Mainstreaming occupational safety and health into university ...

Mainstreaming occupational safety and health into university educationE u r o p e a n Ag e n c y f o r Sa f e t y a n d He a l t h a t Wo r kBackgroundThe teaching of safety issues has been largely dependent on the teacher’s owninterests and ability to teach these issues. It has also been assumed that university andpolytechnic institute students are unlikely to be directly affected by safety issues intheir future careers. However, the opposite actually is the case – after graduation theymay well work in posts that have health and safety responsibilities, or in posts wheretheir decisions could have health and safety consequences. Or they may come torun their own company. Therefore all future workers, not just those entering manualtrades, need adequate skills and knowledge on occupational safety issues.The development of safety proficiency requires skills and knowledge development,but there was no existing learning environment for occupational safety in Finland. Asurvey on OSH training in Finnish schools showed that teachers needed new learningmaterials (Salminen and Palukka, 2007). As no online resources for learning about OSHat this level existed, the Ministry of Education initiated the TYVE-project.Aims and objectivesThe aim of the TYVE project was to develop a computer-based learning environmentfor OSH. The target groups were universities, polytechnic institutes and Open Universitystudents. The target group of the learning environment was students with no priorknowledge about OSH. The material was to be made freely available over the Internet.Scope of the projectThe project developed the first open, Internet-based learning material for OSH inFinland. The learning material does not seek to provide a complete basic OSH course.The material is recommended for use in combination with one on one interactionbetween student and teacher or in a study group between students. Thus the TYVEmaterialis comparable to a textbook in traditional learning, but with new possibilitiesenabled by the computer-based environment.The TYVE programme includes 12 topics:1. Introduction2. Occupational instruction and guidance3. Occupational accidents4. Safety responsibilities5. Risk assessment6. Safety management7. Occupational safety legislation8. Overall safety9. Ergonomics10. Mental wellbeing11. Occupational hygiene12. Corporation safety.Learning objectives and work contractBefore starting the course students are recommended to set their learning objectiveswith the aim of becoming oriented with TYVE and so that their existing knowledgeis taken into account in their use of the learning materials. The introduction includespreliminary information and an initiation to the workplace. The students of the102