Coaches serve in a unique role to oversee health and safety with their athletes especially when traveling with the team to sporting events. If there is no athletic trainer to take charge in prevention or management of injuries, the coach will need to assume that role. Coaches should understand the importance of their role and know how to implement…

When it comes to eye safety, there are some situations in which regular safety glasses will work adequately for the needs of the STEM education classroom or laboratory. However, there are certain instances in which safety goggles must be used for safer protection. Taking the time to analyze hazards and assess the risks prior to any activity in the…

Iliotbial band syndrome (ITBS) is an overuse injury that affects distance runners and produces a large amount of frustration (and pain) to the runner, coaches and trainers. Treatments for ITBS vary widely and no known cures exist. Many running experts and physicians have prescribed several variations of training programs designed to help runners…

Sports offer so many benefits to kids, from fun and fitness to responsibility and teamwork skills. With sports also come bumps and bruises--and one type of injury requires much more than an ice pack or a band-aid. Head trauma is one of the most common injuries sustained by young athletes, with more than 60,000 concussions occurring each year in…

The risk of injury in musicians has been well established over the past twenty-five years. Concerns about the risk of becoming injured have been increasingly present in the music world. Research in performing arts medicine has demonstrated that approximately 25 percent of music students experience a playing-related injury. Since musicians'…

While some disasters involving engineered structures are due to events in nature (e.g., tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes), others may be caused by inadequate materials, design flaws, and poor maintenance. These catastrophes result in the loss of human lives and cost billions of dollars. In the set of lessons described here, students design a…

Safety should be a priority in every classroom for every age group. Most art teachers know the chemicals to avoid in the student environment. It is their responsibility as art teachers to include safety information in every lesson plan and inform each student of the safety precautions they must take with each activity, without depriving them of…

Dramatic improvements have been made in the lives of children over the last century. Even so, many health and safety challenges remain unresolved. For example, unintentional injuries claim the lives of more children each year than any other cause of death. In addition, a panel of pediatricians reported that the incidence of childhood obesity…

School leaders play a pivotal role in keeping schools safe from chemical accidents. Readers of this brochure can help schools develop a chemical cleanout and prevention program and assemble a team of teachers, facilities staff, and administrators with technical expertise to assess chemical safety issues and set policy. Some important team roles…