Project Safety Guidlines

 Safety should be a primary concern for every science experiment. Almost any tool or technique, no matter how safe, can be used in an unsafe manner. At the same time, many potentially dangerous tools are perfectly safe if they are used in the proper way. So how do you know if your project is within reasonable safety guidelines? Ask three simple questions to test your project's level of safety.

1. Is it safe for other people or animals that are involved? All projects involving humans as subjects must involve minimal risk. Unacceptable risks include ingestion of any substance or physical contact with any potentially hazardous materials, as well as unnecessary physical, psychological, or emotional stress, including invasion of privacy. Even if you are simply surveying other students, you should review your questions in advance and decide if the questions meet this test, and determine if a parent/guardian's consent is needed for any students that are participating. If you're not sure, don't hesitate to ask a teacher, parent, or mentor to help you decide. Live animals (in particular vertebrate animals-those with a backbone) should be housed, cared for, and observed in a safe and humane manner.

2. If you hope to participate in the school science fair and potentially make it to the Regional Science Fair, does your project meet the safety rules for that higher-level fair? If you will be participating in the Regional Fair, make sure that the projects meet the rules of that fair. Science fairs affiliated with the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) must follow very strict and detailed safety rules, often including pre-approval before experimentation begins. For an overview of these rules check out the link on the Scientific Review Committee (SRC) page.

3. Finally, have you addressed safety concerns to your parents' and teacher's satisfaction? Make sure you address all safety issues in your project proposal so your adult supervisors are aware of any issues ahead of time. Your teacher will then evaluate your project based on the following questions: Where will the experiment be performed? What safety gear will be used? Who will be supervising the experiment? Are you knowledgeable about or do you have training in the procedures being used?

If in doubt about the safety of the experiment, ask your teacher, parent, or mentor for advice. Be prepared to choose another project if your teacher decides that yours does not meet the appropriate school safety guidelines. Hopefully good common sense and the questions above will help you put together a fun, informative, and safe science project.