CIS Newsletter

No. 257
February 2011

CIS Newsletter celebrates 23 years & still going strong!
Bringing news from Members to Members in over 154 countries in the CIS Network!

The CIS Newsletter is a monthly newsletter for the International Labour Organisation (ILO) International Occupational Health and Safety Information Centres and is edited by Sheila Pantry OBE from the UK. The CIS Newsletter is NOT an official publication of the ILO but a newsletter containing information from Members in CIS Centres and other sources and is intended to be shared by anyone who finds the data contained useful. Users are free to use and reuse the data in these newsletters.

Contents

  1. Editorial
  2. Farewell to Gábor Sándi
  3. News about the Encyclopaedia on Occupational health and safety
  4. Where have all the people gone??? HELP!
  5. CIS HQ News including news for 28 April 2011 World OSH Day
  6. New Major Accidents and Incidents database for OSH UPDATE
  7. News, Events and ideas from around the World from Australia, Belgium Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Korea, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, UK, and USA to name a few!
  8. OSHE websites to explore
  9. Diary of Events

CIS Members' links:

Editorial

Dear Colleagues

No doubt you and your organisation will be now making plans for Occupational Safety and Health events, publications and training for the Year AHEAD. Please share your news with others and send me any details.

At the end of February 2011 we say farewell to Gábor Sándi at CIS HQ - see below in this newsletter for appreciations.

I am making BIG PLEA to find out where all the missing people from CIS Centres are now... we need to know when people are leaving their jobs and very importantly who is going to take over!!! PLEASE HELP!

The Encyclopaedia News from Editor Professor Jeanne Stellman is also seeking your help... See below.

There is much to look forward to in our OSH World in 2011!

At the beginning of February 2011 the good news continues with the appointment of Roman Litvyakov litvyakov@ilo.org on a short term contract in the position Senior specialist on OSH information management.

Meanwhile, as usual the CIS Newsletter contains a roundup of information received from many parts of the OSH World - for which many thanks.

Good News about the New database on Major Hazard Accidents and Incidents will be launched in February 2011 and included in OSH UPDATE - thus making 20 database

Please send your News

Whatever you are planning - any publications, conferences, seminars or training courses, then please send the details to me so that we can share your efforts with others. Don't forget to send me your latest news! It is amazing how much the CIS Newsletter content gets re-used around the world.

Remember that whilst there is so much occupational safety and health information around the world not all will be trustworthy. Make sure that any information that you use is validated and authoritative and up-to-date.

USE IT OR LOSE IT!

Don't forget to continuously promote CIS and the Network!

Do add the CIS logo on the front page of your website would be a good first start. (Checked recently and only a few CIS Centres websites have the logo or links to CIS website).

Please do add the CIS logo on all your publications.

Any views you have on CIS and its work please send into CIS HQ - to Gabor Sandi sandi@ilo.org and Seiji Machida machida@ilo.org

Will you be Surviving in 2011?... perhaps you will if you make efforts in promotion, publicity and telling the World that CIS and its network exists!

All good wishes to you, your families and your colleagues.

Sheila Pantry, OBE

Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd,
85 The Meadows, Todwick, Sheffield S26 1JG, UK
Tel: +44 1909 771024
Fax: +44 1909 772829
Email: sp@sheilapantry.com
www.oshworld.com
www.sheilapantry.com
www.shebuyersguide.com
www.oshupdate.com

Farewell to Gábor Sándi: An appreciation

Gábor Sándi, Head (Manager) of the International Occupational Safety and Health Information Centre (CIS), International Labour Office retires at the end of February 2011.

All CIS Members, both past and present, will want to send him and his wife Barbara all good wishes for a very happy, healthy, interesting and long life ahead as they take up residence in Vancouver, Canada where they will be near their family and friends.

Gábor was born in Budapest, Hungary and emigrated to Canada in July 1968. He became a Canadian citizen in 1974. His primary education was in Hungary, followed by secondary education in English in the Ghana International School, Accra, Ghana. Gábor then went on to take a number of degrees in Canada - Bachelor of Science (Mathematics), Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario 1971, Bachelor of Arts (Linguistics) at Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, 1972, Master of Arts (Linguistics) at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, 1976, Master of Library and Information Science at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, 1978.

His linguistic skills are impressive - fluent in Hungarian, English, French, Spanish, with reading skills in Japanese, German, Portuguese, Italian.

His career took him through various information and library jobs starting in 1975-1976 as Cataloguer and document analyst, National Library of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. Then as a 1977 Intern, Cataloguer, University of California Library, University of California at Santa Barbara, USA. Back in Canada from 1979-1983 he was Cataloguer, later Reference Librarian, Scarborough Public Library (now part of the Toronto Public Library system), Toronto, Ontario.

Gábor left Canada to start his long career in Europe at the ILO: from 1983-1998 Abstractor and document analyst, International Occupational Safety and Health Information Centre (CIS), International Labour Office(ILO), Geneva, Switzerland. In addition to database and editorial work with the CIS Bulletin/CISDOC, the work involved being the editor of the 5-language (English, French, Spanish, German and Russian) Glossary of Occupational Safety and Health Terminology; also editorial work on the ILO Encyclopaedia of Occupational Health and Safety.

A change of jobs came when he became in 1998-2000 the Deputy Director, Area Office for India and Bhutan, International Labour Office (ILO), New Delhi, India where I saw him in action there in the role as a model diplomat!

Gábor returned to Switzerland and from 2000-2005 was Senior Editor, International Occupational Safety and Health Information Centre (CIS), International Labour Office (ILO), Geneva, Switzerland. Editor of the bilingual bulletin Safety and Health at Work and of the related database CISDOC. In 2005 he became - Head (Manager) of the International Occupational Safety and Health Information Centre (CIS), International Labour Office.

Gábor has seen many changes at the ILO and in particular at CIS. He has met numerous people from all over the world connected with health and safety information and has visited many countries over the years.

