not possible without the continued education and commitment of all stakeholders involved in learning and experimentation in the scientific environment. The ability of students to solve problems using science inquiry is a vital step in the intellectual development of future educators, medical and science professionals and citizens in general. There is significantly more involved in ensuring science safety than merely presenting a set of rules and regulations to the class. Motivation, dedication and understanding of the “whys of safety” are essential in the development of a safe and effective school laboratory program.

-- from Superintendents, Principals, Teachers . . .Do You Know the Law? - The Science Reflector - NCSTA Newsletter by Linda M. Stroud, Ph.D., President, Science & Safety Consulting Services, Inc., www.sciencesafetyconsulting.com

For a more thorough discussion on Legal Issues, see

• "Legal Issues in Laboratory Safety" in the Science Laboratory Safety Manual.  Stroud, Linda M., Science Laboratory Safety Manual, Second Edition, 2008.
• Kelly Ryan, Esq., author, Science Classroom Safety and the Law. Kelly Ryan Associates, Pasadena, CA.