Australia's Science Forum

Don't know why but "I didn't think they needed to" is the standard response lately when I gently remind teachers that students should be wearing safety glasses and aprons when they are using bunsen burners, acids and/or chemicals and food colouring, its not just one teacher, they are all saying it
Maybe safety rules have all changed suddenly??? Am I going
Its even stranger when I was venting to the office ladies and they all said, "I would have thought that it would be normal procedure for students to kit up with aprons and safety glasses whenever they are doing practicals"
Hmm I wonder why some teachers don't think like that?

My dear Pilar,

Because familiarity breeds contempt perhaps?

I have a space on my Prac Order form for PPE (personal protection equipment) which I fill out for them, so no excuses. Might also help if the teacher reads the RA to the class b4 starting the prac., so the kids have no excuse either.

Ahh! It seems we may the only ones who care about OH & S and duty of care. I have laminated cards that read "Safety Glasses required" which I put in the appropriate experiments as I prepare them with laminated mini MSDS' of the chemicals they are using. Twice, to date, the same teacher has had one student splash dilute HCl and one student ethanol in their eyes. Why? Because the teacher forgot to remind students to wear safety glasses yet remember to wear theirs!?! Oh well, I have been told I do all that I can to cover any come back on me but I pity the students who may suffer.
Maybe I am concerned because I know how an accident at work can ruin your life.
What is the world coming to ?
Lou.

Loopy i have done the same thing as you
lamiated signs that goes in with the prac - sitting rigth on top you see if before you see anything else but no they can not read or see pictures(i put pictogram also on the sign). I also go as far along with the laminated mini MSDS's puto ut cards with wash hands after using chemicals and NO eating while working a parcticle.
IT seems like they(the teachers) have not had an accident so why do they(students) need to wear them - the teachers dont either - what hope have i got - i gave up ranting and raving did not work -lol. Nor did the nagging.
i figure so long as my ass is covered i can only do so much though i do go through the class and as the students to put them on a few times but ultimately i have done my best and it is the teachers responsability.

BUT very very frustrating.

Ditto with the signs.
I put them in clear display holders that I stand on the bench, different ones for what's needed, see the attached.

Doesn't mean the teachers enforce it of course a common sight is the teacher sitting at the front with feet up on the desk & kids at prac benches with safety glasses on the top of their heads!
I tell off the kids in front of the teacher.....then the teacher in front of the kids

I think term 3 always makes them more fuzzy around the edges & gives them PPE blindness. I reckon it'll take a kid with sulfuric acid or sodium hydroxide in the eyes to get the importance of safety across to some of them!

Kiah

Thank you for those signs... I have been trying to get my HOD purchase aprons, particularly for Seniors, for 6 years, but 'we don't need them'! ....sigh.....
We once had a box of disposable plastic aprons, but when I re-ordered them, the supplier had changed to a different type, which came from an asian country. They stunk of chemicals and gave 2 staff members immediate asthma attacks....so we dont even have those as a back-up.

good luck - we have sigs on the walls and on teh trolleys with the equipment but still the ppe blindness stikes

still i guess all we can do is our best.

Sometimes it pays to get graphic,

And I was worried about safety glasses and aprons!. I just found out that yesterday a student dropped a beaker and was not even wearing shoes!
Apparently they are all just slipping their shoes off and walking around in socks. And that was one of the consciencious teachers!, I am guessing she didn't think to check that students actually had shoes on. Luckily even though there was glass every where student was not injured.
What do I do?

Hi All

Today I walked into a room and found students without their safety glasses on doing an experiment And then when I nicely told the teacher he replied that " the student's where being assessed so he would be taking points off their assesment for not wearinf them " I mean really would it ofnot been more sensable to let them know they had lost points for not wearing them and them got them to put them on Who knows what these teachers think sometimes

Sammy

You know the saying Sammy, "no brains, no pains!"
Louise.

Hey Kiah

I used your gloves apron glasses sign yesterday, and guess what? all the kids actually had gloves glasses and aprons on for their dissection . Mind you I had to put the right amount of aprons and a box of gloves out, dont think they can find them in the draw themselves , so I thank you and hopefully it will continue, even if I have to treat them (the teacher) like a child LOL.

cheers
Lisa

Gosh there are some frightening stories out there!!! Shoes off....?!?!?!?

BUT it's the teachers responsilibity for safety / duty of care of their students in each lesson.

Yes we have the OH&S stuff (& our worry / caring which we can't turn off) but that's all we can do - send out signs to remind, make sure all PPE is available... but in the actual lesson it's the teacher who is to blame if anyone gets injured. After all - they get paid the big bickies & should have done some OH&S to know what is expected!!

And if the teachers are inept... then it's the department or principals issue.....

Kel (being way too serious & callous but practical!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In the hope that you guys stop blaming yourselves .... I'm sure you've all done what you have to, to try to keep those students in tip top shape & us not getting sued!!)

Hi Im looking for a picture of chemical damage to an eye to try to shock some of the darlings into wearing their safety glasses Im sure I saw a picture on this site but after 20mins of searching cant seem to find it Can anyone give me some directions on where to find such a picture ta muchly MariaC

Try these they may be what you are after????

Kim.

Hi Maria,
Macca posted a fairly gory one recently. You can find it in 'Staff Tea Room', and the forum is called "I didn't think they needed to". About half way down the list.
Cheers,
Lisa

Thanks Lisa that was the one I was looking for, will see how that goes down MariaC

For those interested in the eye damage poster, check out Macca's attachment "eyeware" in this thread. Some other good signs here as well.

There is also the - chemical damage to eye poster - thread. Does anyone know how to link the info from both sites so that it is simpler to access this information?
Lyn.