News from around the World

News Archive

May 2002

News from Europe

European Agency gets ready for the European Health and Safety Week

Preparations for the European Health and Safety Week to be held in all Member States during October 2002 were given a kick-off this week at the Safety and Health Expo held at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham UK. Member States are free to choose any week during October. The 2002 theme is Successful prevention of psychosocial risks at work, especially stress.

Psychosocial risks covers work-related stress, but also contributors to work stress such as poor work organisation and design, workplace violence or threats of violence, bullying, mobbing and harassment etc.

The European Agency invites nominations for the third European Good Practice Awards in occupational health and safety. The 2002 Award scheme will recognise companies or organisations which have made outstanding and innovative contributions to the prevention of psychosocial risks, especially work-related stress, within enterprises.

Examples could cover:

• stress at work and work design and organisation - for example managing change, the work life balance, work load and working hours, shift work and night work, part time work, improving job satisfaction
• stress management in sectors or specific jobs, e.g. health services, teleworking, call centres, driving, assembly work
• prevention of workplace violence
• prevention of bullying, also known as mobbing
• stress management in SMEs
• successful stress campaigns.

More information about the European Week 2002 contact the Focal Points in each Member States details on the Agency web site https://www.healthy-workplaces.eu/en/european-week-safety-and-health-work

Contact: European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Gran Via 33, E-48009 Bilbao, Spain | Tel: +34 944 794 360 | Fax: +34 94 479 4383 | Email: information@osha.eu.int | web: http://osha.europa.eu

OSH-Ireland: new edition

The latest edition of OSH-Ireland has just been published. OSH-IRELAND has become the essential OSH source for organisations and practitioners seeking up-to-date information on all aspects of health and safety in Ireland. OSH-IRELAND is published with the co-operation of the Health and Safety Authority, Dublin, Ireland and contains the following complementary databases providing full text information:

• Occupational safety and health and related Acts of the Oireachtas and Statutory Instruments
• Health and Safety Authority's (HSA) current publications, reports, guidance, advice and annual reports
• Standard Forms, Certificates of Exemption and Exception etc
• Other relevant Government Departments publications
• Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC) health and safety guides and "Your Questions Answered"
• National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) health and safety standards
• National Irish Safety Organisation (NISO) publications and NISO e-Newsletter

In addition there are other databases containing bibliographic references:

• appropriate European Health, Safety and Environment Directives
• appropriate National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) OSH standards (extra to those included as full text documents)
• appropriate health and safety British Standards
• The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) extensive bibliographic database of records to a wide range of journal articles, guidance and advice from worldwide organisations, which is regularly updated

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Tel: +44 (0)20 8585 6400 | Fax: +44 (0)20 8585 6640 | Email: europe@ovid.com | Web: www.ovid.com

Lendac Data Systems Ltd Unit 6, Trinity College Centre, Pearse Street, Dublin 2, Ireland
Tel: +353 (0)1 677 6133 | Fax: +353 (0) 1 671 0135 | Email: info@lendac.ie | Web: www.lendac.ie

News from the USA

Behavioural Safety Now Conference

The Cambridge Center for Behavioural Studies and Quality Safety Edge invite you to present a paper at the Behavioural Safety Now Conference Call for Papers for the 2002 Conference has been issued for the conference dates of: Tuesday - Thursday, September 24 - 26, 2002 Amelia Island Plantation - Amelia Island, Florida, USA.

News from Russia

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH '2002: the International Specialised Exhibition
November 12-15, 2002, in the premises of the All Russia Exhibition Centre, Hall No 20 Moscow, Russia

Organisers of the Exhibition: Ministry of Labour and Social Development of the Russian Federation and "Spetsodezhdaopttorg" Public Company. The full address of the location of the Exhibition: The All Russia Exhibition Centre, Hall No 20, "VDNKh" Metro station, Moscow, Russia.

For any further information regarding the participation in the Exhibition contact "Spetsodezhdaopttorg" Public Company. | Tel : +7 095 252 65 03 / 12 25 | Fax: +7 095 252 21 89 | E-mail: soopt@cnt.ru

For further details regarding the event itself contact the Organizing Committee
E-mail: vcot@online.ru

News from Hungary

The Hungarian National Program of Occupational Safety and Health

The Public Foundation for Research on Occupational Safety has published the English language version of this interesting 16 page report entitled the Hungarian Program of Occupational Safety and Health. English version translated by Dr Andras Bekes, Director General Hungarian Labour Inspectorate, Editor Dr Jeno Molnar, Director of the Public Foundation for Research on Occupational Safety, and Report Drafter Gabor Jablonkay, Head of the Information Department, Public Foundation for Research on Occupational Safety.

The Program represents a milestone in the history of Hungarian occupational safety and health. After several years of discussion and preparation the programme was proposed to Parliament with the full support of the social partners and it was passed by a unanimous vote.

