Universities Must Have OSH in their Curriculum

A report, ‘Mainstreaming Occupational Safety and Health into University Education’, highlights the obstacles in the way of realising the goals of building a safe environment at workplace. It also makes recommendations on how to tackle these challenges

It aims to find possible ways by which students can be trained beforehand; to deal with hazards in the workplace in future, rather than learning through practical hazardous experiences after one is employed.

Jukka Takala, Director of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) considers education as an essential medium to create awareness of OSH in society.

However, the goals cannot become accomplished, by simply resorting to rote teaching methods about OSH and risk management, at the school level. It should be included in the university curriculum, to prepare young students to become smart entrepreneurs and employees in future, who can take safety measures in case of emergency.

However, the report draws attention to a number of problems. There is a shortage of teachers, who have mastery over the subject and there is a dearth of good books for university students. Most importantly, there is scarcity of funds to develop the curriculum for their specific needs.

There is also a concern about the methods adopted by the universities. They may limit the study of the subject to theory without inclusion of any practical knowledge.

The study, however, examines some successful cases of OSH implemented in Europe. It examined the reasons for its success, and how it can be replicated, elsewhere.

Finally, the study suggests for the development of the syllabus according to the practical needs of university, which means adopting a blend of OSH and risk management, which can be implemented in the university, for providing safety to students and other employees.

Article created by Editor. (info@safetynetscotland.co.uk)