Health and safety in educational premises: the chemistry conundrum
According to the BBC, concerns about health and safety in educational premises is one reason for the decline of some types of science instruction. The BBC singled out chemistry as an example of a science that is best taught through the extensive use of hands-on experimentation. In earlier decades, chemistry sets intended for children were a popular item at a time when health and safety concerns were at a much lower ebb than is the case today. These chemistry sets contained toxic substances such as sodium cyanide and frequently led to accidents that varied from explosions to acid burns, yet it was decades until more stringent safety standards led to the demise of such kits.
Schools of the era also had a more lax attitude toward health and safety on their premises. While few would argue that children in today’s schools should be encouraged to perform potentially hazardous experiments, some are concerned that the trend toward health and safety may have been taken so far that chemistry has all been ruled out as an interactive science.
This can have several negative repercussions. Students who want to study the sciences at university level will find themselves less prepared. Perhaps more significantly, many students may be less inclined to continue in the sciences without the kind of hands-on activities that enthralled pupils in generations past.
These challenges can be met with the help of health and safety consultants. Training programmes that target health and safety issues for an educational setting can help school personnel understand how to promote hands-on science in a thoroughly safe and responsible manner.
