Safe apprenticeship
Every year, one in eight apprentices suffers an occupational accident. The figures from all insurers show that entering the world of work can be not only interesting but also dangerous. At the beginning of August, around 75,000 young people ventured into working life.
The end of the summer vacations marked the start of a new phase in life for many young people. While some prefer to continue their education at school, others venture into professional life. According to the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation, every year around 75,000 young people opt for an apprenticeship.
Apprentices are twice as likely to have an accident as other employees
The fact that the start of working life is also associated with dangers is shown by the figures from the Swiss Accident Insurance Statistics Compilation Office (SSUV). The risk of an occupational accident is practically twice as high for apprentices as for other employees. A total of 25,000 occupational accidents occur every year among apprentices, two of which are fatal.
Most of the accidents occur during classic manual work. Around 40 percent of accidents occur during manual or machine work. For example, during manual tasks such as drilling, grinding, sanding, or on machines during milling and turning. Learners are often hit by foreign objects such as splinters or chips, or they cut or scrape themselves.
Important role models have a great influence
The reasons why apprentices have accidents more often are obvious. For newcomers to the profession, everything is usually new; they are not used to handling hand tools and machines. In addition, many underestimate the dangers or overestimate their own abilities. In addition, many accidents happen because apprentices do not dare to ask questions if they are unsure. That's why vocational trainers, supervisors and employees play a key role. They serve as role models and have the task of introducing the apprentices to the company's safety culture.
In this interaction, the vocational trainer plays a key role. He or she is responsible for ensuring that learners are informed about the vital rules know that they are systematically instructed about these rules and that they are regularly repeated. This also includes the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
When it comes to practical implementation, Suva recommends that vocational trainers involve the company's safety advisor so that learners can benefit from the advisor's knowledge and experience first-hand where the dangers lurk on the construction site or in the company. Last but not least, employees can do their part to increase safety for learners by following the rules themselves and alerting entry-level workers when vital rules are being violated.
Source: Suva
