Benefits of a Cross-Functional Safety Curriculum

Abstract

<p>As a profession, the practice of safety and health is still in its infancy. Thus, there is a recognized need for trained safety and health professionals. Many safety professionals start in other technical areas and receive their safety education on the job and through continuing education programs (Kedjidjian, 1998). It has been estimated that currently only 25-35% of individuals entering the safety profession are academically trained for safety (Kohn, 1997). Acceptance of safety as a true technical-based profession by industry is unlikely to occur until the majority of the people practicing the profession are academically trained. This depends on the ability of faculty to produce graduates who are able to not only perform the required activities of a safety technician, but also possess the knowledge to understand the “why” of those activities and the capability to pursue life-long learning as safety professionals.</p>