Occupational safety in basic education

Status:

completed 05/1995

Aims:

There are numerous starting points for introducing indispensable measures to influence behaviour alongside priority technical and medical work protection; to date there is no sound occupational safety training concept as part of the basic training programme which contains all existing knowledge and which could be established as a part of the training regulations. Goal: suggested measures and materials for the uniform, effective integration of work safety in basic education.

Activities/Methods:

Empirical inquiry (survey) in two Länder into occupational training provided by work tutors and external tutors, technical college teachers and students; determining weak points; analysis and evaluation of the existing approaches; elaboration of conceptual suggestions.

Results:

Where instructions for the integration of work protection training in the training regulations and teaching timetables are missing or are inadequate, 50 % of all tutors and teachers still limit this to the first year of training, in spite of their own better knowledge. Questioning trainees in the third and fourth years of training confirmed the failure of this concept. In 30 % of cases work protection is still taught in special classes instead of being integrated in specialist subject courses. Independent project work counts as a particularly successful instrument of integrated work protection training. Advanced training components are aimed at business competence and key qualifications. The dual training system is not being questioned, however many tutors/teachers lack the support of effective co-operation between technical colleges and companies. New media - not tutor - centred projects and guiding text methods in particular offer improvements in methods (which however are less suitable for work training in craft trades). Their application requires their contents to be communicated to the tutors. Technical college teachers require in addition further information and vocational training courses. On balance: progress/improvements and opportunities for improvements are as recognisable as the obstacles in their way or problems which appear for their part to have solutions but which are in part connected with the system itself. The equal treatment of work and environmental protection can be seen throughout the new regulatory measures.

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