Integrating Occupational Safety and Health Information Into Vocational and Technical Education and Other Workforce Preparation Programs

Abstract

The high rates of injury among young workers are a pressing public health issue, especially given the demand of the job market for new workers. Young and new workers experience the highest rates of occupational injuries of any age group. Incorporating occupational safety and health (OSH) information into the more than 20 000 vocational and other workforce preparation programs in the United States might provide a mechanism for reducing work-related injuries and illnesses among young and new workers. We assessed the status of including OSH information or training in workforce preparation programs and found there is an inconsistent emphasis on OSH information.

The role of high schools in introductory occupational safety education – Teacher perspectives on effectiveness

“…The strong support is consistent with international literature (Davis and Pollack, 1995;Sas, 2009;International Social Security Association, 2004;Linker et al, 2005;U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1995;Schulte et al, 2005).…”

“…The limited international literature available presents a similar picture. It has been argued that due to the lack of consistency in occupational safety education, in both Europe and the USA, both the quantity and quality of occupational safety education is largely at the discretion of the instructor and school (Sas, 2009;Salminen and Palukka, 2007;Schulte et al, 2005). It was a common view among teachers and schoolto-work advisors that, to address these concerns, occupational safety education should be based on a prescribed standard and delivered to all high school students.…”

“…Indeed, the importance of providing occupational safety education in the secondary school setting has been widely recognized (Davis and Pollack, 1995;U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1995;NIOSH, 1999;Schulte et al, 2005).…”

“…A report for the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work revealed inconsistency in approaches to occupational safety education, both between and within member states (Sas, 2009). It has been argued that, the quantity and quality of occupational safety education is largely at the discretion of the instructor and school (Sas, 2009;Salminen and Palukka, 2007;Schulte et al, 2005). The quality of education may be influenced by the teacher's enthusiasm and experience, the availability of time and resources, and the level of engagement of the students themselves (Burke et al, 2006).…”

Targeting prevention programs for young and new healthcare workers: what is the association of age and job tenure with occupational injury in healthcare?

“…Such a ''temporary'' approach to work can predispose a higher proportion of young workers to being ''new on the job,'' or new hires [Breslin and Smith, 2005]. This association between age and job tenure seems likely considering that the increased risk of young workers can be partially explained by limited work experience [Castillo et al, 1999;Loughlin and Barling, 2001;Schulte et al, 2005]. The association can be further confounded by a preferential association of younger age and shorter job tenure with certain job positions, and with less stable part-time or casual jobs.…”