Popular VCA course on safety in the workplace can also be followed online

For a number of years now, the VCA diploma or VCA certification has been important in high-risk sectors such as construction, electrical engineering and the petrochemical sector. Companies are committed to obtaining VCA certification and send their employees on training to obtain the VCA diploma. This is of course not only for strategic and economic reasons. The figures with regard to accidents in the workplace also require a reduction of this: there are still 200,000 industrial accidents in the Netherlands every year, whereby in 4,300 someone is injured and in 60 cases a death is to be regretted. The good news, therefore, is that in this age of corona measures the course VCA online can be tracked.

Online in two forms

The VCA course can be followed online in two forms. For example, there is the online self-study, which enables students to take the course when and where they want. Students can complete the course at their own pace, within a maximum time frame of three months. So it can also be done outside working hours. There is also the option of a ‘virtual classroom’. Students will then receive two online classroom sessions led by a teacher, during which he will further explore the topics. There is also the possibility to ask questions directly to the teacher. A mock exam is also taken together with the teacher. In both cases the course is concluded with an official exam.

Importance greatly increased

The importance of obtaining the VCA diploma has increased considerably in recent years. This is mainly because it is increasingly being pre-sorted. Clients in high-risk sectors often only want to outsource assignments to parties that are in possession of VCA certification, in order to reduce the risk of accidents. Professionals applying for jobs in high-risk sectors are in turn increasingly faced with having the VCA diploma as a requirement in vacancies. In addition to safety reasons, there are therefore certainly economic reasons for both companies and individual professionals to work on VCA.

Origin of VCA

VCA originated in 1996 and stands for Safety, Health and Environment Checklist Contractors. Contractors and representatives of petrochemical companies then began to work together to develop an independent assessment system to monitor the safety policy of companies in their sectors. In this way they wanted to reduce the risk of industrial accidents. This assessment system has developed into what it is in 2021: the most requested and best-known certification in the field of safety, health and environment in the workplace in high-risk sectors.

[Fotocredits – Rapeepat © Adobe Stock]

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