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original ARTICLE
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Vocational colleges are part of educational institutions where the students are dealing with real work-
place hazards and safety and health risk. There are numerous potential hazards and health risk that vocational
students are exposed to during their learning process. This study determined level of KAP toward safety and health
risk among vocational colleges students beside looking at the relationship between those domains. Methods: A
cross-sectional survey was performed involving 289 final year students of diploma level from 20 different courses.
Respondents were selected using simple random sampling. Knowledge, attitude and practice on safety and health
risks were assessed through a self-administered questionnaire. Data were tabulated and analysed using SPSS version
25.0. Results: Generally, the students had moderate level of knowledge and high level of attitude and practice; Me-
dian (IQR) of 25.24(4), 90.24(16), 121.6(14) respectively. There was significant strong positive correlation between
knowledge, attitude, and practice; knowledge and attitude (r=0.823), knowledge and practice (r=0.792), and attitude
and practice (r=0.877) (p≤0.05). For use of personal protective equipment (PPE), 68.5% of the students complied and
were not distracted by the presence of them. Conclusion: Delivery methods of information must be developed and
initiated to increase knowledge regarding safety and health risk among the students beside increasing their compli-
ance of PPE and confidence in reporting any accident in the workshop.
Keywords: Physical hazards, Education, TVET, Safety and health risks, Vocational colleges
Corresponding Author: among the students during practical sessions (1-3). This
Noraini Abdul Ghafar, Ph.D. information highlighted the importance of knowledge,
Email: norainiag@usm.my attitude, and practices (KAP) towards safety and health
Tel: +609-767 7837 risk especially in vocational setting where the students
experience real workplace training and practices on
INTRODUCTION daily basis.
Vocational colleges (VC) are part of educational Based on current literature, studies regarding KAP among
institutions where the students are dealing with real students documented inconsistent findings. A study in
workplace hazards and safety issue. There are numerous Sweden found low level of knowledge regarding safety
potential hazards that vocational students are exposed and health among the students, besides insufficient
to during their learning process including physical safety training. In terms of association, finding from a
hazard such as high temperature of the surrounding, study in Indonesia confirmed an association between
mechanical hazard such as absence or faulty machine accidents at workplace and low level of knowledge
guarding, biological hazard when the students neglect regarding safety and health (4, 5). As for attitude, a study
personal hygiene, ergonomic hazard where the in Italy found that the study population had a lower level
design of the working station can cause back pain, of attitude pertaining to occupational and safety health
and psychosocial hazard caused by lack of teamwork matter (6). Meanwhile, a study in India documented
negative attitude among the students beside poor practice College (TMVC). Since the targeted respondents were the
toward safety and health among the study respondents final year students of diploma level, only five vocational
(7). In a study in Canada, students shown moderate colleges were eligible to participate in this study: BVC,
level in practise of accident prevention in workplace (8). PMVC, PCVC, KKVC and TMVC. Data were collected
From those studies, it is understood that imparting KAP between January and February 2019. The researchers
toward safety and health risk among vocational students met the students in a meeting room. After briefing on the
is imperial in providing them effective protection from information about the study and obtainment of written
accident in workplace and other illnesses. Those three informed consent, the respondents need to answer the
domains in safety and health are undeniably important questionnaire.
especially among the vocational students (9).
STUDY INSTRUMENT
Most of the types of hazards do exists in the workshop Knowledge, attitude, and practice towards safety
during the learning process. Therefore, it is vital for the and health risks was assessed through a validated
vocational students to have good knowledge regarding questionnaire adapted from a study (10). The
potential hazard and stick to the standard guideline as questionnaire consisted of 61 questions comprised in
proposed by the Department of Occupational Safety four sections; five questions on socio-demography, six
and Health (DOSH) to minimise the risk. This study questions on safety knowledge, 21 questions on safety
was therefore conducted with the aim of determining attitude towards oneself and the colleagues, and 29
the level of knowledge, attitude and practice on the questions on practice; practice of safety regulations,
safety and health risk among vocational students beside personal protective equipment, safety training, reporting
determining the association among those domains. of accidents and safety culture. The questionnaire
has a high reliability (Chronbach alpha of 0.942 for
knowledge, 0.888 for attitude, and 0.903 for practice).
METHODS AND MATERIALS Responses to all items of the questionnaires were
scored 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 which corresponded to ‘Strongly
STUDY DESIGN Agree’, ‘Agree’, ‘Undecided’, ‘Disagree’, and ‘Strongly
This was a cross sectional study conducted in five Disagree’. For negative items, scores were reverse
vocational colleges in Kelantan, one of the states located coded before summation of total score. Total score for
in east coast of Malaysia. knowledge, attitude, and practice were 30 (6 to 17: low,
18-23: moderate, 24-30: high), 105 (21-63: low, 64-83:
STUDY RESPONDENTS moderate, 84-105: high) and 145 (29-86: low, 87-115:
In this study, 289 of final year students at diploma moderate, 116-145: high) respectively. Scores were then
level participated as respondents. These students have classified into three levels based on Bloom’s taxonomy:
come from five vocational colleges venturing in either low (0-59%), moderate (60-80%), and good (81-100%).
