Vocational education laboratories such as Trade & Industrial Education, Industrial Arts Education, and Agricultural Education, are equipped with tools and machinery which duplicate those used in the industry for which students are being prepared to enter. The majority of vocational educators do not recognize the risk which noise poses to their students or themselves. Teachers lack basic information about the exposure levels they and their students experience in their instructional laboratories. In order to fill this information vacuum and to prevent risk from noise exposure to vocational education students and instructors, the following objectives will be addressed: 1. To survey and develop an inventory of the power tools and equipment found in selected vocational education laboratories in Maricopa and Pima Counties, Arizona. 2. To measure the noise level in dB(A) of common power tools and equipment used in selected vocational education laboratories in Maricopa and Pima Counties, Arizona. 3. To document the characteristics of the selected facilities which could have impact on noise levels. 4. To measure student and teacher percent dose based upon the criterion level of 90 dB(A) and the OSHA formula in each facilities environment. 5. To disseminate findings and recommendations to vocational educators and administrators of vocational education programs by all available means. This study will be conducted as descriptive research with survey data collected on sight by researchers. The accessible population will include all students enrolled and teachers of programs in the areas of Trade and Industrial Education, Industrial Arts Education, and Agricultural Education at the secondary level in the state of Arizona. The target population will include secondary students enrolled in Vocational Agriculture, Trade and Industrial Education, and Industrial Arts in Pima and Maricopa Counties where welding is specified as a part of the curriculum or the major emphasis of the course. From the 54 programs in Pima and Maricopa Counties offering welding, a proportional stratified random sample consisting of 50% of the programs (27) will be assigned to strata based upon type of facility. All 54 programs in maricopa and Pima Counties will be surveyed by mailed questionnaire to determine the type of construction and acoustical treatments of the facility. The 27 selected programs will be assigned proportionally to the appropriate facility type. Eight students and the teacher will be randomly assigned to wear a dosimeter and data storage unit. Random assignment of students to dosimeters will reduce variability among students in welding and grinding techniques. Data collected will be reported as frequencies, means, and modes. Data collected will include percent dose accumulated, equivalent continuous sound level projected over an eight-hour period (TWA or time weighted average), elapsed time, L-OSHA, SPL Max, and L-OSHA Histograph for 5- minute average in dB(A) for teachers and students. Correlations will be calculated between the above factors and the strata of facility type.
