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Accident Occurrences and Safety Issues Reported by Mid-Atlantic P-12 Engineering Educators

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Conference

ASEE Middle Atlantic 2022 Fall Conference

Location

Middletown, Pennsylvania

Publication Date

November 11, 2022

Start Date

November 11, 2022

End Date

February 25, 2024

Page Count

15

DOI

10.18260/1-2--44676

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/44676

Download Count

161

Paper Authors

biography

Tyler S. Love Penn State University, Harrisburg Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0002-1161-1443

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Dr. Love earned his master's and Ph.D. in Integrative STEM Education from Virginia Tech. His bachelors degree is in Technology Education from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. He previously taught technology and engineering (T&E) courses in Maryland’s Public School System. He is nationally recognized for his work related to the safer design of makerspaces and collaborative STEM labs. Dr. Love is an Authorized OSHA Trainer for General Industry. He has also served on committees at state and national levels that developed P-12 engineering education standards. In recognition of his work, Dr. Love has received awards from professional organizations such as the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association. Prior to Dr. Love's employment at Penn State University's Capital Campus he was a tenured associate professor and program coordinator of T&E education at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

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Abstract

Laboratory safety poses inherent legal and ethical responsibilities that all engineering education programs in the United States (U.S.) must address. However, developing safer habits in the creation and testing of engineering design solutions starts long before students enter post-secondary engineering education programs. P-12 engineering education programs are a critical partner to develop greater safety awareness and safer habits among prospective engineers and our future workforce. This research utilized data from a national safety study involving 718 P-12 engineering educators from 42 U.S. states, specifically focusing on the subsample of 117 teachers from middle Atlantic (mid-Atlantic) states. Analyses found mid-Atlantic P-12 engineering educators reported a significantly higher rate of accident occurrences during a five year span in comparison to educators in other regions of the U.S. Further analyses identified numerous safety factors that were significantly associated with accident occurrences in mid-Atlantic P-12 engineering education courses. Additionally, significant differences were discovered regarding the types of items involved in accidents, and the occurrence of accidents within different types of P-12 engineering education courses. This research has direct implications for ensuring students entering post-secondary engineering education programs have a greater understanding of safety policies, practices, and ethics. Furthermore, identifying such gaps in safety practices at the P-12 level can assist higher education programs with focusing their safety instruction on the areas of greatest need for incoming engineering students. This can also help inform collaborate efforts among post-secondary engineering education programs, P-12 engineering education programs, and industry partners to address gaps in safety relative to engineering instruction.

Love, T. S. (2022, November), Accident Occurrences and Safety Issues Reported by Mid-Atlantic P-12 Engineering Educators Paper presented at ASEE Middle Atlantic 2022 Fall Conference, Middletown, Pennsylvania. 10.18260/1-2--44676

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