Chemical Safety Education: Methods, Culture, and Green Chemistry
The January 2021 issue(link is external) of the Journal of Chemical Education is now available online(link is external) to subscribers. Modern chemistry programs must include the skills and techniques that enable their graduates to perform experiments safely, and, in response to a call for papers(link is external), scientists and educators from around the world have contributed articles to a special issue on Chemical Safety Education: Methods, Culture, and Green Chemistry. The articles in the issue are broadly distributed among topics covering resources, green chemistry, safety culture, and pedagogy. This issue is a resource for ideas and discussion to encourage "a new way to look at safety", with a focus on assessing hazards, minimizing risk, and valuing a strong chemical safety culture.
Introduction to the Chemical Safety Education Special Issue
Scott R. Goode (University of South Carolina), Jane E. Wissinger (University of Minnesota), and Frankie Wood-Black (Northern Oklahoma College) acted as the guest editors for this special issue. In their Editorial(link is external), they introduce this collection of 38 peer-reviewed papers on the topic of chemical safety education and situate the content in the categories of resources, green chemistry, safety culture, and pedagogy.
Resources
Basic Resources
Background information on basic chemical safety education
RAMP: A Safety Tool for Chemists and Chemistry Students(link is external) ~ David C. Finster
ACS Safety Resources: How a Community of ACS Volunteers Shapes Safety(link is external) ~ Kirk P. Hunter, Robert H. Hill, and Marta Gmurczyk
Safety Instruction
Different approaches to instruction, ranging from curricula, to specific courses, to hazard analysis and risk assessment
Comprehensive Undergraduate Safety Instruction(link is external) ~ David C. Finster and Paul Jackson
Course Outline for Teaching Undergraduates about Toxicology and the Safe Handling of Chemicals(link is external) ~ Harry E. Pence
Developing Risk Assessment Competencies in Preservice K–12 Teachers(link is external) ~ Samuella B. Sigmann
Open Digital Educational Resources for Self-Training Chemistry Lab Safety Rules(link is external) ~ Valérie Camel, Marie-Noëlle Maillard, Nicolas Descharles, Even Le Roux, Mathieu Cladière, and Isabelle Billault (available to non-subscribers)
Fire Hazards of Flammable Liquids—What Undergraduates Need to Know(link is external) ~ Robert H. Hill
Assessment
Assessment of chemical safety knowledge
Writing the 2019 ACS Exam for Chemical Health and Safety(link is external) ~ David C. Finster and Kristen L. Murphy
Online Safety Quiz for Interactive Revision Reveals Areas for Laboratory Safety Development in Second-Year Undergraduate Chemistry(link is external) ~ Wendy A. Loughlin and Sarah L. Cresswell (available to non-subscribers)
Chemical Incident Investigations
Authoritative investigations of real-life chemical incidents for teaching chemical safety
Chemical Spillage as a Model for Accident Causation(link is external) ~ Moray S. Stark, Aimilia M. Tsokou, and Alix Howells
Compressed Gas Safety at the University(link is external) ~ Eugene Ngai and Courtney Ngai
Additional Chemical Safety Education Topics
Using Virtual Reality to Demonstrate Glove Hygiene in Introductory Chemistry Laboratories(link is external) ~ Rebecca M. Broyer, Kenny Miller, Shalini Ramachandran, Sheree Fu, Karen Howell, and Steven Cutchin (available to non-subscribers)
Service Dogs and Safety in Academic Laboratories(link is external) ~ Patricia Ann Redden
Comment on “Service Dogs and Safety in Academic Laboratories”(link is external) ~ Joey Ramp, Coltan G. Parker, Justin S. Rhodes, and Pat Malik
Reply to “Comment on ‘Service Dogs and Safety in Academic Laboratories’”(link is external) ~ Patricia Ann Redden
Green Chemistry
Modeling the strong synergy between the goals of green chemistry and chemical safety
Safe and Sustainable Chemistry Activities: Fostering a Culture of Safety in K–12 and Community Outreach Programs(link is external) ~ Amy S. Cannon, Amy E. Keirstead, Reuben Hudson, Irvin J. Levy, Jennifer MacKellar, Mollie Enright, Kate R. Anderson, and Elizabeth M. Howson
Integration of Laboratory Safety and Green Chemistry: Implementation in a Sophomore Seminar and an Advanced Organic Laboratory(link is external) ~ Caroline Sheppard
Approaches to Incorporating Green Chemistry and Safety into Laboratory Culture(link is external) ~ Natalie J. O’Neil, Star Scott, Rachael Relph, and Ettigounder Ponnusamy (available to non-subscribers as part of ACS AuthorChoice program)
Integrating Green Chemistry into Teaching Laboratories: Aqueous Suzuki–Miyaura Cross-Coupling Reaction Using a Recyclable Fluorous Precatalyst(link is external) ~ Jayden Wei Jie Ang
Safety Culture
Illustrations of the worldwide trend for academic institutions and industry to recognize the value in moving from compliance-driven safety mandates to those founded in knowledge, awareness, and self-responsibility
Conducting Content Analysis for Chemistry Safety Education Terms and Topics in Chinese Secondary School Curriculum Standards, Textbooks, and Lesson Plans Shows Increased Safety Awareness(link is external) ~ Kai Chen, Jingming Zhou, Jiayi Lin, Jing Yang, Jiamin Xiang, and Yizhou Ling
