Lab Safety Essentials for Health Science Students
Created byRyann Wagner
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Lab Safety Essentials for Health Science Students

Grade 10Science1 days
The "Lab Safety Essentials for Health Science Students" project is designed to teach 10th-grade students the critical importance of lab safety in health science settings. Through engaging activities like the Lab Safety Olympics, students learn to use personal protective equipment (PPE) correctly, understand infection transmission, apply OSHA and CDC regulations, and respond to emergencies. The project culminates in students creating a comprehensive lab safety guide, enhancing their ability to assess and monitor safe practices while fostering collaborative skills and critical thinking.
Lab SafetyHealth SciencePersonal Protective EquipmentOSHA RegulationsCDC GuidelinesInfection ControlEmergency Response
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Inquiry Framework

Question Framework

Driving Question

The overarching question that guides the entire project.How can we create a comprehensive lab safety guide that ensures a safe working environment in the health science lab while understanding the importance of following proper protocols and regulations?

Essential Questions

Supporting questions that break down major concepts.
  • Why is lab safety crucial in a health science setting?
  • How can personal protective equipment (PPE) prevent the spread of infections in a lab environment?
  • What are the potential consequences of not following lab safety protocols?
  • How does understanding the chain of infection help in controlling the spread of pathogens?
  • What are the roles of OSHA and CDC regulations in ensuring personal safety in health science labs?
  • Why is it important to comply with safety signs, symbols, and labels in the lab?
  • How should one respond to fire alarms, weather alerts, and other emergencies in the health science lab?

Standards & Learning Goals

Learning Goals

By the end of this project, students will be able to:
  • Understand and explain the importance of lab safety in health science settings.
  • Demonstrate the ability to identify potential hazards and employ safe work practices in a lab setting.
  • Describe principles of infection transmission and methods to control the spread of pathogens.
  • Apply OSHA and CDC regulations for personal safety and demonstrate proper use of PPE in labs.
  • Recognize and respond appropriately to emergency alerts and protocols in a lab environment.

NGSS

HS-LS1-3
Secondary
Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that feedback mechanisms maintain homeostasis.Reason: Understanding lab safety and protocols involves planning and conducting investigations to maintain environment safety analogous to maintaining homeostasis.
HS-LS2-6
Secondary
Evaluate claims, evidence, and reasoning behind scientifically assessing environmental impacts and monitor interventions that help mitigate such impacts.Reason: The project requires assessing and monitoring safe practices to mitigate risk, akin to environmental impact assessment.
HS-ETS1-1
Primary
Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.Reason: Creating a lab safety guide mirrors the process of specifying solutions for a challenge considering constraints and societal needs.

Common Core Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects

RST.9-10.3
Primary
Follow precisely a complex multi-step procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks, attending to special cases or exceptions defined in the text.Reason: Students must follow complex, multi-step lab safety protocols accurately, which aligns with the ability to follow complex procedures.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.9
Supporting
Compare and contrast findings presented in a text to their own scientific knowledge and understanding.Reason: Students will compare and contrast their understanding of safety practices with standard texts and protocols.

Common Core Standards for Speaking and Listening

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.B
Supporting
Work with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision-making, clear goals, and deadlines, and individual roles as needed.Reason: Collaboration is required to create a comprehensive lab safety guide, which involves setting clear rules and roles.

Entry Events

Events that will be used to introduce the project to students

Lab Safety Olympics

Host a Lab Safety Olympics, where student teams compete in tasks that test their knowledge and application of lab safety protocols, such as correctly using PPE or responding to simulated emergencies. Each event challenges conventional thinking by turning routine safety practices into competitive, timed events, thereby enhancing engagement through gamification.
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Portfolio Activities

Portfolio Activities

These activities progressively build towards your learning goals, with each submission contributing to the student's final portfolio.
Activity 1

Safety Protocol Power-Up

This activity enables students to explore and list the fundamental lab safety rules specific to a health science lab. They learn to identify prohibitions and requirements for safe practice. This foundation will be built upon in subsequent activities to deepen understanding of lab safety.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Watch a brief video or presentation on lab safety basics focusing on common rules, no food, beverages, sit on beds, etc.
2. Create a chart listing all dos and don'ts highlighted in the presentation.
3. Discuss in small groups, explaining why each rule is important and predicting potential hazards of non-compliance.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA comprehensive chart listing dos and don'ts of lab safety in a health science setting.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standards1113-HS-LS1-3: Provides foundation for understanding lab safety to maintain a safe environment.
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Rubric & Reflection

Portfolio Rubric

Grading criteria for assessing the overall project portfolio

Lab Safety Protocol Assessment Rubric

Category 1

Understanding of Safety Protocols

Evaluate student's ability to understand and articulate the lab safety rules specific to a health science lab, their importance, and potential consequences of non-compliance.
Criterion 1

Comprehension of Rules

Measures the student's understanding of lab safety rules, including prohibitions and requirements.

