An issue-based framework for open learning in safety education and professional development
Patrick SK Poon
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to put forward an issue-based framework for open learning in safety education based on a critical examination of the emerging issues within the safety profession. Safety education is in many aspects quite different from the other disciplines included in higher education but, unfortunately, the reporting of research in safety education is often incomplete. Building on the traditions of 'open learning' and 'problem-based learning (PBL)', the study assesses the anticipated future needs of professional practice in the light of the multi-disciplinary nature of the profession. To identify critical issues, the results of a review of formal documents and interviews with key decision-makers and stakeholders in the fields of construction, manufacturing, and occupational safety are examined. A series of focus group interviews with experienced practitioners is used to create a framework that helps to fill the critical gaps in our knowledge concerning the continuing development of the profession. The initial results of the investigation underscore the diversity and complexity of the interactions between the various influences in safety education and the ways in which PBL can be integrated with open learning to help enhance the effectiveness of learning. In this study the overarching views of the stakeholders exert a profound influence on how specific issues are framed and pursued.
The framework is offered for future development and discussion although the foundation itself may be incomplete. It is hoped that the framework developed in this study is sufficient to provide the serious safety education researcher with a fruitful place to begin the task.
1. Introduction
" Open Learning - the media or the approach?"
Inherent in the proposed frame work of this initial study is the overall belief that adults will learn better if they are motivated and challenged with critical issues important for the development of their professionalism. There is much about adult learning that we do not know, yet much that we need to know. We live in a complex world, besieged by complex problems. Our ability to understand, appropriately respond to the critical issues of our daily life relies on the supposition that we are educated regarding these issues. Nevertheless, very often that is not the case in our traditional education system - we are slow in responding to change.
In professional training, for instance in the field of Occupational Safety & Health, educational goals have to take into account the changing roles of the profession, changes in legislation, in the knowledge base on which it is built, and in the severity of the social pressure it must face. These changes are adding complication to the problems associated with adult learning in professional development. With the increasing pressure for change, some general educational concepts are frequently discussed but seldom considered seriously in local terms.
Open learning and distance learning, problem based learning and other new approaches require that students assume greater responsibility for their own learning. Learners need to become engaged in and take personal ownership of their work. Self-motivation, self-direction, and persistence are the traits that contribute to learners' success as lifelong learners. (Glasgow, 1997)
These learning and teaching styles merit consideration and some may be valid in today's classrooms. However, inherent to education for professional development is the perspective through which the critical issues must be understood. In many professions, practitioners are faced with problems of multidisciplinary nature. Professional practice is always associated with problem solving with a particular goal or purpose. The underlying assumption is that there are patterns through which issues are identified and approaches by which problems are resolved.
This paper aims to address the approach and the knowledge creation process in an open learning environment instead of the media or technologies involved.
2. The Changing Scene
Historically people reacted to the environment of the day and in many cases have not had particularly impressive results. For instance, after the passage of Workers' Compensation laws or many other pieces of occupational safety and health legislation, we would spend most of our time reacting to the content of the law. Sometimes our reaction prevented some loss, sometimes it did not, some times it was counter- productive. For examples:
· In the late 1950's, we believed management had to have safety policy statement, and we spent great effort getting these written, signed and placed in the manual. Result? No change in anything.
· In the early 1960's, product liability was hot, we ignored the rest of our safety problems.
· In 1971, all efforts were spent on OSHA compliance, ignoring what we had learned during the previous sixty years about what works and what doesn't work.
· In the 1980's, it was hazard communication, asbestos and recordkeeping, as that is what OSHA pushed.
· In the 1990's, focus attention have been given on safety management systems (ISO14000, BS8800, AS/NZS 4804:1997), risk management, and total quality management towards continuous improvement. The results? Unknown, but not much.
