Extent of awareness of safety rules and regulations in science labboratories in secondary schools in ebonyi state

The research study investigated the extent of awareness of safety rules and regulations in science laboratories in secondary schools in Ebonyi State. It investigated the extent science students in rural and urban secondary schools in Ebonyi State are aware of safety rules and regulations in science laboratories. The researchers used 45 secondary schools selected through stratified random sampling technique, SS3 classes selected using purposive sampling technique and 900 students selected through random sampling. The researchers adopted a descriptive survey design. A 23-item, four-point scale structured questionnaire was developed by the researchers to enable them collect data for the study. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while t-test was used to test the hypothesis at 0.05 alpha level of significance. Results of data analysis showed that the extent to which science students in secondary schools in the rural areas are aware of safety rules and regulations in the laboratory is high, while the extent to which the students in secondary schools in urban areas are aware of safety rules and regulations in science laboratory is very high. Based on the findings of the study, the researchers recommended that science students should ensure that they observe safety rules and regulations, that school authorities should put machineries in motion to enforce the observance of safety rules and regulations and that the state government should enact laws on the observance of safety rules and regulations in science laboratories in the state. Ebonyi State government should ensure that science teachers are posted proportionally to all secondary schools in the State.