Abroad|02/12/15

GERMANY: Promoting safety in vocational training schools

Home > The news of EUROGIP and occupational risks in Europe > GERMANY: Promoting safety in vocational training schools

apprentisThe campaign conducted by the injury insurance organization in vocational training schools aims to teach young people about safety and the dangers of misusing equipment.

An office chair which is used as a ladder, a screwdriver used as a chisel, solvent for washing hands, etc. Every day, equipment and products are used for purposes other than those for which they were designed.

And every day, this ends in more or less serious accidents. “Very often, the people in question really want to act safely, but in real-world situations they ignore the rules to go faster or to avoid disputes with others, explains Christoph Preuβe, OSH manager of the DGUV’s federation for the Centre Region (Landesverband Mitte).

The injury insurance organization has therefore launched a campaign for 2015-2016, targeting vocational training schools. The slogan, Jugend will sich-er-leben, plays on the words “young”, “living in safety” and “learning from experience”. The campaign is focused on the dangers of improvisation and conflicts of objectives. According to Mr Preuβe, the idea is to inculcate in apprentices from the outset the following formula: “top-level training = safety + obeying the rules + quality. This formula provides them with a line of conduct to know how to take decisions each day when they are faced with contradictory objectives. With the checklist on safety at work as well, they are able to learn and work in good health, avoiding accidents”.

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