We know that health and safety at work is crucial. Over 500,000 people are injured at work each year. Not all of them are in dangerous jobs or even manual jobs - office work can cause eye strain and repetitive strain injury as well as accidents.
Health and Safety in the Workplace, by Highgain, is based on a training programme at Northumberland College and has had input and advice from many experts in the fields of health and safety legislation and learning difficulties and disabilities.
The package is designed for poor readers and those with learning disabilities. There are 11 modules which cover all the statutory requirements, covering, among other topics, accident prevention, first aid, electrical safety and fire safety.
The screen design is very clear and the videos which were shot in factories and sites around Gateshead really bring the theory to life. On the downside, the writers have done little to make the text accessible to those with learning disabilities. There is a lot of jargon which is never unpicked: “appointed person”, “high risk occupation” are not necessarily terms that young people will be familiar with.
Nevertheless there is much to recommend this CD-Rom. It contains many of the signs and symbols which are now seen as an essential part of the new Adult Literacy Core Curriculum and is a brave attempt at a difficult subject.
Sally McKeown
Health and Safety in the Workplace costs pound;85+vat. Highgain, Business Consultancy Limited, College Rd, Ashington Northumberland NE63 9RG. Tel:01670 841208. Fax: 01670 841275. email high.gain@northland.ac.uk