technological or non-technological field. Both fields
comprised of 20 different courses ranged from Fashion DATA ANALYSIS
and Dressmaking to Air Conditioning technology. Responses from the respondents were tabulated
and analysed using SPSS version 25.0. Descriptive
SAMPLE SIZE ESTIMATION analysis was performed to describe the frequency and
Sample size was estimated by using the formula of single percentage the total score of knowledge, attitude and
proportion with the power of study of 80%, significance practice on safety and health risks beside to elucidate
level of 0.05, and 95% confidence interval. The required the socio-demographic information of the students. For
sample was 292 after the additional of 10% dropouts. inferential statistics, non-parametric tests were used to
test hypotheses. Correlation between the knowledge,
SAMPLING PROCEDURES & RESPONDENT attitude, and practice were tested using Spearman’s
RECRUITMENT correlation. Mann Whitney U test were performed to get
Disproportionate stratified random sampling was the differences of mean of KAP for gender, and Kruskal
applied for choosing research location and the Wallis test were conducted to determine the differences
respondents for this study. In this procedure, vocational of mean of KAP based on vocational colleges’ location.
colleges were regarded as groups. From these groups, Post hoc test was performed to identify the significant
students were selected separately per group, ending up pairs.
with different number of students for each vocational
college, with the total number of students of 292. ETHICAL APPROVAL
There are seven vocational colleges in various districts This study had been granted human ethical approval
in Kelantan; Bachok Vocational College (BVC), Kota from the committee of Human Research Ethics, Universiti
Bharu Vocational College (KBVC), Pasir Mas Vocational Sains Malaysia (USM/JEPeM/18080382). Participatory
College (PMVC), Pasir Puteh Vocational College (PPVC), of the students in this study was based on voluntary and
Pengkalan Chepa Vocational College (PCVC), Kuala Krai supported with written consent from each student.
Vocational College (KKVC) and Tanah Merah Vocational
Table I presented level of KAP towards safety and health I know how to decrease the risk 23 (8.0) 61 (21.1) 205
of accident at the workplace (71.0)
risks among the respondents. More than half of Tanah
Merah VC students shown high level of knowledge, I could determine the haz- 21 (7.2) 50 (17.3) 218
ard related with my working (75.4)
whereas students from other colleges shown moderate activity
level. For attitude, students from Bachok VC shown
I know what should be done if 26 (9.0) 49 (17.0) 214
moderate level. Students from other colleges scored there is potential hazard at my (74.1)
high level with the range score between 60% (scored workplace
by the students from Pasir Mas VC) and 82.7% (scored I know to whom I should report 21 (7.2) 32 (11.1) 236
by the students from Tanah Merah VC). Even though if there is potential hazard at (81.7)
my workplace
the students from all VCs shown high level of practice,
the percentage varied where the lowest percentage was
shown by Pasir Mas VC (49.1%) and the highest was Table III : Attitude toward safety and health risk
shown by Tanah Merah VC (81.3%).
Unde-
Disagree Agree
Item cided
Table I : Level of KAP towards safety and health risks among
the respondents n (%) n (%) n (%)
Domain Level BVC PMVC PCVC KKVC TMVC Occupational safety must be prior- 32 (11.1) 14 243
itized (4.8) (84.1)
High 10.7 12.7 31.1 25.7 52.0
My carelessness could put myself 29 (10.1) 31 229
Knowl- Moder- 75.0 58.2 60.7 52.9 32.0 and others at risk (10.7) (79.2)
edge ate
I should be careful in performing 21 (10.4) 20 239
Low 14.3 29.1 8.2 21.4 16.0 my work (6.9) (82.7)
High 10.7 60.0 62.3 70.0 82.7 I always use Personal Protective 23 (7.8) 62 204
Equipment (PPE) during learning (21.5) (70.6)
Attitude Moder- 85.7 12.7 29.5 12.9 1.3
process
ate
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) 28 (9.7) 63 198
Low 3.6 27.3 8.2 17.1 16.0
did not distract my learning process (21.8) (68.5)
High 57.1 49.1 65.6 61.4 81.3 at the workshop/laboratory
Practice Moder- 42.9 21.8 24.6 20.0 2.7 I will check the safety tools before 35 (12.1) 40 214
ate using them (13.8) (74.1)
Low 0.0 29.1 9.8 18.6 16.0 I do not smoke at the prohibited 45 (15.5) 20 224
*Level: high=80-100%, moderate=60-80%, low=0-59% zone (6.9) (77.5)
**BVC: Bachok Vocational College, PMVC: Pasir Mas Vocational College,
PCVC: Pengkalan Chepa Vocational College, TMVC: Tanah Merah Vocational College I always ensure the cleanliness and 26 (12.4) 37 216
neatness of tools before and after (12.8) (74.7)
use
Based on item distribution for knowledge (Table II), all Damaged tool should be reported to 29 (10.1) 33 227
the lecturer as soon as possible (11.4) (78.5)
students either ‘agree’ and ‘strongly agree’ for most of
the items (more than 70%). Attitude towards colleagues
My colleagues remind each other on 29 (10.0) 50 210
unsafe behaviour at workplace (17.3) (72.6)
For items under attitude domain, all items achieved
satisfactory feedback, except for two regarding the use of I appreciate feedback from my 27 (9.4) 45 217
colleagues regarding my unsafe (15.6) (75.0)
PPE. Almost 30% (for each item) of the students disagree behaviour
or left undecided for items ‘I always use Personal
I appreciate my colleagues’ advice 26 (9.0) 40 223
Protective Equipment (PPE) during learning process’ and on safe behaviour (13.8) (77.1)
‘Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) did not distract my The lecturers correct unsafe be- 28 (9.7) 44 217
learning process at the workshop/laboratory’ (Table III). haviour of a student respectfully (15.2) (75.1)
If my colleague saw me working 29 (10.0) 41 219
with a risky condition, I expect them (14.2) (75.7)
to correct me
CONTINUE
Table III : Attitude toward safety and health risk (CONT.) Table IV: Practice toward safety and health risk (CONT.)
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