The Process of Education on Health and Safety Services and Organizational Development

Modern business is primarily an exponentially growing competition, a large variation in customers' tastes and the constant pressure for innovation and cost efficiency. Such situation creates a difficult and demanding work environment and the sector of Health and Safety management  becomes a strategic element in company developmental planning (cf. Znajmiecka - Sikora, Boczkowska, Halfling, Sikora, 2010). As a result, workers must continuously update their knowledge and improve their skills and competecies. Both, soft and hard skills are taken into account.

The aim of this study is to analyze the knowledge, skills and vocational competence of  Health and Safety Service workers - strategic groups when it comes to safety in the organization. The problem analyzed becomes really crucial in the context of the planned  changes in the Polish law, which may significantly affect the structure of employment - the increase in demand for employees with adequate competence to meet legal requirements, individual needs of enterprises and the risk of job loss or the need for retraining employees who for various reasons will not be able to adjust to new legal and organizational requirements.

The studies involved 400 workers of Health and Safety Services, working in selected Polish voivodships. The research was conducted in 2009-2010. The study used an interview questionnaire consisting of 64 closed questions covering issues relating to knowledge, opportunities, career paths and the flexibility of Health and Safety Services staff. The analysis of the results indicates that the system of education in the field of Hafety and Safety is very patchy and often inadequate to employers‘ expectations. The analysis of  workers of Health and Safety service on one hand allows to look at this vocational group as being aware of aspects of lifelong education - raising skills and qualifications is an integral part of professional life, on the other hand then it shows lack of knowledge and competences in many Health and Safety ralated issues.