The study is designed to develop, implement and evaluate a pilot occupational health and safety (OHS) training program designed to improve training outcomes for workers with essential skills gaps by embedding curriculum that enhances essential skills. The pilot involves the hoisting and rigging training program offered by the training centre of local 506 of the Labourers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA), using curriculum developed by the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA).
•To determine the extent to which a redesigned curriculum for the hoisting and rigging safety training program that addresses essential skills gaps improves learning of the health and safety content and adherence to safe practices.
•Should the pilot prove successful, the longer term goal is to apply the model to a range of other OHS programs, thereby improving worker / workplace safety more broadly.
If the pilot is successful, the process used to develop it could be a model for the improvement of other OHS training programs that serve a trainee population with essential skills gaps. We will explore such opportunities with other health and safety associations (besides IHSA) through meetings with them once findings from the pilot have been identified.