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Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2009 08:24:16 -0400
Reply-To: List Moderator <ecgrants**At_Symbol_Here**UVM.EDU>
Sender: DCHAS-L Discussion List <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU>
From: List Moderator <ecgrants**At_Symbol_Here**UVM.EDU>
Subject: Re: 2 Re: [DCHAS-L] Glove use in academic teaching labs
From: "Latimer, Lee"
Date: August 11, 2009 9:08:22 PM EDT
Subject: RE: [DCHAS-L] 2 Re: [DCHAS-L] Glove use in academic teaching
labs
Rebecca and Pat,
This is a worthwhile discussion. While indeed early experiments do
use common household chemicals like salt for their components, the
student is building skills as well as understanding. I would like to
see them respect rather than fear what they work with and encounter.
I believe that building good techniques will allow them to fear their
materials less and handle them with respectful confidence. A part of
good lab technique is good PPE. While the choice of latex vs nitrile
gloves can come with understanding of the materials to be encountered,
to wear gloves/Z87 safety glasses/labcoats or not is a very different
judgment to me.
I won=92t argue that salt solutions for density determinations and
similar materials need gloves. It is the technique development and
habits that are at the root of the desire on my part. As they move on
to cleansers in the home, strippers for furniture, oil changes and
garden treatments, many will make a judgment about the need for gloves
and glasses that will be based on their experience. I hope that when
they are in a lab that they know what is standard for lab situations
and have practiced it since they first took labs so that when they
become my colleagues, I know they have safety ingrained to their
thoughts and I won=92t have to take them to a hospital because they
didn=92t think they needed PPE.
I find it amazing that we have PH.D. synthetic chemists coming to work
in industrial labs who think from the lack of enforcement PPE in their
academic training that personal glasses are safety glasses, that lab
coats are a maybe item and that gloves are only for when something is
hot, cold or sticky. So I=92m in favor of improving the traditions of
teaching technique, and reminding people that is an experiment because
we don=92t know the outcome absolutely (Murphy=92s Law does happen).
We appreciate the efforts you make in teaching understanding, judgment
and technique.
Lee
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