1. Assessment of Safety and Physical Environment factors in Governmental Primary Schools in Dammam
Farhan M Al-Anezi

3. INTRODUCTION

4. Introduction
Children spend a key part of their childhood in their primary school.
Many of the factors in the school environment can be improved with careful planning and allocation of resources.

5. Safety in educational environment
Although, classrooms are considered as relatively safe working environments, they can present potential risks. Blocked exits ,improper storage practices, electrical and fire hazards are the main potential safety concerns that could be found in the classroom, which may have a deteriorate effect on learning environment.

6. School hazards as fires and electrical safety could occur within the school building.
Schools that lack appropriate heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems, have poor lighting or acoustics, are badly maintained affect the learning performance of students.

7. Noise
Noise control in the school environment is a real public health challenge.
Moreover, adverse health effects of community noise in the school environment are expressed as non auditory effects of noise, such as annoyance, sleep disturbance, and cardiovascular effects.

8. Illumination (lighting)
Recent evidence suggests that levels of light can significantly influence behavior. Studies have shown that poor lighting conditions lead to vision difficulties .
Proper lighting conditions are known to reverse these problems and increase academic performance and productivity.

9. Ventilation
Ventilation is usually achieved through ‘natural’ or ‘mechanical’ ventilation or a by combination of both. However, recent studies revealed that the average CO2 levels in classrooms often exceed the limit of 1000 ppm which might affect the learning processes.

10. Aim Of The Study

11. Evaluation of safety environment in primary schools facilities.
The present study aimed to evaluate physical environment and safety performance in governmental primary schools facilities.
Evaluation of safety environment in primary schools facilities.
Assessment of Physical Environmental Factors as noise ,illumination and Carbon dioxide levels in students in classroom.
Measure of ventilation rate inside school classrooms.

12. MATERIAL AND METHODS

13. Study Setting
The assessment of safety and physical environmental factors were carried out in randomly selected 16 governmental primary schools located in Dammam city.

14. Sampling duration
Measurements were conducted at two days in the week, for two months.
Data were collected during normal teaching day activities in the selected governmental primary schools .
Schools were grouped and classified into three types, governmental ,rental and aramco schools respectively.
Four classes randomly selected for carrying out measurements of physical environment .
Sampling of noise, illumination and ventilation were conducted at two time intervals (8:00 Am and 11:00Am)

15. Assessment Techniques
Assessment of School safety environment were conducted using pre design safety survey checklist.

16. Assessment Techniques
Physical Environment
Assessment noise levels in different classroom using calibrated Sound Pressure level meter .
Assessment of illumination levels in different classroom using Lux meter .
Assessment of ventilation through CO2 monitoring levels in classroom using MIRAN.

17. Statistical Analysis
The collected data were subjected to statistical analysis and presented graphically using SPSS software .

18. RESULTS AND Discussion

19. Fire safety
Some of fire safety measures are absent in rental and governmental schools in comparison with aramco schools %
School Type

20. Electrical safety
Electrical wiring problems represent highest percentage of electrical safety in governmental and rental school

21. Exit Safety
No Satisfied safety
Exits in rental
schools. %
School Type

22. Security Safety
Unsatisfied security safety are present in governmental and rental schools %
School Type

23. Fall Safety
Rental schools have minimum safety levels in ladders and playground condition %
School Type

24. Life Safety
Moderate life safety conditions in governmental and rental schools . %
School Type

25. Accidents Criteria
Governmental and rental schools have minimum levels of accidents records and training procedures. %
School Type

28. Comparison between different noise levels in selected primary schools
P -value
Noise
11:00 am
Mean± S.D
8:00 am
0.14
78.5 ±10.99
73.6 ± 8.74
Governmental
0.06
82.67±9.33
76.3±8.40
Rental
0.08
67±9.33
70.7± 7.17
Aramco

29. Noise levels higher than the WHO recommended levels of 35 dB

30. Comparison between different illumination levels in selected primary schools
P-value
Illumination
11:00 am
Mean± S.D
8:00 am
0.01*
603±389
580± 371
Governmental
354±284
365± 270
Rental
1172±143
1140±176
Aramco

31. level of illumination exceeds the standard illumination value of 300 Lux

32. Comparison between different CO2 levels in selected primary schools
P-value
CO2
11:00 am
Mean± S.D
8:00 am
0.01*
1343±947
1413± 973
Governmental
2150±913
2339±1000
Rental
0.04*
2086±718
1815±391
Aramco

33. All CO2 measured levels are exceeds the standard
levels of 1000 PPM.

34. CONCLUSION

35. Safety measures
All the studied primary schools except Aramco schools are poor in safety measures and criteria especially fire , electrical and exits safety which might affect the life of pupils, teachers and all schools buildings .  VS

36. Physical environment High level of noise. Reduced illumination
bad ventilation systems ( high CO2 levels)
greatly affect the learning process and reduce the pupil’s performance in the school classrooms.

37. RECOMMENDATION

38. Periodical safety inspections should be done at time intervals for monitoring safety conditions.
Electronic repotting of School incidents /safety observations
Adjusting the pupil’s number to the classroom area to overcome the crowding that affect learning processes.
comprehensive awareness program to be conducted for safety.

39. By obligations, every primary school should have clinic for providing medical help to the injured cases and introduce first aid measurements.
Adequate ventilation system should be applied.
At least one school should have a CO2 sensor for continuous monitoring and recording.
Using of classroom wall isolation materials to absorb noise to the recommended levels.

40. Thank you