GENERAL

EDUCATION
OF WORKERS
Relationships
RELATIONSHIPS
The relational processes
INFORMATION, EDUCATION, TRAINING
What information? How?
Education of the worker
CONSULTATION

RELATIONSHIPS
Safety organization foresees a functional organizational chart that requires
constant discussion of relationships.
The relationships among the subjects of the prevention system represent the
fabric on which to build up company safety in an effective and constructive
way. Relationships must be dynamic and must find constant application in the
clarity of the roles covered and the objectives to be achieved.
The primary objective is to become familiar with:
• the system of relationships among the various subjects of prevention in the
workplace;
• the ways in which subjects can interact with each other and with external
interlocutors, i.e. institutions and supervisory bodies.
The relational processes
The system of relationships encourages all company personnel to be aware
of:
• their role;
• their responsibilities;
• the possibilities for development and growth.
Maintaining “good relationships” does not mean talking about everything
with everyone, but establishing relationships with specific topics and actions
to be carried out.
It is worth remembering that:
• specific information enriches knowledge;
• education teaches to use this information;
• training allows the performance of one’s duties.
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INDEX
The purpose of a good system of relationships is to achieve the following
objectives:
• Provide all company subjects with the information necessary to allow
everyone to fully exercise their role in harmony with others.
• Verify that each of the relationship obligations is respected by all those
involved in the organization of safety.
• Know the obligations of information, education, training, consultation and
participation.
Participation
Information, education and training represent three protective measures,
consequential to one another and to the same extent necessary, of a single
project aimed at ensuring balanced and responsible participation by all those
who, in various capacities, work in a ‘business organization.
INFORMATION, EDUCATION, TRAINING
Information, education and training interventions aimed at workers must take
on a recurring nature and become an integral part of the organization of the
work.
Information
Information is the set of activities aimed at providing knowledge that is useful
to identifying, reducing and managing risks in the workplace.
The content of the information must be easily understandable for workers
and must allow them to acquire the relevant knowledge.
Where information concerns immigrant workers, it is essential to verify in
advance their level of understanding of the Italian language.
However, it is not excluded that information may also be provided in a foreign
language.
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Education
Education is the main tool by means of which one can intervene to promote
the culture of safety and prevention within the organization of work.
All those who hold a role within the company must know the legislation,
procedures and measures useful for acquiring skills to carry out their duties
safely.
With education, the recipients acquire cognitive and behavioral skills in terms
of safety.
It is a complex commitment, which consists in a real transfer of the culture of
prevention, to be carried out through a well-structured “process”.
Education contributes to “educating people” and encouraging change in
behavior.
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INDEX
Practical training
Practical training is provided by an experienced person in the workplace.
The focus is on practical instruction regarding the correct, safe use of
equipment, machinery, plants, substances, devices, including for personal
protection.
Furthermore, it consists of a drill applied in the case of safe working procedu-
res. Practical training must be recorded in a special register, which may also
be computerised.
Practical training should not be confused with theoretical training.
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How and who decides which information, education and training is to be
carried out?
In some cases, it is legislative decree no. 81 of 2008 itself which defines the
topics covered by the information.
Education is the responsibility of the Regions, which is why a series of agre-
ements have been drawn up between the State and the Regions themselves
which define the courses, subjects and hours of education to be carried out
for the different subjects.
In some cases, the directives relating to training are established by law.
It remains the responsibility of the employer to have the workers carry out
specific training on the use of machines, equipment, tools, etc.
What information? How?
Information must be provided by involving the recipients in an “active” way.
The legislation obliges the employer to make sure that each worker receives
adequate information, which must be given at the time of hiring, regarding
the transfer of a worker from one department to another or on the occasion
of a change of job.
Information is mandatory whenever a new piece of machinery is introduced
or certain procedures are modified.
Workers must be informed about:
• risks to health and safety at work related to the business in general and
to the prevention and protection measures adopted along with the related
company provisions.
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INDEX
• names of the person in charge and of the people in charge of the preven-
tion and protection service, of the competent doctor and of the workers in
charge of emergencies.
This is a sheet hanging on the bulletin board or made available in the various
departments and on the various floors of the company where the names, te-
lephone numbers, indication of the workstation of the main security subjects
are indicated.
• procedures concerning first aid, fire fighting and evacuation of workplaces.
It involves making people aware of and teaching them how to read the plans
with the routes and emergency exits, making the emergency numbers known
and distributing brochures with first aid maneuvers or on the use of fire extin-
guishers.
• dangers associated with the use of dangerous substances and preparations.
Where there are dangers arising from the use of dangerous substances
(chemical risk), workers must know what they are and where the safety data
sheets of each product are located.
Can we talk about permanent information?
The information must be repeated and constantly updated, in relation to the
changes in the company’s organization or production activities; following the
evolution of situations of risk or the emergence of additional risks (compared
to those already assessed) with the consequent adoption of new measures of
prevention.
The critical aspect of information often concerns its non-traceability.
While registers, attendance signatures and the course program are required
for education, little or nothing happens with information.
Information is important and, therefore, should always be documented with
the names and signatures of the participants, topics covered and the name of
the person in charge who, in this case, is the trainer.
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 INDEX

