XN000022-1984-03-24 — Page 4

SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 1984

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SCHOOL LABORATORY SAFETY DISCUSSED

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CHEMISTRY TEACHING IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS HAS UNDERGONE CHANGES IN RECENT YEARS, WITH GREATER EMPHASIS BEING PLACED ON THE EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH WHERE STUDENTS ENGAGE IN MORE PRACTICAL WORK.

THE CHANGES ALSO MEAN THERE IS A GREATER CHANCE OF LABORATORY ACCIDENTS, THE PRINCIPAL INSPECTOR (CHEMISTRY) OF THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, MR W. M. TANG, SAID THIS (SATURDAY) MORNING.

SPEAKING AT A SEMINAR ON LABORATORY SAFETY FOR CHEMISTRY TEACHERS HELD AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG, MR TANG NOTED THAT THERE HAD BEEN AN ANNUAL AVERAGE OF FOUR REPORTED ACCIDENTS IN SCHOOL LABORATORIES IN THE PAST FEW YEARS.

AGAINST THE TOTAL NUMBER OF ABOUT 500 SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN HONG KONG, THE NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS WAS RELATIVELY SMALL, HE SAID.

BUT MOST OF THESE ACCIDENTS COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED BY PRECAUTIONS AND THOUGHTFUL PLANNING IN CONDUCTING EXPERIMENTS, LY MAKING ONESELF BETTER INFORMED OF HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS AND THEIR REACTIONS, AND BY PROPER LABORATORY MANAGEMENT, MR TANG ADDED.

HE POINTED OUT THAT THE PREVENTION OF ACCIDENTS IN THE LABORATORY WAS THE DUTY OF ALL LABORATORY USERS, INCLUDING TEACHERS, TECHNICIANS AND PUPILS.

+EDUCATION IN SAFE PRACTICE IS BY NO MEANS A CLOSE-END SUBJECT. NEW LABORATORY PROCEDURES, NEW DEVICES AND NEW CHEMICALS ALL INVOLVE NEW POTENTIAL HAZARDS, SAFETY TRAINING MUST THEREFORE BE REGARDED AS A CONTINUING PROCESS, EVEN FOR EXPERIENCED WORKERS,+ HE SAID.

TO PROVIDE SCHOOL TEACHERS AND LABORATORY TECHNICIANS WITH UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION ON LABORATORY SAFETY, THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT HAS RECENTLY REVISED THE PAMPHLET +SAFETY IN THE LABORATORY+.

THERE ARE CONSIDERABLE CHANGES AND ADDITIONS IN THE NEW EDITION, WHICH SHOULD BE HELPFUL TO LABORATORY USERS.

THE REVISED PAMHPLET IS NOW BEING PRINTED AND WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON.