As a science educator, you know the importance of using best safety practices to protect your students physically during hands-on science instruction. But do you also know how to protect yourself legally even in aging facilities and crowded labs? Learn the regulations and how to apply them with this clear, easy-to-use guide to both safety practices and legal standards.

The NSTA Ready-Reference Guide to Safer Science is a compendium of 39 “Scope on Safety” columns from Science Scope, NSTA’s member journal for middle schools. Major sections cover safety practices and legal standards—on subjects as diverse as asbestos, ergonomics, and bloodborne pathogens—and instructional safety—including the challenges of occupancy loads, field trips, and safer science for special-needs students. Each section is divided into four parts: general science, chemistry, physical science, and biology. An appendix includes the NSTA position statements related to safer practices and resources and references from all the columns.

But especially intriguing is the section devoted to questions teachers ask. Is it safe to allow backpacks, open-toe shoes, and long synthetic nails in the lab? Are microwave ovens safe to use for heating liquids for experiments? Can ether be safely used to anesthetize fruit flies in a lab? With this book on your shelf, you can quickly find out.