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Is it best to go over all science safety instructions and procedures during the first week? Or is it best to go over the specific safety instructions and procedures with each new science lesson I teach? Or both? I'm afraid to overload my students with procedures.

I think it is best to go over the basics at the beginning of the school year before you start any experiments. Then you could add more specific ones as you introduce new lessons and experiments. It also depends what grade you are teaching. Older students can handle learning more up front, but still give plenty of reminders before, during, and after experiments.

I believe that at the beginning of the school year the students should be told the general safety rules. They should already know these rules but it is always helpful to review the most important rules. Before specific assignments and experiments the students should be told the exact procedures they are expected to follow. This will allow the students to have the information fresh in their minds. I would reccomend that the science safety rules be posted in the classroom throughout the whole year. Students tend to read what is on posters and on the wall numerous times. 

I believe it is best to present the student with the science safety instructions at the beginning of the school year as well as before lessons. A great way to ensure the students and their parents understand the science safety guidelines, you may create a science safety contract and send it home with the children the first week of school. On this contract you can develop a set of rules and guidelines you expect the children to follow and uphold in your science classroom. At the bottom, you may have an area for the children to sign, for their parents or guardians to sign, and for the teacher to sign. By having students sign the contract, they are alerted of the safety instructions before hand and are responsible for their actions in the science class. By having the parents sign the contract, they understand the rules their child must follow, they sign stating they understand these rules, and they understand that their child's safety is the of priority in the science classroom. You can keep these contracts in the class and have the guidelines posted all year long. I think it is most beneficial to go over the safety instructions again before every lesson to remind students of the rules and ensure the students know what to do in case of a safety hazard. 

I agree students should be told expectations up front. It is best that they know what is expected of them especially as far as safety goes. Students should be informed of all procedures and how to go about and handle everything when performing an experiment. Of course, when doing experiments I think they should be reminded of certain rules by the teacher- That way they know what to pay extra attention to if needed. 

I think it is better to over all science safety instructions and procedures during the first few weeks of school so the students can get used to it. When you teach a lesson that has a different safety procedure or precaution and instructions then you can explain it to them before teaching the lesson. Lab safety procedures are very important to learn in a science class, especially when they have to do experiments or investigations.