EVALUATION OF THE EXTENT OF IMPLEMENTATION OF SAFETY PRACTICES IN BIOLOGY LABORATORIES IN ENUGU EDUCATION ZONE

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1 EVLUTION OF THE EXTENT OF IMPMENTTION OF SFETY PRCTICES IN BIOLOGY LBORTORIES IN ENUGU EDUCTION ZONE Olive I. Neboh, (Ph.D) bstract The study was set to evaluate the extent of implementation of safety Practices in Biology Laboratories in Enugu Education Zone. Three research questions guided the study. The design adopted was the survey research design. The population were all the Biology teachers and students in the zone numbering 109 and 5056 respectively. Simple random sampling was adopted to sample 0 students from the 25 sampled schools and all the 85 teachers in the sampled schools were used. The instrument was made up of 3 parts. Part and B were checklist, while Part C was a structured questionnaire, all with four point rating scale. The instrument was duly validated and reliability carried out, with a correlation score of 1.79, using Cronbach lpha correlation coefficient. The data were analyzed using the mean statistics. From the result it was found that some of the design, fittings and equipments were in the laboratory to ensure safety while others were not. gain most students do not implement the safety practices. Based on these findings some recommendations were made. Biology is an important science subject and a crucial subject for science and technological development of any Nation (li, 2001). The essence of biology as a scientific subject lies in the fact that it is concerned with life processes and encompasses all biological sciences. Biology leads to proper understanding of the world around us, including its infinite natural resources. This is necessary for the realization of a healthy, productive and happy life which should be the ultimate aim of education (jayi, 2004). Having this at the back of our minds, the teaching and learning of biology should be accomplished with hands on activities as it forms the background to the study of a good number of applied sciences. These hands on activities facilitates the acquisition of the science process skills. For the proper development of these process skills, there must be a lot of laboratory activities. In the work of li (1988) it was clearly stated that process skills in science and scientific inquiry skills are better fostered through laboratory teaching methods than any other method. The amount of interest and learning that results from experimentation type of teaching is superior to and far more exciting than any of the formal methods of teaching science (li, 1988). Practical demonstrations help in enhancing concept acquisition in pupils and in the long run, help to reduce the degree of abstraction usually ascribe to the The Nigerian Journal of Research and Production Volume 19 No 2, November,

2 Olive I. Neboh, (Ph.D) sciences (chunine, 1998). The laboratory thus, become an important educational medium of achieving this goal. laboratory is often seen as a place where experiments in science are carried out (li, 1998). The biology laboratory is a room or a building in a school, college etc set aside for scientific investigation and conduction of practical activities in biology. The central role of laboratory instructions as identified by Voss (1982) is to provide illustrations of some basic principles and to teach the students the application of the principles so acquired. high quality biology laboratory programme enables students to develop good judgments self reliance, critical thinking, technical, analytical as well as manipulative skills through personal contact with apparatus and materials (jayi, 2004). Clark and Neave (1992) reported that laboratories are potentially dangerous places and only constant vigilance and efficient working techniques by all those using them can ensure that accident do not occur. laboratory needs to be well organized so that a climate for investigating scientific concepts will exists. Such a climate ensures that the laboratory is safe for those using it. Since laboratory environment is for man, accidents and injuries are bound to occur. Therefore the teacher and all that are concerned in any science laboratory are responsibly committed to teaching his/her students how to handle chemicals and materials, so as to bring about reactions and/or results in a safe manner. ccording to Bryd (1994) any curriculum established on the needs of the child must inevitably give attention to the field of safety or be guilty of neglecting learning experiences of the greatest possible significant. The emphasis in safety practices should be upon practical ways of preserving life. Most of the accidents, hazards, injuries that occurs in our secondary schools biology laboratory result from; - Inadequate knowledge of safety rules. - Insufficient skills where in persons attempt what is beyond their ability level. - Improper attitude or carelessness. The teacher should endeavour to inculcate safety knowledge and practices into their students, so that they can develop a philosophy of safety that emphasizes positive rather than negative habits (Bryd, 1994). Safety practices can be explained to mean the process of averting danger. (Hornby, 2003). It is obvious that anyone who is not safety conscious stands the greatest risk of turning a minor hazard into an accident which could be fatal. On this note, Bryd (1994) outlined some safety practices which include - Development of habits which will prevent accidents. - Developing habits which will lead to happier healthier living. standard laboratory should have certain specified safety rules and regulations as well as safety facilities like fume cupboards, eye goggles, fire extinguisher, etc that ensure safety of the students before allowing them to work in the laboratory. 2