His calmness, patience, experience, knowledge and helpfulness is legendary and his linguistic skills formidable. His attention to detail, especially in the quality of content in the CISDOC database, is a rare skill in this short-term speedy world. His wit and ability to see the humorous side of various situations constantly delights.

Gábor will be much missed colleague as the solid rock of CIS.

Thank you Gábor for all that you have done.

Sheila Pantry OBE
CIS Newsletter Editor

If anyone wishes to send a tribute to Gábor for publication in the Next edition of the CIS Newsletter please send to sp@sheilapantry.com

Begoña Casanueva & Annick Virot, ILO-CIS write:

Gábor Sándi, our CIS Coordinator, is leaving the ILO at the end of February 2011. With the exception of the two years he spent in Delhi, he has spent nearly 30 years in CIS.

He will be sorely missed, not just for being the brain behind our CISDOC database, but also as a dear friend and colleague. Not only is he always ready to support, guide and encourage us in our work, he is always able to locate to our amazement, papers we leave him for follow up, amidst a mountain of rubble covering his desk!!

In addition to his interest in documentation and information technologies, he has a number of hobbies, which we're sure will bring him new challenges and help him to break into this new phase of his career. Who knows "yoga instructor", "wedding planner", "pet sitter", can always come in useful to us colleagues with many work years to go!

We wish Gabor and his family the very best and hope that he will find a nice group to continue playing bridge with and to convince his wife, Barbara to take a trip on the Trans-Siberian before they are really too old to make it!

News about Encyclopaedia on Occupational health and safety: the story continues...

Editor Jeanne Stellmann asks the following:

  1. The Encyclopaedia beta-version website is almost ready for testing so some volunteers are needed. Please let Jeanne Stellman Email: jms13@columbia.edu know if you wish to test it and comment on it.
  2. The Encyclopaedia database is being updated. If you were a contributor or reviewer to the 4th edition of the Encyclopaedia, Jeanne will be interested to hear from you about your current contact details including your email addresses and affiliations so that you can be apprised of revision efforts and informed when the new website is up-and-running.
  3. A major area in which CIS members can make a vital contribution is to propose links to resources and references. Jeanne would very much like the Encyclopaedia entries to have the most relevant and up-to-date links possible. When the website is ready for viewing, CIS Newsletter will post the URL so that users can provide feedback on links and resources.

Where have all the people gone??? HELP!

The CIS Centres Network relies on people - when they leave their jobs for whatever reason then contact is usually lost. As a result that means that no information can be passed to them such as the CIS Newsletter alerts, or information from CIS HQ in Geneva.

And neither can CIS Centres wanting to contact a certain country for information find anyone to help - which destroys the meaning of the network. Being able to communicate with Centres is of paramount importance.

So please help - if you are leaving your job for whatever reason then please do let CIS Secretariat email: ciscentres@ilo.org know immediately and I, as your Editor sp@sheilapantry.com would also appreciate knowledge of any alterations because I get a number of "bounce-back emails" each month.

If you do know that other centres contacts have left - do please share the news... Currently there are many CIS Centres where contact just CANNOT BE MADE!!

A Good example of wonderful communication can be found under News from Korea below in this Newsletter - informing all of us of their changes in personnel and contact details.

Many thanks
Sheila Pantry - Your Editor

The CIS Centres News link has now been reactivated: USE IT OR LOSE IT!

The benefits of using the CIS Centres News is that it gives you the opportunity broadcast information about your own centre's or country's products, events, publications and staff changes to the world!

Remember all this news is picked up by the web crawlers from Internet web sites such as Google,

You can access it using the same URL: www.ilo.org/dyn/oshnews/oshnews.home

It is also featured again on the CIS home page: www.ilo.org/safework/info/cis/lang--en/index.htm

However, please note that CIS are currently testing and evaluating the database.

After the assessment is concluded CIS will decide whether we keep it or not.

How to add a news item

First ask CIS HQ Secretariat to give you a password to enter the database with your news.

On the CIS Centres News home screen, www.ilo.org/dyn/oshnews/oshnews.home click on "Add a news item".

On the Add a news item screen, select the country and language of the news item from those allocated to you in the drop-down menus.

Enter the title and text of the item in the selected language.

The text may include HTML codes. This enables you to enter images, URLS, etc. The title of the new item may also appear as a link to an Internet site providing further information on the news item. To do this, add the URL of the site in the "URL" box.

Enter the start and end dates for the display of the item in the relevant boxes. If no dates are entered, the item will remain on the database for two months from the date of entry.

Click on "Save changes" to add the item to the database.

This update screen may also be accessed by clicking on a country-language combination on the CIS Centres News home screen and then selecting the relevant action from the left-hand menus

Report of the REGIONAL MEETING OF EUROPEAN CIS CENTRES held in LONDON, 23-24 November 2010

You can read about the results of this very important meeting in the CIS Newsletter December 2010 and also the official report!

Why was this important? Because Members were discussing many ideas about future plans of work and products for CIS and how to revitalise the Network!

Lots of Good News for 2011 - so to read all about it

Go to your December 2010 CIS Newsletter www.sheilapantry.com/CIS/cis201012.html and this takes you straight into it. Very easy!

To read the official report click on www.sheilapantry.com/cis/london2010/Report.pdf

Or: www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_protect/---protrav/---safework/documents/meetingdocument/wcms_149830.pdf

News from Geneva

Annick Virot, CIS Centres Coordinator sends the following news items:

New website for The Arab Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

The Arab Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is an executive institution working under the Arab Labour Organization. It is the CIS Regional Centre for Arab States and now has a website containing a lot of OSH publications and information in Arabic: www.aiosh.org

The 2011 World Day for Safety and Health at Work

Since 2003, the International Labour Organization (ILO) observes the World Day for Safety and Health at Work on the 28 of April. The theme for the 2011 World Day is:

A brochure and promotional products are being prepared to commemorate this event. Further information will be available soon at: www.ilo.org/safeday

New database on Major Accidents and Incidents is being added into OSH UPDATE!

