On your phone screen, you have to keep the balance of a small character who is painting a ceiling. If you don’t succeed, it crashes several meters below. Another character who pierced a gas pipe with a jackhammer explodes. A message, “no improvised stepladder”, sits on the poster of a table which is displayed between two parties. You are playing “Petocask”, a mobile game, available on both IOS and Android. This has just been launched by the Professional Building and Public Works Prevention Organization (OPPBTP) and aims to raise awareness of safety at work. “Each year, two thirds of new apprentices start their contract in the summer, they are already in the company for several weeks before entering the apprentice training center (CFA). The game is intended to transmit the first notions to them in a fun way,” explains Arnaud Chaumont, director of initial and interim training at the OPPBTP, who recalls that “apprentices who have received training in occupational risk prevention have half the risks of work accidents”.
800 young people were contacted
The OPPBTP worked with Natural Pad, a video game publisher from Montpellier, and associated trainers and CFA students in the design of this tool with dark humor which incorporates many adolescent codes. “Nearly 800 young people were contacted at different stages of the project,” continues Arnaud Chaumont. The students of Stéphane Comodi, teacher of French, history-geography and the health and environment prevention course, tested a first version of the game and, within a few days, the new apprentices will be able to use the officially launched version. “The game worked perfectly with 15-16 year olds. It reminded them of “WarioWare,” a game they play a lot with a fast pace and lots of minigames,” he observed. The support can also be used in class. “The game will be useful as an educational tool, because it clearly shows the problems we encounter on a construction site: the organization of the construction site, the importance of respecting a plan, of not leaving tools lying around, of clearing passages , to wear personal protective equipment (PPE),” he lists. “Playing games is often much more effective than long speeches, particularly for students who have, for a certain number, faced failure at school. It is also very interesting with apprentices who have poor command of French. Not to mention that it allows the smartphone to be used in a school setting. »
Although this game can help raise awareness among young people about safety, it is not intended to replace the transmission of good practices by the company; However, this is where the problem often lies. “Apprentices are overexposed to professional risks,” denounces Frédéric Mau, in charge of occupational health and safety at the CGT du BTP. Mentoring, which aims to support entry into the profession, has been misused and many young people find themselves left to their own devices. »
