At the end of the teaching, students will be able to: - identify the main causes of accidents, injuries and occupational diseases in industrial and construction activities; - recognize, classify and describe occupational hazards in industrial plants, construction sites and mining workplaces; - analyse and assess occupational risks considering likelihood, severity, exposure conditions, work organization and operational context; - distinguish between acceptable, tolerable and residual risk conditions; - define and justify suitable preventive and protective measures within a structured risk management process; - describe and develop the main elements of a safety and health concept, including hazard identification, risk assessment, risk evaluation, mitigation measures and monitoring; - interpret accident statistics and case studies from different sectors and countries; - compare OSH approaches, regulatory principles and safety cultures in national and international contexts; - communicate safety-related information using appropriate technical terminology.

Students are expected to have basic knowledge of simple industrial processes and energy systems, fundamentals of continuum mechanics, basic chemistry, elementary statistics and probability, and the interpretation of simple technical drawings, layouts or engineering schemes. Basic notions of construction or industrial operations, engineering materials and mechanical systems are also useful to understand the technical sources of occupational hazards and the mechanisms that may lead to accidents, injuries or exposure to harmful agents.

1) Introduction to Occupational Safety and Health and international OSH frameworks – 0.5 ECTS General principles of OSH; workers’ rights and employers’ responsibilities; national OSH policies, laws, labour codes and competent authorities; key international organizations and institutional sources, including OSHA, NIOSH and ILO. 2) OSH management cycle and exposure monitoring – 0.5 ECTS Setting priorities, workplace inspections, health surveillance, safety and health committees, monitoring and review of preventive actions; exposure assessment and Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs). 3) Health procedures, accident investigation and emergency management – 1 ECTS Health examinations, accident and near-miss reporting, occupational disease reporting, record keeping, first aid, emergency planning, labelling and warning systems, education and training. Accident investigation and discussion of selected case studies and statistics from different sectors and countries. 4) Safety procedures and operational risk control – 1.5 ECTS Safe Operating Procedures (SOPs), Job Safety Analysis (JSA), work permits, hierarchy of controls, fire safety, hazardous materials, GHS, SDS, confined spaces, work at height, machine guarding, electrical safety, construction safety, welding and cutting. Examples from industrial plants, construction sites and mining environments, with references to international good practices. 5) Occupational health hazards and exposure scenarios – 0.5 ECTS Physical agents, including noise, electromagnetic fields, optical radiation, vibration, ergonomics and thermal stress; chemical agents, including metals, particles, carcinogens and substances typical of different industries; biological agents, including viruses, bacteria and fungi. 6) Occupational hazards, risk assessment and risk management – 2 ECTS Hazard identification and classification of occupational hazards; controlling hazards through preventive and protective measures; acceptable, tolerable and residual risk; risk assessment, risk estimation and risk evaluation; prioritization of mitigation actions; risk management as a decision-making process for planning, implementing, monitoring and reviewing safety measures. Across the teaching units, comparative examples from different national and international contexts will be used to discuss how OSH problems are addressed under different regulatory frameworks and organisational cultures, by considering the relevant SDGs.

One or two site visits may be organized, depending on availability and organizational constraints. These visits are intended to support the learning process by connecting OSH principles, procedures and risk prevention measures with real industrial, or construction working environments.

The teaching is organized into theoretical lectures and assisted exercises. The exercises address selected working environments typical of industrial, mining and construction activities. For each scenario, students analyse the main hazards and risks and define suitable preventive and protective measures and operational procedures for risk mitigation. The exercises are carried out by students in groups under the supervision of the lecturers, promoting collaborative problem-solving and discussion of different technical, organisational, and, where relevant, international OSH perspectives.

The study material includes: - slide presentations, lecture notes and other documents made available through the teaching portal; - exercise materials, case studies, accident reports and technical documents used during lectures and assisted exercises; - selected additional readings on Occupational Safety and Health, risk assessment, safety procedures and accident investigation; - official reports, guidelines and technical documents from international and national institutions, including the International Labour Organization, OSHA, NIOSH and other relevant governing or regulatory bodies. Recommended textbooks: Reese, C.D. (2017). Occupational Safety and Health: Fundamental Principles and Philosophies. CRC Press. Mansdorf, S.Z. (2019). Handbook of Occupational Safety and Health. Wiley.

Lecture slides; Lecture notes;

Exam: Computer-based written test in class using POLITO platform;

The exam consists of a computer-based written test carried out through the Moodle platform. The test includes multiple-choice and open-ended questions on the course topics and may include short problem-solving or case-based questions related to realistic industrial and construction working environments. The exam assesses the achievement of the expected learning outcomes, with particular reference to the ability to identify hazards, analyse occupational risks, and define suitable preventive and protective measures and safety procedures. The use of study materials, lecture notes, books, electronic devices or other supporting documents is not allowed during the test, unless explicitly authorized by the lecturers. The duration of the exam is 60 minutes. The final grade is expressed out of 30. The evaluation considers the correctness and completeness of the answers, the clarity of reasoning, the appropriate use of OSH terminology, and the ability to apply OSH principles to practical cases. Honours ("lode") may be awarded to students who achieve the maximum score and demonstrate a particularly complete, accurate and critically mature understanding of the topics.

In addition to the message sent by the online system, students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) are invited to directly inform the professor in charge of the course about the special arrangements for the exam that have been agreed with the Special Needs Unit. The professor has to be informed at least one week before the beginning of the examination session in order to provide students with the most suitable arrangements for each specific type of exam.