Accident Occurrences and Safety Issues Reported by Mid-Atlantic P-12 Engineering Educators

Laboratory safety poses inherent legal and ethical responsibilities that all engineering education programs in the United States (U.S.) must address. However, developing safer habits in the creation and testing of engineering design solutions starts long before students enter post-secondary engineering education programs. P-12 engineering education programs are a critical partner to develop greater safety awareness and safer habits among prospective engineers and our future workforce. This research utilized data from a national safety study involving 718 P-12 engineering educators from 42 U.S. states, specifically focusing on the subsample of 117 teachers from middle Atlantic (mid-Atlantic) states. Analyses found mid-Atlantic P-12 engineering educators reported a significantly higher rate of accident occurrences during a five year span in comparison to educators in other regions of the U.S. Further analyses identified numerous safety factors that were significantly associated with accident occurrences in mid-Atlantic P-12 engineering education courses. Additionally, significant differences were discovered regarding the types of items involved in accidents, and the occurrence of accidents within different types of P-12 engineering education courses. This research has direct implications for ensuring students entering post-secondary engineering education programs have a greater understanding of safety policies, practices, and ethics. Furthermore, identifying such gaps in safety practices at the P-12 level can assist higher education programs with focusing their safety instruction on the areas of greatest need for incoming engineering students. This can also help inform collaborate efforts among post-secondary engineering education programs, P-12 engineering education programs, and industry partners to address gaps in safety relative to engineering instruction.