The ACS Committee on Chemical Safety has recommended that basic risk assessment be part of the undergraduate teaching curriculum. In recognition of accidents and near misses in recent years more schools are beginning to train students in the skill of risk assessment. As these assessments are developed it is important to consider how students currently perceive risk. Student perception of risk in the undergraduate teaching laboratory was investigated at a Midwestern university. Students in a second semester general chemistry laboratory course completed weekly risk assessments (RAs) related to each experiment they were about to perform. For each RA students evaluated the risk associated with three different scenarios in which a hypothetical accident had occurred. To measure risk students rated both severity and probability using scales provided. Trends in severity, probability, and overall risk ratings will be discussed.

Scenarios as a tool for investigating risk perception in the general chemistry laboratory

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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