Findings and views on occupational safety and health teaching at universities

BACKGROUND: Young employees have often poorer occupational safety and health (OSH) skills and knowledge than older employees. Efforts should be made at different educational levels to strengthen young employees' OSH skills and knowledge. OBJECTIVE: To analyze OSH perceptions and attitudes among university students and to examine OSH professionals' views on OSH teaching. METHODS: This explorative study employs an iterative multi-method approach, including a paired comparison questionnaire for university students (N = 104) and OSH professionals (N = 40), an OSH questionnaire for university students (N = 130) and a Delphi survey for OSH professionals (N = 26). RESULTS: OSH perceptions and attitudes were found to vary widely among the students and some expressed somewhat stereotypical views about OSH. The results confirm the need to improve OSH education. To that end, the study reports concrete practical ideas from OSH professionals. CONCLUSIONS: The findings confirm the need to augment both the quality and quantity of OSH teaching at university level. Ideas are presented for future OSH teaching, along with recommendations for future studies.