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Rooms must be properly ventilated to ensure adequate fresh air.
Electric tools must be in good working order and be well maintained.
Teachers must watch for any exposed sores or cuts on a student's hands.
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Unseen Dangers in Art Classrooms
When you think of art classrooms, you most likely think of students' busy drawing, painting or working with clay. It is a classroom where creativity and learning take place. However, it can also be a room where safety hazards exist and students' health can be compromised. Many times the dangers that exist in an art class are overlooked since they may not be as apparent as those of other types of classrooms such as science rooms or labs. However, from elementary school through college, there are art rooms that contain materials or substances that are toxic or carcinogenic. Dangerous conditions exist and unsafe practices take place, often without anyone realizing the possible outcome.
List of health and safety risks in an art room
1. Fire Hazards: Due to the use of flammable materials such as paint, solvents, and fixatives, fires can easily start in an art room.
2. Airborne Dust: Dust particles in the air can be inhaled and cause irritation or breathing difficulties.
3. Chemical Hazards: Toxic art supplies, such as turpentine and oil paints, can cause skin and eye irritation if not handled correctly.
4. Slips and Falls: The floors in an art room can become slippery due to wet paint and other materials, creating a risk of slips and falls.
5. Sharp Objects: Art supplies such as knives, scissors and other sharp objects can cause cuts and puncture wounds if not handled properly.
6. Electrical Hazards: Extension cords and other electrical equipment can create an increased risk of electrocution and fire.
Art Classroom Health and Safety Concerns
The following are examples of the many health and safety concerns of art classrooms:
• Exposure to toxic and carcinogenic materials that can be ingested, inhaled or absorbed through the skin
• Students not washing their hands properly after working with materials
• Teachers allowing eating and drinking while working with art materials
• The sink area must be kept clean and any water spills cleaned up immediately to avoid slipping on the wet floor
• Rooms must be properly ventilated to ensure adequate fresh air
• Electric tools must be in good working order and be well maintained
• Teachers must watch for any exposed sores or cuts on a student's hands
• Teachers should make an inventory of all art materials and keep it updated as they are used
• Students should not wear loose-fitting clothing or dangling jewellery; they should keep their hair tied back if they are working on a potter's wheel or operating a power tool.
• Teachers should not mix dried materials or fire a kiln when students are in the classroom, as this exposes them to hazardous fumes and dust.
Tips for Keeping Art Rooms Safe
The following are a few safety tips for teachers for keeping art classrooms safe:
Make sure each student knows the rules of safety and follows them.
Only use materials that are safe for children to use. Make sure to read the labels.
Give preschool and kindergarten children small amounts of art materials at one time. This reduces the amount of material they can put into their mouth.
Hang decorative safety slogans around the classroom to remind everyone to follow the rules.
Exposures and Health Risks Associated with Art and Craft Materials
Child-Specific Exposure Concerns
Young children are curious and experimental, have a natural habit of putting things in their mouths, are less concerned with staying clean, and are less able to understand and evaluate future consequences of current activities. The use of art materials by children can result in contact with their hands, face, mouth, hair, and/or clothing, providing many opportunities for chemicals to be ingested or absorbed through the skin.
In addition to having a higher likelihood of exposure to art and craft materials, children are particularly susceptible to the effects of hazardous substances due to their small size, high metabolic rates, and developing organs. Reducing exposures to toxic substances early in life is likely to help prevent adverse health effects later on.
Toxicity and Exposure Routes
The use of age-appropriate art and craft products is important because certain products contain substances such as metals (for example lead- and cadmium-containing pigments in paints) and solvents (such as in adhesives and paint thinners) that can cause immediate and/or long-term health effects. The amount of a toxic chemical in a product and the nature of the exposure (including the number of times and how long the exposures occur) required to produce adverse health effects may be uncertain, particularly for long-term effects. For example, skin or eye contact with a strong acid may cause severe burns immediately; however, it may take repeated exposures to cause dermatitis from contact with nickel, or years of multiple exposures to a cancer-causing chemical (such as benzene used as a solvent or methylene chloride in paint strippers) to cause tumours. Moreover, the exposure time and concentration that produces an adverse effect often vary between individuals. Being cautious and limiting exposures to potentially harmful art and craft materials will likely minimize, if not prevent, the possibility of developing adverse health effects.
Exposure to toxic chemicals in art materials may occur in any of the following ways:
• Inhalation: Particles or chemicals may be released into the air in the form of dust, powders, aerosols, vapours, or fumes. When inhaled, they can cause irritation, damage the lungs, or be absorbed and cause damage elsewhere in the body.
