Leonardo da Vinci, a group of teachers from Greece und TUV AUSTRIA Academy – a perfect combination for three days in Vienna!
Link from site: http://www.tuev.at
The Leonardo da Vinci Programme of the EU promotes knowledge transfer among its citizens as well as their international competencies. For instance, the number of stays in companies and vocational training facilities in a different European country to gain practical experience is to increase to at least 80,000 per year by 2013. The TUV AUSTRIA Academy has recently served as one such training facility.
Link from site http://www.tuev.at
VETPRO is part of the Leonardo da Vinci Programme. It ensures the mobility of qualified employees regarding their vocational training and further training, and is directed at teachers, for example. So a group of teachers from Greece visited TUV AUSTRIA Academy for three days in order to exchange knowledge and listen to talks. “Health and Safety in School Labs – Guidelines & OSHA Laboratory Standard” was the subject of the presentations.
An important issue, since incidents that may happen at the workplace are also relevant in schools: lurking in chemistry laboratories, hazardous materials may lead to accidents when not stored properly. The risk is frequently underestimated, Thomas Remesch from Umweltbundesamt (Environment Agency Austria) pointed out in his talk. The fact that nothing goes wrong when handling chemical substances for many years may easily lull you into a false sense of security. The common assumption that whatever is available on the market cannot pose a serious hazard is also erroneous.
Expert talks on safety and health
Measures to be taken to ensure the safety and health of pupils were the subject of talks delivered by Mr Remesch and Stefan Seyfert from Umweltbundesamt, both of which focused on the OSHA Laboratory Standard. Correct storage and disposal of chemicals, electric safety and the development of safety plans were on the agenda that day.
Besides Umweltbundesamt, TUV AUSTRIA also made a contribution to the series of talks: Hellfried Matzik discussed occupational safety with the Greek participants and informed them about the SCC set of rules and regulations. Risks may be minimised but not eliminated: the first-aid training with paramedic Kurt Nistler prepared those present for possible accidents and demonstrated what to do in an emergency.
Trip to OMV Training Center
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A trip to the OMV’s training centre rounded off the event: on site, Florian Bacher provided details about the apprentice training at OMV and the steps taken by the company to ensure the safety of its employees. After the talk, the Greek delegation was shown around the laboratories.
And what about the supporting programme? Besides the further training there was time for even more further training: on top of the Greek teachers’ wish list was the Technical Museum, and they were just as enthusiastic about their visit there as about walking around the city centre, where they found souvenirs for their families.
The exchange of knowledge, the cultural exchange and the exchange between TUV AUSTRIA Academy and TUV AUSTRIA Hellas have been a success: we wish our visitors all the best with implementing the new insights in their daily work and hope to see them again soon!
