Investigating Chemical Safety Awareness and Practices in Nigerian Schools

Abstract

Chemical safety, a practice of protecting humans and the environment in which they work and live from the deleterious effects of chemical substances, was investigated in this study in Nigerian secondary schools. Using a mixed-method survey, we investigated the awareness level and implementation of the best practices of chemical safety by 1246 senior secondary school chemistry students. Students in rural schools were found to have a lower level of awareness of chemical safety compared to the students in urban schools. Statistically significant differences were found in all except one of the awareness measureswashing hands before practicals and after leaving the chemistry lab. Urban students were more in breach of chemical safety practices than students in rural schools. Most of the observed differences were statistically significant (p < 0.001). Interview (qualitative) data from 20 students show four emerging themes to explain the findings, including a low level of chemistry laboratory resourcing, poor chemical safety training of the teachers, inadequacies in safety tools, charts, and kits, and weak enforcement of safety regulations. Based on the data from the study, recommendations were made for bolstering the awareness level of students in chemical safety and their chemical safety practices. These include the incorporation of chemical safety in the core curriculum, requiring quality assurance entities to enforce resourcing of basic safety equipment to schools, government-directed workshops on the need for chemical safety, and requiring teachers to provide chemical hazards information to students.

Impact of Culturo-Techno-Contextual Approach (CTCA) on Learning Retention: A Study on Nuclear Chemistry

“…A study conducted previously , ranked chemistry concepts in the new chemistry curriculum for secondary schools in Nigeria and Ghana in order of difficulty from the most perceived difficult concept to the least perceived difficult concept. We surveyed 1292 participants from Nigeria and Ghana because both countries use the same chemistry syllabus for senior school certificate examinations.…”

“…In a study previously conducted, they found that teacher sufficiency deficits for delivering online education, low internet service, erratic power supply, and severe shortcomings in infrastructure in schools are some of the factors affecting learning. An on-the-spot evaluation of the state of chemistry laboratories conducted by the authors of ref , in their study, found that a typical chemistry laboratory was thinly resourced with a few reagents in ill-labeled bottles. The preparatory room and store in 83% of the laboratories had glassware and reagents, especially acids, bases, and salts, inappropriately arranged.…”

Evaluating and Promoting Chemical Safety Awareness in the Chemical Sciences

“…32 Peter et al also studied the chemical safety awareness and best practices of 1247 secondary school students in urban and rural Nigerian schools and found that rural area students have lower levels of chemical safety awareness compared to their urban counterparts. 33 These reports necessitate the need to provide adequate training to promote safety, including handling of chemicals and disposal of waste to students and staff in all geographic locations. Menard et al presented several examples focusing on safety culture, safety attitude, safety behavior, safety training, factors contributing to laboratory accident in academia and industry from past 10 years.…”

“…Despite these efforts in the chemical sciences, including the fact that many laboratory courses have been converted to online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, recent literature reports involving laboratory incidents and poor safety culture attitudes. − For example, Artdej has investigated the safety study survey of 27 fourth year undergraduate students enrolled in chemistry laboratory courses and found that most students misunderstood the meaning of hazardous chemicals and faced difficulties in matching the safety signs . Peter et al also studied the chemical safety awareness and best practices of 1247 secondary school students in urban and rural Nigerian schools and found that rural area students have lower levels of chemical safety awareness compared to their urban counterparts . These reports necessitate the need to provide adequate training to promote safety, including handling of chemicals and disposal of waste to students and staff in all geographic locations.…”

Secondary School Students' Knowledge and Views on Laboratory Safety

“…Most of the students do not know what must/must not be done during laboratory studies, and they have already expressed this view in the previous question. Okebukola et al (2020) investigated the awareness level and implementation of the best practices of chemical safety by senior secondary school chemistry students in Nigerian. Students in rural schools were found to have a lower level of awareness of chemical safety than the students in urban schools.…”