Essential occupational health and safety information source! OSH UPDATE is here to help - easy to use and very subscription friendly - why pay more?

OSH UPDATE - arguably one of the world's best collections of full text and bibliographic health and safety information is continuously updated as new data is published:

Don't make health and safety decisions without consulting the world's authoritative and validated guidance and advice that is found within OSH UPDATE. www.oshupdate.com

Why not take a FREE NO OBLIGATION TRIAL FOR 15 DAY OF OSH UPDATE now?

Send your request at www.sheilapantry.com/interest.html

News from around the World

News from Australia

Occupational Noise-induced Hearing Loss in Australia

Occupational noise-induced hearing loss (ONIHL) is a significant health and economic problem in Australia. Between July 2002 and June 2007 there were about 16,500 successful workers' compensation claims for industrial deafness involving permanent impairment due to noise.

The economic burden of ONIHL is borne by workers and their families, business owners and managers, and the wider society.

Full report: www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/AboutSafeWorkAustralia/WhatWeDo/Publications/Pages/RR201008OccupationalNoiseInducedHearingLossInAustralia.aspx

News from Canada

Skills for handling difficult or hostile customer situations

Dealing with the general public on a daily basis can be stress-free; however, there are times when an ordinary workday can escalate into something complex and even dangerous. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) has partnered with iHR Solutions, a national leader in helping companies manage human risk, to create and develop online e-courses to help companies and people deal with the difficulties and issues when human interactions go wrong, including hostile and difficult customers, robbery and hostage situations.

CCOHS courses are unique in that they are reviewed by expert representatives from labour, employers and government to ensure the content and approach are unbiased and credible. All CCOHS e-learning courses are available in English and French.

For more information on any of these e-learning courses, please visit the CCOHS website.

For further information, please contact:

Eleanor Westwood, Manager - Communications, Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) | +001 905 572 2981, ext. 4408 | Email: eleanorw@ccohs.ca

Wendy Stewart, Communications Officer, Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) | +001 905 572 2981, ext. 4443 | Email: wendy.stewart@ccohs.ca

www.ccohs.ca

News from the ITUC and ILO

ILO Report Shows Job Market Still in Crisis

The latest Global Employment Trends report from the International Labour Organization (ILO) confirms that, despite improvements in many economic indicators, global unemployment remains at crisis levels. "The job market is by far the most important part of the economy and the ILO's report underlines the severity of world unemployment," said ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow. "The fact that more than 205 million workers remain unemployed is of major concern, and tackling this crisis must be the primary focus of economic policy."

The global unemployment rate barely edged down from 6.3% in 2009 to 6.2% in 2010. Today's report projects 6.1% in 2011, which is still significantly above the pre-crisis rate of 5.6%. The youth unemployment rate is more than twice as high, with employment not keeping up to population growth. The report indicates that the worldwide ratio of employment to population fell between 2009 and 2010.

The ITUC applauds the ILO's conclusion that "it is crucial to maintain or enhance measures that can help boost employment generation and jump-start a sustainable jobs recovery. Improved labour market outcomes would support a broader macroeconomic recovery and could help offset the adverse effects of fiscal consolidation."

However, the ITUC takes issue with the report's assertion that, in developed countries, "Policies are needed to boost labour productivity in order to reduce unit labour costs and enhance competitiveness."

The labour movement strongly supports boosting productivity, but believes that wages should rise along with it. We reject the goal of reducing unit labour costs because it entails wages failing to keep pace with productivity.

"Higher wages and more consumer demand should be the basis for sustainable growth," said Burrow. "The way to address global trade imbalances is through a larger expansion of purchasing power in developing countries, not for developed countries to enter a competitive race to the bottom."

The ITUC represents 176 million workers in 301 affiliated national organisations from 151 countries and territories. Website: www.ituc-csi.org and www.youtube.com/user/ITUCCSI

For more information, please contact the ITUC Press Department on: +32 2 224 0204 or +32 476 621 018

News from Belgium

11-15 September 2011 Participation at the International Film and Multimedia Festival on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) will take place during the XIX World Congress on OSH in Istanbul- Invitation to submit an entry extended until 28 February 2011

The next International Film and Multimedia Festival on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) will take place during the XIX World Congress on OSH in Istanbul, from 11 to 15 September 2011.

We would like to invite you to submit an application in one of the categories film, animation, documentary, TV spot, social media, multimedia, web or computer-based training or virtual reality applications. You can use the online entry form at www.issa.int/8thIFMF until the end of this month.

An international jury will select the best applications for presentation during the World Congress. All selected entries will be published on the official website of the Congress and will be included in a catalogue. The winning entries will be awarded at the Closing Ceremony of the World Congress on 15 September 2011 in Istanbul.

Enclosed you will find a presentation flyer, you can also follow out activities on Facebook "Film and Multimedia Festival". The deadline for registering applications has been extended until 28 February 2011.

We hope to meet you in Istanbul.

Veronique De Broeck
Secretary General ISSA Information Section

News from Germany

KAS Recommendations on advancing the Safety Culture - lessons learnt from Texas City: Report (English Translation 2010) (Original German 2008)

The KAS (Kommission für Anlagensicherheit, Commission on Process Safety) has produced an English language copy of its 2008 report on Process Safety Culture. This represents the viewpoint of the KAS working party on the Texas City incident.

The report recommends practices for maintaining safety culture in a changing environment, advice adding to the recommendations of the Baker Report. There is specific advice on topics of management systems, safety indicators, preservation of key skills, and process safety auditing.

www.kas-bmu.de/publikationen/kas_gb/KAS_7_GB.pdf

News from Germany

The 39th MEDICHEM meeting, MEDICHEM 2011, will be held from 2-5 June 2011 in Heidelberg, Germany

MEDICHEM is the Scientific Committee on Occupational Health in the Chemical Industry of ICOH (International Commission on Occupational Health). This is a well established and high quality international meeting, with presentations in English.

