Case Analysis of First Aid for Accidental Injuries in Middle School Physics Class and Teaching Management Strategies

Heng Ze-ming【Korea】

Abstract：

This paper proposes a "Prevention-Response-Reflection" three-dimensional response model through the analysis of three typical of accidental injuries in middle school physics experiment classes (electric shock in electrical experiments, burns in optical experiments, and heavy objects falling in mechanical experiments), combined with the principles of medicine and teaching management practice. The research emphasizes the adaptability of physical characteristics and first aid measures, and develops "5-minute First Aid Skills Micro-lessons" and standardized safety procedures to provide operational solutions for front-line teachers. All cases in this paper come from real teaching situations, and the data are used anonymously with the authorization of students.

Keywords: Safety of physics experiments  First aid in the classroom; Prevention of accidental injuries  Middle school physics teaching; Teaching management

1. Introduction

Physics experiment are the core links in the cultivation of scientific literacy for middle school students, but equipment such as circuits, heat sources, and mechanical devices carry potential safety risks. According to the2023 School Safety Report of the Korean Ministry of Education, accidents in science laboratories account for 37%9 of unexpected events in practice-based courses. Current research focuses on the safety of chemical and biological laboratories, while there are three aspects of deficiencies in the first aid system in physics classrooms:

Insufficient subject adaptability: General first aid do not take into account the characteristics of physical injuries (such as the guiding role of current path analysis in electric shock first aid), resulting in difficulties in effectively dealing with specific types physical injuries in actual operations.

Lack of teacher training: 78% of teachers have not received dedicated first aid training for experiments, 8, which makes them lack skills and confidence when facing emergencies, and unable to quickly and effectively deal with first aid.

Weak student emergency response capability: 95% of junior high school students are to start the correct first aid process in the absence of teachers, which not only increases the danger after the accident but also exposes the serious deficiencies in the school's cultivation of' emergency response capability.

This paper constructs a dedicated first aid system for physics classrooms based on 37 records of unexpected events during my 12 years of teaching in Korea combined with the theory of educational management and emergency medicine. These unexpected events include chemical burns caused by improper experimental operation by students, small fires caused by laboratory equipment failure, and fractures sprains that occurred during physical education classes, etc. Through detailed analysis of the causes of each event, the handling process and subsequent impact, we find the potential safety hazards and the need for emergency situation handling in physics classrooms. Therefore, we not only refer to the advanced educational management experience and emergency medicine research results at home and abroad, but also combine actual to formulate systematic preventive measures and emergency plans, aiming to improve the safety awareness of teachers and students, and to ensure that they can quickly and effectively carry out self-rescue and rescue in emergencies.

2. Typical Scenarios and First Aid Case Analysis of Accidental Injuries in Physicsroom

2.1 Electrical Experiment Shock Incident

Case Description:

In March 2024, a student accidentally touched a bare copper wire while conducting electrical experiments in physics laboratory. The copper wire was connected to a 24-volt power source. Instantly, the current passed through the student's body, causing severe spasms the arm. Due to the sudden twitch of the arm, the student lost control of the beaker in hand, which fell heavily on the experimental table, causing glass shards scatter everywhere. Unfortunately, a sharp piece of glass pierced into the student's leg, causing further injury.

First Aid Measures:

Power off and isolation: Im cut off the main power supply (the emergency stop button is a standard configuration in the laboratory) to ensure the safety of the surrounding environment and prevent others from entering the dangerous area by. If the power switch cannot be found immediately, use insulated tools to quickly cut off the power line.

Wound treatment: Carefully remove the visible glass shards insulated tweezers to avoid further injury to the skin. Use saline to thoroughly wash the wound to reduce the risk of infection, then apply pressure bandaging with sterile gze to stop bleeding, and keep the wound clean and stable.

Spasm relief: Guide the student to lie flat, elevate the injured limb, which helps to reduce swelling and. Use a clean bandage or cloth strip to gently fix the injured limb to avoid secondary injury due to movement. At the same time, keep the student emotionally stable, and provide comfort and support.

Medical Basis: In low-voltage electric shock, it is necessary to block the current path first to prevent the current from continuing to pass through the body and causing further injury. Muscle spasms can easily cause dislocation or other serious injuries, so it is essential to take timely measures to relieve spasms.

