Safety Measures For The Prevention Of Laboratory Accidents Among Secondary School Biology Students

Introduction

1.1 Background of the Study

Science can be defined as an attempt by human beings to organize their experience about nature into meaningful system of explanation. It can also be regarded as organization of reasonable variable sense experiences of man about natural and artificial occurrences in his environment, it is through science that regularities of nature are predicted, described and explained. Science cannot be said to be broad-based, unless it is postulated on the important pillars of experimentation, out-door work and above all, development of project. Apart from creating opportunities of probing the theoretical concepts taught in the classroom, practical work also inculcates scientific skills, ethics and regulatory principal of science.

Science is activity, and effective science learning is by doing. For a child to master the art of writing for example, he must be given opportunities to write as often as possible. Similarly, science learning demands that a teacher should create varied opportunities for students to engage in “doing” activities that enable them to make sense of the world around them, make new discoveries, solve interesting problems, and develop skills.

A laboratory is an environment for acquisition of skills and other scientific learning; it could be comprehensive where more than a trade is taught, it may be a building room or outside room designed for scientific research or for the teaching of practical science. Bajah (1975) sees a laboratory as an activity area in which role learning gives way to a combination of complex mix of cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains in learning with the sense of sight, feeling, smelling and doing playing dormant roles.

A pure science laboratory are classified based on the act of sciencing to be learnt. Generally, laboratory are infrastructure whose goal are to promote human learning and efficiency for a definite goal therefore an expert must oversee the construction, sitting and equipping of these building to enhance safety.

Safety simple means a state of being secure, protected, uninjured, out of danger and not involved in risk. All hazardous condition could not be eliminated, but safe living demands the ability to function at optimum level in the presence of hazards. The prevention of accident in laboratories is the duty of every individual using or entering them. Clearly, it is the duty of every teacher to organize his classes in a way which reflects both his responsibility for their welfare and his commitment teaching his pupils appropriate safety – conscious attitudes and behaviour. Pupils do not have the instinctive feeling for experimental work which a teacher will have acquired as a result of many years of experience. As a result, what is common sense to the teacher may well be totally outside the range of experience of a pupil and therefore be far from obvious to him. Many students see science as a forum to seek answers to their numerous questions and seek satisfaction to their unending curiosities. But curiosity killed the cat and these students are apt to get themselves and others including the teacher into a great deal of trouble and make science not exciting but dangerous, not wonderful but dreadful if care is thrown to the wind (Aiyegbayo, 1996). One of the objectives of adequate practical training in science, even at school, is to teach pupil how to handle safety materials which are potentially or actually dangerous. Even so, every teacher should make it his or her task to become familiar with any special instructions issued for dealing with emergencies peculiar to school in which she or he is working. He/she should get to know the layout of the school.

The location of fire-fighting equipment and how it works ways of getting out of the building in an emergency, where telephones are sited and first aid arrangement. Mohammed (1993) state that many accidents are caused by carelessness in laboratories. It is easier sensible to develop safe work habits when conducting practicals than suffer the consequences of an accident.

Safety policy is in no way a complete and absolute statement of safety to be followed in science laboratories. Science teachers and students must not be ignorant of the use of first aid treatment which may save them from a lot of damages.

1.2 Statement of the Study

While the government of Nigeria is making a real attempt to ensure the safety of students in schools, there is an exponential rise in student population in secondary schools in the County that leads to safety concern. Many schools in Nigeria have more than 40 students per class which are the recommended number. There is a lack of information on some injury cases, risk factors, causes and mitigations of injuries in Nigeria. Nigerian schools have been experiencing issues of safety concerns, some buildings in schools are unsafe for teachers and students in terms of structural design and space which is an indication that students are at risk (Musimba, 2010).

One of the essential OSHA standards of care for school laboratories is the experimental policies that condemn improper and unsafe chemical storage/ use of materials or equipment (Stroud et al., 2007). Safety instruction provided to teachers, no matter how they may have been educated and certified is rarely consistent, explicit or in-depth (Stroud et al., 2007). Teacher’s responsibility/duty of instruction, supervision and maintenance are seldom adhered to (Singer et al., 2005).Although several studies show laboratory safety is a growing concern for schools, none of them addressed the current rise in the number of students in the County, a gap that this study addressed.

