ABSTRACT
The study sought to determine the safety skills required by technical college electrical installation 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.
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
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.
However, Okorie (2000) defined skill as a manual dexterity through repetitive performance of an operation. Skill is a well-established habit of doing something and it involves the acquisition of performance capabilities (Osinem 2008). This implies that skill involves well-established habit of doing things. In this study, skill is the
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ability of electrical installation students in Technical colleges to establish good habit performance in the workshop by acting, thinking, and behaving well in order to prevent minor and major accidents that is involving in any operation or job that is related to electrical installation and maintenance work.
Electrical installation is one of the trades in technical colleges. It is made up of the following components, domestic and industrial installation; cable joining; battery charging and repairs and winding of electrical machines (NBTE, 2014). In the view of Nwachukwu, Bakare and Jika (2011), electrical installation trade is a vocational course offered by students in technical colleges in order to produce electrical craftsmen and technicians. Electrical installation student is a person who is taking vocational course offered in technical colleges in order to become electrical craftsman. Nwachukwu (2006), opined that electrical installation students learn the basic skills required to operate, maintain, install and repair electrical installation equipment and appliances in technical colleges.
Technical Colleges according to Okoro (2009), are principal vocational institutions in Nigeria which are designed to prepare the individuals to acquire practical skills, knowledge and attitude at sub-professional level, they are also established to train craftsmen in various occupations. Okorie (2001) also saw Technical College as institutions where craftsmen are trained up to obtain the craft certificate of West African Examination Council and advanced craft certificate. Students who have completed the first three years of secondary school education are eligible for admission into Technical Colleges. Technical Colleges are therefore, schools or training institutions where trades are being taught. It is imperative for technical colleges to take into cognizance the safety skills necessary in handling electrical equipment by students to achieve the set objectives of the program.
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However in this study, technical college is formal place of learning where theory and practical skills are learned by students from the teacher and instructor who give the instruction.
A teacher is a person who had acquired knowledge and had undergone formal training that equipped him/her with required pedagogy for effective transmission of knowledge to the students, Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN, 2002), defined a teacher as a person who had undergone approved professional training in education at the appropriate level and who is capable of imparting knowledge, attitude and skills to the learner. In the context of this study, teacher is a person who is well trained with the required knowledge, skills and pedagogy needed to teach in technical college as a technical teacher. Technical teacher is an individual who had acquired scientific and technological knowledge and skills through formal training on how to impart knowledge to the students. Technical teacher, according to FRN (2004) and Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN, 2002) is a person who is trained in science, industrial technology and pedagogy for imparting knowledge, technical skills and attitudes to the learners. TRCN further explained that qualified technical teachers who are to teach in Nigeria technical colleges must possess a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Technology Education B.ED (Tech). Ogbaunya and Osoro (2009) stated that technical teachers are those who obtained technical training/theories and practice of education that are related to the advancement of knowledge, skills and attitudes among youths, who will later use the knowledge and skills acquired to improve and solve environmental problems. Technical teacher in this study refers to a person who possesses the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to teach electrical subjects to the students.
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According to Hornby (2000), an electrical installation worker is a person who is highly skilled in repair and installation electrical devices. Therefore, electrical installation worker in this study is a person who is highly skilled in repairing, installing and maintaining electrical devices to meet the changing taste or need of the society. Electrical installation worker must possess at least a minimum of National Technical Certificate (NTC) or its equivalent. Electrical installation worker must possess sound knowledge on safety skills for economic gain in any organization, school or industry through the use of equipment, tools as well as machines.
In the view of Simpson (2001), equipment is physical item or tool that can be used to achieve a goal especially if the item is not consumable in the process. Electrical equipment is set of tools and machines used in electrical work. Nwachukwu (2006) described tools as all portable and handy instruments or mechanical devices useful for performing special operations. A tool is a piece of equipment which is used with hands to make or repair something. This can be hand tool or machine tool.
Hand tool is any tool or implement designed for manual operation. Also, it is a tool operated with hand without electricity or other source of power. Chao and Henshaw (2002), opined that hand tools are used manually. They further stated that, hand tools include anything from axes to wrenches. The greatest hazards posed by hand tools result from misuse and improper maintenance. Olaitan, Nwachukwu, Igbo, Onyemachi, and Ekong (1999) viewed hand tools as instruments or devices that can be handled easily while carrying out special operation as well as instructional and learning activities. Therefore, hand tools in this study refer to instruments or devices used to carry out electrical operations manually in the absence of machine tools.
A machine tool is a device consisting of fixed and moving parts that modifies mechanical energy and transmits it in a more useful form (Olusegun, 2003). Machine
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in the view of Mukta (2007) is an apparatus with moving parts for converting mechanical into electrical energy or vice versa such as generator or motor, acting either on electromagnetic or electrostatic principles, but not including stationary apparatus such as transformers. Machines are therefore, mechanical or electrical devices for vocational technical operations. Operating simply means to control the way a system or device works. In this study machine tool operation simply means the activities carried out on a machine to do a work in the workshop