Management of Occupational Health and Safety in Schools in Libya Tripoli Proposal

Introduction

The primary school program is free and compulsory throughout Libya. It lasts for nine years beginning at the age of 6 and ending up at the age of 15. Although country residents start attending secondary school much later than pupils from the rest of the world, the land-specific educational trends do not prevent students from receiving the required knowledge at every stage of learning (European Agency for Safety and Health at Work 4). They only indicate that Libyan elementary education is more extensive compared to the USA, Australia, and China, which serves as an additional reason to implement an occupational safety and health management in primary school (Abubakar 1353). Thus, when learning “in a location free from turmoil and conflict,” a child demonstrates a higher disposition to material absorbing and shows fewer signs of disinterest (Friend and Kohn 250). This, in turn, contributes to the process of primary school modernization, resulting in improved quality of education (Abuhadra and Ajaali 13). Friend and Kohn (2018) indicate that smaller environments face a higher number of health and safety risks than larger workplaces (143). In the meantime, primary school students are expected to be given clear and exhaustive instructions on how to behave at school (International Labour Organization 8). The present research will focus on the facts proving that OSH management in elementary schools in Libya is an important step to take and will disclose factors influencing its implementation.

Research Rationale

The rationale for this study is to expound the current strategies in place to implement and manage occupational health safety in primary schools in Libya and necessary plans to improve their outcomes (European Agency for Safety and Health at Work 13).

Research Objectives and Questions

Research Questions

1. What are the current methods in place to implement and manage occupational health safety in Libyan primary schools?
2. How effective are the current strategies in facilitating the implementation and management of occupational health safety in Libyan primary schools?
3. How focused is the primary schools’ management and other stakeholders in execution of the OSH standards?

Research Objectives

The primary objective of the proposed study is to explore the existing procedures and strategies in place to facilitate the implementation and management of occupational health safety in Libyan primary schools in order to close the gap between effective and ineffective results by recommending best practices. The following sub-objectives were created:

1. To contribute new knowledge on effective management and implementation of OSH standards in Libyan primary schools.
2. To recommend the best approaches that should be integrated by school management authorities to provide an effective framework and infrastructure that supports OSH standards implementation and management.
3. To establish the areas that should be modified, overhauled, or improve to guarantee optimal results in the implementation and management of safety in Libyan primary schools.

Research Problem

The research problem is motivated by personal and objective endeavors. The former motive is to examine the current strategies in place to develop, plan, manage, and implement different OSH standards in Libyan primary schools and their performance. The objective motive is to establish best practices that would guarantee better outcomes in the implementation and management of safety standard through the presentation of verified principles of effective OSH integration in the learning environment.

Significance of the Study

The findings of this study might be used by Libyan primary school stakeholders in implementation and management of the ideal and effective safety standards frameworks through improvement of the current infrastructure and approach.

Literature Review

The researcher will concentrate on past empirical research studies, published scientific journals, educational research materials, books, and government and private publications on safety standards in primary schools.

Research Methodology

Research Design

• The researcher proposes a descriptive analytical research design that integrates qualitative and quantitative approaches.
• The rationale for mixed method is to expand the research insight.
• The study population will consist of 20 primary schools.
• The proposed sample size is 200 stakeholders responsible for implementation and management of safety standards.
• The researcher will use research survey and direct interviews in primary research besides the observation of existing data in secondary research.
• However, the sample size of 200 might limit the explicability of the final results.
• The study is also limited to the implementation and management of the existing safety standards, thus, does not examine the OSH standards.
• The study will be carried out in a timeline of four months, that is, from October to December 2018.
• Questionnaires and personal interviews are the primary tools for collecting data.
• The Alpha Knoback equation will be used to validate the study tools.
• SPSS version 16 will be used to process data

Data analysis

• Collected data will be coded and transcribed
• ANOVA, correlation, and regression tools will be used to analyze data.
• Cross tabulation and other representational tools such as charts and graph will be used to summarize the data.

Conceptual Framework and Validations

The independent variable is efficiency in safety implementation and management while dependent variables are infrastructure in place, management approaches, adequate skills, and sufficient personnel (see fig. 1) (Pal 21).

Proposed Research Outline and Timeline

The entire research study and completion will be spread over a period of four years. The proposed outline and timeline are summarized below (see table 1).

Table 1. Research outline and timeline

Conclusion and Recommendations

Considering the fact that Libya is a developing country that faces issues in the educational system, the government should seek to improve OSH management in primary schools. For the managing process to give the desired outcomes, it is recommended that schools cooperate with legislators closely to eliminate factors influencing the implementation of the adopted safety and health statutes.

Works Cited

Abubakar, Usman. “An Overview of the Occupational Safety and Health Systems of Nigeria, UK, USA, Australia and China: Nigeria Being the Reference Case Study.” American Journal of Educational Research, vol. 3, no. 11, 2015, pp. 1350-1358.

Abuhadra, Dia S., and Tawfik T. Ajaali. Labour Market and Employment Policy in Libya. 2014. Web.

European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. Occupational Safety and Health and Education: A Whole School Approach, 2018. Web.

Friend, Mark A., and James P. Kohn. Fundamentals of Occupational Safety and Health. 7th ed., Rowman & Littlefield, 2018.

International Labour Organization. Occupational Safety and Health Country Profile: Libya, 2018. Web.

Pal, Samuel. Handbook of Laboratory Health and Safety Measures. 2nd ed., Springer Science & Business Media, 2013.