Abstract

The study sought to assess Strategies for improving the implementation of Safety Practices in Technical Workshop/Laboratory in Government Technical College Malali Kaduna. The specific purposes of the study were to investigate the causes of accident in the Technical workshop in Technical Colleges In Kaduna Inspectorate, examine the types of accidents and their frequency of occurrence in the Technical workshop/laboratory, identify the measures that could be taken to reduce the rate of accident in Technical workshop /laboratory and ascertain the strategies to be adopted to improve student’s obedience to safety enforcement in the Technical workshop /laboratory. Four research questions were design and used to guide this study. The population of the study is 750 respondents of which 10% of the population was sampled which are 75. The study adopted descriptive survey research design and the area of study is Government Technical College Malali Kaduna. The test retest method was used to establish the reliability of the instrument and the Pearson Product Moment Correlation coeffiecient was used to calculate the reliability coefficient. Mean statistics was employed to analyse the data. The summary of the findings for this study revealed that Carelessness of Students in the Workshop is a major cause of accident in Technical Workshop/Laboratory, Improper dress contribute immensely to accidents in Technical Workshop, Burn from hot metal frequently occur in Technical Workshop and Maintenance of Workshop tools and equipment will reduce the rate of accident occurrence in Technical workshop/Laboratory. Based on the findings, recommendations were made which include that Student should be more careful in Technical Workshop/Laboratory, Student should use personal protective equipment where necessary, Schools management should ensure that tools and facilities are adequately maintained in the Technical Workshop/Laboratory of Government Technical College Malali Kaduna , New Students in Technical Workshop/Laboratory should be given safety orientation before they start using the Workshop/Laboratory of Government Technical College Malali Kaduna among others.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

It is an indisputable fact that where ever work is done with machine or hand tools there is likelihood of accident occurring causing injuries to people, damages to machine, tools and materials in such a work place. Alake, (1998) . This accident may be caused by the workers act or omissions, in technical schools workshops/laboratory being equipped with a variety of tools and machine for teaching and learning process.

          These schools full of inexperienced people with much hope need to be protected and prevented from engaging in acts capable of causing accidents. As a result, safety rules and regulation must be devised and enforced for their smooth interaction and operation. They should be encouraged in any way deemed feasible to observe these rules and regulations. This safe working habit if imbibed in Technical schools workshop would serve as role model to other institutions within the state. As such, some of these rules and regulations are going to be carefully analysed in this research work/study as personal safety, safety at the bench, safety on machines and general Technical workshop safety which we all believe that it would be of immense importance to Technical Schools personnel. Remember, it is better to be safe anywhere anytime than to be sorry as people would choose to sympathize with victims of accidents even when the victims are the cause of such accidents. Alake, (1998)

          According to Sara (2004) accident is an unexpected event that occurs resulting to interruption of the completion of activity. Accidents have serious effect upon the individual worker equipment, materials and production output. It causes significant loss of time to the establishment, working hours and time to attend to the victim. Jain (2008) pointed out that accident effect the family of its victim causing on anxiety] to members. It became worst if the accident is fatal and result to death of its victim, his skills is lost forever, his family is indirectly broken up, and his place in the Technical workshop/laboratory may take some time or years To be filled by a substitute This increases a burden on the establishment where he worked and the society at large.

          Onuash 2004 stated that safety consciousness includes attitude or industrial awareness of hazard and danger in handling tools, equipment and materials so as to avoid accident in Technical workshop.

          However accident can be avoided by taking certain measures of safety precautions, the concern of this investigation is to assess the extent to which safety practices are being carried out by technical student in general Technical workshop/laboratory in Technical Colleges in Kaduna Inspectorate.

