SAFETY SKILLS REQUIRED BY TECHNICAL COLLEGE ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION STUDENTS IN HANDLING EQUIPMENT

The study sought to determine the safety skills required by technical college students in handling equipment. The study was carried out in Plateau and Kaduna States. A survey research design was employed for the study. The population for the study was 80 comprising of 39 electrical installation teachers and 41 electrical installation workers in the field. The entire population was used for the study. A structured questionnaire item was used for collecting data from the respondent. Four research questions were developed to guide the study and four null hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. Mean and standard deviation were used to analyze the data for answering research questions while t-test for independent samples was used to test the null hypothesis of no significant difference at 0.05 level of significance. It was found out that all the safety skills identified in handling hand tools, operating machine tools, workshop safety and the personal protective equipment are required by electrical installation students in technical colleges for effective functioning in the workshop. It was recommended that all the safety skills identified should be integrated into the curriculum of electrical installation trade at technical college level.

Occupational safety is of paramount concern to both workers and students. Students and even parents are much more interested in the level of safety provided in a particular occupation. Graduates who possess required safety skills would always fair better in an occupation, especially technical occupations. The knowledge of safety practice skills by electrical installation students in technical colleges is an essential prerequisite for effective use of tools and machines in the workshop. Skilled electrical worker is not just someone who can perform any electrical job correctly but a worker who can complete every job safely (Oranu, Nwoke and Ogwo 2002). Safety has become a major determinant for effective and successful performance in a job.

In the view of Olaitan, Nwachukwu, Igbo, Onyeamaechi and Ekon (1999), safety is the art of taking precaution for the avoidance or reduction of accidents in order to protect people and property. Oranu, Nkowe and Ogwo (2002) further view safety as the ability to perform every simple task involved in a job without causing damage to tools, equipment or materials used in performing the task. Safety practice is the ability to perform a task with necessary precautionary measures exhibited for the purpose of preventing accidents. Practice means doing something repeatedly in order to improve performance. For students to perform a task with little or no record of accidents in electrical workshop, certain related skills are required by them.