Hazards found in FWay schools science labs

STEVE MAYNARD; The News Tribune

A state inspector found five serious hazards in science labs at Federal Way High School, including a failure to test emergency showers and eyewashes. The state Department of Labor and Industries inspected the school's labs at the request of Federal Way Public Schools, after a teacher and a student were seriously burned in a Jan. 30 experiment that went awry. Superintendent Tom Murphy said the findings are "very serious and extremely helpful." "We now have clear guidance about steps we need to take," Murphy said Thursday. The five serious hazards that L&I said violate state regulations are:•Emergency showers were not tested annually and emergency eyewashes were not tested weekly. One eyewash and one emergency shower in separate labs at the school were not working and were fixed before the inspection, said Diana Seeley, the school district's risk manager.•A districtwide chemical hygiene plan - an overall safety plan - has not been implemented.•Fume hoods in labs were not tested to determine if they met national standards. The district is in the process of hiring a company to do the testing, Seeley said.•Several bottles of acids and bases were stored on the floor of a fume hood, obstructing airflow and creating the risk of inhaling dangerous fumes. Also, state industrial hygiene consultant Jeffry Leons observed acid put into an open beaker and carried into a classroom, risking a chemical spill. •Air sampling for formaldehyde exposure had not been carried out in biology labs. Leons tested the formaldehyde level in the air while students in the classroom dissected a cat. That level of exposure was below the allowed maximum. But it could have exceeded the limit if a teacher performed the experiment during additional anatomy classes that day. Washington law defines a hazard to be serious when there is "substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result to your employees," according to the L&I report. The district is required to remove the serious hazards at the high school by Aug. 11. A chemical hygiene plan will be completed in June, Seeley said. Other than the hygiene plan and the fume hood testing, she said all of the hazards at the Federal Way High labs have been resolved.The district is examining conditions at all school labs and will address any of the same serious hazards by Aug. 11, Seeley said. If the district doesn't show it fixed the problems at Federal Way High, L&I could complete a compliance audit and fine the school. Murphy said resolving the hazards earlier would not have prevented the science lab accident Jan. 30. Teacher Ingrid Lyden and 17-year-old student Thomas Zaffino were seriously burned when a beaker exploded during a methanol experiment at the high school. Zaffino has since transferred to Bellevue High School. Zaffino's lawyer, Sean Wickens, said a hygiene plan that addressed safety might have helped prevent the accident. "It sounds to me as though they were lax in the management of the classroom," Wickens said. Murphy and Seeley stressed the district already had taken steps to assure lab safety prior to the accident. In 2000, unnecessary hazardous chemicals were removed from district schools as part of King County's Rehab the Lab program, Seeley said. A draft chemical hygiene plan was completed before the accident, she said. Since the accident, the district hired science education consultant Doug Mandt to study its science labs and determine if they match the district's science curriculum. Also, a science coordinator will be added to review training for science teachers, to assure the science curriculum complies with state safety regulations, and to continue monitoring safety, Murphy and Seeley said.

Steve Maynard: 253-597-8647
steve.maynard@mail.tribnet.com

(Published 1:45AM, April 16th, 2004)