The National Program has three main parts:

• a descriptive part analyzing the situation in Hungary;
• a strategic part determining basic principles, goals and long term tasks of occupational safety and health policy and
• a set of short or medium term tasks to be done

The Program fulfils the criteria for the national policy of occupational safety and health required by Article 4 of the ILO Convention No. 155 with one exception: there is no word for "policy" in Hungarian!

Hungarian Program of Occupational Safety and Health. ISBN 963 00 9674 9. 2002
Contact: Public Foundation for Research on Occupational Safety, H-1281 Budapest Pf:7 | Tel: +361 394 2922 | Fax +361 384 2932 | E-mail: mkk@mkk.org.hu

News from the European Foundation

The Quality of work and employment in Europe: Issues and challenges

The aim behind the Foundation papers is to highlight knowledge and analysis from Foundation research over many years in the areas of employment, equal opportunities, social inclusion, time use and diversity. The objective of the papers is to make past, present and future work of the Foundation relevant and accessible in a concise format. The subject of each paper will be linked to current social policy issues and provides therefore a timely contribution to the debate at European level.

Employment, and in particular quality of work and employment, is the focus of this paper. It covers four aspects identified by the European Foundation as key dimensions of quality of work and employment:

• career and employment security
• health and well-being
• skills development
• the reconciliation of working an non-working life

The Quality of work and employment in Europe: Issues and challenges ISBN 92 897 01560 is available from:
John Hurley, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, Wyattville Road, Loughlinstown, Dublin 18, Ireland | Tel: + 353 1 2043100 | Fax: + 353 1 2826456, + 353 1 2824209 | Available as pdf downloads from the website http://eurofound.europa.eu/observatories/eurwork

News from South Africa

Railway Safety Bill puts the onus on the bosses

The latest edition of Workers Life May 2002 contains a number of topics including the lead story which says that Directors of rail companies in South Africa will face big financial penalties, and even jail terms, for injuries and loss of life caused by train accidents under the new National Railway Safety Regulator Bill.

Among a range of lively stories are asbestos; career centres for skills development and LPG gas appliances.

Contact: Workers Life, NOSA, 508 Proes Street, Arcadia 0083, Box 26434 Arcadia, Pretoria 0007 South Africa | E-mail: worklife@nosa.co.za

Titles you may have missed......

National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) Business Plan 2002-2003

The UK NRPB has just issued it's Business Plan 2002/2003 states that the Chief Medical Officer's proposal for a new Agency into which NRPB would be assimilated. The establishment of the New Health Protection Agency by 1 April 2003 provides the major challenge facing the Board in the coming year.

The report states that all the NRPB key targets ad activities were achieved in 2001/2002, including the development of the new website. The key targets for 2002/2003 include work in the following areas: emergency response, optical radiations, radiation-induced cancer in children and adults, contaminated land and materials, occupational exposure, communications and public health.

National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) Corporate Plan 2002-2007

The UK NRPB has also just issued it's Corporate Plan 2002-2007 summarises the work that NRPB will be doing over the next five years.

NRPB Business Plan 2002/2003 and also NRPB Corporate Plan 2002-2007 contact:
Information Office, National Radiological Protection Board, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon, OX11 0RQ, UK | Tel: +44 (0)1235 831600 (international 44-1235 83160) | Fax: +44 (0) 1235 833891 (international 44-1235 833891) | E-mail: nrpb@nrpb.org

Detection methods for Algae, Protozsa and Helminths in Fresh and Drinking Water

This book provides a comprehensive approach to water quality measurement and is the second book in the Wiley Publishers Water Quality Measurement series. Potential disease-causing biological agents such as Algae, Protozsa and Helminths exist throughout the entire water cycle. These agents, which can be of natural or anthropogenic origin, have varied potential impact and significance in the water cycle. This book focuses on the analytical aspects related to epidemiology, toxicology, sanitary engineering and plant technology and provide an integrated and clear strategy for carrying out surveillance, quality control, prevention and remedial measures.

The book also address the importance of epidemiological and other catchment area information, environment context, waterworks structure, treatment plant configuration, sampling strategy and methodology. The book is well illustrated and each chapter has further reading lists.

Detection Methods for Algae, Protozoa and Helminths in Fresh and Drinking Water, edited by Franca Plumbo, Guiliano Ziglio, Andre Van der Beken
Wiley, 2002 | ISBN 0471 899895 | 225 pages | http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA

CIS Publications Catalogue 2002 identifies a range of OSH publications

The International Occupational Safety and Health Centre (CIS), Geneva has published the 2002 Catalogue which draws attention to a wide range of publications both electronic and print based published by the CIS Centre

The publications cover a wide range of subjects in the workplace, chemical information, occupational hygiene, ready to use information on a variety of topics such as AIDS and ergonomics. The catalogue contains details of the various training manuals, directories and the ILO Encyclopaedia of Occupational Health and Safety.

To obtain a copy contact:
International Occupational safety and Health Information Centre, ILO, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland. | Tel: +41 22 799 6740 | Fax: +41 22 799 8516 | E-mail: cis@ilo.org | web: www.ilo.org/cis