Education of the worker
At the Permanent Conference for relations between the State and the Re-
gions, it was established that worker education is divided into two modules:
• “general education” with duration and content common to all workers in all
sectors of activity;
• “specific education” with specific duration and content for each sector of
activity.
Education can be carried out both in the classroom and in the workplace.
The formation of workers and their representatives must be periodically re-
peated in relation to the evolution of risks or to the emergence of new risks.
And for other security figures?
Special education is provided for those who make up the corporate organiza-
tional chart regarding safety.
Also in this case, the topics and the hours of education are defined by specific
Agreements between the State and the Regions.

General education and specific education for those sectors of the low-risk
class can also be carried out in e-learning mode.
When does it take place?
The Agreements between the State and the Regions define the minimum
contents of the education to be carried out in the following moments:
• upon hiring;
• on the occasion of transfers or changes of duties;
• on the occasion of the introduction of new work equipment, new technolo-
gies, new substances and dangerous preparations;
• when assessing a risk that had not previously been highlighted.
When should training be carried out?
When should training be carried out?
In principle, the same rules apply as for information and education.
Training must take place on the occasion:
• of the establishment of the employment relationship or at the start of the
use in the case of a temporary employment contract;
• of the transfer or change of duties;
• of the introduction of new work equipment or new technologies, new
dangerous substances and preparations.

Of course, all those educational actions on topics not defined by the legisla-
tion, but which employers, executives and “company management” believe
are useful to workers or specific subjects, are also allowed.

For example, courses on proper nutrition, UNI standards, environmental

sustainability, organizational well-being, communication, relationships, new
educational methods, etc.
Particular attention must be paid to education on the equipment present in
the company and not regulated.
In the latter case, after education, training is important.

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Is training mandatory?
In order to use machines and equipment it is necessary to provide training.
However, there are some cases, well defined by the legislation, in which
training is expressly required for some activities with specific risks.
Training is mandatory in the following cases: manual handling of loads;
work at heights with access and positioning by ropes;
use of third category PPE and hearing protection.
CONSULTATION
Over the years, the term “consultation” has undergone frequent
misunderstandings. First of all, it is useful to clarify what consultation is not.
In fact, consultation does not mean:
• approval;
• sharing;
• a co-decision.
Consultation implies the activation of a particular procedure, which requires
two phases:
• a preliminary phase, that is the information that occurs through the delivery
of documents, data, statistics, minutes, etc...
• a subsequent phase, in which the availability of the subjects consulted
is required of an adequate time period, in order to be able to express the
requested opinion.
Consultation represents an opportunity for workers to make a contribution,
through their representative, to the continuous improvement of health and
safety conditions in their company.
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Importance of consultation
When drafting or updating the risk assessment document it may be useful to
“consult” the workers who, on the basis of their own experiences, can point
out:
• new dangers;
• unforeseen risk situations;
• systems of work organization.
Depending on the topics and issues to be addressed, there may be different
tools for an effective consultation. Among these:
• meetings;
• questionnaires;
• discussions;
• preliminary illustration of the assessments made by the technicians;
• written request for opinions and ideas.
These actions should be preceded by the consultation of the workers’ safety
representative, in order to proceed with the viewing or review of the que-
stions, questionnaires, etc.
Consultation is communication! Internal communication includes the repor-
ting and management of comments and proposals from company staff.
The reception of internal communication is carried out by the hierarchical
manager whatever the level of the proposer, who is required to receive any
type of communication and to transmit it to the subjects who have direct
responsibilities.
The psychological aspects of the consultation
Consultation also has a social significance as decisions regarding safety
concern the behavior of other people and of all those who work in the
company.
Preventive consultation makes it possible to solicit proposals and observations
from the workers’ safety representative before making the official decision.
Consulting workers allows them to be involved in the decision-making process
in order to implement changes.
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