VETTER E learning course (EN)

This module, divided into 13 chapters, is focused on Health and Quality of Life at Work. 

During Unit 1, we will analyse the criteria and methods to be considered for risk assessment from a sociological point of view. The main objective of this unit is to identify, prevent and manage risks from a sociological point of view, i.e. how individuals perceive the various risks and what factors are involved in their interpretation and estimation. We must consider that the concept of emerging psychosocial risks encompasses current risks, often of recent appearance, due to economic, social, organisational or occupational changes and which are undergoing a major change in their scope or intensity and furthermore not all the criteria apply to every field, but these are adjusted to the reality of each specific unit. This last point is important in order to be able to make a general assessment and an assessment by sectors and specialities within the work environment. It is not the same to make a risk plan for the whole company, as a general plan, as it is to make an approach for each speciality within a company. Both the employer and the worker or internship students must observe their environment, detect a possible risk, communicate it to the company's safety committee and the committee must analyse, classify and evaluate different immediate and long-term solutions in order to first prevent and then maintain the measures taken. The main objective of risk assessment is to eliminate operational risks and "improve the overall safety of the workplace". 

In the second unit, Social Research Methodology, we focus on a systematic and interpretative process that helps us to obtain new data and knowledge of reality and circumstance in order to diagnose needs and problems in order to achieve a safe and quality working environment, based on logical relationships and not only on personal beliefs.

With social research techniques, we can find out the degree of satisfaction of the company's employees, investigate the causes of an accident at work, study a system of continuous improvement in the company, analyse the starting situation for the implementation of a quality system, solve communication problems between departments, assess risks, etc. through surveys, face-to-face interviews, open discussion, direct observation, questionnaires, i.e. with the support of qualitative and quantitative research. During the development of this unit, we will present 3 situations with their different perspectives and techniques. We also mention and locate the standards applied in Europe, making a distinction between Act, Regulations and Code of Practices. It should be emphasised that Health and safety at work is one of the areas where the EU has had the biggest impact - with a solid legal framework covering the maximum number of risks with the minimum number of regulations.

Unit 3 is devoted to the methods and tools for organisational analysis applied to safeguarding health and quality of life at work. The key concepts of the unit will be defined, and a list of the most common monitoring methods used by companies. This section will provide an overview of organisational analysis useful for future modules.  We explain the concept of organisational analysis and its different sub-types. With the support of different graphs, the different monitoring strategies will be discussed.

Unit 4, Elements of psychology and social psychology, will focus on how psychology is essential to the workplace. Through this unit, we will learn how social psychology is influencing people's attitudes, which also affects companies. We will also analyse the impact of psychology at the workplace, in terms of social perception, work motivation and conflict. Lastly, we will emphasize the importance of maintaining a good mental health in order to be more efficient and safer, together with the steps to follow in order to achieve it. 

Unit 5 will cover the general rules of conduct in case of an emergency in the organisation. Different approaches regarding law, the practical response, and tips are included in this section. It will show some strategies to ensure both VET students and employees are safeguarded during the training process and in the future. We will cite the minimum conditions that a company should offer to its employees for a safe working environment.

Unit 6, Elements of adult pedagogy, will focus on pedagogy and andragogy, a concept that is crucial while talking about adult learners. This unit will explain how pedagogy is related to risk prevention; and we will explore this term, some legal background and several important data that we need to know when we talk about risk assessment and prevention, together with some rights and obligations that need to be taken into account in this matter.

Unit 7, Helping Relationship Management Theories and Techniques to Understand the Potential Pitfalls the Person Experiences in Performing Accompanying Activities, explains how to assess and reduce risks arising from the use of equipment in the workplace. It includes the safeguards needed to prevent injury, the maintenance required, and the rules regarding disposal of equipment.

Unit 8 will illustrate all the ways in which a safe working environment can be built and also the skills, their obligations and responsibilities of the main actors involved in workplace safety management.

In unit 9 will be shown five approaches to HRM that focus on empowerment, motivation and trust in dealing with employees, considering individual contributors the most important resource an organisation can have; in particular, we will see how the HR managers can also create an effective and useful internship program for their company.

Unit 10 will provide you with models and techniques of activity planning and work organization.

In Unit 11, some of the most used quality service method will be analysed, with the aim of providing all the necessary tools to improve quality standards and performances. 

Unit 12 will demonstrate that a safety culture consists, first of all, “not only about regulation, rules and procedures. Safety is about a living and collective commitment” (Josef Doppelbauer Executive Director EU Agency for Railway). All employees must be fully invested and committed to these workplace safety tips to help create a safer work environment. The chapter will also dedicate a focus about the relationship between the safety aspect and the gender issue in the workplace.

In unit 13, we will see how the European Union has regulated safety at work. Furthermore, we will understand what are the general principles governing the models of conduct in the workplace.