Safety and Health Schools and Programs in Spain

Safety and Health Studies in Spain

Occupational safety and health, known in Spain as prevención de riesgos laborales (PRL), is the field that identifies, assesses and reduces the risks workers face: accidents, exposure to chemical or physical agents, poor ergonomics and psychosocial strain. Spanish law requires companies to organise prevention, so trained prevention technicians work in companies, external prevention services, construction, industry and public administration.

How training in PRL is organised

The Reglamento de los Servicios de Prevención (Real Decreto 39/1997) sets out four preventive disciplines: occupational medicine, safety at work, industrial hygiene, and ergonomics and applied psychosociology. It also defines three levels of functions, basic, intermediate and superior, each with its own training requirements.

• Superior level: since the 2010 reform (Real Decreto 337/2010), it requires an official university degree plus training accredited by a university, following the programme in annex VI of the regulation, of at least 600 hours. In practice this is done through an official master's degree (Máster Universitario en Prevención de Riesgos Laborales), usually of 60 to 120 ECTS credits, in which students choose one or more of the specialties.
• Intermediate level: in vocational training (FP), the Safety and Environment family includes the higher-level qualification Técnico Superior en Prevención de Riesgos Profesionales.
• Basic level: short courses, often offered by training companies and business organisations.

Occupational medicine is a separate route: it is a medical specialty, not a master's degree.

Where to study PRL in Spain

A search for "riesgos laborales" in the national register of degrees (RUCT) returns 100 master's records, including programmes that have closed or are being phased out, so it is worth checking that a programme is current before applying. Madrid has the most schools in our directory, followed by Barcelona. Examples of official master's degrees listed in the RUCT:

• Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (online): Máster Universitario en Gestión de la Prevención de Riesgos Laborales, covering safety at work, industrial hygiene, and ergonomics and psychosociology
• Universidad Internacional Isabel I de Castilla (online, based in Burgos)
• Andalusia: Universidad de Granada, Universidad de Almería and Universidad de Huelva; the Universidad de Sevilla offers master's degrees in comprehensive industrial safety and PRL, and in PRL in construction
• Murcia: a joint master's of the Universidad de Murcia and the Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, and another at the Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM)
• Madrid area: Universidad Alfonso X El Sabio, Universidad Camilo José Cela and Universidad CEU San Pablo
• Valencia: Universitat de València and Universidad Católica de Valencia "San Vicente Mártir"
• Canary Islands: Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Many private training centres and business schools also teach PRL, usually as their own qualifications. SEAS (Fundación San Valero), for example, offers an online university specialisation diploma in quality, environment and prevention of 900 hours and 36 ECTS credits, issued by the Universidad San Jorge as its own qualification. Such courses are useful for professional development, but only an official degree plus the accredited training described above gives the superior level. Online study is common in this field, and teaching is in Spanish.

Admission, recognition and visas

An official master's degree requires a bachelor's degree. Students with a degree from outside Spain may need a declaration of equivalence, which certifies the academic level of the degree; homologación, by contrast, is needed for regulated professions. Students who come to Spain for a classroom-based programme of more than 90 days need a study visa if they are not EU citizens; the Spanish consulate in London, for example, asks for financial means of at least 100% of the IPREM. A fully online programme does not require moving to Spain.

Careers

Graduates work as prevention technicians in companies' own prevention services, in external prevention services, in construction and industry, in consulting and in public administration. External prevention services must have at least one technician qualified for superior-level functions in each discipline they cover, which is why the master's degree is the usual requirement for these posts.

Frequently asked questions

How do I become a superior-level PRL technician in Spain?

You need an official university degree and at least 600 hours of university-accredited training following annex VI of Real Decreto 39/1997, which is normally an official Máster Universitario en Prevención de Riesgos Laborales.

Can I study PRL online?

Yes. Several universities, such as the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya and the Universidad Internacional Isabel I de Castilla, offer official PRL master's degrees online.

What are the PRL specialties?

Safety at work, industrial hygiene, and ergonomics and applied psychosociology are studied in PRL master's degrees; occupational medicine is the fourth preventive discipline and is a medical specialty.

Is a private PRL course the same as an official master's?

No. Courses issued as a school's or university's own qualification can be useful, but the superior level requires an official university degree plus accredited university training.