A high level program of presentations with an A-list of invited speakers, the world famous city of Heidelberg and an attractive social program in the early summer of 2011 - these are some of the attractions waiting for you at the MEDICHEM-Community at the 39th MEDICHEM Congress from 2 - 5 June 2011 in Heidelberg, Germany.

A reduced fee of 250 € hopefully meets the desires of our retired colleagues to meet all the old members of their MEDICHEM-Family - Prof. Thiess as honorary president and founder of MEDICHEM will not be the only one who will be very happy to find himself among a great gathering of friends of the last century, including those who were unable to join the congresses in recent years.

The early bird rate for those active in working life is 590 € and is valid until March 15, 2011. Both the retiree and currently employed Congress fees include everything - the scientific program with lunch and coffee breaks throughout the whole congress; an invitation to an excursion of the cradle of MEDICHEM - BASF SE - in Ludwigshafen on Thursday, June 2nd in the morning; the Opening Ceremony, framed by music, with a cold and warm buffet reception on Thursday evening; an organ concert in the Church of the Holy Spirit in the heart of Heidelberg's famous Old Town and the reception by the Mayor of Heidelberg at the Town Hall just opposite the church on Friday, the 3rd; as well as the Champagne reception at the Castle Gallery, the Gala Dinner in the Castle, and the Giant Firework display on Saturday, the 4th of June, 2011.

So if you have an interest in the chemical industry, toxicology, or attending a meeting in Germany this summer, you should consider registering.

Comprehensive information about the meeting is available at: www.medichem2011.org/webcom/show_page.php/_c-10000060/_nr-1/i.html.

Bob Orford, MD, ICOH National Secretary for USA

MEDICHEM 2011 - Time to Register!

News from the Europe Commission

The increasing use of portable computing and communication devices and its impact on the health of European Union (EU) workers

The European Commission, Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Unit F.4 has published a report on Portable computing and communication devices that are widely used by workers in different occupations and their use is steadily increasing. Working with portable devices and systems differs markedly from the work with visual display units at workstations which is regulated by the European visual display units (VDU) Directive. While still regarded by many as 'executive toys', these systems are increasingly used by salespersons, technical support workers, delivery persons, and restaurant and maintenance staff.

This report addresses the many challenges that the use of mobile devices poses to occupational safety and health (OSH) and gives recommendations for policy and practice. The sources of information that have been reviewed and analysed are - survey results, sales data, manufacturers' and service providers' information, published scientific research, market research, data from national authorities, and expert opinions. The study gives an overview of the technology and its use, the various types of portable computing and communication systems, the tasks they are used for, and the extent to which portable systems are used, the types of workers, and the specific risks they may be exposed to.

It also addresses work organisational risks and highlights the need for the user-centred design of mobile devices which are compatible with the cognitive load during mobile work. Important stressors that were found are, for example, the blurring of boundaries between work and family life, the extension of the working day, difficulties in supervising mobile employees at work and the feeling that mobile employees have of being insufficiently involved in company decisions and having poorer career prospects.

The increasing use of portable computing and communication devices and its impact on the health of European Union (EU) workers
The European Commission, Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Unit F.4, Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2010, 124 pages, ISBN 9789279153990
http://dx.doi.org/10.2767/29806

News from France

Ergonoma Journal No. 22 January 2011

This new edition can be accessed at www.ergonoma.com/index.php/eng/news/952/59/Nothing-is-born-nor-perishes-but-things-already-existing-combine-and-then-separate-again

Ergonoma Journal, bilingual English/French quarterly, goes to 33 European countries and to more than 36,000 ergonomics, health and wellness at work managers.

Ergonoma Journal is an information source without equivalent for anybody concerned by ergonomics, health and wellness at work.

Subscribe the paper edition for 20 Euros per year or 30 Euros for two years or 40 Euros for three years, using the enclosed subscription form (30, 50 and 60 Euros outside Europe)

Patrick Le Martin, AMT Europe Ergonoma, 32 Morsans, 28800 Neuvy en Dunois, France | Tel: +332.37.44.04.60 | Fax: +332.37.44.04.50 | Email: patrick@ergonoma.com | www.ergonoma.com

News from Ireland

Eurofound launches the winter edition of the European restructuring Monitor (ERM) quarterly, which provides an overview of restructuring activities in Europe in the fourth quarter of 2010:

Public sector restructuring initiatives on the rise

While the European Union (EU) technically emerged from the recession eighteen months ago, growth continues to be sluggish, hesitant and unequally spread, the latest edition of Eurofound's European Restructuring Monitor (ERM) quarterly shows. Restructuring measures appear increasingly to be affecting public sector employment as a result of widespread public spending restrictions and cuts.

Unemployment in the European Union has been stable at 9.6% over the last six months but labour market performance - continues to vary widely across EU member sta. Some countries are experiencing robust growth, notably Sweden, Poland and Germany, while others have stagnant or contracting economies, even when not technically in recession - such as Greece, Ireland and Spain.

Over the last quarter (1 October to 31 December 2010), the ERM reported 304 cases of restructuring of which 172 were cases of restructuring involving job loss. Total announced job losses were approximately 88,000 in the quarter as against announced job creation of just over 47,000. The public administration sector reported by far the largest number of announced job losses (23,000) followed by health and social work (6,126), construction (6,045) auto manufacturing (6,018) and financial intermediation (5,282 jobs). As in the previous quarter, the second-ranking sector was computer and related activities with 7,121 job gains, just ahead of the retail sector recording another 6,306 new jobs. Fewer, albeit significant, job gains were also announced in other business activities (4,375 jobs) and financial intermediation (3,050).

The largest case of restructuring-related job losses in the ERM relates to the announcement in November of an early retirement scheme and redundancy package designed to cut 5,000 jobs at Ireland's Health Service Executive (HSE) by the end of 2010, followed by Birmingham city council reducing its workforce by one third over the next four years, and car manufacturer Renault which plans to shed 3,000 jobs in France over the next three years.