It has been observed that a lot of accident that occur in the workshops or industrial because of what Alake (1998), referred to as lack of safety awareness among workers in both work shops and industrials. The workshop which is the black bone of any functional technical education is according to simpson (1998) home of all kinds of materials, the workshop which is the back bone of any functional technical education is according to simpson (1998) home of all kinds of materials, equipment and tools and machines that move during the process. These pose a danger not only to stop workers but materials, tools machinery and installation it has became of paramount importance that students should develop good safety consciousness.

Safety consciousness could be defined as the mental awareness of an individual which serve as a guide for his conduct behaviors and event actions to the end that he will be free from injury accident or danger jodas, (2015). It could also mean mental or emotional guide for personal conduct working and living in highly mechanized world.

Alake, (1988) further stated that safety consciousness of hazard and danger in handling tools, equipment, and materials so as to avoid accident in workshop. Jadas, (2015) stressed that safety consciousness simply means awareness of hazard and alertness to danger. Is an unexpected event that occurs resulting to interruption of the completion of activity as coked by ajasafe etal (1997) stressed that it is not necessary injury and death to person. Accident are caused by unsafe act of person, unsafe mechanical conditions and unsafe environmental condition or hazards and all students are more accident  Jadas, (2015). They can however, be avoided with proper knowledge, skill, and positive safety attitude on the part of individual in the workshop.

Statement of the Problem      

        The implementation of safety practice in workshop/laboratory in Technical Colleges in Kaduna Inspectorate is low, considering the rate of awareness and knowledge of safety itself.

    Despite the level of precautions taken there seem to be loop holes in the implementation of safety precaution in Technical workshop/laboratory.

          Improper implementation of safety precaution in Technical workshops/laboratory can be very hazardous leading to even loss of life. Inadequate implementation of safety precaution causes damages to workshop/laboratory equipments and machines can cause Injury to persons.

Onuaha (2004) described carelessness of students as one of the common factors that contribute to accidents in the Technical workshop resulting to injuries of various degrees and damages to equipment and tools.

It has been also observed that students carelessness and improper behaviour is one of major causes of accidents in schools technical workshops, hence the need for this study, Strategies for Improving Safety Practices in Technical Workshops and Laboratories of Government Technical Malali, Kaduna.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study is to identify Strategies for Improving Safety Practices in Technical Workshops and Laboratories of Government Technical Malali, Kaduna. Specifically, the study is centered towards:

1.   To investigate the causes of accident in the Technical workshop in Technical Colleges In Kaduna Inspectorate.

2.   To examine the types of accidents and their frequency of occurrence in the Technical workshop/laboratory.

3.   To identify the measures that could be taken to reduce the rate of accident in Technical workshop /laboratory

4.  To ascertain the strategies to be adopted to improve student’s obedience to safety enforcement in the Technical workshop / laboratory.

Significance of the Study

The finding of this study will be of immense benefit to:

–  The students of the Technical College to understand the importance of rules and regulations because it will assist in the Technical workshop/laboratory. The students of Technical Colleges should obey safety rules and regulation in Technical workshop/laboratory to reduce accidents to the minimum.

–  The Technical workshop/laboratory instructors would benefit from the study since there are strategies that could be adopted to improve safety enforcement in the Technical workshop/laboratory.

–  Educational researchers would also benefit from the study since it provides more researchable recommendations.

–  Student will benefit from this study, by providing guidelines for obeying rules and regulations in Technical workshop/laboratory.

Research Questions

The following research questions were formulated to guide the study:

1. What are the major causes of accident in Technical workshop/laboratory of Technical Colleges in Kaduna Inspectorate?

2. What is the nature of accident that frequently occurs in Technical workshop/laboratory of Technical Colleges in Kaduna Inspectorate?

3. How could accident be prevented in Technical workshop/laboratory of Technical Colleges in Kaduna Inspectorate.

4. What are the strategies to be employed in improving safety precautions to students in the Technical workshop/laboratory?

Scope of the Study

The study will be conducted in Government Technical College Malali Kaduna Inspectorate. It is limited to the safety practices in the Workshop/Laboratory of this College.