Lab Safety Awareness in Incident and Near-miss Reporting by Students Participating in Engineering Societies: A Case Study

Audrey Erin Concepcion; Ryan Hekker; Ean H. Ng; Chukwudiebube Atagbuzia; Thomas L Doyle; Jenette K Paul

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Conference: 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Baltimore , Maryland
Publication Date: June 25, 2023
Start Date: June 25, 2023
End Date: June 28, 2023
Conference Session: Experimentation and Laboratory-Oriented Studies Division (ELOS) Technical Session 2: Manurfacturing, Simulation, Safety, and Technical Writing
Tagged Division: Experimentation and Laboratory-Oriented Studies Division (DELOS)
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Page Count: 17
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--43924
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/43924
Download Count: 456

Ean H. Ng is an assistant professor of Industrial Engineering at Oregon State University. She received her Ph.D. in Systems and Engineering Management from Texas Tech University. Her research interests include engineering economic analysis, high reliability organization, safety engineering, peer effects in workplace safety, and performance measurement.

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Chukwudiebube Atagbuzia

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Thomas L Doyle Oregon State University

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Jenette K Paul Oregon State University

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Abstract

Academic laboratory safety has gained considerable attention from researchers and research institution administrators since several high-profile incidents in the late 2000’s. Another part of student learning in engineering, though informal, occurs in co-curricular activity such as engineering societies and team competitions where students conduct hands-on activities to achieve certain objectives, usually with minimal (if any) authoritative figures in presence. The safety aspect of these co-curricular activities remains unexamined in research literature. Even though students were taught and practiced safety procedures and behavior during formal classroom labs, whether the safety knowledge and practices transfer to the informal setting remains unknown.

The objective of this preliminary study is to examine students’ safety knowledge and behavior while conducting these hands-on activities without formal supervision. The study employs a qualitative approach which begins with an informational form of student society leaders to identify student societies that involve hazardous activities and subsequent in-depth interviews with societies to assess their safety approaches. The results show that there is a knowledge gap among the students in terms of what events qualify as an incident or a near-miss, and the need to report incidents and near-misses that occur during their society’s activities. In addition to the lack of knowledge on incidents and near-misses, the fear of punishment and the unease to speak up when they see unsafe behavior exhibited by their peers also contribute to the lack of reporting.

Even though lab safety knowledge is taught and practiced in lab-based courses, the case study results show that students that use labs for student society activities may need consistent reminders and nudges to practice safe behavior and be diligent in reporting safety incidents and near-misses. In addition, students may need encouragement and empowerment during formal lab-courses to speak up when they observe unsafe practices, as they might have been conditioned to rely on authority figures (instructor or TA) in lab-courses to monitor and verbally remind students to use proper safety procedures and practices.

Citation
Format

Concepcion, A. E., & Hekker, R., & Ng, E. H., & Atagbuzia, C., & Doyle, T. L., & Paul, J. K. (2023, June), Lab Safety Awareness in Incident and Near-miss Reporting by Students Participating in Engineering Societies: A Case Study Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--43924

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Academic laboratory safety has gained considerable attention from researchers and research institution administrators since several high-profile incidents in the late 2000’s. Another part of student learning in engineering, though informal, occurs in co-curricular activity such as engineering societies and team competitions where students conduct hands-on activities to achieve certain objectives, usually with minimal (if any) authoritative figures in presence. The safety aspect of these co-curricular activities remains unexamined in research literature. Even though students were taught and practiced safety procedures and behavior during formal classroom labs, whether the safety knowledge and practices transfer to the informal setting remains unknown.

The objective of this preliminary study is to examine students’ safety knowledge and behavior while conducting these hands-on activities without formal supervision. The study employs a qualitative approach which begins with an informational form of student society leaders to identify student societies that involve hazardous activities and subsequent in-depth interviews with societies to assess their safety approaches. The results show that there is a knowledge gap among the students in terms of what events qualify as an incident or a near-miss, and the need to report incidents and near-misses that occur during their society’s activities. In addition to the lack of knowledge on incidents and near-misses, the fear of punishment and the unease to speak up when they see unsafe behavior exhibited by their peers also contribute to the lack of reporting.

Even though lab safety knowledge is taught and practiced in lab-based courses, the case study results show that students that use labs for student society activities may need consistent reminders and nudges to practice safe behavior and be diligent in reporting safety incidents and near-misses. In addition, students may need encouragement and empowerment during formal lab-courses to speak up when they observe unsafe practices, as they might have been conditioned to rely on authority figures (instructor or TA) in lab-courses to monitor and verbally remind students to use proper safety procedures and practices.
AU  - Audrey Erin Concepcion
AU  - Ryan Hekker
AU  - Ean H. Ng
AU  - Chukwudiebube Atagbuzia
AU  - Thomas L Doyle
AU  - Jenette K Paul
CY  - Baltimore , Maryland
DA  - 2023/06/25
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Lab Safety Awareness in Incident and Near-miss Reporting by Students Participating in Engineering Societies: A Case Study
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/43924
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--43924
ER  -