Improving chemical safety knowledge and laboratory practices among pharmacy teaching assistants in a Jordanian university: a pre-post survey study of an educational intervention

Abstract Introduction Ensuring chemical safety in university teaching laboratories is essential to reduce risks associated with handling hazardous substances. These laboratories often contain a wide range of chemicals, yet in many pharmacy faculties, laboratory supervision is carried out by pharmacists employed as teaching assistants (TAs). Their responsibilities include preparing reagents, supervising student practical sessions, and enforcing safety protocols, despite often having limited formal training in chemical safety. Evidence from other countries indicates that inadequate training in educational laboratories contributes to unsafe practices and knowledge gaps.[1,2] In Jordan, no studies have assessed the chemical safety knowledge of pharmacy TAs or evaluated educational programmes aimed at improving their competencies. Therefore, evaluating and strengthening the competencies of pharmacy TAs is critical for promoting safer laboratory environments. Aim To assess the impact of a structured educational intervention on the chemical safety knowledge of pharmacy TAs working at Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan (ZUJ) laboratories. Methods An interactive five-day (20 hours) chemical safety workshop was held at ZUJ. All TAs involved in supervising undergraduate laboratory sessions were eligible to participate. Recruitment was conducted through an email invitation. A validated paper-based questionnaire was administered before and after the workshop to measure changes in participants’ knowledge. The questionnaire included: (1) demographic information (13 questions), and (2) chemical safety knowledge across 16 items related to laboratory practices, safety data sheet (SDS) interpretation, storage, waste handling, and risk management. Workshop content covered general laboratory precautions, interpretation of chemical labels and GHS pictograms, SDS, safe storage, chemical segregation and incompatibility guidelines, waste handling (including biological waste), development and use of standard operating procedures (SOPs), and hands-on training in laboratory risk assessment according to COSHH. Participants also developed SOPs and risk assessments for selected laboratory procedures. Data were analysed using SPSS (version 28). For each knowledge item, correct answers were scored as 1 and incorrect or ‘do not know’ as 0; with a total possible score of 16. Paired-samples t-tests were used to compare pre- and post-intervention mean scores. Results Twenty pharmacy TAs participated, the majority being female (95%) and aged 25–39 years (85%). Participants worked across chemistry, biology, or combined laboratories and had varying levels of experience. Most held a master’s degree in pharmacy (65%). Multiple sources of chemical safety information were reported, with all participants using SDSs and guidance from laboratory supervisors, as well as departmental manuals (85%) and online resources (90%). Post-intervention knowledge scores (12.60 ± 1.27) were significantly higher than pre-intervention scores (7.65 ± 2.18), with a mean difference of −4.95 (95% CI [−5.83, −4.07]). Improvements were consistent regardless of experience. Conclusion The educational intervention substantially improved the chemical safety knowledge of pharmacy TAs. As the first study of its kind in Jordanian universities, it highlights a critical training gap and demonstrates the value of structured safety education. Wider implementation of similar workshops across universities could strengthen laboratory safety culture, standardise practices, and reduce risks associated with chemical handling.