Preface

Educators have a moral, ethical, and legal obligation to provide safe activities for students. Are any physics activities hazardous? This is difficult to answer; little hard data exists and most minor accidents go unreported. More extensive accidents occasionally are filed with the local Safety Office, where they become buried in the school’s overall accident-report files. People tend to make judgments based on a few well-publicized, spectacular accidents.

There is no systematic record of physics accident data. You might infer then that physics is a rather safe activity. While there are many standard activities that have been performed for years without accident, this should not create a sense of complacency. Science by its very nature can never be completely risk-free. Further, one should not form a limited definition of safety. Usually, the dangers we confront are not threats to life, but threats to the quality of life. The few well-publicized life-threatening incidents that have occurred should not overshadow the wide variety of welfare-threatening microrisks that can affect one’s everyday life. Safety is a broad, all-encompassing concept. Just as a physicist can look at an equation and systematically classify it, a physicist responsible for educational activities should be able to systematically identify safety issues. This protects us legally, morally, and ethically. More importantly, it protects our students and audiences.

Most people receive little, if any, formal exposure to physics in their lifetime, so it is prudent to make the limited opportunities they do have safe and enjoyable. Being aware of and observing safety measures can have additional benefits. They will hopefully instill an awareness for safety that students can take with them to the workplace. For educators, safety awareness helps us to focus on the sometimes questionable assumptions and generalizations made in designing activities.

This manual is intended for a broad audience in the physics teaching community. It can be used across the spectrum of experimental and demonstration activities — from elementary to advanced undergraduate laboratories. Because of this broad range, it cannot specifically address the variety of specialized activities that exist, especially at the advanced lab level. It does seek to provide a framework that educators can use in assessing the risk in their own activities and provide guidance for some of the more common hazards. Not all of the hazards discussed will be applicable to every level but some concession to completeness is necessary. The ultimate goal of this manual is to create an awareness of safety, to encourage safe habits, and to teach respect for potential safety hazards. The intent is not to discourage the use of apparatus, but to develop an awareness of the risks involved in teaching physics and the steps to take to protect students as well as educators.

Special thanks to Larry Freeman of Indiana University of Pennsylvania for his work on the laser section and to Jane Chambers for reviewing and copy editing the book.

Gregory Puskar

West Virginia University

Member, Apparatus Committee