One of the worst feelings you will ever have as an agriculture teacher is watching the paramedics carry away one of your students in an ambulance. When I was the state FFA coordinator, I remember standing next to a teacher while CPR was being performed on the FFA chapter president at White Lake. Later that week, I consoled that same agriculture teacher when that student died in the hospital.

Every time you lead students into the school mechanics laboratory or greenhouses, there is the potential for an accident to occur. It is only a matter of time before an accident does occur, because humans are not divine creatures free of accidents or error. Even if ever safety precaution is observed, equipment can fail to work properly resulting in injury or damage to the facility. The goal of this lesson is to provide you with some tools to help you minimize the risk to human health and safety in your agricultural education programs.

There are many rules to follow in a mechanics shop, but there is one that you need to burn into your memory, and practice everytime you go into the shop. Here it is:

Everyone in the mechanics shop wears safety glasses at all times. This includes visitors, all students whether they are working on a project or not, all teachers and school staff. In short - EVERYONE. No exceptions, no excuses. Some activities require more than just safety glasses. When using welders and torches, shade lens and protective helmets are required. When using grinders, face shields are required in addition to safety glasses. Everyone should wear safety glasses under welding helmets and face shields. Students who wear corrective lens, should also wear safety glasses or goggles over these glasses. Prescription glasses are not necessarily safety glasses.

By requiring students to wear safety glasses at all times, you are sending the message that your shop or lab is operated much like it is in business and industry. You are also sending the message the students' safety is of concern to you.

Below are some good resources for developing a set of shop/lab rules and a safety management plan.

• Woodzone's shop safety rules.
• The University of Florida shop safety manual.
• The National Agricultural Safety Database has a great resource on setting up a lab.
• Does all of your shop equipment have the appropriate shields and guards? If not, unplug it and take it out of service immediately.
• The National Safety Council has some good resources.
• This resources from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is a primary resource for completing your assignment this week. Feel free to use content as necessary for the assignment, but remember to cite the reference.

Readings and Discussion

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