Article Summary:
In the U.S. Construction Industry
Magazine: McGill Journal of Education, 2013
Article: “Doing it Old School: Peer Led Occupational Safety Training
In the U.S. Construction Industry” by Clayton Sinyai, Pete Stafford & Chris Trahan
Summary of the Article:
The article entitled “Doing it Old School: Peer Led Occupational Safety Training” written by Sinyai, Stafford, & Trahan (2013) presented relevant information regarding conducting training programs by trade and construction workers within the construction industry. As divulged, the construction industry recognized as one of the most risky and hazardous industries require knowledge and adherence to safety standards. The authors initially presented a historical overview of the emergence of peer-led and union based outreach training traced as early as 1978, through Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) ‘New Direction’ grant program . The renamed program, the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program, which, in current times, has allegedly trained thousands of workers, in conjunction with the funded programs conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).
Upon acknowledgement that the construction industry is considered the most dangerous, the OSHA developed two relevant safety and health programs for the enhancement of hazard awareness for constructions workers through the OSHA-10 and OSHA-30 . As noted, the National Resource Center (NRC), the governing body to enforce peer-led training gathered qualified master trainers who served to train their peers in the business through the recognized OSHA programs. The number of construction workers who apparently received the needed safety and health awareness training has exhibited an increasing trend manifesting its effectiveness and success in this particular field of endeavor.
Personal Analysis/Synthesis of the Article:
The acknowledgement of the authors inspired one through emphasizing that peer-led training had been the most effective method to enhance safety and health awareness within the construction industry. Through the information shared in the article, one realized that due to the construction industry’s classification as the most dangerous industry, the workers belonging to the construction industry recognized the need to promote adherence to safety standards using the most effective approach. It was therefore, realized that the most effective teacher or trainer where workers themselves, who had undergone various work-related experiences through exposure to risks and hazards within their working environment. Thus, the authors were definitely effective in persuading the readers that through peer-led training, construction workers receive the crucial information regarding safety and health standards in this field of discipline. The facts that added to the effectiveness in relaying the intended message of the authors were the clearly structured presentation of information and the use of straightforward language. The readers would appreciate the disclosure of some work-related experiences though, revealing the benefits that peer-led training has generated by citing real life and contemporary organization-based examples. Overall, the information gained from the reading was beneficial to readers through the acknowledgement that in some work settings, peer-led training, which focuses on safety and health awareness would be most effective and successful.
Reference
Sinyai, C., Stafford, P., & Trahan, C. (2013). Doing it Old School: Peer Led Occupational Safety Training in the U.S. Construction Industry. McGill Journal of Education, Vol. 48, No. 3, 605-612.