One of the largest cases of job creation was announced in Ireland where British supermarket chain Iceland aims to create over 2,000 new jobs over the next four years. The merger between French company Atos Origin and Siemens IT Solutions and Services will lead to a large recruitment drive aimed at filling between 7,000 and 8,000 new positions globally of which 1,600 will be in France. Also, BNL-BNP Paribas, one of the main banking groups operating in Italy, plans to recruit 1,500 people by the end of 2012.

The report also provides a sector focus on the European postal sector. It has undergone considerable restructuring in recent years, driven by EU directives fixing deadlines to remove legal monopolies on all postal services. The postal sector is important to the EU economy, as it is estimated to generate around 1% of EU GDP and employs some 1.7 million workers. The special report on Austrian Post AG provides an insight into the pressures on established incumbent postal service providers throughout the EU while also showing some innovative paths to restructuring in former state monopolies via the transfer of workers to other functions within the public sector.

New ERM quarterly: www.eurofound.europa.eu/emcc/erm/index.php?template=quarterly

News from Korea

All change at KOHSA!

Jin-Young Kwon writes:

January 5, 2011

Dear All:

I am pleased to inform you that I have been promoted as deputy-director this year, and will take new responsibilities in a new post.

I will no longer be in the International Cooperation Department of KOSHA as I have been transferred to Busan Training Center.

I express my sincere appreciation toward you for your support and cooperation in the work tasks of the Department as well as CIS National center.

KOSHA successfully hosted the 18th World Congress on Safety and Health at Work in 2008. Furthermore, KOSHA actively engaged in various activities and this includes taking the initiative in promoting the Seoul Declaration on Safety and Health at Work.

Through the information sharing activities of CIS, I was able to bring many advanced technical information to Korea. In addition, I was able to contribute to Korea's occupational safety and health activities by facilitating the exchange among countries.

Thanks to the collaborations I made with you through various activities, and the accomplishments I was able to make, I can happily move on to a new responsibility with great satisfaction and a great sense of fulfilment.

I thank very much for that.

The place of my new post is Busan, the largest port city of Korea.

Also, Mr. Kim, Dong-Chan (Senior Manager), will be taking over my previous post. If you have any questions regarding my past tasks, you can contact Mr. Lee, Kyung-Won (Manager) (overseas@kosha.net).

I hope to see you again.
Happy New Year!

Best wishes,
(Ms) Jin-Young Kwon
Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA)

*****************

DongChan, Kim writes:

In accordance with KOSHA's personnel reshuffle, I am very pleased to inform you that my name is DongChan, Kim and I am in charge of the operation for ILO-CIS instead of Mrs Kwon who was transferred to the Busan regional office.

And the former Secretary General Dr. LEE, Joon Won, was transferred to the Bucheon Area Office of KOSHA as the head and my boss, Gye-Wan BAE, has new post as Secretary General of International Cooperation Center and Secretariat for the Seoul Declaration.

The new Director of our Center is Byoung-nam, Choi.

Hereafter, I would like to do my utmost to spread the culture of prevention around world with your cooperation and I am looking forward to continued mutual exchange of information and cooperation between KOSHA and your organisation.

Sincerely yours,
Dongchan, Kim

Senior manager, KOSHA International cooperation center, Korea | Tel: +00 82-32-5100-742 | Mobile: 0082-(0)11-9071-6814 | Email: k96025@kosha.net | www.kosha.net

News from Romania

New contact at the National Institute of Research and Development on Labour Protection "Al. Darabont" - Bucharest, Romania

Stela Manea writes:

As you already know Mrs Maria Purcherea was the CIS responsible for many years and she has retired. Now I am in charge of the Information and Documentation Office; my name is Stela Manea and have been working in the Institute for many years together with Maria - so I am acquainted to the issues in the area.

I have read and appreciated the CIS Newsletter for many years; it has always been a good source of information in our field of activity.

I'll try to carry on the CIS activity and inform you about the news in the area in our country.

Thank you for your work and interest.

Best wishes,
Stela Manea

Head of the Information and Documentation Office - National Institute of Research and Development on Labour Protection "Al. Darabont" - Bucharest, Romania

News from Spain

European Agency for Occupational Safety and Health goes in to the Blog World with a note on the CIS Regional Meeting held in London 23-24 November 2010... Working on health and safety in a wider context

The Agency has started to blog - a new way to exchange information with its online audience about occupational safety and health issues. In the first post Jukka Takala, EU-OSHA Director, explains that the Agency plans to use the blog, and other social media, as a more direct communication tool to ensure that their work is relevant to your information needs.

The role of the web users will be crucial: "Only you can make these new tools useful, so we hope that you will participate actively"!

EU-OSHA Blog

EU-OSHA is a key information provider not only for Europe but also the world. With the importance of the EU's role in raising labour standards around the globe clearly stated in the Community Strategy on Safety and Health at Work, the Agency works hard to improve collaboration and communication between all stakeholders in the globalised work environment. As part of this task, EU-OSHA participated in the ILO CIS regional meeting held in London for national and collaborating centres in European and Central Asian Countries.

Gabor Sandi, ILO CIS

Gabor Sandi, ILO CIS

The meeting, held on 23 - 24 November 2010 had participants from all over the region, including CIS centres from a diverse range of countries.

CIS is the knowledge management arm of the ILO Programme on Safety and Health at Work and the Environment (SafeWork). Its goal is to ensure that workers and everyone concerned with their protection have access to the facts they need to prevent occupational injuries and diseases. CIS was founded in 1959 as a joint endeavour of the ILO, the International Social Security Association (ISSA), the European Coal and Steel Community (one of the predecessors of the European Union) and OSH institutions in 11 European countries. Very quickly, the CIS network of centres expanded to include members from other continents, and by now it has grown to cover 110 countries all over the world.