Exemplary
4 Points

Demonstrates comprehensive understanding of all lab safety rules, providing detailed explanations of their importance and potential risks of non-compliance.

Proficient
3 Points

Demonstrates thorough understanding of most lab safety rules, explaining main concepts and potential risks.

Developing
2 Points

Shows emerging understanding of lab safety rules, with basic explanations and limited identification of potential risks.

Beginning
1 Points

Shows limited understanding of lab safety rules and struggles to articulate basic concepts.

Criterion 2

Identification of Hazards

Assesses the ability to identify potential hazards in lab environments and predict consequences of unsafe practices.

Exemplary
4 Points

Identifies all potential hazards accurately and predicts comprehensive consequences of non-compliance.

Proficient
3 Points

Identifies most potential hazards and predicts reasonable consequences of non-compliance in common situations.

Developing
2 Points

Identifies some potential hazards with limited prediction of consequences.

Beginning
1 Points

Struggles to identify potential hazards or predict any consequences correctly.

Category 2

Application of Safety Gear and Protocols

Evaluates student ability to demonstrate and explain the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and adherence to OSHA and CDC guidelines.
Criterion 1

Use of PPE

Measures accuracy and efficacy in deploying personal protective equipment suitable for various lab scenarios.

Exemplary
4 Points

Demonstrates flawless application and explanation of PPE usage, aligned with OSHA and CDC protocols.

Proficient
3 Points

Consistently applies and explains PPE usage correctly, with minor omissions or errors.

Developing
2 Points

Applies PPE with occasional errors and demonstrates basic understanding of its importance.

Beginning
1 Points

Struggles with correct PPE application and offers minimal or flawed explanations.

Criterion 2

Adherence to Protocols

Assesses ability to follow established lab protocols during activities and in response to emergencies.

Exemplary
4 Points

Flawlessly follows all protocols, including emergency procedures, demonstrating leadership and initiative.

Proficient
3 Points

Follows most protocols accurately and responds appropriately to emergencies.

Developing
2 Points

Follows protocols inconsistently and needs prompting during emergencies.

Beginning
1 Points

Struggles to follow protocols and requires significant support in emergencies.

Category 3

Collaborative Discussion and Critical Thinking

Evaluates participation in group discussions, contributions to creating a comprehensive safety guide, and application of critical thinking to discuss lab safety implications.
Criterion 1

Discussion Participation

Measures quality and quantity of participation in group discussions, including setting goals and collaborative involvement.

Exemplary
4 Points

Leads discussions, sets insightful goals, and fosters collaboration to enhance group understanding.

Proficient
3 Points

Actively participates in discussions, contributing valuable ideas and working well with peers.

Developing
2 Points

Participates occasionally, providing basic input and requiring encouragement to engage more deeply.

Beginning
1 Points

Rarely participates, and when doing so, provides minimal input with little relevance to discussions.

Reflection Prompts

End-of-project reflection questions to get students to think about their learning
Question 1

Reflect on why lab safety is crucial in a health science setting. What key takeaways do you have about maintaining a safe environment?

Text
Required
Question 2

How confident are you in applying personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent the spread of infections in a lab environment on a scale from 1 to 5?

Scale
Required
Question 3

What are the potential consequences of not following lab safety protocols?

Text
Required
Question 4

Do you think understanding the chain of infection is essential in controlling the spread of pathogens? Why or why not?

Multiple choice
Required
Options
Yes, it's essential
No, it's not essential
Not sure
Question 5

How well did the Lab Safety Olympics help you understand and apply lab safety protocols?

Scale
Required
Question 6

In what ways did the creation of the lab safety guide enhance your skills in evaluating and monitoring safe practices? Provide examples from your experience.

Text
Optional