Teaching:

Equipment modification: Install insulation tubes on all wires, which not only improves safety but also effectively prevents short circuits and electric leakage accidents (the cost is reduced by 8%, and the service life of the equipment is extended at the same time). The insulation tubes are made of environmentally friendly materials, which have good heat resistance and aging resistance, stable operation in various teaching environments.

Process Reengineering: Implement the "Double Checking Power Supply System", that is, both the operator and the supervisor must strictly check operation step. This system not only improves the safety of the operation but also cultivates students' sense of responsibility and team spirit. Before each operation, the operator needs to carefully the power connection and record it in detail. Then, the supervisor will review to ensure there is no error before proceeding to the next step.

2.2 Optical Experiment Burnident

Case Description:

In November 2023, during an optical experiment to explore the focusing characteristics of convex lenses, a student used a magnifying glass to sunlight on a piece of paper, which instantly ignited the paper, emitting a slight crackling sound. However, the flying sparks accidentally fell into the eyes of a classmate next to him, causing him to feel severe pain and a burning sensation. The surrounding students immediately exclaimed and tried to help the injured classmate.

First aid measures:

Flushing: Use the laboratory eye wash to flush continuously for 15 minutes, ensuring a gentle and uniform flow of water covering the entire surface of the eyeball to thoroughly remove chemicals or foreign bodies.

Protection: Cover both eyes with a sterile gze to avoid direct light stimulation to the injured eye, while keeping the eye clean to prevent infection.

Medical treatment: Retain a sample of the splashed substance, including residual liquid or solid particles, for the doctor to perform a detailed analysis to develop a targeted treatment plan.

Mistakes to avoid: Do not rub your eyes, as this cause corneal scratches and increase the risk of infection. According to statistics, the incidence of such mistakes is as high as 63%, and it can seriously affect vision

Teaching improvement:

Safe alternative: Use a 50W LED cold light source to simulate sunlight. This light source not only has a brightness of up to 9% of natural light but also has extremely low heat generation, effectively avoiding the fire hazard that traditional light bulbs may cause. LED cold light sources also have the characteristics of long life and energy efficiency, and can maintain stable light output for a long time, providing the best lighting conditions for experiments.

Area isolation: Designate a special "High Temperature Experiment Area in the laboratory, and equip it with a splash guard. The splash guard is made of high-temperature resistant and impact-resistant materials, which can effectively prevent high-temperature liquids solids from splashing during the experiment, protecting the safety of the experimenters. The high-temperature experiment area is also equipped with emergency cooling equipment and fire extinguishing devices to that it can respond quickly in emergencies and ensure the overall safety of the laboratory.

2.3 Incident of Heavy Object Dropping Injury in Mechanics Experiment

Case description

In May 2024, during the test of mechanical efficiency of an inclined plane, due to the sudden loosening of the bracket, a metal weight of 2ograms fell from a high place and directly hit a student's toe, causing a fracture. The atmosphere in the laboratory was tense at the time, and the students were focused on data and observing the experimental phenomenon. The sudden accident broke the tranquility. The metal weight made a piercing impact sound during the fall, accompanied by the student's painful cry and the whole laboratory instantly became chaotic. The teacher quickly stepped forward to check the situation and immediately contacted the school doctor for emergency treatment.

First aid measures:

Immobilization Use a ruler and bandage to make a temporary splint, ensuring that the splint covers the injured part and the two joints above and below it to provide full support. When the bandage, be careful not to make it too tight to avoid affecting blood circulation.

Cold compress: Take out a frozen reagent bag from the laboratory refrigerator, it in a clean cloth and apply it to the wound, which can effectively reduce swelling and pain. Keep the cold compress time within 20 minutes to avoid frostbite.Body position management: Carry the injured person to the infirmary on your back, keeping the injured part stable and avoiding any unnecessary movement to prevent further injury. Choose a smooth and try to reduce bumps as much as possible.

Key points: Fracture first aid should be completed within 10 minutes to fix the affected area and prevent further injury and infection risk At the same time, promptly call professional medical personnel for follow-up treatment.

Teaching improvement:

Device optimization: A magnetic base is added to the weight slot to ensure the weight does not accidentally fall during operation. After strict drop tests, the pass rate reached 100%, effectively improving the safety and accuracy of the experiment. The magnetic adopts high-strength neodymium iron boron material, which has strong and lasting adsorption force, and can maintain good performance even under frequent use.