3. OSH Education - a Review in Local Context
In Hong Kong, these trends have led to reconsideration of the critical issues in OSH education and training. The "Industrial Safety & Health Conference for Safety and Health Practitioners" held on 19 July 1996 called for a review on the role and training of safety practitioners. The Labour Department undertook to conduct a review. The initiative of the Labour Department's review was driven by a complex set of goals involving government officials, members of the OSH profession, employers and the safety practitioners. The review, as a government programme, was conducted to meet the pressing needs to improve safety standards in the territory.
As at the end of 1996, there were 1,185 Registered Safety Officers (RSOs) of which about 530 are serving safety practitioners (Labour Department, 1997). The remaining 660 RSOs or so are not working in the safety profession. However, there is still continued supply of RSOs since four local institutions are presently providing 1-year part-time safety officer training courses to about 400 trainees at professional certificate level. These trainees are potential RSOs if they really wish to join the profession.
The review placed emphasis on the need to revise the qualifications for RSOs and the feasibility of revalidation of RSO after registration. Implicitly, it was hypothesised that current safety training is inadequate to cope with the change of government's policy in industrial safety.
The review confirms that there is insufficient consideration on further training needs. In view of a shift of emphasis towards adopting a self-regulatory approach with an enhanced safety management structure, clearly there is a need for professional upgrade training or advanced studies in OSH.
4. Emerging Issues
Safety education is in many aspects quite different from the other disciplines included in higher education but, unfortunately, the reporting of research in safety education is often incomplete. In local context, there is no reporting of research from an educational point of view. Most of the OSH courses are offered in either part-time or distance learning mode. No formal evaluation of any kind has been disclosed.
We learn of safety issues from the headlines of newspapers almost every day. These issues are given much attention by all concerned because of their impact and social implications. Comprehension of and solutions to these issues are inherently based through the understanding of their causes, effects and implications. The identification of the over-arching issues calls for concerted efforts to define the level and identify the scope of professional practice required to be develop in order to meet the future needs.
According to the National Occupational Research Agenda (NIOSH, 1997) published by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), among the 21 priorities identified for the 21 century, some of the emergency issues in OSH include:
· Organization of Work
· Indoor Environment Risk Assessment Methods
· Hearing loss
· Control Technology and Personal Protective Equipment
· Social and Economic Consequences of Workplace Illness and Injury
· Emerging Technologies
· Intervention Effectiveness Research
· Special Populations at Risk Exposure
· Assessment Methods
· Low Back Disorders
· Mixed Exposures
· Traumatic Injuries
The Health and Safety Executives (HSE), UK, identifies in its Mainstream Research Market publication that the future OSH research requirements will be as follows (HSE, 1998):
· Occupational Health
Ergonomic Risks, Physical Risks, Ionising Radiation, Hyperbaric Risks, Psychosocial Issues, Biological Risks, Chemical Risks, Occupational Hygiene Control and Measurement.
· Major Hazards and Risk Assessment
Explosions, Fire, Dispersion and Risk Theory.
· Engineering
Engineering Integrity and Materials, Electrical and Control Systems Engineering, Machinery, Plant Safety & Mechanical Handling, Civil Engineering, Structures and Construction
· Behavioural And Social Sciences
The Science of Regulation and the Changing Structure of Society, Attitudes of Workers and the Public, Organisational Structures and Management Methods, Individual Performance, Characteristics and the Physical and Psychosocial Work Environment, Psychosocial Factors and Behaviour in Relation to Ill-Health.
5. Professional practice in OSH
Based on the above trends, professional practice in OSH is now expected to include the following combinations and considerations:
Professional Practice / Essential professional knowledge / skills / Critical Issues to be consideredSafety Management / based on / What?
- OSH legislation & policy
- management goal & policy
- management commitment
- system thinking,
- total quality management,
- local and international practice
- planning, control and review / Why & How?
Social, economical, environmental, technical and management considerations.
Who?
The OSH management team, practitioners and the stakeholders.
Solutions / based on / What?
