GASPRO International Journal of Eminent Scholars

ABSTRACT
The study assessed the availability of workshop safety equipment in Technical Colleges in
Akwa Ibom State. The population of the study consisted of 126 teachers in the five public
Technical Colleges in Akwa Ibom State. A sample of 75 teachers were randomly selected
from the Technical Colleges. One research questions was formulated to guide the study and
survey design was adopted for the study. The instrument for data collection was a
questionnaire and was validated by three experts. The reliability of the instrument was
ascertained using Cronbach Alpha statistics which yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.83.
Data collected were analysed using mean and standard deviation. The findings of the study
showed that Fire extinguishers, Helmets, Hand gloves, Face shields, Safety goggles, Safety
footwear, Ear plugs, Coverall, Acoustic foam, Filter respirators, Lightweight respirators,
powered respirators, Elbow and wrist supports needed in the five Technical Colleges
workshops are not available to support training. Based on the findings of the study, it was
concluded that Federal, State, Local government and NGO’s should fund and support safety
programmes through supply of safety equipment, provision of research grants and textbooks
and journals in order to enhance staff good performance in handling safety equipment. The
findings of the study future stressed that curriculum reform should emphasize mandatory use
of personal protective equipment by technical teachers and students before carrying out any
practical work in Technical Colleges workshops in Akwa Ibom State.
KEYWORDS: Technical Colleges, Safety Equipment and Availability