Safety & Ethics

Good STEM is safe and ethical!

Your safety is important. When working on your idea, it is important to always put safety first. It is your responsibility to take steps to keep yourself and others safe. Ethics deal with social agreements on right and wrong. In the STEM community, there are rules on how to work in an ethical, or right, way. In general, your project should never cause harm people or animals. It is your responsibility to make sure you are doing ethical STEM when working on your idea.

Safety Sheet and Resources

Letter-of-Information-Informed-Consent

Form – Request for Advice or Ruling from Ethics and Safety Committee

Safety Questions

Ask yourself:

  • Have I been trained to do this?
  • Do I have permission?
  • Do I have adult supervision?
  • Is there a safer way to do this?
  • Do I have the required safety materials and clothing?
  • Am I putting myself or others in danger? (Including animals and the environment.)
  • What is my safety plan if something goes wrong?

Ethics Questions

Ask yourself:

  • Does my idea involve testing people or animals? (Includes animal tissue, blood, etc.)
  • Could my idea cause harm to people or animals?
  • Before starting, have I read the Ethics in STEM document and made a plan to make sure my idea is ethical?
  • Do I have an adult supervisor to support me in my work?
  • Do I have consent from the people participating (or their parents, if they are under 18)?
  • Is there a more ethical way to do this?

Safety & Ethics Resources

Safety

Ethics

Ethics in STEM Projects

– more information about doing ethical STEM when working with humans or animals

Request for Advice or Ruling Ethics Committee form – to get approval for your project from your teacher and/or regional science fair