Working with students in science labs can present safety issues and anxiety. Teachers are hopeful that all students and staff will take their safety and the safety of others seriously when conducting experiments and tests. A recent lab-related tragedy brings this to light - One student at Yale University in New Haven, CT who was known for taking proper safety precautions, was recently killed in a tragic accident when her long hair got caught in lab equipment. The student, Michele Dufault, who was majoring in astronomy and physics, was working alone after hours on her senior thesis when she was killed.
According to the New York Times, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating the incident and Yale University is reviewing their “safety policies and practices of laboratories, machine shops and other facilities with power equipment.” As a cautious student, Dufault had passed the University’s introductory to shop course, allowing her access to the lab, was enrolled in an advanced course on machine shop protocols and co-authored a 60-page document of safeguards for the NASA reduced-gravity experiment she assisted with last summer. Even with all of this knowledge, tragic accidents can still happen. Other schools can learn from this event and require students using potentially dangerous equipment to work in pairs, or follow other safety precautions.
Another tool schools can use to help prevent student accidents is PSW’s Student Accident Reporting & Management System. This system automates the management, notification, tracking and documentation of required accident management initiatives to reduce accidents and claims, while improving student play areas and building safety. Schools can use the system to track accident trends and provide retraining or change rules to make areas safer for students.
Source: The New York Times Online
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