- effective safety management system
- technical know how (OSH technology)
- education and training
- learning from experience (case studies)
- codes of practice / How?
Economical, environmental, technical and management considerations.
Who?
The OSH management team and the stakeholders, practitioners and intending practitioners.
Risk assessment/ management / based on / What?
- OSH aims, goals & policy
- accident phenomenon,
- loss control
- risk management principles,
- identification of key process elements
- job Hazards Analysis (JHS)
- cost/effect analysis / Why & How?
Economical, environmental, technical and management considerations.
Who?
The OSH management team.
Accident prevention / based on / What?
- OSH aims, goals & policy
- education and training
- precautionary principles
- human factors and ergonomics theories - engineering preventive measures
- administrative preventive measures / Why & How?
Economical, environmental and technical considerations.
Who?
The OSH management team.
Continuous improvement / based on / What?
- management goal & commitment
- TQM concepts
- ISO9000, ISO14000,
BS8800, AS/NZS 4804:1997
- quality and safety culture / Why & How?
Economical, environmental, technical and management considerations.
Who?
The OSH management team, practitioners and the stakeholders.
Remedial actions / based on / What?
- problem solving,
- accident investigation and reporting
- inspection and condition monitoring / How?
Economical, environmental, technical and management considerations.
Who?
The OSH management team, practitioners and the stakeholders.
Compliance / based on / What?
- legislative requirements
- OSH strategies, and
- all of the above / All of the above issues
OSH Training & Education / based on / All of the above / All of the above issues
In short, OSH has become a multi-disciplinary profession, incorporating various technological, economical and social considerations into management, integrating occupational safety with health to provide a safe working environment for people at work, and involving all responsible agencies and a wide range of professions. At the same time, there is an obligation to fulfil traditional responsibilities of complying with the legislative requirements.
6. Professional Training Using Problem Based Learning (PBL) Approach
The traditional type of projects in OSH training (originating in risk and hazard identification, and accident investigation) for professional development have shaped problem-based learning in some of the postgraduate OSH courses (Poon, Reed & Tang, 1997). Safety management projects and related case studies are typically based on system safety analysis, risk assessment, accident phenomena and causation models. The broadening of this type of project to include management techniques, incorporation of other disciplines and amalgamation of various safety technologies, project management and policy development have led to a more integrated learning mode approaching situations that the student might experience in the workplace. By contrast, in traditional discipline-based learning such as construction safety, electrical safety, process safety, etc., only the individual tools tend to be developed, and the management context within which these tools are to be used can be lost.
For example, in the Postgraduate Scheme in Occupational Safety & Health (POSH) jointly offered by the University of Western Sydney and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the PBL approach is used. (POSH Course Handbook, 1998). One of the main features is that a practical problem in the workplace is often presented in its context as much as possible, and students work in small groups to define and solve the problem. They typically must access various opening learning materials in order to find suitable information, data and techniques. Typical resources might be text/library books, printed study guides, reading materials, videos, and Web-based internet resources.
The programme is undertaken by distance education which utilises a combination of well developed study notes and books of readings together with lectures for each subject within the programme. Students are expected to make their own progress through each subject on an independent study basis using the distance education materials. Each subject includes compulsory lectures/ workshops supplemented by tutorials. Lectures, workshops and tutorials are held on weekday evenings and weekends in the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
7. Problem-based Learning (PBL)
PBL is a widely discussed technique (Glasgow, 1997). It is new to many teachers. No longer is the teacher the deliverer of a fixed bodly of information; he/she becomes the facilitator of discovery learning for the students, through progressive discourse. Skills and knowledge are acquired in context with more real-world applications whenever possible. Evaluation and assessment emphasize on measuring student performance in mastering the process of learning in addition to measuring the outcomes. Opportunities are provided for open learning through various types of learning media. Learners are encouraged to explore a subject as far as they wish. This open-ended approach has fostered many creative and unique solutions.