• Ingestion: Particles and chemicals can be swallowed and absorbed into the body. Young children may put their hands or art materials in their mouths or nearby food and drinks may become contaminated.
• Skin/eye contact: Some chemicals can cause irritation or burns upon coming into contact with skin and eyes, or can be absorbed and cause damage elsewhere in the body. Caustic substances and certain solvents are particularly damaging following skin or eye contact.
List of health and safety risks of using acrylic paint
1. Inhalation of chemicals/solvents: Acrylic paints contain potentially hazardous chemicals and solvents, such as ethyl acetate, which can be harmful if inhaled.
2. Skin irritation: Acrylic paints can cause skin irritation if it comes into contact with the skin.
3. Eye irritation: Acrylic paints contain chemicals and pigments that can cause eye irritation if they come in contact with the eyes.
4. Toxic fumes: Acrylic paints can produce toxic fumes when heated or burned.
List of health and safety risks of using scissors
1. Cut hazards: Using scissors can cause accidental cuts, which can lead to infection, scarring, and other serious issues.
2. Repetitive Strain Injury: Holding scissors for long periods of time can cause strain on the wrists, fingers, and arms.
3. Cuts from Sharp Blades: Even when used properly, scissors can have sharp blades that can cause cuts.
4. Slip and Fall Hazards: If scissors are left laying on the floor, they can cause a slip and fall hazard.
List of health and safety risks of using a hot glue gun
1. Burns: Hot glue gun sticks can reach high temperatures and contact with the skin can cause serious burns. Use low temp instead.
2. Fire Hazard: The hot glue gun sticks can be flammable and need to be handled with caution.
3. Electrical Shock: Hot glue guns use electricity and can cause electrical shock if handled carelessly or if they are broken.
Reducing Exposure
Processes to Avoid
Some art or craft projects involve processes that are inherently inappropriate for children because they carry heightened risks of hazardous materials being inhaled or coming into contact with skin. For example:
• Airbrushing and spray painting suspend pigments in the air, increasing risk of inhaling chemicals.
• Certain steps in the ceramic-making process may expose users to silica dust in dry clay, heavy metals in powdered glazes, or toxic fumes emitted during firing.
• Etching with acid poses a risk of corrosive contact with the skin and may result in irritating vapours.
• Fixative sprays suspend adhesives or other chemicals in the air, increasing risk of inhaling chemicals.
• Film and photograph developing involves toxic chemicals that can come into contact with skin or eyes, or that can produce fumes.
• Soldering involves very hot materials that may contain lead or other toxic components, posing a risk of burns, ingestion following skin or surface contamination, and exposure to harmful fumes.
These processes are not appropriate for young students and should be performed only by an adult using appropriate protective gear. Processes that involve the use of hazardous materials and that produce vapours, fumes, suspended particles, spattering, or splashing should not be performed while young students are present.
Materials to Avoid
Art and craft materials that contain harmful ingredients or that can result in higher chemical exposures should be avoided, and safer alternatives should be substituted.
Precautions
In addition to following safe use instructions detailed on art product labels, further precautions can be taken to keep instructors and students safe. For example:
• Ensure proper ventilation – Open windows and use fans to introduce clean air and blow vapors away from students. Avoid air disturbance when using powders.
• Keep food and drinks away – Separate eating area from the project area to reduce the risk of ingestion.
• Use protective barriers – Gloves, smocks, safety glasses, goggles, and surface coverings may prevent contact with skin and contamination of classroom materials or food.
• Closely supervise art and craft projects – Instructors should make sure students are aware of applicable safety precautions and are using materials safely.
• Clean up spills immediately – Use a wet cloth to clean up spills to prevent contact with skin and contamination of classroom materials.
Cleaning and Storage
When the art or craft project is complete, take steps to minimize chemical exposure as teachers, staff, and students move on to other activities. For example:
•Ensure all participants wash their hands after the project is completed.
•Use a wet cloth to clean surfaces to prevent contamination of other classroom materials or food.
•Ventilate classroom to expel lingering vapours or airborne particles.
•Store materials in original containers, or affix original labels to new containers if materials are transferred.
•Securely close containers to prevent spills or vapour leaks.
• Wet mop, or vacuum with a high-efficiency HEPA filter to clean floors without stirring up dust.
Avoiding hazardous processes and materials, taking precautions, securely storing materials, and thoroughly cleaning project areas will reduce student and staff exposure to hazardous chemicals that may be in art and craft materials.
Example of risk assessment
https://kinderart.com/blog/art-supply-safety-kids/
https://sgclassesonline.com/blog/24-safety-the-first-step-in-every-arts-crafts-project