Integrating occupational safety and health into school and university education is the key to reducing the high incidence of work-related accidents and illnesses in many European Union (EU) industries, especially among young staff, claims a report published by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work.

According to the report, Mainstreaming Occupational Safety and Health into Education, young employees, aged 18-24, are 50%, more likely to have an accident than the average staff member in industrialized countries. One of the main problems, argue the authors, is that most adolescents enter the labour market with only little knowledge of the risks, let alone education in preventive measures.

To help policy makers and practitioners resolve this shortfall, the 152-page report describes and analyses 32 examples of how different EU countries have successfully integrated OSH into different levels of the education system, from primary schools up to universities and specialist vocational colleges. It also provides a strategic framework, including a "road map", to achieve this.

Examples of good practice covered in the study include a United Kingdom initiative to educate children about the dangers of building sites; a methodology to help teachers in Italy introduce OSH into the school syllabus; and a scheme in France where pupils on work placement are invited to find ways to improve the companies’ health and safety environment.

Factsheet summaries of the report are available in PDF format.