Work-related accident rate improved with courses

The Danish Technological Institute is holding working environment courses to change attitudes on building sites for companies in the construction and civil works industry. The idea is to motivate everyone to accept their share of the responsibility for safety on site – and this is paying off.

Safety is not merely a question of work instructions and physical protective equipment. It is also important to have knowledge and care – the brain and the heart – as part of the process. This means that everyone on site is consciously aware of when dangerous situations arise and how they can be prevented. In order to help the process along, Torben Halby from the Danish Technological Institute travels round the country holding two-day courses in the working environment and health and safety at the workplace. He has a wealth of experience with these types of courses, typically held with groups of 20 participants at a time.

- The participants choose the content of the course themselves so that they get something directly practical out of the course that they can work further with. This process is extremely important, Torben Halby stresses.

The construction company C.C. Brun Enterprise A/S is just one of the many companies that have benefited from sending employees on courses in working environment and safety. It is now over a year ago that the company has had any work-related accidents. Employees have been updated on the safest ways to use trucks, cranes and scaffolding.

- We had a bad experience about a year ago when the company was hit by a serious accident on one of our building sites – but as a result we sent our employees on a course led by Torben Halby, says managing director Kristian Lind from C.C. Brun Enterprise A/S. On top of that the company has invested in proper high quality gear and tools for the employees.

- Torben understands and speaks ‘worker language’. He creates a natural opportunity to start a positive and useful dialogue with the employees. Using humour he gets them to change their attitudes and behaviour and to take responsibility for their working environment and health and safety, says Kristian Lind, adding that the effect of the courses can also be seen in the company’s bottom line.

In 2007 the Danish Technological Institute held 46 two-day courses in working environment and health and safety for companies in the construction and civil works industry. The participating companies have subsequently either noticed a marked decrease in the number of accidents or have not had any accidents since at all.

The Danish Technological Institute is an approved working environment consultant. The Institute’s consultancy service is based on combining a lot of knowledge of the industry with considerable knowledge of working environments.