Usefull Links

Here you will find links to training material to help both instructors and students.

The Napo series of films are produced in computer graphics. They feature characters in the world of work, faced with safety issues.

The main character, Napo, and his partners express themselves in wordless language. Their stories have an educational value. They provoke questions and stimulate debate on specific aspects of safety at work. Sometimes they provide practical solutions or lead to them.

It is this blend of education, cultural neutrality and humour set in a cartoon style that gives the "Napo" series its identity. Napo is a likeable but careless character. The universal language of Napo makes the films suitable for everyone. Each scene is independent of the others and can be used as one film, or individually.

These resources are to enable organisations to use Napo films to raise awareness about health and safety topics within groups of their own staff and supply chains. The resources will enable organisations to deliver advice on health and safety topics, and will help generate discussion around the topics. They are also suitable for use on vocational training courses.

Using the ever-popular Napo character, EU-OSHA (the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work), together with the Napo Consortium, has devised a series of occupational safety and health (OSH) lessons for teachers, aimed at introducing safety and health topics to primary school students in an educational, yet fun and imaginative way using Napo video clips.

For each lesson, defined around a single Napo film/scene, learning objectives are outlined, and teachers have the option of various activities and are provided with the resources required, as well as some ideas for how to assess the students’ performance. The lessons are designed to be flexible, to fit alongside and reinforce current curriculum subjects, and to assist teachers and students in class.

In the first of two short films, Napo is working on a construction site under a hot sun. The longer he works, the higher and hotter the sun becomes. Napo needs to drink water to avoid dehydration but he becomes confused and feels unwell. The Boss tells him to drink more water and spend time in the shade to cool down.

In the second short film, Napo is working in a foundry close to hot metal flowing from a furnace. Napo needs to drink more water but takes energy drinks, eats chocolate bars and takes a fever pill instead, ignoring the advice of the Boss. Napo starts to feel unwell and makes a mistake with the production. A colleague intervenes and takes Napo to a cool place to drink water and cool down.

Napo has been a central figure in Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) at work for over 20 years. In his comical manner, he attracts attention to and raises awareness of the most relevant OSH-topics. As soon as Napo heard about the new prevention campaign, he wanted to take an active part in it and become a kommmitmensch. Therefore, a collection of various episodes from previous Napo films pertaining to the six areas of activity of the kommmitmensch campaign has been created. Napo is a kommmitmensch because he has understood that Occupational Health and Safety should always play a vital role in our daily work routine.

Dust is a potential problem in the workplace in two different but significant ways: respiratory problems and dust explosions. The harmful effects of dust can vary from skin irritation to lung cancer depending on the composition of the dust, and the type and degree of exposure.

“Napo in… dust at work” illustrates some of the many situations and substances that generate dust and emphasises the importance of controlling exposure to dust at work to avoid ill health. The film ends with a bang - a dust explosion - the rapid combustion of fine particles suspended in the air often, but not always, in an enclosed space.

In this film, Napo looks at some of the issues facing professional drivers on the road and emphasises the importance of good planning and preparation before the journey starts. Key issues in the film include reversing, safe loads, good maintenance, preparing for cold weather and alternatives to driving by taking public transport or using a video conference call.

Napo knows that prevention is better than cure. In this two-and-a-half minute short, he introduces the Boss to OiRA, the free, easy to use, on-line tool for small businesses to carry out risk assessments of their workplaces. If like the Boss you want to find out more visit the OiRA project website at OIRA Project.eu

European workers are ageing. By 2030, workers aged over 55 are expected to make up 30% or more of the total workforce in many EU countries. This creates challenges for employees, employers and businesses. “Napo in… back to a healthy future” sees our well-known hero become a time traveller in his quest to discover the key ingredients for sustainable working lives. Stories depict the necessity of managing risks from the first to the last day of work; the importance of rehabilitation and return-to-work policies and of tackling age discrimination whenever it appears. The film is designed to illustrate some of the issues, to promote discussion and to lead to healthier and more productive workplaces as they address the challenges of an ageing workforce.

Electricity is a familiar and essential part of everyday life but electricity can injure or kill people, and cause damage, if it is not treated with respect. There are simple precautions that can be taken to significantly reduce the risk of injury when working with or near electricity. “Napo in… Shocking situations” describes some of the risks: short stories depict the confrontation between Napo and various electrical hazards, and the longer stories involve the organisation of work and working relationships. The hazard is played by a small figure drawn by an electric arc in electric blue colour. The film is designed to illustrate some of the issues, to promote discussion and to lead to safer working practices.

Stress at work accounts for a high percentage of lost working days, and the number of people suffering from stress-related conditions is increasing.

Napo identifies some of the causes of stress at work in his traditional humorous style including excessive demands, low control, constant pressure, unacceptable behaviour, lack of respect, change, bad planning and contradictory instructions which lead to errors, fatigue, burnout, exhaustion and poor performance.

In the second short film, Napo is working in a foundry close to hot metal flowing from a furnace. Napo needs to drink more water but takes energy drinks, eats chocolate bars and takes a fever pill instead, ignoring the advice of the Boss. Napo starts to feel unwell and makes a mistake with the production. A colleague intervenes and takes Napo to a cool place to drink water and cool down.

Back strain can strike in many different situations, be it at work or at home. This is no secret to Napo, the animated hero of a new short film for the ‘Mind your back’ campaign. Napo highlights the many hazards that can lead to back pain and provides tips on how to avoid them.