Safety education is an avoidance of dangerous circumstance related to an individual activity. This project makes science teachers to be aware of the prevention of accidents in laboratories. In addition, there is need to make sure that laboratory attendants take cognizance of the equipment available. As a science student, one has to be familiar with the safety precautions in a science laboratory and should be able to explain some basic safety rules and necessary aids to take care of accident victims, as teaching of science subjects, (Physics, Chemistry and Biology) entails demonstration and guidance as a result of this, there is need for provision of adequate safety of lives and properties within the laboratories. Also science teachers have to be equipped with up-to-date precautionary measures against immediate hazards.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The main objective of this study to examine safety measures for the prevention of laboratory accidents among secondary school biology students, to make the research easier the specified objectives are:

Determine if the science laboratories in schools are safe enough for the users.

Determine if all equipment are up to the necessary standard with respect to safety and risk to health.

Determine if adequate arrangement are made for storage, maintenance, cleaning and renewal of the available equipment.

Determine effectiveness of the emergency procedures been formulated to cover for spillage of toxic or dangerous material, fire escape of gases etc.

Find out if there is provision by regular inspection, examination and where necessary, testing to ensure that equipment and its safety devices have not deteriorated.

1.4 Research Questions

Every research work is stirred up as a result of problem situation. In other words, research is a product or an off-shoot of a problem situation. This project is aimed at finding answers to the following questions:

Are the science laboratories in schools safe enough for the users?

Are all equipment up to the necessary standard with respect to safety and risk to health?

Are adequate arrangement made for storage, maintenance, cleaning and renewal of the available equipment?

Have emergency procedures been formulated to cover for example, spillage of toxic or dangerous material, fire escape of gases etc.

Is there provision by regular inspection, examination and where necessary, testing to ensure that equipment and its safety devices have not deteriorated?

1.5 Research Hypothesis

Ho: There are no safety measures for the prevention of laboratory accidents among secondary school biology students.

Ha: There are safety measures for the prevention of laboratory accidents among secondary school biology students.

1.6 Significance of the Study

There is little research work available in Nigeria on the safety of students in the science laboratory. This study was intended to examine science laboratory safety in secondary schools in the County and to help administrators and school system policymakers in reducing dangerous chemical use and implementing responsible chemical management practices. Therefore, the study will give more insights to the school administrators institutionalize safe laboratory practices meant to minimize the incidences of accidents, exposures, and emergency scenarios in schools leading to science laboratory safety. This study focused on broad policy considerations that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends school administrators consider implementing proper management and use of all dangerous chemicals (EPA, 2006).

The study is also significant because the results can be used by schools as a blueprint for the best safety practices that enhance safety among learners in the laboratories. Parents and others in the community interested in school health and safety policies also may use this document to determine whether their children’s schools are effectively minimizing potential exposure to dangerous chemicals and products.

1.7 Scope of the Study

This study will focus on safety measures for the prevention of laboratory accidents among secondary school biology students. The respondents for this study will be obtained from students of some selected secondary schools in Abeokuta.

1.8 Limitations of the Study

Like in every human endeavour, the researchers encountered slight constraints while carrying out the study. The significant constraint was the scanty literature on the subject owing to the nature of the discourse thus the researcher incurred more financial expenses and much time was required in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature, or information and in the process of data collection, which is why the researcher resorted to a limited choice of sample size. Additionally, the researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. More so, the choice of the sample size was limited as few respondent were selected to answer the research instrument hence cannot be generalize to other secondary schools. However, despite the constraint encountered during the research, all factors were downplayed in other to give the best and make the research successful.

1.9 Definition of Terms

Safety

Safety simple means a state of being secure, protected, uninjured, out of danger and not involved in risk. Is a co-efficient of common sense, knowledge of physical, chemical and physiological effects of substances and knowledge of behaviour of human beings.

Precaution

Care taken before an event or accidents in order to prevent it happening or in order to cause it to happen without doing harm.

Chemical

Substance used in or obtained by chemistry.

Procedure

The order or regular way of doing things

1.10 Organization of the Study

The study is categorized into five chapters. The first chapter presents the background of the study, statement of the problem, objective of the study, research questions and hypothesis, the significance of the study, scope/limitations of the study, and definition of terms. The chapter two covers the review of literature with emphasis on conceptual framework, theoretical framework, and empirical review. Likewise, the chapter three which is the research methodology, specifically covers the research design, population of the study, sample size determination, sample size, and selection technique and procedure, research instrument and administration, method of data collection, method of data analysis, validity and reliability of the study, and ethical consideration. The second to last chapter being the chapter four presents the data presentation and analysis, while the last chapter(chapter five) contains the summary, conclusion and recommendation.