Worker training and education in occupational safety and health: A report on practice in six industrialized western nations

Abstract

During 1980, a study was conducted of worker training and education in occupational safety and health in Canada, Great Britain, Sweden, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, and the United States. This article is the first in a four-part series of the findings of this study. Part one discusses the genesis of the study and the study design, reports on the training requirements of the occupational safety and health legislation in each of the six countries, and considers the implications of this legislation for worker training and education. Part one also includes information on how each country is organized to carry out worker training and education in occupational safety and health. Part two will review the role perceived for worker training and education as an injury and illness countermeasure and will identify the major training sources and the role of each. Part three will report on course design, construction, delivery, evaluation, and costs. Part four will provide synopses of worker training and education for selected subsets of the worker population, e.g., migrant workers, nonorganized workers, employees of small business establishments, and employees of the federal or central government. Worker training and education programs will also be discussed for the following industries: construction, marine cargo handling (longshoring), and petroleum refining and related industries.