Injuries and Other Accidents Sustained In an Agricultural Mechanics Laboratory by Iowa Secondary Agricultural Education Students

Abstract

Incorporating laboratory-based experiences for students requires teachers to become more attentive to student safety concerns. Agricultural mechanics laboratories are an inherently dangerous learning laboratory because of the age and experience level of the learners being introduced to the operation of power mechanics machinery. The theoretical framework that guided this study was the disaster theory. Turner found that a series of man-made disasters presented warning signs, that if acted upon, could have been averted. The purpose of this study was to describe the injuries and other accidents sustained by students in agricultural mechanics laboratories during the past academic year. Furthermore, we sought to determine the types of student injuries, frequency of injuries, who provided medical treatment to the student, and if the school was held financial liable for the injuries. The majority of teachers indicated that they had no accidents in the laboratory that resulted in any type of injuries except for burns. The teachers studied administered some level of medical attention for 110 accidents, which indicates the importance that teachers should be prepared to administer first aid. It is recommended that teachers receive up-to-date training that is administered annually at the state teachers’ association meetings.