Analysis and diagnosis of risk-prevention training actions in the Spanish construction sector

The aim of this research paper is to analyze occupational risk-prevention training in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the Spanish Construction Sector. To do so, an in-depth study is completed on compliance with the entrepreneurial obligation to inform and to train workers in occupational risk-prevention, in accordance with the regulations laid down in Directive 89/391/EEC, and transposed into Spanish Law in Act 31/1995, of 8 November, on Risk Prevention in the Workplace [Ley de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales (LPRL)]. Three questionnaires were designed and two discussion groups were organized with risk-prevention trainers and business representatives in the sector. Databases from various bodies were jointly consulted, specifically the External Prevention Services (EPS) and the Construction Labour Foundation [Fundación Laboral de la Construcción] (CLF), to establish both the weaknesses and the strengths of occupational risk-prevention training and the training systems of the firms in the sector. Having gathered all the information, the strategic indicators of training in risk-prevention were analyzed, such as the professional qualifications of the trainers, the training methodologies employed, and the training and information that the worker received on the job. The results showed that the majority of trainers in charge of training courses were not construction specialists, the training courses were not adapted to the training level of the workers and, importantly, the teaching materials were never in the other languages of the foreign workers. In conclusion, higher levels of professionalization are necessary for all the agents involved in risk-prevention procedures and construction processes.