Health and Safety Education in Auto Body Collision and Machine Tool Technology Programs in Vocational Colleges: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

Collision repair, machining, and metal manufacturing are industries with a large percentage of small businesses whose owners face unique challenges implementing health and safety regulatory requirements. Previous research found that 72% of collision repair technicians and 47% of machinists attended some classes or graduated from vocational colleges. Although health and safety is a mandatory part of the curricula for post-secondary vocational education, little is known about what, how, and when health and safety is taught and if teaching is effective. Surveys and discussion groups were used to evaluate health and safety education in two vocational colleges in Minnesota. Six instructors and 76 students in collision repair, and 6 instructors and 130 students in machine tool technology programs participated. Instructors had no formal training in health and safety, few teaching materials, and lacked opportunities to learn about safety in their trade. Teaching was unscripted and heavily influenced by each instructor's™ industry experience, knowledge, perceptions and attitude towards safety, with little or no guidance from school administration, or safety professionals. Student survey results show that graduates have significant gaps in safety and health knowledge. Standardized trade-specific curricula and instructor training are needed to ensure students receive adequate health and safety education.

Career readiness: Finding a place for health and safety education

“…This paper presents findings from group interviews with ABCT and MTT faculty at colleges participating in the TECHS program. Additional discussion and review of finding is found in Bejan et al…”

“…Faculty skilled in their technical area may lack knowledge related to health and safety and pedagogy. This knowledge gap is compounded by a deficiency or absence of high‐quality safety and health resources for vocational and technical college faculty, the use of outdated and often inaccurate information, and lack of any standardized assessment of knowledge and skills …”

Conference Summary Understanding Small Enterprises Conference, 25–27 October 2017

“…Four papers focus on OS&H approaches for specific industries, the first being auto body collision and machine tool technology education (Bejan et al, 2018) and the others focused on the construction industry (Ringen et al, 2018; Cunningham et al, 2018; Marín and Roelofs, 2018). The focus of the work by Bejan and colleagues was to document how OS&H is taught and assessed over the course of a two-year vocational college program in auto body collision.…”

“…The focus of the work by Bejan and colleagues was to document how OS&H is taught and assessed over the course of a two-year vocational college program in auto body collision. They identified gaps and made recommendations for future training, which included providing trade-specific OS&H information, coaching, and support (Bejan et al, 2018). Ringen and colleagues provide an overview of the construction industry that describes trends over that past decade related to the 2008–2010 recession, followed by the recovery period.…”