Abstract:

The creation and dissemination of new computer media for Health & Safety training in the workplace today is particularly significant. Many categories of users are in fact excluded from the benefits of distance learning and are often involved only in brief and sporadic training sessions in the traditional classroom.
This often happens to those categories of workers, such as laborers, construction craftsmen, drivers, farmers and general shift or seasonal workers, for which are organized training sessions generally every five years, in line with the provisions and obligations imposed by law. During which there is often not the opportunity to delve into the issues of most interest to users nor to illustrate in detail the updates on the topics studied.
These categories are those most in need of training and refresher courses as they operate in sectors with higher levels of risk.
In the light of these premises, the aim of the research is to create a new IT tool multi-device "ERGO-Trainer" intended for workers of different economic sectors, such as:
- Tertiary;
- Industrial;
- Building;
- Transport;
- Tourism ;
- Agriculture.

ERGO-Trainer will be able to respond to these needs, allowing not only to remove all the technological barriers, but also shifting the focus of the training/information from the traditional environment to that of an individual’s own workplace.

The product will be available from their workstation as well as from their mobile device, while retaining the multimedia and interactive features.
It is precisely the mobile device which represents the main medium to reach these workers, the so called blue-collar workers, who do not normally work behind a desk and so do not readily have access to a computer.
Being out-of-office, typically these workers do not regularly have a Wi-Fi connection or, more often than not, an economical and reliable 3G connection for their mobile device.
The product will therefore be available in off-line mode using Apps for Android and IOS operating systems that together cover more than 80% of the market.
It is intended that, after an initial online connection to do the assessment and to download customized content on to their device, users have the opportunity to work off-line benefitting from a tracking system directly on the device.
The system, when under Wi-Fi coverage, allows the sending of tracking information to a central server for monitoring data usage.

This aspect will make the ERGO-Trainer a research project for product innovation, and can be used in different contexts: informative, training, user assistance, etc.

In particular, the research will be aimed at the realization of a prototype organized into several modules:
• Ergo-quiz: analysis system for the creation of an individual risk profile through a survey on the habits and characteristics of the workplace.
• Ergonomic Risk Analyzer: Access to information on the specific risks associated with posture, workstation and work habits and in general to environmental hazards and health risks.
• Job Risk Analyzer: Access to information on the risks associated with their professional activity and in general to Safety Risks and indirect hazards.
• Fitness and Exercise Area: Access to specific exercises which are designed for the posture and/or occupational hazard identified.
• Customized Planner and Performance Analyzer: Access to the planning system so as to plan on-job training and a virtual personal trainer.

Keywords:

e-learning, Mobile Learning, Safety, Risk Analyzer, Ergonomics.