Investigating Chemical Safety Awareness and Practices in Nigerian Schools(link is external) ~ Peter A. Okebukola, Adekunle Oladejo, Franklin Onowugbeda, Fred Awaah, Ibukunolu Ademola, Tokunbo Odekeye, Michael Adewusi, Olasunkanmi Gbeleyi, Deborah Agbanimu, Esther Peter, Aderonke Ebisin, Francis Onyewuchi, and Oluseyi Abike Ajayi
Building Strong Cultures with Chemical Safety Education(link is external) ~ Robert H. Hill, Jr
Creating a Strong Safety Culture in an Undergraduate Engineering Program(link is external) ~ Trine Thomsen and Stefan Borre-Gude
Fostering a Chemistry Safety Culture Despite Limited Resources: A Successful Example from Academic Research Laboratories in Argentina(link is external) ~ Alejandro M. Fracaroli and Daniel A. Caminos
Pedagogy
The concepts behind chemical health and safety need to be included as part of the overall education by mainstreaming or embedding them into the overall curriculum
Using a Case Study to Teach Hazard Analysis and Risk Minimization(link is external) ~ Scott R. Goode
An Engaging and Fun Breakout Activity for Educators and Students about Laboratory Safety(link is external) ~ Shannon Nephew and Rajesh Sunasee
Reinterpreting Popular Demonstrations for Use in a Laboratory Safety Session That Engages Students in Observation, Prediction, Record Keeping, and Problem Solving(link is external) ~ Taweetham Limpanuparb, Dulyarat Sathainthammanee, Pooh Pakwilaikiat, Chatchapong Kaewpichit, Warangkana Yimkosol, and Athikhun Suwannakhan
Safe Handling of Gas Generating Experiments Using Disposable Plastic Syringes(link is external) ~ Enoch Ming Wei Ng, Zhixiong Song, Chin Doong Yau, Oi Wah Liew, and Tuck Wah Ng
Developing and Implementing a Laboratory Safety Course Focusing on Biodiesel and Biolubricants to Train Student Researchers and Promote Safety Culture(link is external) ~ Sergio Nogales Delgado, José María Encinar Martín, and Silvia Román Suero
The Unsafe Lab Practical(link is external) ~ Matthew J. Mio and Mark A. Benvenuto
Handling of Air-Sensitive and Moisture-Sensitive Reagents in an Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory: The Importance of the Syringe(link is external) ~ Erich Scott Von Nehring and Veljko Dragojlovic
Safety Moments in Chemical Safety Education(link is external) ~ Jeffrey M. Ting
Chemical Hygiene and Safety Badge for an Upper-Level Laboratory Course(link is external) ~ Andrea Roberts, Alison L. O’Neil, Rachael Barlow, Camille Keeler, William S. Nelligan, and T. David Westmoreland
Learning Experience Reports Improve Academic Research Safety(link is external) ~ Yangming Kou, Xiayu Peng, Claire E. Dingwell, Spencer A. Reisbick, Ian A. Tonks, and Anna A. Sitek
The Joint Safety Team at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities: A Model for Student-Led Safety(link is external) ~ Adeline Espinasse, Ashish Jayaraman, Spencer A. Reisbick, Celina M. Harris, Yangming Kou, Hongyun Xu, Constance B. Anderson, Taysir K. Bader, and Anna A. Sitek
The Research Storyboard: Ideas for Cultivating Safe, Engaged, and Empowered Undergraduate Research Students(link is external) ~ Nicholas N. Shaw, Samuella B. Sigmann, and Lyndsay B. Richard
Process Safety in the Pharmaceutical Industry: A Selection of Illustrative Case Studies(link is external) ~ Anna L. Dunn, Andrew Payne, Peter R. Clark, Christopher McKay, Glynn D. Williams, Katherine Wheelhouse, Kevin Arendt, Frank Dixon, and Susan Shilcrat
Mock Chemical Safety Sort to Engage with Storage and Inventory(link is external) ~ Susan D. Wiediger
Extracurricular Student Groups: The Final Frontier of Undergraduate Safety(link is external) ~ David J. Goldfeld and Jeffrey H. Schott
From the Archives: JCE Special Issues
Chemical Safety Education: Methods, Culture, and Green Chemistry is the seventh special issue published by the Journal. Special issues featured in past issues of JCE include:
Advanced Placement Chemistry(link is external) (September 2014 issue; discussed on ChemEdX)
Chemical Information(link is external) (March 2016 issue; discussed on ChemEdX)
Polymer Concepts across the Curriculum(link is external) (November 2017 issue; discussed on ChemEdX)
Reimagining Chemistry Education: Systems Thinking, and Green and Sustainable Chemistry(link is external) (December 2019 issue; discussed on ChemEdX)
Chemical Security(link is external) (July 2020 issue)
Insights Gained While Teaching Chemistry in the Time of COVID-19(link is external) (September 2020 issue)
Every Issue of JCE Is Special
Even in these times of disruption, there are always ideas for teaching and learning chemistry available in the Journal of Chemical Education(link is external) —including the January 2021 issue(link is external) described above. Articles that are edited and published online ahead of print (ASAP—As Soon As Publishable(link is external)) are also available. (For more information on how to access the articles cited above, see Deanna Cullen’s post on Accessing Cited Articles.)
Do you have something to share? Write it up for the Journal! In particular, consider submitting to the special issue of JCE on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Respect in Chemistry Education Research and Practice(link is external) (deadline is April 12, 2021).
Erica Jacobsen’s Commentary(link is external) continues to provide excellent advice about becoming an author. In addition, numerous author resources are available on JCE’s ACS website(link is external), including the revised Author Guidelines(link is external) and Document Templates(link is external). The ACS Publishing Center(link is external) also has resources for preparing and reviewing manuscripts for ACS journals.