3 Evaluation of the Extent of Implementation of Safety Practices in Biology Laboratories In Enugu Education Zone s appropriate safety practices can reduce tremendously the rate of accidents and hence guarantee the safety of lives. There is then the need to evaluate the extent to which these safety practices are being implemented in our biology laboratory; hence this study. Objective of the Study The objective of this study is to evaluate the extent to which laboratory safety practices are being implemented in secondary school biology laboratories. Specifically the study seeks to find out 1. the extent to which the general design and fittings of biology laboratories are relevant to safety. 2. the extent of availability of safety equipment and materials in biology laboratories. 3. the extent to which students implement the safety practices. Research Questions The following research questions guided the study: 1. To what extent do the type of design and fittings in the biology laboratories appropriate to ensure safety. 2. To what extent are safety equipments available in the biology laboratories. 3. To what extent do secondary school biology students implement safety practices during practical sessions. Methods The design of the study was the survey design. The study was conducted in secondary schools in Enugu Education Zone of Enugu State. The zone is made up of three Local Government reas with thirty seven (37) secondary schools. The population for the study consisted of 5056 Senior Secondary School Students and 109 biology teachers. Simple random sampling technique was used to select twenty five (25) schools in the zone with 2917 students, out of which all the eighty five (85) biology teachers were used and three hundred (0) students were sampled. The instrument used for data collection was checklist used for research questions 1 and 2 while a structured questionnaire was asked for research question 3. Both the checklist and the questionnaire were face and content validated by lecturers in the department of Science and Computer Education in Enugu State University of Science and Technology. The checklist was a four point rating scale, assigned numerical values as follows. The respondents were acquainted with the fact that: For Research Question I Very ppropriate (V) - 4 -Fittings are appropriate over % and above Just ppropriate (J) - 3 -Fittings are appropriate between 59% - % 3

4 Olive I. Neboh, (Ph.D) ppropriate () - 2 -Fittings are appropriate between 39% - 1% Not ppropriate (N) -1 -Not appropriate at all (0%) For Research Question II Very vailable (V) 4 -Safety equipment are available over % and above Just vailable (J) 3 - Safety equipment are available between 59% - % Barely vailable (B) 2 -Safety equipment are available between 39% - 1% Not vailable () 1 - Not available at all (0%) For research question III, the response type is Very Great Extent (VGE) -4, Great Extent (GE) 3, Little Extent () 2, and Very Little Extent (V) 1. The reliability of the instrument was also determined by administering the instruments to teachers and students from gbani Education Zone using Cronbach lpha, the correlation coefficient was The instruments were administered directly to the teachers in their various schools. There was 100% return. The data collected were analyzed using mean. The mean of 2.50 and above was regarded as positive while mean below 2.50 was taken as negative. Result Table I: Teachers response on the extent to which the following fittings and designs were appropriate in ensuring safety in the laboratories. N 85 S/N V J N _ Decision Storage facilities Displaying shelves Position of the demonstration table Fitting of the laboratory windows Quantity and fitting of laboratory doors Electrical wiring and fittings Water pipings Position of the sinks Gas fittings Position of the gas cylinder Laboratory flooring X Grand Mean 2.72 NP 4

