European Safety Training and Evaluation supporting European Mobility Erasmus Project

Project Title

European Safety Training and Evaluation supporting European Mobility

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Recognition, transparency, certification; Migrants’ issues; Health and wellbeing

Project Summary

Safety at work has been a field of strong interest for many decades. Despite this, each year there are 374 million nonfatal work-related accidents/illnesses and over 2.78 million workplace fatalities (ILO, 2018). The construction sector is particularly at risk. 1 in 5 (20.9%) fatal accidents at work in the EU-28 in 2015 took place within this sector (Eurostat, 2018). In 2014, the European Commission developed a new strategic framework on safety and health at work to address workplace safety (EC, 2014). The construction industry relies heavily on migrant workers, defined as persons who are engaged or have been engaged in remunerated activity in a State of which they are not national (UN, 1990). During their first year in a new country, male migrants are predominantly employed in the construction sector, and are 1.4 times more likely to work in construction than native-born men (Eurostat, 2011). A recent report from the UK’s Office for National Statistics estimates around 10% of all construction workers in the UK between 2014 and 2016 were non-nationals (ONS, 2018). Migrant workers, with low levels of skill, are particularly vulnerable, with higher reported rates of accidents and fatalities compared with native workers (e.g., Dong et al., 2013).
To address these issues, the project a) reviewed and identified barriers and facilitators effective VET training in a vulnerable group; low-skilled & migrant workers in construction, b) developed and evaluated migrant safety training, c) developed a certification system to facilitate mobility and d) developed guidelines to support safety in construction.
Key activities of the project were undertaken in 3 main phases:
1 Preparing the background for the development of the Safety Training Package (STP) and the Safety Training Evaluation Device (STED) by compiling the Safety Knowledge Base (O1)
2 developing and piloting the STP, a mix of face-to-face and online teaching (O3) and developing and testing STED, a mixed methods evaluation framework (O4)
3 following learning from O3 and O4, we developed a Certificate System (O5) that allowed for the cross-national recognition of STP. We also developed Guidelines (O6) for effective training and training transfer, and the publication of training tools and materials (all freely available on the Interactive Platform (O2) and partners’ websites).
Methodology. The project applied the design cycle methodology, composed of 6 steps: 1) “Definition” of the goals and functions of the project by studying the target groups’ views and needs; 2) “Analysis” with the aim to develop the Knowledge Base; 3) “Synthesis”, which represented the definition of the Knowledge Base necessary to develop the STP and STED; 4) “Simulation”, in which STP and STED were concurrently implemented and tested; 5) “Evaluation”, of STP and STED where usefulness was evaluated by the stakeholders; 6) “Decision making”, to disseminate the STP, STED, Guidelines, and the Certificate System.
Participants. During the project we trained 22 trainers and 119 low-skilled workers in construction (of which 45 migrant workers). 107 completed the training. Before and after evaluation revealed significant increases in learning technical skills, but not safety outcomes. Interviews revealed changes in safety compliance, assertiveness and safety climate. In addition, 18 supervisors of trained workers were interviewed. Furthermore, 19, 22, and 28 people participated in focus groups, and 10, 10 and 27 in interviews (in Spain, Italy and the UK, respectively). Moreover, the total number of participants in the Multiplier events were 297.
Results and impact: The number of visits to the ESTEEM website was 20593 and 463 supplementary documents were uploaded to the website.
The evaluation of the training confirmed that trained workers benefited from pilot training. They increased their knowledge about safety and transferred this knowledge into construction site, resulting in technical and non-technical safety behaviours and a good safety climate. Supervisors and trained workers reported that supervisors supported training transfer.
Longer-term benefits: Medium-term: decrease in the number of injuries and accidents which in turn means healthier workers and lower costs for EU countries. Further, we have developed a certificate acknowledging the completion of the training that may facilitate mobility across different EU countries, however, it should not be seen as a formal qualification. Long-term: Valora Prevencion in the first 3 months of 2021 will train all occupational practitioners (N~200) in the ESTEEM methodology and integrate the STP into their training portfolio. In Italy, Formedil, the national joint association for training in the construction sector suspended face-to-face training due to the pandemic and IIPLE has made the training materials on our platform available to them. All partners will continue to disseminate the ESTEEM methodology and results in practitioner and academic fora.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 442023,76 Eur

Project Coordinator

THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD & Country: UK

Project Partners

• VALORA PREVENCION SL
• UNIVERSITAT DE VALENCIA
• ALMA MATER STUDIORUM – UNIVERSITA DI BOLOGNA
• ISTITUTO PER L’ ISTRUZIONE PROFESSIONALE DEI LAVORATORI EDILI DELLA PROVINCIA DI BOLOGNA