The Improved Safety for Electricians (Safety4el) project has just published its policy recommendations for improved safety for electricians in Europe. This Erasmus + funded project looks into the different regulations for electricians’ safety training/tests which represent a barrier to mobility. Therefore, the partnership has sought to remove such barriers by developing eLearning materials (versions for online and face to face courses) to support the teaching of safety in relation to working with live electrical installations, repairs etc. as well as initial test and post-tests as part of the teaching about work environment and safety for electricians.
The policy recommendations call for a trans-European approach to ensure much-needed research and documentation of differences between the electrotechnical regulations in the five countries and development of a common course curriculum with matching content that can be used online, during in-service courses, and integrated into Vocational Education and Training. In order to study the different regulations for electrician’s safety training/tests, Safety4el has conducted individual country reports in the different partners’ countries:
After going through the analysis has come with 8 recommendations, we can highlight the one related to the European policies:
Health and safety should be integrated in the EU mobility programmes and linked with national programmes. Progress has been achieved in many Member States to improve workplace health and safety, but important challenges remain. In this regard, Member States should ensure adequate investments in the education and training systems related to safety. Furthermore, a proper policy to provide the tools to address the challenges and hazards in the sector is
According to their research “Electricians’ apprentices should, before work-based training in the industry, pass a safety test similar to those presented at Safety4El Moodle course“, but also that “annual tests should be identical across the EU and certificated by EC / EU-OSHA.”