5 Evaluation of the Extent of Implementation of Safety Practices in Biology Laboratories In Enugu Education Zone From table I above it can be seen that most teachers saw biology laboratory fittings and design as appropriate with mean scores of above The only exceptions were in the area of electrical wiring & fittings, water piping and laboratory flooring which had mean scores below Show that the biology teacher were of the opinion that most of the fittings and designs in the biology laboratory were appropriate for safety. Table II: Teachers response on the availability of safety equipment in the biology laboratories N 85 S/N V J B _ Decision First id kits Sand buckets Fire extinguishers Hand gloves Safety goggles Displayed safety rules and regulations Trash bins X Grand Mean 2. From table II above, it can be seen that some of the safety equipments were not available, these include first aid kits, hand gloves and safety goggles while some are available, giving a grand mean of The indication is that there were not enough safety equipments in the biology laboratories. Table III: Student response on the extent of implementing safety practices in the biology laboratories N 0 S/N VGE GE V _ Decision Wearing of laboratory coats Wearing of safety goggles Wearing of hand gloves Washing of hands before and after practicals Taking precautions to avoid spills Using only properly labeled materials Tying back long hair in the laboratory voidance of eating and drinking in the laboratory X Grand Mean 2.39 GE GE 5

6 Olive I. Neboh, (Ph.D) Table 3 above indicated that students do not implement safety practices in biology laboratory. part from washing their hands and tying of long hairs, which had mean scores of above 2.50, other practices had mean scores of less than This is also confirmed by the grand mean of This showed that students do not implement safety practices in the laboratory. Discussion The findings of this study indicated that some of the fittings, designs and safety equipments in our biology laboratory are not suited for safety. However there is an indication from the study that some ensures safety. This is in line with report from jayi (2004) who agreed that lack of laboratory space and equipment happen to be one of the obstacles to effective instruction in the laboratory. s Ritch and Rank (2003) suggested that safety equipments must be available in the laboratories to facilitate teaching and learning of Biology concept. From the findings also there is an indication that students do not observe safety practices. This is hazardous to their safety in the laboratory. Ritch and Rank (2003) also pointed out that students should wear adequate protective equipment especially when experiments involving hazardous chemicals or procedures are conducted. Conclusion s one of the objectives of science education is that every student should explore concepts in science through inquiry and problem solving. This objective cannot be achieved without students having the opportunity to carry out experimental work in science. This then calls attention to ensuring the safety of all laboratory users; hence the need to ensure that all laboratory design, fitting and equipments are geared towards maintaining safety in the laboratory. Moreover students should be guided in implementing safety practices in the laboratory. Recommendations Based on the findings, it will be necessary if certain steps are taken in the direction of ensuring safety in the biology laboratories. Students should be educated on the observance of safety practices; the school authority and government should ensure that the needed fittings design and safety equipments are supplied to the biology laboratories to ensure safety of laboratory users. In addition experienced laboratory attendants should be employed instead of drafting clerical assistants to act as laboratory attendants. References chunine, B. C. (1998). Problems and challenges of science education. STN Journal 26(3)

7 Evaluation of the Extent of Implementation of Safety Practices in Biology Laboratories In Enugu Education Zone jayi, D. O. (2004). n investigation of pre-service teacher s errors in biology practicals: case study. Proceedings of th STN Conference li,. (1998). Publications. Fundamentals of research in education. kwa: Meks li,. (2001). Strategic issues and trends in science education in frica. Onitsha: Cape Publications. Bryd, C. (1994). Working safely with chemical in the laboratories. London Macmillan Publications. Clark, C. & Neave, D. (1992). Laboratory organisation and administration. London: Macmillan Publication. Hornby, J. B. (2003). Life safety. New Delhi: Vikas Publishers. Ritch, O. & Rank, C. (2003). Safety questions. Journal of merican Chemical Society. SS (3) 5 7. Voss, D. (1982). Standard safety precautions. ustralia: Pergamon Press. 7

CADMIUM SELENIDE SAFETY DATA SHEET DATE OF LAST REVISION: 011/07/14. Section 1: Identification

CADMIUM SELENIDE SAFETY DATA SHEET DATE OF LAST REVISION: 011/07/14. Section 1: Identification Section 1: Identification CADMIUM SELENIDE DATE OF LAST REVISION: 011/07/14 Product Name: Cadmium Selenide CAS Number: 1306-24-7 / EC Number: 215-148-3 Company: Angstrom Sciences, Inc. 40 South Linden