In this module you will learn about the two difficult parts of safe laboratory work in school context. The first thing that worries teachers is the contents of the cupboards. Another challenging issue is which waste containers to collect the chemicals in after work. In this module you will learn the basics of these important topics.
Learning objectives
After the module you should be able to
- organize chemicals in the correct cupboards
- know how to use the CheSSE decision tree to to build a waste management station to you school laboratory.
Storaging chemicals (40 min)
Orientation
How to store the chemicals is one of key questions in chemical safety. Let’s start by reviewing your school’s current solution. Take your notebook and write down- How many cupboards your school laboratory or chemical warehouse has?
- What kind material each cupboard is? Are they ventilated?
- What are the cupboard names (e.g., Acids, Bases, Oxidising agents etc.)?
Reading
After the pre-assignment, please read the Chesse Storage content page. After reading you can test your knowledge with the following interactive slide set.
Pro tip is to open two browser windows and place reading material to the left and exercise slide set to the right.
Apply in your school
Last phase of this section is to edit your notes and determine if your school’s chemical storaging needs iteration. If yes- Make a plan
- Discus with the principal to allocate resources
- Reserve time and execute
Waste management (40 min)
Orientation
Waste management training is best to start by reading the CheSSE Waste Management page. So first, get familiar with the material and take notes.Test you knowledge
After reading the material, test your knowledge with the following exercises.
Apply in practise
Then it is time to apply the lesson in practice. Let’s review your waste disposal station. For this task, CheSSE site offers a magnificent tool. It is called an Waste decision tree. You probably already saw it in the reading phase. You can find at the end of from the Waste Management page.
The Waste decision tree tool has two options. The poster and the interactive version. It is recommended to print out the poster while you use the interactive tool. Then you have access to the broad overview while you think the process step by step.
In this regards, last task of this module is go through your existing waste containers and compare it to the recommendations of Waste management tree. Analyze if you current container set is sufficient or are there need for change. Take notes and document you decisions for the future reference.