Abstract:

In the past few years, the growing awareness of the communicative needs of D/deaf people also shed some light of the lack of appropriate strategies to use in case of emergencies. In Europe, only few local associations and authorities have taken baby steps towards a greater inclusion of people with hearing limitations, by creating signed contents on how to behave in case of emergencies. However, very little is done in the workplace to improve training on inclusive emergency intervention.

Health and Safety on the workplace heavily relies on redundant signalling used in case of emergency: according to distance and context, messages can be auditory, visual or a carefully designed combination of both. The Strategic framework on health and safety at work 2021-2027 [1] explains that "[d]igital technologies can provide workers, including workers with disabilities […], and their employers with digitally enabled solutions to support their health and wellbeing".

This is the point that have been addressed by the SSaW project. Funded by the EU Erasmus+ program, SSaW (2018-2021) was realized by seven organisations specialized in higher education, accessibility for the D/deaf and health and safety in the workplace. The consortium includes two universities and a manufacturing company, linking it perfectly to the University-Industry cooperation axis.

The aim of the project was to address the need for improved communication in workplaces where speaking is difficult, due to noise, distance or limited oral communication skills. This might be the case on construction sites or in manufacturing companies, where hearing and D/deaf people are employed. Sign Language (SL) has been chosen for its visual-gestural features that also works over the distance and loud surroundings. Additionally, it also provides a high level of accessibility for migrants and people who struggle with the national spoken language.

The project has produced a glossary and e-learning resource for more than 200 health and safety phrases. The glossary provides these phrases in three SLs (British, Italian, Austrian) and International Sign (IS), grouped into nine sections related to the fields of construction and manufacturing. In order for the workers to learn and train about the contents of the glossary, the partners also developed an e-learning resource that uses the IS videos to guarantee widespread usability. This resource is made of 15 specialised modules, including an introductory module about deafness and SL. Each module contains vocabulary and exercises focused on specific contexts like working with electricity or chemicals. The users are free to pick the topics that are relevant for their work. Both glossary and e-learning resource are freely accessible through the project’s homepage, and may be used with any device (also mobile ones), thus meeting the needs and the requirements of the specific workplace (www.signedsafety.eu). Through the “Guidelines for Inclusivity and Diversity in Occupational Health & Safety”, produced within the scope of the project, we also offered a prospect for the design of new job opportunities in health and safety, for the D/deaf and migrants with low literacy skills.

This contribution will present the design and production phases of the SSaW products, and the way in which they increase knowledge on how to create inclusive learning systems on the workplace and a safer environment for all.

References:
[1] Strategic framework on health and safety at work 2021-2027.

Keywords:

Sign language, accessibility, health and safety, emergency, migration, low literacy skills, deafness, workplace, international sign, online glossary, e-learning.