From:
Jim Roberts <jer1**At_Symbol_Here**LEHIGH.EDU>
Subject:
Re: [DCHAS-L] Advice about laboratory attire
Date:
Mar 14, 2022 17:08 UTC
Reply-To:
ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
In-Reply-To:
Re: [DCHAS-L] Advice about laboratory attire
At our safety meeting for the lab courses, we first give the safety rules, then we have students "self-select" into two groups -- those that are ready to walk into the lab, and those that think they are not properly dressed. It is explicitly stated that chemical safety goggles are not a part of this exercise. The Course Instructor for that period then inspects the "ready" group first, and frequently asks someone to move to the other group WITHOUT telling them why.
Then the second group gets inspected, and the Course Instructor asks the assembled students to indicate why each student is in the second group. Someone in the group almost always indicates the correct reason.
This procedure works well, except for the few students that forget when the weather is nice. They receive a penalty for that day's lab, and they receive coveralls for the day. Of course all this information is available 24/7 on the Course Information Management system even before the course starts.
Cheers ---- Jim Roberts
Associate Chair and Associate Professor, Dept. of Chemistry at Lehigh University
Mantra: Wash hands (20+ seconds), don't touch face, wear a mask, avoid large gatherings, practice social distancing, repeat ad infinitum.....
In recent email discussions about personalized, practical safety demos or drills, my director and I shared a common interests in making lab safety more like "real life".
I'll be borrowing this concept. Thank you!
