A Competency Framework for Safety Training at the construction sector

The development and implementation of safety training programs (STP) specially adapted to organizational contexts is of high technical importance and relevance from the social point of view. This is particularly true at the construction sector which is considered to be a high-risk sector, characterized by high rates of work accidents. The reasons for these rates includes: workers inexperience and immaturity, intensive physical and psychological labor rhythms, non-use or improper use of protective equipment, the insensitivity and lack of risk awareness issues of ST. The technical repertoire of each professional category should include clear and explicit competencies related with safety at work ("safety competencies"). Each safety competency reflects the respect and enforcement of safety rules and, therefore, prevents workers from risks related to their professional activities. The safety competencies framework will increase the rationality and the effectiveness of the STP because it enhances the accuracy of the training needs analysis. As a consequence, the design of the safety training programs will be focused on the most relevant and needed aspects. Finally, the competencies framework will also provide an important orientation to the safety training effectiveness evaluation. The present study aims to contribute both to the development of the safety training programs as well as to the promotion of safety competencies on 14 professional categories of the construction sector; it also intends to elaborate, based on a safety competencies framework, educational resources (RTPs) to be used on specific safety training for those professional groups. The identification of each safety competency was based on the results of the risk assessments carried out on each professional category. The elaboration of the safety competency framework included a validation by experts on SW. Regarding the RTPs, each one includes the (1) risks related to the activities and (2) the safety at work competencies to be developed.