OSH World

 

News from around the World

February 2012

The theme for the 28 April 2012 World Day for Safety and Health at Work is Green jobs: promoting safety and health in a green economy

The ILO celebrates the World Day for Safety and Health at Work on the 28 April 2012 to promote the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases globally. It is an awareness-raising campaign intended to focus international attention on emerging trends in the field of occupational safety and health and on the magnitude of work-related injuries, diseases and fatalities worldwide.

28 April is also a day in which the world's trade union movement holds its International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured Workers to honour the memory of victims of occupational accidents and diseases and organize worldwide mobilizations and campaigns on this date.

The celebration of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work is an integral part of the Global Strategy on Occupational Safety and Health of the ILO and promotes the creation of a global preventative safety and health culture involving all stakeholders. In many parts of the world, national authorities, trade unions, employers' organizations and safety and health practitioners organize activities to celebrate this date. We invite you to join us in celebrating this significant day and share with us the activities you organise.

www.ilo.org/safework/events/safeday/lang--en/index.htm

See also for the UK: www.sheilapantry.com/memorial

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Protect New Workers

A new publication entitled New to the job: six steps to protect new workers published by the UK Health and Safety Executive states that workers are as likely to have an accident in the first six months at a workplace as during the whole of the rest of their working life. The extra risk arises due to: lack of experience working in a new industry or workplace; lack of familiarity with the job and the work environment; reluctance to raise concerns (or not knowing how to); and eagerness to impress workmates and managers.

This means workers new to a site may not recognise hazards as a potential source of danger; may not understand 'obvious' rules for use of equipment; may be unfamiliar with site layout - especially where site hazards may change from day to day; and may ignore warning signs and rules, or cut corners.

www.hse.gov.uk/diversity/new-to-the-job.htm

Occupational Safety in Transport (OSIT) Conference, Queensland, Australia September 2012

The OSIT Conference is a multi-disciplinary event featuring representatives from road and transport safety, aviation and watercraft, fleets, safety culture and management, construction safety and associated fields, which we believe provides an excellent progression from and follow-up to the 2009 NIOSH Global Conference on Occupational Road Safety (www.virtualriskmanager.net/niosh).

Themes for the OSIT event are planned to cover topics such as:

Designed to encourage a strong program of both industry and academic presentations, keynote speakers are being drawn from around the globe.

According to Darren Wishart, Chair of the Occupational Safety in Transport Organising Committee the following types of people should attend:

Key dates:

For more information, and to participate, please look at the following website:

http://ositconference.com

EDMA and Eucomed to establish European Industry Federation

EDMA, the European Diagnostic Manufacturers Association, and Eucomed, the European medical technology industry association, are pleased to announce that their respective members have decided to join forces under the umbrella of a European industry federation.

Uniting the experience and expertise of the two Brussels based industry associations (representing the In Vitro Diagnostics and the medical technology industry), this move aims to enhance the recognition of their joint membership at European level. Speaking with one voice, the federation will be uniquely positioned to address common issues of interest and provide stakeholders with a comprehensive view on the latest technological advances and value-based innovations.

The creation of a European industry federation builds on the longstanding relationship between the two associations and aims to form the basis for even greater cooperation in the future, so as to ensure the place of IVDs and medical technology at the forefront of twenty-first century healthcare and healthcare policy.

To accomplish this goal, the two associations are seeking to employ a joint Chief Executive to head the federation and drive forward future activities by defining a new organisational strategy. The associations will remain organised as two separate and distinct legal entities. The industry federation's membership is open to other European associations operating in the medical industry.

After the departure of EDMA Director General Philippe Jacon in October 2011, EDMA is currently being led by Dr. Volker Oeding ad interim. Luciano Cattani is Chief Executive ad interim of Eucomed since January 17, taking over the role from John Wilkinson.

"We have come together today to further strengthen the ties between our associations and to enhance the effectiveness of the healthcare industry by providing our joint contribution to public health and research policies in Europe," EDMA President Dr. Jürgen Schulze explained. He further pointed out that "this relationship will take our coordination, collaboration and alignment of information and policies on mutually important issues to a new level."

As priority issues for the federation, the two associations have identified, inter alia, the need to further their close cooperation with regulators and policy makers on the upcoming revision of the legal framework for medical devices, which needs to be adapted to the specifics of new and emerging technologies.

"Establishing a European industry federation makes perfect sense not only to our members but also to the outside world. Being able to speak with one industry voice increases the clarity for our stakeholders and enables the federation to more effectively drive value-based innovation in the industry, which in turn will lead to more sustainable healthcare systems," says Eucomed Chairman Guy Lebeau.

