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Science Safety

Lab and Class Sizes

From Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations:

a. Laboratories shall be designed in accordance with the planned curriculum.

1. Science laboratory:

1. Size is at least 1300 square feet including storage and teacher preparation area.
2. Science laboratory design is consistent with the requirements for proper hazardous materials management specified in both the Science Facilities Design for California Public Schools, published by the California Department of Education, 1993, and the Science Safety Handbook for California Public Schools, published by the California State Department of Education, 1999.
3. Accommodations are made for necessary safety equipment and storage of supplies; e.g., fire extinguisher, first aid kit, master disconnect valve for gas.
4. Secured storage areas are provided for volatile, flammable, and corrosive chemicals and cleaning agents.
5. Properly designated areas are provided with appropriate ventilation for hazardous materials that emit noxious fumes, including a high volume purge system in the event of accidental release of toxic substances which may become airborne.
6. Exhaust fume hoods, eye washes, deluge showers are provided.
7. Floor and ceiling ventilation is provided in areas where chemicals are stored.
8. Room is provided for movement of students around fixed-learning stations.
9. There is the capability for technology which complements the curriculum.
10. Classrooms are flexibly designed to insure full student access to laboratory stations and lecture areas.

Ref: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/fa/sf/title5regs.asp

From the Science Safety Handbook for California Public Schools:

No current legal mandate prescribes special limits on class size in science laboratories. The Uniform Fire Code classifies science laboratory classes as academic subjects and specifies 20 square feet per student as a minimum standard, in contrast to a vocational education class for which the requirement is 50 square feet per student.  In reality, more than 20 square feet per pupil are required for hands-on laboratory science activities. That criterion is reflected in California Code of Regulations, Title 2, Section 1811(g)(2), which requires the state architect to design laboratory classrooms for occupancy by 26 students in grades seven through twelve or 24 students in grades nine through twelve. These design specifications are generally understood by state and local agencies to be equivalent to 1,300 square feet of floor space, including preparation and storage areas.

The Science Safety Handbook for California Public Schools, 1999 Edition, is out of stock but can be downloaded from the CDE website at: http://www.cde.ca.gov/pd/ca/sc/documents/scisafebk.pdf.