On your phone screen, you have to keep the balance of the little character drawing the ceiling. If you don't succeed, he will crash several meters below. Another character who has pierced a gas pipe with a jackhammer explodes. There is a message “No Improvised Ladder” on a table poster displayed between the two parties. You are playing “Petocask”, a mobile game, available on iOS and Android. This has just been launched by the Organization of Professional Construction and Prevention of Public Works (OPPBTP) and aims to raise awareness of safety at work. “Every year, two-thirds of new trainees start their contracts in the summer, and are already at the company for several weeks before entering the CFA. “The aim of the game is to convey their first ideas to them in a fun way,” explains Arnaud Chaumont, Initial and Interim Training Manager. In the OPPBTP, which recalls that “trainees who have received training in the prevention of occupational hazards are exposed to half the risks of work accidents.”
800 young people were contacted
OPPBTP worked with Natural Pad, a video game publishing company from Montpellier, its associated trainers and CFA students in designing this dark-humored tool that incorporates several teen icons. “About 800 young people have been contacted at different stages of the project,” continues Arnaud Chaumont. The students of Stephane Comody, teacher of French, History, Geography and the Environmental Health and Prevention course, tested the first version of the game, and in a few days, new trainees 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 at a fast pace and with a lot of mini-games. It can also be used as support in the classroom. “The game will be useful as a teaching tool, as it shows Clearly the problems we face on the construction site: organizing the construction site, the importance of respecting the plan, not leaving tools scattered, disinfecting the corridors, wearing personal protective equipment (PPE).” “Playing games is often more effective than long speeches, especially for students who, for a certain number, have faced failure in school. It is also very interesting with trainees who are not fluent in French. Not to mention that it allows the use of a smartphone in the school environment. »
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. “Traines are overly exposed to occupational risks,” denounced Frédéric Mao, responsible for occupational health and safety at the CGT du BTP. Guidance, intended to support entry into the profession, has been abused, and many young people find themselves left to their own devices. »
