Collaborative efforts between faculty and embedded safety professionals to improve

critical thinking skills of undergraduates

SamuellaB.SigmannAppalachianStateUniversity

Boone,NCAugust21st,2017

254th ACS National Meeting, Washington, DC

Driving Factors for Safety Education in the 21st Century

• Interdisciplinarywork– Achangingresearchenvironment

• Discovery-basedresearchprojects(CURE)• Novelmaterialswithunknownhazards• Younger,lessresilient,andlessskilledstudentworkers

• Informationoverload• Internationalization

Late20th &Early21th

The Changing Research Environment

Mid20thLate19th &Early20th

Identify Hazards from previous

events

Moving Lab Safety Into the 21st Century

20th CenturyTraining & Controls

selected based on Rules + Chemical Intuition

21st CenturySafety systems based on

education, improved culture, and documented Risk

Assessment

Change through Safety Education

Training vs. Education

SafetyTraining

• Rule&skillbased• Trainingisbasedon“one&done”• Focusesoncompliancewithregulatoryobligations– checktheboxes

• ServiceoftenprovidedbypersonnelfromEHSwhichcancreatean“usvs.them”orenvironmentinacademia(thesafetypolice)

• Oftenstandardizedandnotnecessarilytailoredtoconsidertheresearchoccurring

SafetyEducation• Risk&understandingbased• Doesnotreplacetraining• Focusesoncreatingchemistswiththeknowledge,skills,andattitudeneededtoworkindependentlyinanacademiclab

• Incorporatedintothecurriculumbyfaculty• CanbecustomizedtoconsidertheresearchoccurringorthepreferencesofthePI

• Teachesriskassessment,criticalthinking,ethicalbehavior,andinformationliteracy

TheEmbeddedSafetyProfessional(Ouch!)

• Familiarwithhowacademicresearchhappensandunderstandshowresearchersworkandthink

• Oftenhasafacultyappointment,ishousedinthedepartment,andinvolvedwithdaytodayactivitiesoccurring

• Reportstothechairordean• CanbealiaisontoEHSandrepresentfaculty• Focusedoneducationandpromotionofsaferesearch

AdditionalBenefits

• Youbuildtrustwiththefacultyandstudents!

• Newideasandknowledgearecreatedanddisseminatedtotheresearchcommunity

The Spiral Education Approach

TheSpiralApproach

• Ineducationaspiralapproachtolearningmethodicallybuildsonwhathasbeenpreviouslylearned

• Itisoftenusedindisciplineswhichareinformationintense,conceptuallycomplicated,orhavehighcomplexity

TheSpiralApproach– ChemicalSafety

• Startinginhighschool,wewanttocreatecognitivecategoriesinstudentsorKSAs(knowledge,skills,andattitudes)inaprocesscalledaccommodation

• OnceaKSAexists,itcanbewillbemodifiedandexpandedasstudentsacquiremoresafetyeducationinaprocessknownasassimilation

• FuturechemicalresearchersneedKSAsfor– Recognizing&understandinghazards– Assessing&managingrisk– Preparingfortheunexpected

TheSpiralApproach

• Thisapproachtosafetyrequiresashiftinthinking– Safetyismorethana“skill”

• Incorporatestechnicalknowledgeandculturalchangecreatingcategories

• AssimilateschemicalsafetyasKSAsbecomepartofthechemistrycurriculum

TheSpiralApproach

• Spiralchemicalsafetyencompassesbothtechnicalandculturalaspects–Technicaltoolsprovideinformationandincreaseknowledge

–Culturaltoolsincreaseleadershipandempowerment

A Spiral Learning Approach To Safety Education

Educational Stage Knowledge Skills Cultural Aspects

ProfessionalChemistIdentifyand

estimatesignificanceofemergingrisks

Makeriskdecisionsandteachriskassessment

Accountableforgroup

performance

GraduateResearcherDevelopprocedureswithreducing risks

inmind

UseRiskAssessment

tools toproposerisklevelsfor

review

Overseeothers’safetypractices

MentoredResearcher(UG, CURE,REU, etc.)