The meeting was focused on how the network could be developed, and considered in particular how support could be given to smaller centres, particularly during this time of economic crisis. The need for information for stakeholders to make good decisions on safety and health at work was noted and that this need was even stronger when budget pressures are strong. Good health is good business, but to achieve financial savings as well as reducing risks to workers it is necessary that those in control of budgets know how to spend the money wisely on good solutions. Information from the CIS network is instrumental in supporting these decision-makers.

Closing the meeting Gabor Sandi, the long-time worker for the network based at the ILO in Geneva, announced that this was his last meeting as he is due to retire. All the centre representatives wished him well for the future, recognising his sterling work in promoting occupational safety and health and the CIS network.

News from the UK

RR832 - An update of the literature on age and employment

Demographic trends indicate that the make up of the labour force in the UK (and other developed countries) is changing. Older workers are becoming more prevalent in the workforce, there are fewer new workers joining the labour force and older workers are continuing to retire early (Hotopp, 2005, 2007). These changes to the labour force could lead to labour and skills shortages in the future and have implications for the economy in terms of the age dependency ratio (Khan, 2009).

The research in this area suggests that employers can have stereotyped views of the abilities and attitudes of older workers, which can both positively or negatively, influence the retention and recruitment of older individuals (Ilmarinen, 2006; McNair et al, 2007).

A previous report by Benjamin and Wilson (2005) considered some of the common stereotypes about older workers and provided evidence and arguments aimed at dispelling inaccurate perceptions about older adults.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) commissioned a report to review and update the Benjamin and Wilson (2005) report. The aim was to revisit the literature on age and employment which was published at the time of the Benjamin and Wilson review as well as to consider relevant literature published since (2005-2009).

This updated review looks at the evidence for age-related effects on employment in the same areas addressed in the Benjamin and Wilson (2005) report. In addition the report considers trends, gender, and sector specific issues. The same definition of 'older worker' is used in this review as was used by Benjamin and Wilson (2005), which is workers over the age of 50.

This report and the work it describes were funded by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Its contents, including any opinions and/or conclusions expressed, are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect HSE policy.

www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr832.pdf

News from the UK

Energy Institute Publication - High level framework for process safety management

A framework for process safety management developed by the UK Energy Institute has been published online in High level framework for process safety management.

The scope of the framework is described here: EI PSM framework

The framework seeks answers to the question "How do you know a major incident won't happen to you?" The aim in using the framework is to be able to confidently and factually answer this question, assuring the integrity of the operation.

While developed for use specifically in the energy sector, the practices of high level management are transferrable to the process industries in general.

The framework has been published in High level framework for process safety management, which can be downloaded freely www.energyinstpubs.org.uk/cgi-bin/moreinfo/moreinfo.cgi?articleid=1658 or a printed copy can be purchased from the same page.

News from the USA

President Barack Obama has ordered a broad review of environmental, health and safety regulations

In an executive order, the US president instructed government agencies to ensure all regulations are cost-effective, science-based and transparent, as well as promoting economic growth, innovation and job creation.

The move was seen on both sides of the political divide as an attempt to counter accusations from the main business lobby, the Chamber of Commerce, that Obama has unleashed a "regulatory tsunami" on business, and to head off a campaign by conservative Tea Party Republicans to strip the Environmental Protection Agency of its authority to act on climate change.

"It's a review that will help bring order to regulations that have become a patchwork of overlapping rules, the result of tinkering by administrations and legislators of both parties, and the influence of special interests in Washington," Obama wrote in the 19 January 2011 Wall Street Journal.

Many of the Tea Party conservatives taking their seats in the new Congress were elected on a promise to shrink government. Several incoming Republicans - as well as Democrats from coal states - have specifically pledged to block EPA's actions on climate change, which they call a "job killer".

Darrell Issa, the powerful new head of the house energy and commerce committee, earlier this month sent letters to 150 business leaders asking what government regulations they found too onerous.

Administration officials said the review would apply to EPA regulations on greenhouse gas emissions, which began coming into force in 2011. However in his Journal piece, Obama held up the administration's new fuel economy standards as an example of the "commonsense" regulations he said were needed.

"The EPA and the Department of Transportation worked with automakers, labour unions, states like California, and environmental advocates this past spring to turn a tangle of rules into one aggressive new standard." he said.

"It was a victory for car companies that wanted regulatory certainty; for consumers who will pay less at the pump; for our security, as we save 1.8 billion barrels of oil; and for the environment as we reduce pollution."

Obama insisted that he did not intend to neutralise the EPA and other regulatory agencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration, and that necessary safety provisions would stay in place. "But we are also making it our mission to root out regulations that conflict, that are not worth the cost, or that are just plain dumb," he said.

The Chamber of Commerce, while claiming to welcome the order, said Obama should extend the review to the recently enacted financial reforms and healthcare law. It also encouraged Congress to continue its challenge of the administration's regulatory authority.

"Congress should reclaim some of the authority it has delegated to the agencies and implement effective checks and balances on agency power," the chamber said in a statement.

Republicans meanwhile argued Obama had not gone far enough. "The executive order from President Obama shows that he heard the same message I did in the last election - that Americans are sick and tired of Washington's excessive over-reach and overspending," the house majority leader, Eric Cantor said. "We must go further."

News from the USA

Congratulations to NIOSH on its 40th anniversary and the 15th anniversary of the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA)

Dr John Howard, NIOSH Director writes:

NIOSH enters 2011 - our 40th anniversary and the 15th anniversary of the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) - with a full schedule of programs, projects, and products. We also face the challenge of doing all that we would like to do within tighter budgetary constraints. As we set priorities for allocating limited resources as wisely as possible, the following activities place high on our list of core research activities:

I should also note that on January 2, 2011, President Obama signed H.R. 847, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010. The text of the new law can be found at www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/wtc/hr847.html. Information about NIOSH's earlier activities since 2002 in federal support for health monitoring and treatment related to World Trade Center exposures can be found on the NIOSH Web page at www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/wtc.