‘Working together’ addresses two issues in prevention: culture and behaviour. It emphasises that by working together, managers and employees can create a safer, healthier and more productive workplace based on a collaborative approach to improve safety culture.

Central to the film is the fork-lift truck alongside other forms of internal and external transport. The main theme of the film is that transport in the workplace must be well organised and well managed, it includes scenes about site safety, people safety, vehicle safety, maintenance, visibility, reversing, and loading/unloading.

Exposure to tobacco smoke is bad for both smokers’ and non-smokers’ health. It can cause serious problems such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. It can cause death due to cancers, coronary heart disease or stroke. Yet thousands of workers are still exposed to tobacco smoke at their workplace. In this short clip, Napo makes his own unique contribution to the cause of smoke-free workplaces.

In this short film, Napo supports the ‘Getting rid of risk’ campaign (Risiko raus!), which highlights the importance of safe driving and transport safety. The film demonstrates how imprudent – mindless – behaviour can quickly lead to accidents at work.

Poor standards of maintenance are a major cause of accidents and occupational diseases. Many accidents happen during maintenance work, or because of lack of maintenance or as a result of poor quality maintenance.

This film shows the importance of isolating or ‘lock-off’ when maintenance is being carried out on machinery, the problems of ‘hidden hazards’, work in confined spaces, and the importance of competent persons carrying out maintenance work, particularly inspection and testing.

The film raises awareness of the dangers of exposing the skin to harmful (and sometimes not so harmful) substances, the situations where exposures occur, and what can be done to avoid risks, protect the skin and prevent damage.

Avoiding or minimising contact with chemicals is achieved through elimination - using a mechanical method instead of a chemical one; by substitution - using a safer alternative; and by employing a safe working distance - using tools rather than handling directly.

This film introduces changes to harmonise the signs (pictograms) used in the transport of dangerous goods and the signs used in product classification, labelling and packaging (CLP) of chemicals. The existing seven pictograms are to be replaced with nine.

The film tells the story of Napo, a model workman. After work, however, he ignores the risks and rules in different situations. This leads to many near-accidents and finally to a sports injury that lands Napo in hospital. The leisure time situations cover driving, home, lifestyle, social and sport.

Risk assessment is the theme of the European campaign in 2008/09. Risky business is a about hazards and risks at work, and the need to assess risks and act on the findings to make workplaces safer and healthier. The film looks at hazards and some of the most common workplace risks, and the need to:‘Stop, Think and Act’ to reduce the number of workplace accidents and the incidence of occupational ill health.

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the most common work-related health problem in Europe, affecting millions of workers - at some point in their life as many as 90 percent of people will suffer from back pain, upper limb disorders, and repetitive strain injuries.

'Lighten the load' supports an integrated management approach to tackling MSDs, and the need to address the 'whole load on the body', which covers all the stresses and strains, environmental factors such as cold working conditions, the pace at which the work is being carried out, and the load being moved.

The film is designed to raise awareness of the issues faced by young people starting a new job or starting in a new work place. Napo is an ideal way to reach a young audience, especially young people in training or work experience. The film is also suitable for all new entrants to the labour market, including migrant and temporary workers.There are seven scenes showing typical situations faced by a new entrant to the workplace.

Noise at work affects thousands of workers. The film is designed to illustrate some of the main causes of hearing loss and to emphasise the need to control noise at source, to take preventive measures and to wear appropriate hearing protection when necessary.This film is suitable for all sectors and all levels of employees but especially for young people in training and work experience.

This film shows the health and safety risks faced by workers in the cleaning and contracting industry including slips and trips, falls, manual handling and working alone. The objectives are to make people aware of the common risks in cleaning, and the opportunity to indicate prevention measures. The situations give the opportunity to speak about the organisation and planning of the work, safety signs, using ladders and steps, manual handling problems, working together, and circulation of information.

Napo is working on a construction site and the film shows some of the common hazards and risks on site. As an employee, Napo is faced with many hazardous situations but manages to survive his ordeal. The objectives are to raise awareness of the most frequent risks found on a building site and to give the opportunity to reflect on prevention measures adapted to the situation. Different risk situations are shown in seven short stories. Anti chute, falls from height, obstacle course, back pain, organisation of transport routes, hygiene and security of the site.

Safety at work requires foresight and a sound work organisation. In this film, our hero Napo slips, trips and falls from one hazardous scene to the next.

The six short scenes can be used in presentations and workshops as an introduction to the topic of accidents caused by falls.

The film looks at common risks in the workplace and is ideal for young people who have little or no experience of work. It highlights risk awareness, the need to work safely and the importance of training. The objectives are to raise awareness of basic risks and to invite the audience to reflect about accidents and discuss how they can be prevented. The film highlights the importance of accuratey signposting risks, understanding warning labels, safety when traveling to and from work, the use of appropriate personal protective equipment, not taking risks, using the correct and most appropriate packaging, the importance of not taking short cuts and the importance of work equipment being operated by trained workers.

This film provides a basic introduction to health and safety signs and symbols found in the workplace. It provides a useful guide for new employees and a valuable refresher for other workers.

Information about safety signs at work, to promote the importance of respecting the signs, and to learn and identify the meaning of the signs through their form and the colour.The sequences show what happens if the signs are not obeyed, and the technical and organisational obstacles against the efficient working of the signs.