Project summary
Context and overall objectives
Scaffolding is a special branch in the construction industry which is traditionally characterized by arduous working conditions. Scaffolders normally do not reach their pensionable age without occupational disease. These aspects also have negative effects on the overall working conditions and forms of employment as well as on the attractiveness of the sector and also create hurdles for women to enter into the sector. Another aspect of scaffolding work in Europe is the wide range of qualification systems that exist. In some countries, there is no special vocational education for scaffolding workers at all. In others, it is a full apprenticeship. Furthermore, the scaffolding sector undergoes impactful changes based on an internal open market and the free movement of workers.
In this connection, our project ‘Improving Training, Working Conditions and Transformation in the European Scaffolding Sector’ aimed at improving working conditions and training quality, as well as seeking progressive change in the work organisation related to the implementation of new technologies. The project also aimed at improving the Social Dialogue within the sector as a precondition for creating a level playing field for economic activities and a just evolution of the sector in terms of working conditions in its broadest sense.
Specific objectives of the action were the publication of:
a) A research report that shall provide information about the overall situation of the sector, the working conditions in the sector with focus on occupational hazards, the training systems in the participating countries and in Europe, more specifically the OSH training, technical changes (digitisation and robotisation) and related standardisation work.
b) Policy Recommendations for the various topics of concern serving for improved discussions within the EFBWW and between social partners of the sector and with other stakeholders. They shall support self-commitment, action and initiatives towards authorities, including possible legal initiatives.
One more ambitious and focused objective was the assessment of the preconditions and the feasibility of the establishment of a European OSH Certificate for Scaffolders.
Work performed and main achievements
A project steering group encompassed partners from Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Poland. Partners are the EFBWW supported by its affiliates, a Belgian paritarian organisation and one Dutch employer federation. A steering group had the responsibility to execute the project. FIEC (European Social Partner organisation in the construction sector) was co-opted with an advisor role in the steering group. Three tasks (the overall Research Coordination, the External Evaluation of the project and the German and Dutch country Report) were subcontracted. For some specific relevant aspects, external expertise was involved.
Five Steering Group meetings were organised during the project period. The steering group discussed the research concept and worked out a research guide, the responsible partners worked out respective country reports. The contractor for the overall research coordination was involved in this process from the beginning, and based on the country reports, worked out an overall research report.
To get an up-to-date view on the actual scaffolding work, we elaborated six country reports which include chapters on working conditions, vocational training/health and safety training, technological developments and social dialogue. These country reports created the basis for on overall research report.
After analysing the country reports, we worked out policy recommendations for the various fields covered by the research. Four topical workshops were organised, aiming at presenting and discussing the research results and the draft policy recommendations. The participation in the workshops was broad and encompassed, scaffolders, social partners, training providers and science. Based on the discussions at the workshops and further exchange within the steering group, the lead beneficiary redrafted the recommendations and arranged consultation rounds.
This process was accompanied by continuous evaluation. The external evaluator commented and reported on the research work, steering group meetings and the workshops. Reporting and feedback rounds within the European Social Dialogue for the construction sector have been organised in both working parties, Vocational Training/Youth and Occupational Safety and Health. Equally, status reports were given to the EFBWW internal structures.
The overall research report and the policy recommendations were finally presented at the final event of the project.
Results and impacts
We succeeded to involve the target groups directly in the project. With the Dutch employer federation VSB, the European federation FIEC and with the European scaffolding employer network UEG, we have directly involved various levels of employer federations relevant for the sector.
Six country reports were worked out and provide a colourful picture of the scaffolding sector in Europe. They confirmed that there is a tendency in scaffolding work to become more harmonized in terms of needed qualifications and technics used. On the other hand, structures and levels of vocational training as well as the overall working conditions, including labour market conditions, still vary remarkably. In Terms of quality, the research shows that work in the sector is still often arduous, unstable and partly dangerous. Social dialogue and representation of workers is differing, from well-established, including the existence of paritarian organisations for the sector, to hardly or not existing.
Another main result shows that vocational education and training is extremely different from one to another country. Because of this high variation in training levels and systems of vocational training, but also because of differing views regarding the feasibility and usefulness of such a European training standard on OSH, the steering group has not decided about such approach but redirected the question to the EFBWW.
The policy recommendations cover all four main areas of the research, including aspects like definitions and statistics, diversity and inclusion, OSH and the environment or Erasmus+ for apprentices. With these policy recommendations we have a list of proposals, demands and ideas for the further development of and improvements for the sector.
With its detailed structure, the policy recommendations are easy to use, specifying different types of action (legal, organisational/structural and self-commitment), and levels (European and national/sectoral level). This can potentially guide discussions and action within EFBWW, but also in the European social dialogue, paritarian organisations and with European institutions or training providers, to just name the most relevant.
The overall research report is available in English (electronic and printed). The policy recommendations are available in 11 languages (electronic only).