From: K Roy <safesci**At_Symbol_Here**sbcglobal.net>
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] [External] Re: [DCHAS-L] High School Lab Class Enrollment Limits
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 2020 14:16:11 +0000
Reply-To: K Roy <safesci**At_Symbol_Here**SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Message-ID: 557027083.8279379.1579184171463**At_Symbol_Here**mail.yahoo.com
In-Reply-To


Actually the NSTA safety paper does in fact provide the legal safety standard for occupancy load - The NFPA 101 Life Safety Code notes the occupancy loads for science labs and  is the legal safety standard providing your state has adopted it... most have.  This is enforceable by your local fire marshal.

Dr. Ken

Kenneth R. Roy, Ph.D.
Chief Safety Compliance Adviser
National Science Teaching Association (NSTA);
Safety Compliance Officer
National Science Education Leadership Association (NSELA);
Safety Committee Member
International Council of Associations for Science Education (ICASE);
Director of Environmental Health & Chemical Safety,
Glastonbury Public Schools (CT);
Safesci**At_Symbol_Here**sbcglobal.net



On Thursday, January 16, 2020, 09:02:16 AM EST, McGrath Edward J <edward.mcgrath**At_Symbol_Here**redclay.k12.de.us> wrote:


Thanks for suggesting this, Craig.  A more extensive resource from the same source:

 

https://www.nsta.org/store/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9781933531083

 

This is The NSTA Guide to Planning School Science Facilities, 2nd edition by LaMoine Motz, James Biehle, and Sandra West.  While neither this nor the NSTA paper Craig referenced constitutes binding regulations, they both  provide sound reasoning for limiting class sizes to 24 for laboratory instruction.  The NSTA Guide is available as a print book or an e-book from NSTA press.

 

Eddie McGrath

 

Edward J. McGrath

Supervisor of Science

Red Clay Consolidated School District

1502 Spruce Avenue

Wilmington, DE  19805

 

(302) 552-3768

 

We did not inherit the Earth from our parents.  We borrowed it from our children.

 

 

From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU> On Behalf Of Craig Merlic
Sent: Wednesday, January 15, 2020 5:09 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU
Subject: [External] Re: [DCHAS-L] High School Lab Class Enrollment Limits

 

 

All,

 

A good source detailing the issues is:

http://static.nsta.org/pdfs/OvercrowdingInTheInstructionalSpace.pdf

It provides good data to justify limiting enrollments.

 

Craig

 

Craig A. Merlic

Professor of Chemistry, UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Executive Director, UC Center for Laboratory Safety

Los Angeles, CA  90095-1569

Voice:  310-825-5466

 

 

From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU> on behalf of Jack Reidy <jreidy2**At_Symbol_Here**STANFORD.EDU>
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Date: Wednesday, January 15, 2020 at 1:31 PM
To: <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] High School Lab Class Enrollment Limits

 

Cathy,

 

I was looking into lab occupancy guidance just yesterday. The most iron-clad reason would be if your local fire code dictated that limit. If that's not feasible, could you provide the square footage and the amount of available bench space?

Sincerely,

 

Jack Reidy (he/him)

Research Safety Specialist

Environmental Health & Safety

Stanford University

484 Oak Road, Stanford, CA, 94305

Tel: (650) 497-7614

 

 

 

From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU> On Behalf Of Smiley, Cathy
Sent: Wednesday, January 15, 2020 1:08 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU
Subject: [DCHAS-L] High School Lab Class Enrollment Limits

 

My colleague and I are the Chemical Hygiene Officers in our school. We currently only allow 24 students in any lab based science class. We are being asked to justify this enrollment limit. Our current lab space accommodates 24 students.

 

Does anyone have any resource guidelines that state we cannot go beyond this capacity?

--

Cathy Smiley

Chemistry Teacher

Marinette High School

715.735.1368

 

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