About EDMA

EDMA, the European Diagnostic Manufacturers Association, represents national associations and major companies engaged in the research, development, manufacture or distribution of In Vitro Diagnostic (IVD) tests in Europe. Through its membership, EDMA represents in total more than 500 companies across Europe. The mission of EDMA is to raise awareness of the importance, usefulness and added value that diagnostic information can provide to healthcare. For this purpose, EDMA cooperates with European institutions, patients groups, trade associations, health professionals and academia to support an appropriate regulatory system, to work towards a realistic economic environment for healthcare in Europe and to be an effective voice in globalisation. For more information visit www.edma-ivd.eu

About Eucomed

Eucomed is the European medical technology industry association. Its mission is to make modern, innovative and reliable medical technology available to more people. Eucomed represents directly and indirectly 22,500 designers, manufacturers and suppliers of medical technology used in the diagnosis, prevention, treatment and amelioration of disease and disability. Small and medium sized companies make up more than 80% of this sector. The European medical technology industry generates annual sales of €95 billion, invests some €7.5 billion in R&D and employs around 500,000 highly skilled workers. For more information visit www.eucomed.org and www.reforminghealthcare.eu

EDMA: Miriam Gargesi, Public Affairs & Communications Director | Tel: +32 (0)2 777 02 79 | Mobile: +32 (0)473 504352 | Email: m.gargesi@edma-ivd.eu

Eucomed: Ingmar de Gooijer, Director Communications | Tel: +32 (0)2 775 92 24 | Mobile: +32 (0)492 97 14 70 | Email: ingmar.degooijer@eucomed.org

News from Canada: Chemical Labelling Software Ensures Compliance with WHMIS & OSHA Regulations

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) has developed a web-based tool to help employers and suppliers label their chemical products, in compliance with Canadian and American workplace labelling regulations.

CANLabel will address many of the challenges employers and suppliers face when creating compliant supplier and workplace labels in Canada and the United States. This software will assist employers and suppliers to create labels that meet the requirements of Canada's Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS), and the United States' Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard. The software was created with the new Globally Harmonized System (GHS) for the Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) in mind, as it is expected that both WHMIS and OSHA will be aligning their systems with the GHS.

Features of the software include:

"Labels on containers of hazardous chemical products act as the first warning for workers. Awareness of the hazards and the necessary precautions is critical to workers being able to safely handle hazardous materials," says Lorraine Davison, Manager Chemical Services at the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS). "An upcoming challenge for chemical manufacturers, suppliers and employers will be conforming to the changes required by the new GHS system," she says.

CCOHS is offering a complimentary 90-minute webinar, Going Global-GHS and Labelling, on how to prepare labels that meet current requirements under WHMIS and OSHA while starting to transition to GHS. The webinar will take place Tuesday, January 31, 2012 from 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM EST.

More information about CANLabel is available on the CCOHS Web site.

Contact:

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

or

Jennifer Miconi-Howse, Communications Officer, Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) | Tel: (905) 572-2981, Ext. 4241 | Email: jenmh@ccohs.ca | www.ccohs.ca

Eurofound at the Opening Conference at the 2012 European Year of Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations EYAA2012

The labour market shortfall caused by the decline in Europe s population and workforce will not be offset by increasing immigration levels nor by higher fertility and productivity rates, delegates will be told at the Opening Conference of the 2012 European Year of Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations in Copenhagen on 18 January. The only way forward, according to Eurofound, the EU-agency charged with providing European social policymakers with comparative socio-economic research data and findings, is more active and inclusive employment policies - as well as a change to the general mind-set - to extend working life.

Europeans are living longer than ever before, on average ten years more than in 1960. The increased life span is great news, particularly if accompanied by more years in good health. But it also poses many questions for individuals, their families and social security: How long do I need to work? Can I afford to retire? Does society recognise my contribution in providing care and volunteering?

If current levels of productivity and pensions are to be maintained, more people will have to work for longer. When workers grow older, the positive elements of work often retain their importance, but for many it becomes more difficult to do their jobs.

Research from Eurofound provides some good news: the proportion of workers in the EU27 who think they will be able to do their current job at the age of 60 has risen marginally from 57% in 2000 to 59% in 2010. Also, over the past five years, work beyond retirement has become more common in almost all Member States. Currently, around 10% of 65-69-year-olds are employed in the EU27, compared to 8.7% five years ago.

The continual decline in physically demanding work, as well as improvement in health, will contribute to increasing employment rates for older workers in the future. There is no macro-level evidence that older workers sacrificing jobs would benefit the young. There are, however, a number of issues to overcome in relation to the retention and re-employment of older workers, among which updated skills inflexibility versus experience is one, and the short payback time for the human capital investment is another.

To tackle these challenges, European policymakers are increasingly recognising the role of older people in society, both as economic and social providers of resources and users of services. On 18 January 2012 in Copenhagen, at the launch event of the 2012 under the current Danish Presidency of the European Union, Eurofound will present its latest research which explores the impact of an ageing society and workforce.

During the course of 2012, Eurofound will bring you more data, research findings and policy-pointers on demographic change, older workers, working conditions, care responsibilities and youth employment, providing you with insights into developments at EU, national and company levels.

