FOCUS
Promoting quality at work: information for safe, healthy and productive jobs
September 2009
The protection of the safety and health of workers as provided for in legislation in many countries, by the European Treaty and where there is no legislation, by the Recommendations and Conventions of the International Labour Office is paramount.
These pieces of legislation, recommendations and conventions have been followed up by successive action programmes and campaigns worldwide by governments, inspectorates and other organisations concerned to raise standards of safety and health at the workplace.
But one of the most important actions to achieving good standards of safety and health at the workplace is to produced validated and authoritative guidance and advice that is understood at all levels in the workplace from directors, managers, supervisors, safety representatives and the workers.
Secondly it is necessary to disseminate this information on a very regular basis via:
- Information networks - especially building the links to all industry sectors. There are many examples such as the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work Focal Point Network; the International Labour Office CIS Health and Safety Centres in 154 countries - this network celebrates in 2009 its 50th anniversary! There are other networks such as institutions and associations that have regular contact with their members to keep them informed of the latest knowledge, campaigns and legislation.
- Information collections - bringing knowledge together for easy access. Examples include OSH UPDATE that brings together 19 databases including HSELINE, CISDOC, NIOSHTICS-2, CCOHS to name a few that has collectively over 800,000 pieces of guidance, advice, legislation, research reports, standards, reports, papers etc. There is also FIREINF that offers 16 databases on fire and fire related topics from wildland fires to carrying out risk assessments to protect the workplace.
- Information services - communicating knowledge, expertise and advice. Such services are found in most countries. Check out these in OSHWORLD under countries and subjects.
A word of warning here - many organisations worldwide are cutting down or worst still closing down their information services/libraries in the mistaken belief that it is ALL there on the Internet and FREE OF CHARGE! This is just NOT TRUE.
Without knowledge and information quality training in the workplace would not be possible. Which brings us to the title of this piece...
Promoting quality at work: information for safe, healthy and productive jobs
If you need information on all aspects of safety and health at work - in which-ever country and on any topics have a look at OSH UPDATE which is a wonderful collection of information sources collected together in one place - www.oshupdate.com!
More information on all aspects of health and safety at work - not only from Europe but from around the World, can be found by checking out the OSH UPDATE electronic collection of 19 information databases.
Information seekers will find a wealth of authoritative and validated advice from these global sources. Full text documents and references on research results, best practices, case studies, journal articles, reports, advice and guidance, legislation and much more are in OSH UPDATE.
Why not try OSH UPDATE for yourself? Take a 15-day free trial to a collection of over 800,000 sources of authoritative and validated information.
Why be without quality OSH information?
And if you need further information on fire and fire-related research and validated and authoritative then take a trial of FIREINF www.fireinf.com a collection of over 528,000 sources of authoritative and validated information.
Contact Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd. for 15 day FREE trials for all services that are cost effective. Why pay more for information? Go to: www.sheilapantry.com/interest.html