DOING IT OLD SCHOOL: PEER-LED OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY TRAINING IN THE U.S. CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Authors

  • Clayton Sinyai CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training
  • Pete Stafford CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training
  • Chris Trahan CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training

Keywords:

occupational safety, labor unions, construction

Abstract

Many labour organizations that sponsor occupational health and safety training champion “peer training,” preferring instructors drawn from the shopfloor over academically credentialed experts. But peer training is hardly new: in the skilled trades, master craftsmen have instructed apprentices since the Middle Ages. Building on the apprenticeship model of education, the U.S.-based construction unions have created a network of more than 4,000 peer trainers who provide occupational health and safety training to up to 100,000 men and women in the building trades each year.

COMME DANS L’ANCIEN TEMPS: LA FORMATION EN SÉCURITÉ AU TRAVAIL OFFERTE PAR LES PAIRS DANS L’INDUSTRIE DE LA CONSTRUCTION AUX ÉTATS-UNIS

Plusieurs syndicats offrant des formations en santé et en sécurité au travail valorisent la formation par les pairs et favorisent l’embauche de formateurs issus du plancher de l’usine, au détriment d’experts universitaires. Or, cette façon de faire n’est pas récente. En effet, dans le domaine des métiers spécialisés, les artisans forment les apprentis depuis l’époque du Moyen Âge. Se basant sur le modèle éducationnel de compagnonnage, les associations syndicales du domaine de la construction ont créé un réseau regroupant plus de 4 000 formateurs-travailleurs qui donnent une formation en santé et sécurité au travail à plus de 100 000 travailleurs et travailleuses du domaine de la construction par année.

Author Biographies

Clayton Sinyai, CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training

CLAYTON SINYAI is an instructor at the National Labor College and Communications Associate at CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training. He is a member of Laborers Local 11 in Alexandria, Virginia. Email: csinyai@nlc.edu

Pete Stafford, CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training

PETE STAFFORD is Executive Director of CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training and Director of Safety and Health for the AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Department.

Chris Trahan, CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training

CHRIS TRAHAN is Deputy Director of CPWR -- The Center for Construction Research and Training.

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Published

2013-12-19

How to Cite

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 / Revue Des Sciences De l’éducation De McGill, 48(3). Retrieved from https://mje.mcgill.ca/article/view/9009

Issue

Section

Notes from the Field