Given the range and substance of our agenda for 2011, the amount of headway we can make in 2011 in our core research areas will depend on the resources available to us. Since this is a time of fiscal restraint generally, those resources are likely to be even more limited than usual. Since October 1, 2010, NIOSH and other agencies have been operating under a series of short-term continuing resolutions that limit spending to fiscal 2010 levels, essentially a flat-lined budget from last year. The current continuing resolution provides funding through March 4, 2011. Specific developments after that remain to be seen, but all signs indicate that tight budgets will continue to shape Washington's fiscal decisions for the foreseeable future.

We look forward to updating you on our progress throughout the year, and we welcome your insights and suggestions - in a time of resource constraints for all of us - on how we can best work together to pursue our common goals for protecting working men and women.

www.cdc.gov/niosh/enews/enewsV8N9.html

More News from the USA

The January issue of LIFELINES ONLINE (Vol. VII, No. 8) is available at the LHSFNA website. These are the headlines:

To view the stories and access our website, click www.lhsfna.org.

Also, please note that back issues of LIFELINES ONLINE - as well as our print magazine, LIFELINES - are posted for online viewing. The LIFELINES ONLINE archive and LIFELINES archive are fully searchable, so you can find the articles that relate to your topic of interest.

As always, we look forward to your feedback and comments on our website and LIFELINES ONLINE.

Steve Clark, Communications Manager, Laborers' Health and Safety Fund of North America, 905 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006, USA

OSHE web sites to explore...

We look at websites in different parts of the world that are offering quality information. This month we look at a variety of websites from the USA.

Also look in www.oshworld.com/links.html for hundreds of links to authoritative and validated web sites... constantly updated.

This collection of authoritative and validated organisations' websites are listed first alphabetically under country name and then alphabetically under the first word of the organisation. The subject index expands the information of these websites, especially where there are many important sources of information which may not be apparent from a first look at a particular web site.

If you have a favourite site which should be included in this list please email details to: sp@sheilapantry.com

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry   ATSDR   USA
www.atsdr.cdc.gov
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry ATSDR details.

Agriculture Health and Safety Center, University of California   USA
http://agcenter.ucdavis.edu
Agriculture Health and Safety Center, University of California details of activities, courses etc.

Airline Safety   USA
www.airlinesafety.com
Airline Safety is a US site says it exists to provide a "free-market approach" to discussion relating to the complex issues of air safety. It contains a lot of safety articles and is frequently asked questions areas offers analysis of safety issues for those who do a lot of flying as part of their work.

Alice Hamilton   USA
www.cdc.gov/niosh/hamilton/hamhist.html
Alice Hamilton, M.D., was "the first American physician to devote her life to the practice of industrial medicine." Born into a prominent, but financially-pressed family of Fort Wayne, Indiana, she was devout and altruistic from an early age. After graduation from medical school at the University of Michigan in 1893, she accepted a position teaching pathology and histology at the Women's Medical College of Northwestern University in Chicago. Perhaps more importantly, she also moved into Jane Addams' Hull House, and there provided a well-baby clinic for residents of the settlement's neighbourhood. Seeing the problems of poor working class families at close range, her compassion and professional interest were inexorably drawn to the many victims of work-related diseases and injuries. Full details and also bibliographies are contained on this site.

Alliance for Fire and Smoke Containment and Control   AFSCC   USA
www.afscc.org
The Alliance for Fire and Smoke Containment and Control was established in 1999 by building enforcement, construction, design, and manufacturing professionals in response to the need for a well-coordinated, educational effort to promote the value of a balanced fire protection design in the built environment. The charter members are companies, organizations, and individuals within the construction industry who share the following goals: To promote fire and smoke resistant construction as part of a balanced design approach, to promote property protection and public welfare as well as life safety, to educate and inform code officials and designers on fire and smoke protection issues, and to promote fire fighter safety and facilitate fire fighting activities. Site contains articles, reports and links to other similar organisations.

Amazon.com   USA
www.amazon.com
Amazon.com is a very large book store and offers scientific, medical and technical books.

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons   USA
http://orthoinfo.aaos.org
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons site has some excellent graphic information on preventing back pain at work and at home. Simple easy to use instructions show how everyday tasks should be correctly undertaken, whether sitting, standing or moving.

American Biological Safety Association (ABSA)   USA
www.absa.org
The American Biological Safety Association (ABSA) gives details of its constitution, history, members, what's new and other activities.

American Chemical Society   USA
www.acs.org
American Chemical Society (ACS) is a congressionally chartered independent membership organization which represents professionals at all degree levels and in all fields of chemistry and sciences that involve chemistry.

American Chemical Society - Division of Chemical Health and Safety   USA
http://membership.acs.org/c/chas
Aims of this multi-disciplined group, the American Chemical Society Division of   Chemical Health and Safety is to promote chemical health and safety in the workplace   and in society. Has information n the properties of chemicals which affect health and   safety directly or through the environment, and promotes exchange of such information.

American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine   USA
www.acoem.org
American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine occupational health site, this features news releases, conference information and access to relevant journals. It also contains a number of guideline statements on topics such as drugs screening in the workplace and reproductive and developmental health management.

American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists ACGIH   USA
www.acgih.org
American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists ACGIH site promotes excellence in occupational health and environment and provides high quality technical information. Gives a wealth of guidance and advice.

American Fire Sprinklers Association   USA
www.firesprinkler.org
American Fire Sprinklers Association details of membership, information, events including training.

American Industrial Hygiene Association   AIHA   USA
www.aiha.org
American Industrial Hygiene Association site gives details of its activities, membership, periodicals, publications and products, meetings, professional development etc.

American Industrial Hygiene Association   AIHA: Laboratory Health and Safety Committee   USA
www.aiha.org/insideaiha/volunteergroups/labHandScommittee
American Industrial Hygiene Association: Laboratory Health and Safety Committee web site gives a range of very useful information covering: laboratory safety incidents that can be sorted by topics, key instruction concepts and also date added. There is an extensive list of technical and environmental topics. Also included are resources and links.