Links:

For further information, contact Mons Martensson, Media Manager, Eurofound, Loughlinstown House, Wyattville Road, Dublin, Ireland D18 | Tel: +353-1-204 3124 | Mobile: +353-876-593 507 | Email: mma@eurofound.europa.eu

2nd International Wellbeing at Work Conference in Manchester, UK, 21-23 May 2012

The theme for our conference is Making the Case for Wellbeing at Work. We aim to build on the success of the first conference in Helsinki 2010 and provide an environment where research, best practice and innovation can be shared amongst interested researchers, employers, Trade Unions and policy makers from all relevant subject areas.

The Conference will be held at the stunning Lowry Centre at Salford Quays in Manchester, which houses many of Lowry's industrial masterpieces as well as providing exceptional conference facilities.

A draft programme is now available, and registration is open - book now for early bird discount!

Exhibitors

If you are interested in exhibiting, please email wellbeing2012@hsl.gov.uk

We hope that you will be able to attend, and we look forward to welcoming you at the conference.

Co-Chairs of the Organising Committee: Dr Andrew Curran and Professor David Fishwick

View the members of our scientific committee and international advisory committee.

Download PDF of second announcement

Innovative solutions to safety and health risks in the construction, healthcare and HORECA sectors from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work

One conclusion from the EU-OSHA economic incentives project is that incentives schemes should not only reward past results of good OSH management (such as accident numbers in experience rating), but should also reward specific prevention efforts that aim to reduce future accidents and ill-health.

Experts from the economic incentives project therefore suggested the development of compilations of innovative and evidence-based preventive solutions, starting with the three sectors construction, health care and HORECA (hotels, restaurants, catering).

The preventive measures from these compilations are worth promoting in their own right, as well as being applied in economic incentives schemes. These preventive solutions can be used as a basis for incentive-providing organisations to develop their own incentive scheme, adapted to the specific situation in their sector and country.

Innovative solutions to safety and health risks in the construction, healthcare and HORECA sectors
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, 21 December 2011, 223 pages, TE3111006, ISSN 1831-9351, ISBN 9789291917303, DOI: 10.2802/8768

http://osha.europa.eu/en/publications/reports/innovative-solutions-OSHrisks/view

7th International Conference on Safety of Industrial Automated Systems (SIAS), 11-12 October 2012 in Montréal, Canada

The event is organized by the Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST).

The SIAS provides a unique opportunity for taking stock of advances that have been made in knowledge of industrial machine safety and analytical methods, while providing a clearer understanding of human/machine interactions.

For more information: www.irsst.qc.ca/en/sias2012.html

Do you want to keep up-to-date and find out where and when OSH and Fire conferences and courses are taking place around the world?

Then go to www.oshworld.com/diary.html that is constantly updated.

OSHWORLD Diary of Events 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, 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.

If you are organising an event please send details to E-mail: sp@sheilapantry.com

To see events which have passed, go to the Events Archive.

Conference on REACH and CLP Enforcement, 1 March 2012, Brussels

The Conference, organised by the European Commission, will gather authorities and stakeholders from all REACH and CLP sectors.

Enforcement and competent authorities, companies - particularly small and medium enterprises (SME) -, industry associations, workers associations, non-governmental organisations (NGO), importers and only representatives (OR) and non-EU country representatives are invited to discuss how REACH and CLP are being enforced in the EU. Enforcement helps to achieve the objectives of these regulations and fosters an equal playing field for companies on the EU market.

The Conference will focus on enforcement activities and on identifying good practices from both Member States' authorities and stakeholders. Members of ECHA's Forum (the Member State enforcement authorities' network) will present their activities.

More information about Forum activities: http://echa.europa.eu/web/guest/about-us/who-we-are/enforcement-forum

The conference takes place in Brussels (Charlemagne building, 170 Rue de la Loi, 1049 Brussels, Belgium).

The number of participants is limited. In case of overbooking, the information provided in the registration form will be used for gathering a balanced representation to maximise the value of the conference.

The conference will be interpreted (EN-FR-DE) and web-streamed on the Commission Webcast Portal

The conference is free of charge.

http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/chemicals/reach/events/index_en.htm

Annual Management Plan and Work Programme from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work

EU-OSHA fully recognises its responsibility and role in contributing to the aim of creating a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy with high levels of employment, productivity and social cohesion.

Better working conditions is one of the key contributions to reducing health inequalities and promoting a healthy and active ageing population.

In 2012 a new EU policy document on occupational safety and health is expected. It is important to make sure that EU-OSHA is prepared to play its full part in achieving the policy objectives for Europe. Therefore the Agency aims at preparing its own new strategy in 2012.

http://osha.europa.eu/en/publications/evaluation_reports/mid-term-evaluation-euosha-strategy_2099-2013_en.pdf