Science Fair Safety

Let's face facts—when children get excited about anything, safety becomes a very low priority for them. This doesn't change during the science fair season either. Your child can get so excited about making their volcano explode that they usually don't think about who, or what, may be around when it goes off. A perfect example of this would be an episode of the old television show The Brady Bunch where Bobby makes his volcano explode all over the back yard.

Science fair safety shouldn't be the punch line of a sitcom joke. If proper steps aren't taken, then even the simplest of science fair projects or experiments can create a potential hazard to a person's health or even physical property. There are some simple steps that any parent can take, regardless of their child's age group, to ensure that the science fair project is as safe as possible.

• Materials. Even common household materials can be hazardous if they are not used properly. Depending on the type of experiment, you can easily find yourself in all kinds of dangerous situations. For example, if you are using fungi or animals you can find yourself with a health hazard. Mixing chemicals improperly can lead to noxious or poisonous gasses being formed, for example bleach and ammonia results in a toxic gas being released.
• Equipment. When using any type of equipment basic safety precautions need to be taken. Many of these precautions are things that we have heard since we were in kindergarten—don't run with scissors, fire is hot and can burn, glass containers can break, and so on. Just be careful and take basic precautions when you using the equipment for your experiments.
• Experiment. As you conduct the experiment make sure that you are doing so in a controlled environment. An excellent (though way over-the-top and dramatic) example of not conducting experiments in a closed and controlled environment would be the classic movie The Fly. A basic premise of scientific study is to control the environment around the experiment to limit unforeseen and unwanted elements to contaminate the experiment's data. One of the side benefits of this is added safety for those involved in the experiments.
• Display. When setting up your display at the fair you are going to want to be sure that you don't actually bring in any dangerous or potentially dangerous items. Most schools have guidelines as to what can and cannot be brought in. This list usually includes things like flames, knives or blades, controlled substances, live animals and so on. Limit any visual aids to something that is either inert (like a non-exploding volcano, or pictures), or mobile but not dangerous (along the lines of windmills or solar mills).