Safety Training Parks - Cooperative Initiatives to Improve Future Workforce Safety Skills and Knowledge

Abstract

Construction is one of the most unsafe industries worldwide. Safety training is one essential element to improve occupational safety skills and performance. A wide variety of different safety training methods has been introduced, and a need for more engaging training methods has been recognized. Finnish construction industry has introduced a new Safety Training Park (STP) concept to meet that challenge. Three STPs have been constructed in Finland. STPs are concrete learning environments, in which real life work situations are demonstrated at training points.This study focuses on STP in northern Finland (STPNF). STPNF is a macroergonomics construct designed, financed and constructed by a large consortium of 80 different stakeholder organizations. In addition to construction companies, stakeholders such as schools and universities, municipalities and service providers are included in the consortium. This descriptive study aims to provide an overview of the STPNF concept and describe the most typical STPNF utilization approaches. Further, stakeholder collaboration is discussed and a discussion is initiated on the potential and prerequisites for the transferability of the STP methodology to other contexts.

Multi-organisational approach to safety training: the case of a Finnish Safety Training Park

“…The organizations belonging to the STPNF coalition cover a wide range of different actors, including major construction companies, several small and medium-sized construction companies, construction product companies and service providers. Other actors in the coalition include local schools, universities and other educational institutions as well as companies from other industries, municipalities, insurance companies, and governmental parties (see Reiman et al 2019b) 1).…”