Agricultural Mechanics Lab Safety Practices in South Texas

Abstract

A pressing concern in all agricultural mechanics courses is safety. Lab activities have an inherent propensity to cause serious injury. The safety practices which are taught by teachers are largely dependent on the equipment in the laboratory and the resources available to the program. Various researchers have indicated that problems have existed in the safety instruction of agricultural mechanics for some time. This study sought to determine how safety is taught, what equipment instructors use and attitudes towards teaching safety of agricultural mechanics teachers. The majority of instructors were certified in first aid and felt confident to use that training in the event of an emergency. The average teacher was found to teach high enrollment labs and furnished at no cost to the student eye protection in the form of safety glasses with side shields. It was found that teachers agreed that safety instruction in the lab was important, especially involving power tools, electricity, and industrial quality eye protection. Agricultural programs should be evaluated regularly for inadequate conditions that may exist in facilities, equipment, and safety. Additional research is needed targeting what barriers potentially exist with teachers using recommended safety practices in the instruction of agricultural mechanics.