Review procedures;locateinformationto identifyhazards

LearntouseRiskAssessment

tools

Raise questionsandconcernsrelatedtorisk

High SchoolStudentLearn RAMPPrinciples;

understandrules

SelectApplicableRules RespectRules

KSADevelopmentbyLearnerGroup

Methodology & Tools

LearningKnowledgeAcquisitionofinformation

Forexample:GHSTools:CPTSafetyEducation

Guidelines

SkillsUsinginformationinspecificcontext

ForExample:MathandLabOperations

Tools:SACLandPrudentPractices

AttitudeAdvancingBest

PracticesForexample:Grouplearning

Communitysafetyawareness

Provides:LeadershipandEmpowerment

StoryTellingandVideos

ClassesACSandotherpublications

DemonstrationsClassesWebinars

Safety Education Across the Curriculum

K-12Teachers– InServiceProfessionalDevelopment

• WebinarforACSAmericanAssociationofChemistryTeachers(2014)

• WebinarforNC-ACSLocalSectionInnovativeProjectGrant(IPG)(2017)

• WorkshopsupportedbyA&SDeanandMathScienceEducationCenter(2017)

K-12Teachers– Pre-ServiceMethodsClass

Recentdemonstrationmethanolfires:1. NewYorkCity,NY– January20142. Reno,NV– September20143. Denver,CO– September20144. Raymond,IL– October,20145. Chicago,IL– November,20146. Tallahassee,FL– May20157. Washington,DC– October30,20158. PerthAmboy,NJ– May24,2017

CSB video "After the Rainbow", 11th Grade, Hudson, Ohio, January, 2006

SafetyCourseDeveloped

• 2014 – OurdepartmentaddedagradedhazardidentificationandriskassessmentassignmenttoourCapstonecourse– weusedthe“JobHazardAnalysis”(JHA)

• 2016 – Basedonprogramassessmentresults,theassignmentwasmovedto“IntroductiontoResearch”course(CHE3000)

• 2016 ThepedagogyusedwiththeassessmentresultswerepublishedintheACSSymposiumBookSeries–IntegratingLibraryandInformationLiteracyintoChemistryCurricula2

2Sigmann,S.B.;McEwen,L.R.TeachingChemicalHygieneandInformationSkillsUsingRiskAssessment.InIntegratingLibraryandInformationLiteracyintoChemistryCurricula;Lovitt,C.F.;Shuyler,K.;Li,Y,Eds;ACSSymposiumSeries;AmericanChemicalSociety:WashingtonDC,2016;1232,pp57–92.

RiskAssessment

StudentEngagementinSafety

RecognizedOpportunity

Complex CAS Formula8 hour TWA

or Ceilingcobalt(II)carbonate 57454-67-8 CoCO3 ·xH2O 0.02mg/m3

palladium(II)chloride 7647-10-1 PdCl2 NoData

aluminumsulfateoctadecahydrate 7784-31-8 Al2(SO4)3 ·18H2O 2mg/m3

chromium(III)chloride 10025-73-7 CrCl3 0.5mg/m3

copper(II)sulfatepentahydrate 7758-99-8 CuSO4 ·5H2O 1mg/m3

nickel(II)nitratehexahydrate 13478-00-7 Ni(NO3)3 ·6H2O0.015mg/m3

0.10mg/m3

iron(III)chloridehexahydrate 10025-77-1 FeCl3 ·6H2O 1.0mg/m3

vanadium(IV)oxidesulfatehydrate 123334-20-3 VOSO4 ·xH2O 0.050mg/m3 *

mercury(II)oxide 21908-53-2 HgO 0.025mg/m3

yttrium(III)nitratehexahydrate 13494-98-9 Y(NO3)3 ·6H2O 1.0mg/m3

potassiumpermanganate 7722-64-7 KMnO4 0.2mg/m3

NIOSH NIOSH*Ceiling ACGIH TLV

ChemicalHazards– MetalCompounds

GHS

Warning

BP138degCFP34degC(Closedcup)FlashbackalongvaportrailmayoccurAbove34degCexplosivevapor/airmixturesmaybeformed

Danger

LD50(oral,rat)=570/760mg/kgbw (f/m)LC50(inhalation,rat)=5.1mg/l/4h(1224ppm)LD50(dermal,rabbit)=790/1,370mg/kgbw (f/m)

Warning

Vaporirritatingtoeyes.Liquidirritatingtoskinandeyes.Maycausedamagetoorgansthroughprolongedorrepeatedexposure(centralnervoussystem,thymus)

IncompatiblewithoxidizingmaterialsOdorThreshold0.010ppm

AcetylAcetone

“Hey,theseguyslearnedhowtodoariskassessmentinCHE3000,let’shavethemprepareaJHAfortheirindependentproject!”

