In school districts around the country, superintendents and school boards are increasing the science requirements expected from each graduating student. The prerequisites for entrance into college have historically been high. Schools are forcing students who simply want to graduate from high school to study three or four years of science. These students are going to need to understand a few basic requirements in science experiments if they are going to manage this class load successfully. They will certainly need to know about using gloves, safety glasses and other protective materials used in these hands-on science experiences.
Not all science experiments are the same, but many deal in caustic materials or things that may simply be unsanitary for them to touch. Not every experiment will involve powerful acid, but even an experiment in dissection means handling a dead animal. These processes call for the use of gloves. These should be the kinds of heavy-duty gloves that you would use to clean a bathroom. Gardening gloves or the inexpensive plastic gloves that you can buy in bulk at a drug store are not protective enough.
No matter how safety-conscious that you think you are, you can never be sure that you can avoid getting something splashed in your eyes. Even if the experiment does not involve liquids, it is still possible that something unhealthy could somehow get into your eye. For this reason, you should always wear safety glasses during a science experiment. Putting your sun glasses on double duty is not good enough. These will obscure your vision and actually put you in more danger. You need to wear a pair of the clear-lenses safety glasses that are recommended for all science experiments.
Other protective garments are called for as well. Wearing these might be possible just by making a wardrobe choice. Long-sleeve shirts are a good start. They will provide at least minimal protection for your lower arms. If there is a splash while working with caustic liquids these will keep you from suffering the full effect of a splash on the arm. Better than this half measure would be a complete protective garment that provided protection to you upper body and your legs. This only seems like overkill to someone who has not suffered from carelessness in a science experiment.
You cannot stress safety too much in these matters. The increase of science requirements is good for our country but it is also likely to cause an increase in mishaps and accidents. If students learn early about the advantages of wearing gloves, safety glasses and other protective garments, they will do more than protect themselves. They will also make it more likely that they learn from these important classes.
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