This web page is an companion to the publication Science & Safety: Making the Connection. Please be certain to read that publication in addition to this web page for a comprehensive summary of science teaching safety concerns for both life and physical sciences.
Teaching Physics Safely - an overview of the 34-page manual of the AAPT (copyright 1979) by the same name offering specific and practical suggestions on working safely in the physics classroom and lab setting. The physics classroom and lab setting have seven identified areas of safety concern:
Electrical
Electric shock (or more importantly electrocution) is a potential hazard for students working around electrical circuits. According to Teaching Physics Safely, there are several effects associated with electric shock:
Keep in mind that it's not voltage that kills; its current (measured in amps or milliamps). It is not uncommon to find electrostatic generators that produce more than 100,000 volts of potential difference. Yet, when one is hit by a spark from the generator, one rarely feels more than a brief tingling sensation.
Lasers and Light
The major concerns associated with intense electromagnetic radiation are burns and retinal damage. With commonly available lasers (e.g., low wattage laser pointers), it is highly unlikely that significant damage will occur if a transitory flash of light hits the eye's retina. Nonetheless, it is best to ensure safety by assuming that at the very least retinal damage could occur in the event of a misdirected beam. Students should always attend to the following rules operating under the assumption that damage of some form is always possible.
Pressurized & Vacuum Systems
Pressurized systems and vacuum systems can present a real danger to students should they either explode or implode. Teachers of physics and their students should very carefully attend to the following rules.
Ionizing Radiation
Radioactivity can present a significant and long-term danger is handled improperly. Ionizing radiation consists of alpha and beta particles, gamma and X rays, and energetic neutrons.
Fires
Fire is so common that most people take working around it for granted. Don't let nonchalant attitudes lead to burns or a conflagration. Always work with your students to reduce the likelihood of fire. Have them tied back hair and watch out for loose clothing when working around open sources of flame and other forms of ignition such as hotplates. Other not-so-commonsense rules include the following:
Every teacher should know how to fight various types of fire. Putting water on a gasoline fire will only spread the flames.
Toxic Materials
Toxic materials present problems when inhaled or ingested, or even get on one's skin. Some materials cause cancers (carcinogens) while others might prevent the proper utilization of oxygen (suffocation) while others yet might stop desired chemical reactions within the body (poisoning). Here is a list of the more common toxic materials with which every teacher should be familiar. There are many more; be careful to read label instruction and warnings before using any potentially toxic material.
It is advisable that teachers also know the number of the local poison control center, and how to deal with ingestion. Inducing vomiting can sometimes be more dangerous (allowing a corrosive material to move through the esophagus a second time or being aspirated in the lungs) than neutralizing the toxic substance with activated charcoal.
Mechanical
This is mostly common sense stuff. Being hit by rapidly moving objects can produce contusions, abrasions, cuts, and even internal damage and should be avoided. In rare cases, students affected by diseases or other disorders (e.g., premature osteoporosis, "thin skin") can be severely harmed or even killed outright by what might seem to be minor collisions. Watch out for the following:
Any sharp object in unsure hands can lead to hazards. Be especially careful of horseplay by students using sharp objects. Even things as innocuous as a compass (used to draw circles), needles, that are narrow and pointy can be considered sources of possible danger.
Risk Management
How does one deal with classroom safety in a practical sense, and avoid the conundrum of simultaneously worrying needlessly about tort liability due to student harm? The best way to do this is through risk management procedures. Each teacher should make prudent and professional decisions about whether to do a demonstration or not, or to have students conduct a particular lab or not. Risk management consists of the following four steps:
If > 1, then perform the activity in question.
If < 1, then do not perform the activity in question.
Safety Guidelines for the Physics Classroom and Laboratory
Establish and explain specific and detailed classroom and lab safety procedures. Do this during the first days of class and before any laboratory exercise. It is advisable to have student read, agree to, and sign a student safety contract at the beginning of the year. Before any demonstration or lab activity that might have dangerous aspects, be certain to inform students about the dangers, how to prevent harm, and how to do dangerous procedures if necessary. There is no substitute for proper supervision.
Note: This is not a comprehensive list of possible classroom and laboratory hazards. Many more, such as strong acids and bases, also exist. Refer to the adjunct publication Science & Safety: Making the Connection for more information about biohazards and chemical concerns.