LibraryAssignmentDue Sept6

Ordering&ChemicalPrep Oct4– Nov8

IndividualOralExamReportsDue

Nov29Dec6

Week1 Week2 Week3 Week4 Week5Week6 Week7 Week8 Week9

LibraryAssignment

FullProposalDue Oct4

Week10

ReagentForm

DraftApproval

ReagentForm Sep20

ProposalDraftApproval Sep20

FullProposal

Week11 Week12 Week14Week13 Week15

Orals&ReportsDue

Final

ExperimentalSynthesis

SynthesisinLab Nov8– Nov15

RiskAssessment Oct4– Nov8

ChemicalPrepRiskAssessment

Novel Implementations in Research Labs

Storyboarding– IdeaFromFaculty

• FirstdevelopedattheWaltDisneyStudioduringtheearly1930s

• Storyboardsarevisualorganizersusedforprevisualizingavideosequence

• Oneadvantageofusingstoryboardsisthatitallowsthedesignertoexperimentwithchangesinthesequencebeforeproductionbegins

http://instructionaldesign.org/storyboarding.html

RREACTIONPROCESS

0 5321 764Planning

Setup

Experimental

Reactioninformation

EmergencyPlanning

BiodieselSynthesisSteps

Storyboarding– IdeaFromFaculty

PreventExposure

RecognizeHazards• Chemical(health)• Chemical(physical)• Sharps(syringe)• Chemicalspills

Barriers• Setupincertifiedfume

hood• Syntheticscaleonly• PPE• Equipmenttraining(#??)• Spilltray

ChemicalWaste• Labelcompletedpriorto

workstartwithnamesofchemicals

ElectronicNotebooks

Studentmustbetrainedonuseofchemicalsandprocesspriortowork(checkallthatapply)

PI Initials Date

StudentdemonstratesproperuseofSchlenk lineStudentdemonstratespropercannula transfer

Studentcandescribethehazardsofpyrophoric chemicals

ProperPPEforpyrophoric chemicalsisunderstoodandinuseEmergencyproceduresforanincidentwithpyrophoric chemicalscanbeexplained

“Wehavesomechemicalsthathaveahighhazard,specificallyacutetoxicityandpyrophoric properties.Itrainstudentstohandlethemunderinertatmosphere.WhatdoyouthinkIcouldadditionallydototrainstudents?”

“Ilikeyourchecklistidea.Iwillincorporatethatinthelabjournal.”

Combining Training & Education

2017SummerResearchCourse(Funded)

Aportionofthecoursegradewasforattendingthetrainingandaportionwasforcompletingariskassessment

FromSyllabus:Safetytrainingandassignmentwillcountas5%oftheoverallnumericalgrade/evaluationofstudentperformance

Obstacles

Upside

• Facultyareconsultingwithmeonhowtheycanimprovesafetyintheirresearchlabs

• Facultyaremoreengagedwithsafetyinteachinglabsandthecurriculumingeneral

• Facultyarelearningriskassessment• Studentsareleavingourprogramwithabetterfoundationalunderstandingofchemicalsafetyandfeelingempowered!

Upside

Oneofourlabshasbeendoingsomebigno-no'swithwaste.Istartedtraininginthesicklecelllabandnoticedtheywereusingstainanddumpingitdownthesink.Thatdidn'tseemrightsoIreadthekitinsertsandlearnedthatitiscarcinogenic,shouldNOTbethrowndownthesinkbutintoawastecontainer,andshouldbeusedinahood.ItoldmysupervisorandwemadethechangeswhichwillnowbeaddedtotheSOP.Iwasexcitedandwantedtoshare.Ieventaughtmysupervisorthatthereagentbottlesshouldnotbeheldbythepouringhandle.Istillremembereverythingyoutaughtme!

Questions???