VDSI guests at HFU

University and representatives from the workplace discuss current challenges in operational safety

In early July, the Occupational Safety Regulations Division of the Association for Health, Safety and Environmental Protection at Work (VDSI) visited Faculty III: Health, Medical & Life Sciences at HFU for an in-depth exchange of experience and information. The joint event with Prof. Dr. Arno Weber, Professor of Occupational Safety and Health, underscored the importance of bridging the gap between science, teaching and workplace practice in occupational safety and health.

The first day was entirely devoted to dialogue between the university and the professional field. Following the welcome, participants gained an impression of the training provided to future specialists and managers through a presentation of the faculty and a tour of various laboratories. In particular, the metrology lab, the chemistry lab, and the security lab impressively demonstrated the technical capabilities available to students in the Security & Safety Engineering degree programme. For the specialists in this area, it became clear just how practice-oriented the training at HFU is and how well students are prepared for future professional demands in occupational health and safety management.

During the subsequent discussion, participants addressed current issues related to operational safety. One topic was the fire behaviour of battery-powered tools; using specific incidents involving cordless impact wrenches as examples, the discussion examined potential hazards, how fires start and requirements for storage, use and emergency management. It became clear that the increasing prevalence of high-performance lithium-ion batteries presents new challenges for occupational safety and operational safety, and that proactive risk management is becoming increasingly important. Recent workplace accidents and changes in safety culture were also discussed. Instructional videos and other media on the safe use of construction machinery and the loading and unloading of trucks demonstrated how effective visual communication and learning formats can help raise employee awareness.

The second day of the event saw a continuation of the discussion on accident analysis and safety culture begun on the previous day. In addition to information on the Committee for Occupational Safety for the new term and the status of work on the Regulation on the Use of Work Equipment and the Regulation on Installations Requiring Monitoring, the main focus was on the systematic analysis of incidents. The presentation of the root cause analysis used at RWE was followed with particular interest. The approach aims not to reduce incidents to individual misconduct, but rather to identify causes in processes, organisational structures, technical systems and safety culture. The focus is on learning and sustainable improvement, not on assigning blame. The structured approach — from gathering facts to analysing causes and deriving effective measures — generated significant interest and led to a lively exchange on best practices in accident investigation and prevention. In addition, the discussion covered “efficient and modern training,” that is, ways to better engage employees, reinforce learning and continuously develop a safety culture.

The joint event demonstrated the added value of cooperation between the VDSI and academic institutions; universities benefit from real-world experience in the workplace, while occupational safety specialists and VDSI experts gain insights from research, teaching and methodological approaches. Such formats make an important contribution to the further development of workplace safety, particularly against the backdrop of new technologies and changing work environments. In closing, the Department of Industrial Safety Regulations thanked Prof. Dr. Arno Weber and Furtwangen University for organising the event and for their hospitality, as well as all participants for their open, constructive dialogue — an exchange that has gone a long way to bringing academia and industry closer together.