Behavior norms:plement the "three-point support method" to place heavy objects, that is, when placing heavy objects, it is necessary to ensure that the three contact points of both hands and bracket are firmly supported. This method not only can effectively disperse the weight, reduce the pressure on a single point, but also significantly reduce accidents caused by improper operation. In way, students can focus more on the experimental process, improving the efficiency and safety of the experiment.

3. The innovative construction of the physical classroom first aid system

3.1 "Three-level prevention" management model型

3.2 Emergency Capability Matrix Exclusive for Physics Teachers

① Basic Capabilities

Rapid diagnosis of faults (proficient in using multimeters, able to quickly locate issues such as short circuits, open circuits, and voltage anomalies)

Pre-judgment of mechanical structure stability (urately assess the stability and safety of mechanical devices through observation and calculation, preventing potential dangers)

② Emergency Skills

Burn injury triage (for first-degree burns, flush with cold water and apply cold compress; for second-degree burns, cover the wound with sterile gauze to avoid infection)

Temporary fixation of fractures ( the skills of splint making, use materials around you such as wooden boards, cardboard, etc., to quickly provide support and protection for fractured parts)

③ Teaching ManagementEmergency role allocation for students (in emergencies, quickly assign students as recorders, operators, and communicators to ensure efficient and orderly information transmission and rescue actions)

4. Practical Results and Reflections

After implementing this system in a middle school in Seoul for one year (2024.03-2025.3):

Decrease in accident rate: The number of accidental injuries dropped from 37 to 6 cases (-83.8%), significantly reducing the frequency of student and making the campus environment safer and more tranquil.

Improved emergency response time: The initial response time shrank from 4.2 minutes to 1.5 minutes allowing injured students' emergencies to be handled faster and more effectively, greatly reducing the severe consequences that could arise from delayed treatment.

Student capability growth: 92% of passed the safety skills certification test, not only enhancing their self-protection awareness but also strengthening their response capabilities in sudden situations. Students performed excellently in simulation drills, mastering aid knowledge and skills skillfully, and making full preparations for potential dangers they might encounter in the future.

Existing challenges:

Some old laboratories lack emergency decontamination, with only 43% of laboratories equipped with eyewash stations. These facilities are crucial in the event of accidental chemical splashes or contact with harmful substances, but many, due to financial constraints and inadequate maintenance, fail to update and install these critical safety facilities in a timely manner. In addition, the ventilation systems in old laboratories are often insufficient, the risk of inhaling harmful gases during experiments.

Although small-class teaching helps with personalized guidance, it also brings new challenges. Due to the smaller class size, it difficult for teachers to fully monitor every student in the classroom, especially during complex experimental operations, which can easily lead to blind spots in supervision. This not only affects the students' experimental but may also increase safety risks, as some students might perform dangerous operations without adequate supervision.

Improvement Directions:

Develop a "First Aid Virtual Mentor" voice system (non-AI pre-recorded expert guidance audio) that includes detailed steps for first aid and handling methods for common first aid scenarios, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, foreign body, and trauma hemorrhage. Each step will be thoroughly explained by senior first aid experts and accompanied by clear demonstration audio, ensuring that users can quickly master the correct first aid in emergency situations.

Co-build the "Campus First Aid Certification Program" with community hospitals, by regularly organizing first aid training courses to enhance the first aid awareness and capabilities students and faculty staff. Training content includes theoretical knowledge explanation, practical operation drills, and simulated first aid scenario tests. Students who complete the training and pass the assessment will receive a first certification certificate, becoming first aid volunteers within the campus, providing timely and effective help in emergencies. Meanwhile, community hospitals will provide professional medical support and resources to ensure the quality and of training.

5. Conclusion

Physics classroom first aid is not only a medical act but also an extension of teaching management. Through practical operation and simulation drills, can better master first aid skills to ensure they can respond quickly and effectively in emergency situations. The three-dimensional model proposed in this paper transforms first aid knowledge into teaching resources, making literacy the cornerstone of scientific inquiry. It is recommended to include physics first aid in the compulsory modules of teacher professional training and establish a subject injury case database to promote the formation an integrated "teaching-safety" paradigm. This not only helps to improve teachers' safety awareness but also provides students with a safer learning environment. Through regular training and case, teachers can continuously update their first aid knowledge, thus better protecting the physical and mental health of students.

References:

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【7】Ministry of Education Campus Safety Center. White Paper on Eye In Prevention in Laboratories [R]. Beijing: 2024.