InForAdapt2Europe’s final transnational meeting took place on the 28th and 29th of September, 2009 in Portugal.  The objective of this meeting was to reflect on all of the project’s activities, as well as, disclose the project’s final results through the seminar entitled “We Disseminate Safety”.  The principal goal of this seminar was to create awareness on the prevention of work accidents and diseases by sharing and discussing experiences in order to spread the importance of developing a safety and preventative culture within organizations.

Project Inforadapt2Europe closing seminar  

InForAdpt2Europe’s final Seminar took place on the 29th of September, 2009 at 14:00 hours at Epralima’s Auditorium, in Arcos de Valdevez.  The main objective of this seminar was to disclose the project’s final results, create awareness on the theme of work accidents and diseases, and provoke discussion by sharing experiences in order to widen the importance of developing a safety and preventative culture within organizations.

The seminar began with a speech by Epralima’s President, Francisco Rodrigues de Araújo who greeted all those present, namely the speakers: João Luís Nogueira – Epralima’s Deputy Director; Paulo Falcão – President of ACIAB – Commercial and Industrial Association of Arcos de Valdevez and Ponte da Barca; Nuno Martins – Director of AIMINHO – Industrial Association of Minho; Vasco Lima – Director of PREVIFORM, Laboratory, Training, Safety and Hygiene at Work, Ltd.; Rui Vieito – InForAdapt2Europe Project Coordinator – Epralima Vocational Training School.

The successful path taken by this partnership and the experience acquired throughout the years was highlighted during the seminars’ opening, as well as, the necessity that Epralima has in spreading its initiatives to other fields, namely in the areas of continuous training, entrepreneurial consultation and the promotion of innovative projects, while focusing on organizational development aimed at responding to the challenges and desires of the entrepreneurial structure of its region.

Epralima Vocational Training School values its courses through the standards of its training at a national and European level, having developed training courses in the area of Safety and Hygiene at Work, as well as projects which develop new ways of training (pilot projects) or the Transfer of Innovation since 1999.

An example is the InforAdapt2Europe Transfer of Innovation Project (LLP-LDV/TOI/2007/PT/17), financed under the Leonardo da Vinci Sub-programme.  The objective of this initiative is to Inform, Train and Adapt companies to the implementation of good practices in the area of Safety and Hygiene at Work, as well as, overcome the needs in this area, by providing and sharing knowledge at a European level.  This project arose from the existing partnership in the ambit of the EQUAL Communitarian Initiative, named InForAdapt_Inform, Train, and Adapt companies towards Safety and Hygiene at Work, with the participation of ISHST between 2002 and 2004.  This was a project which exclusively dealt with the production of innovation, whereby InForAdapt2Europe constituted a privileged means for its diffusion within a European context.

During this period EPRALIMA devised strategies that allowed them to intervene in the companies by developing frameworks, implementing and sustaining modifications, as well as finding solutions for such modifications.  The success of this project was enormous considering the transformation these companies went through, which is still noticeable today.  The project was disseminated at a national level and is presently the target of dissemination of a process at the European level (InForAdapt2Europe Project).  These are some of the positive results of these two projects, which EPRALIMA in conjunction with its partners, translated into a knowledgeable, competent and experienced body.

This seminar included the participation of the InForAdapt2Europe European project partners who disclosed the project’s results based on the experiences of the partnership acquired throughout these two years.  The partnership was composed of the following organizations: EPRALIMA Vocational Training School, as the beneficiary; PREVIFORM – Laboratory, Training, Safety and Hygiene at Work, Ltd; AIMINHO – Industrial Association of Minho; ACIAB – Commercial, Industrial Association of Arcos de Valdevez and Ponte da Barca, as well as the following European Organizations, which intend to adapt and incorporate the InForAdapt training products in their country: I.E.S. Ribeira do Louro e Gestion y Desarrollo Sostenible S.L., Spain; West Pirkanmaa District Municipal Federation of Education, Finland; Ente Scuola Edile, Italy and Promas, Romania.

The seminar also included the participation of illustrious guests who spoke about themes related to the implementation of Health and Safety at Work, such as: “The importance of Risk Evaluation”, Jose Carlos Sa, Engineer of the School of Entrepreneurial Science - Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo; “The Implementation of the SHW System in the EDP Production”, EDP Engineer Simon Fouga; “Production and Training in Naval Construction”, Rafael Tejedor – Technical Director of SPM – ASIME (Metallurgical Industrial Association of Galiza – Spain); “The Role of the Safety Technician and the Flu Contingency”, Dr. Sergio Goncalves – President of the ANTESHT Deontology  - National Association of Safety and Hygiene at Work Technicians and finally “The Role of ACT in the improvement of Work Conditions” by Dr. Luis Castro – Director of the ACT North Region (Authority on Work Conditions).

The seminar concluded with the intervention of Catarina Caetano, from the Leonardo da Vinci Portuguese National Agency.