Developing a Culture of Safety Through Departmental Planning

At the start of each academic year, it is critical that school systems have developed a plan regarding how safety is to be enforced within their Technology and Engineering (T&E) education departments. This plan should focus on a uniform way to approach safety across all T&E courses and help reduce the liability of the school district, administrators, and instructors. One of the most important areas to consider in a safety plan is personal protective equipment (PPE). Instructors should have a consistent way to store, clean, inspect, and document when there is an issue regarding any required PPE. Record keeping and facility management are other critical components that are sometimes overlooked, but they are also vital in reducing the liability of the teacher if an accident were to occur. Additionally, class sizes are a common issue across content areas, especially within lab-based courses where they can become a safety concern if not handled appropriately. Collaborating with your administrators and guidance department can help inform key decision makers about the federal and/or state guidelines regarding occupancy load in a school lab and address this issue. This article describes how T&E instructors need to be informed, advocate for safety, take action when appropriate, and collaborate with others to devise guidelines that prioritize safety and reduce the risk of potential injuries.