American National Standards Institute   ANSI   USA
www.ansi.org
American National Standards Institute offer a range of services, publications, standards and products.

American Public Health Association   USA
www.apha.org
American Public Health Association (APHA) is the oldest and largest organisation of public health professionals in the world, representing more than 50,000 members from over 50 occupations of public health. The Association and its members have been influencing policies and setting priorities in public health since 1872.

American Risk and Insurance Association   USA
www.aria.org
American Risk and Insurance Association web site provides access to the Journal of Risk and Insurance and has links to other US academic sites which focus on risk management.

American Society for Industrial Security   USA
www.asisonline.org
American Society for Industrial Security locates security specialists and provides the Crises Response Resources link to find information.

American Society of Safety Engineers   ASSE   USA
www.asse.org
American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) web page to provide businesses of all sizes with key workplace safety standards information. The site features timely information on ASSE's standards development activities, standard hot topics and issues, and key technical insights, and provides an opportunity for ASSE members and non-members alike to share expertise on occupational safety, health and environmental efforts in all industries.

American Wind Energy Association   AWEA   USA
www.awea.org
American Wind Energy Association for clean environmentally friendly wind energy, this information source looks at issues of global warming and climate change.

Diary of Events

These events may inspire you to create similar training courses and conferences/seminars in your own country.

These are taken from the OSHWORLD Diary of Events see www.oshworld.com/diary.html which is intended as a guide to the wide range of Health, Safety, Fire, Chemical, Environment events, conferences, seminars, training courses and other related activities worldwide. It is updated during the first week of the month, and includes validated Internet links to further information. If you cannot attend these events the organisers are usually willing to let you have papers and other information, if you contact them

February 2011

1-2 February 2011 - PPE conference 2011: Personal Protective Clothing and Equipment
Brussels, Belgium
Contact: www.ppeconference2011.eu

3-4 February 2011 - 2nd Strategy Conference: Five Pillars - Strategies on Safety and Health at Work
DGUV Academy Dresden, Germany
Contact: DGUV Academy Dresden, Germany | www.dguv.de/iag/en/veranstaltungen_en/strategie2011

15 February 2011 - EPSC Process Safety Indicators Working Group Meeting
Sheraton Schiphol, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Contact: www.epsc.org/event_details.aspx?Group=Events&Page=psi_15_feb

March 2011

1-3 March 2011 - HSE in Oil and Gas - Russia and CIS
Marriott Grand Hotel, Moscow, Russia
Contact: www.adamsmithconferences.com/en/hse-oil-gas-safety-russia/highlights.php

13-16 March 2011 - 7th Global Congress on Process Safety
Chicago, IL, USA
Contact: www.aiche.org/conferences/specialty/gcps.aspx

13-16 March 2011 - Protex Event (Fire, Safety and Protection)
Jeddah Centre for Forums & Events, Saudi Arabia
Contact: www.protex-arabia.com

15-16 March 2011 - IOSH 2011 conference and exhibition
ExCel, London, UK
Contact: Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, Wigston, Leics, UK | www.iosh.co.uk/news_and_events/events/conferences/iosh_10_conference_and_exhibit.aspx

22-25 March 2011 - SUPDET 2011: Suppression, Detection and Signaling Research and Applications
Orlando, USA
Contact: Eric Peterson, Conference Coordinator, NFPA, 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA 02169-7471 | Tel: +1 617 984-7281 | www.nfpa.org/displayContent.asp?categoryID=1708

April 2011

4-8 April 2011 - Gas, Vapour and Dust Explosion Hazards, Protection, Mitigation and Prediction
University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
Contact: University of Leeds | Tel: +44 (0)113 343 2494/8104 | Email: cpd@engineering.leeds.ac.uk | www.engineering.leeds.ac.uk/cpd/FireExplosionPrediction.shtml

4-8 April 2011 - Principles and Practice of Evacuation Modelling
Greenwich Maritime Campus, London, UK
Contact: Mrs F Barkshire, Fire Safety Engineering Group, University of Greenwich, Greenwich Maritime Campus, Old Royal Naval College, Queen Mary Building, Greenwich SE10 9LS, UK | Tel: +44 (020) 8331 8706 | Fax: +44(020) 8331 8925 | Email: f.barkshire@gre.ac.uk | http://fseg.gre.ac.uk/fire/course1.html

5-7 April 2011 - Occupational Hygiene 2011
The Holiday Inn, Stratford upon Avon, UK
Contact: Louise Hall | Email: louise.hall@bohs.org | www.bohs.org/events/annual-conference

7-8 April 2011 - International Congress on Tracing New Occupational Diseases: Methodology, recent findings and implications for OHS-policy
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Contact: Congress Secretariat ICOHSCOM 2011, C/o AMC Congress Organisation, PO Box 23213,1100 DS Amsterdam, The Netherlands | Tel: +31 20 566 8585 | Fax: +31 20 696 3228 | Email: icohscom2011@amc.nl | www.icohscom2011.nl

11-14 April 2011 - Hazards XXII - Process Safety and Environmental Protection
Liverpool, UK
Contact: Institution of Chemical Engineers, UK | www.icheme.org/hazardsxxii

12-15 April 2011 - International Symposium on Musculoskeletal disorders - risk factors and solutions at work (6103)
Hotel Pohjanhovi, Rovaniemi, Finland
Contact: Annika Bärlund, NIVA, Topeliuksenkatu 41 a A, 00250 Helsinki, Finland | Tel: +358 30 474 2333 | E-mail: annika.barlund@ttl.fi | www.niva.org/courses/2011/6103.htm

May 2011

17-19 May 2011 - Safety and Health Expo 2011
NEC, Birmingham, UK
Contact: www.safety-health-expo.co.uk

16-19 May 2011 - International Firex
NEC Birmingham, UK
Contact: www.info4fire.com/internationalfirex