UT Dana Center launches statewide laboratory safety training initiative

February 16, 2001

AUSTIN, Texas—In an attempt to help Texas school districts improve safety conditions in their schools and raise awareness about the importance of laboratory safety, The Charles A. Dana Center at The University of Texas at Austin has launched a statewide safety training initiative.

As part of the safety initiative, the center is offering training sessions at regional education service centers across the state, said James W. Collins, a Dana Center science program coordinator who recently co-authored the center's publication titled An Analysis of Laboratory Safety in Texas. Attendees receive personalized safety training — such as working through "scenarios" that highlight particular safety issues. They also are given free reference materials, including Texas Safety Standards, a laboratory and field safety manual published jointly by the Dana Center and the Texas Education Agency.

Educators interested in learning more about the safety training initiative should contact the education service center in their region. Upcoming Dana Center visits will include Regions 11 and 12 (in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area) on Feb. 17; and Region 9 (in the Wichita Falls area) on March 8.

The Texas laboratory safety manual (Texas Safety Standards), the companion Safety Facilitator's Handbook and An Analysis of Laboratory Safety in Texas can be found on the Web by clicking on the safety button at: www.tenet.edu/teks/science/index.html

The Dana Center is a unit of UT Austin's College of Natural Sciences dedicated to strengthening education and civic life in Texas. It serves as an incubator of innovative programs and practices designed to support local and state agencies, school districts and civic organizations as they work together to serve their Texas constituencies in ways that reflect their local beliefs and values.