Safety Training Effectiveness in Labs at CSU San Marcos: A Pilot Study

Safety training is designed to inform laboratory workers of the risks and safety measures in place along with the identification of potential hazards with a view to reducing potential hazards and maintaining public health integrity and economic interests. The goal of this pilot study was to measure the effectiveness of a safety training program using pre- and post-test questionnaires for selected undergraduate students enrolled in Fall 2018 laboratories at the California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) main campus. The 1.5-hour safety training was delivered on two separate occasions using prepared PowerPoint slides in collaboration with an Environmental Health and Safety Specialist (EHS) from CSUSM’s Office of Safety, Health & Sustainability (SHS). The results showed that the average pre-test safety training scores were an average of 56% when compared to the average post-test safety training scores of 74%. The difference between the pre- and post-tests represented an 18% increase in knowledge among this group of students. In addition, all the students (n=9) correctly answered the post-test question related to the identification of Safety Data Sheet components and the importance of fume hood used in the laboratory. Approximately 31% and 62% of the pre- and post-test questions were correctly answered at or above an average score of 70%. Overall, students took an average of 7 minutes to complete the pre-test and 5 minutes to complete the post-test questions. The results of this pilot study suggests that the 1.5-hour safety training program showed promise as being an effective means of delivering and increasing knowledge of laboratory safety for this group of students.. It is recommended that future studies on the effectiveness of laboratory safety training should be delivered with questionnaires purposefully designed to evaluate participants’ perception of safety training materials based on adequately designed longitudinal studies to account for the effectiveness of safety training over a specified period of time.