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News from around the WorldApril 2003 April 28 2003 - "World Day for Safety and Health at Work"April 28 2003 is going to be declared the "World Day for Safety and Health at Work", for which the International Labour Office Health and Safety Information Centre in Geneva, Switzerland have special Web pages www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/safework/worldday/index.htm Also check out www.ilo.org/public/english/support/publ/online.htm for other supporting publications. You can order items online www.ilo.org/publns or from Publications Bureau, International Labour Office, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland, fax +41 22 799 6938 email: pubvente@ilo.org Constant Communication is a Health Risk for the UK's Multi-tasking Office WorkersConstant communication by email and telephone is making the UK's office population increasingly deskbound and giving rise to a string of health complaints, as well as having a negative impact upon efficiency in the office. These are the findings of new research, commissioned by GN Netcom, a leader in cordless communications. The research, conducted in January 2003, questioned 252 office-based workers in a variety of administration, finance, helpdesk, sales & marketing and management roles. It discovered that:
A truly cordless headset for today's office professionals More information can be found at www.gnnetcom.com New Director General of the Romanian Institute for Occupational Health and SafetyNewly appointed Director General of the Romanian Institute for Occupational Health and Safety is Andrei Serban Stanescu. Institutul National de Cercetare Dezvoltare pentru Protectia Muncii, Str General Budisteanu 15, Sector 1, 79629 Bucuresti, Romania | Tel: + 401 315 78 22 | Fax: + 401 315 78 22 | Email: cis-inpm@rnc.ro UK Occupational Exposure Limits updatedThe UK Health and Safety Commission (HSC) has approved an updated list of Occupational Exposure Standards (OESs) and Maximum Exposure Limits (MELs). These will be formally published in May in the 2003 supplement to the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE's) list of OELs in Occupational Exposure Limits 2002 (EH40/2002). The revisions include:
Employers have a duty under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002 to control workplace exposures to hazardous substances. HSC sets MELs and OESs to help them do this. The 2003 Supplement will detail changes to some of the MELs and OESs listed in EH40/2002. Both documents are complementary and will need to be read together. The withdrawal of the OESs happened after HSC's Advisory Committee on Toxic Substances (ACTS) concluded that they were not scientifically robust and were therefore inadequate to protect health. HSE has published chemical hazard alert notices (CHANs) for nine of the 16 withdrawn OESs to help employers control exposure: divinylbenzene (mixed isomers), furfuryl alcohol (FA), glycerol trinitrate, nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen monoxide, sulphur dioxide, ethylene dinitrate, subtilisins and sulphuric acid. The others are not widely used. The CHANS, which provide information on the health effects associated with exposure to the substances at work and good practice, are available on HSE's website at www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/chindex.htm The 2003 Supplement to EH40/2002 will be available in late May to download, free of charge from HSE's website www.hse.gov.uk. It will also be available as a paper copy, for a small charge, from HSE Books, PO Box 1999, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 2WA, UK | Tel: +44 (0) 1787 881165 or fax: +44 (0) 1787-313995. The 2003 Supplement is designed to be read in conjunction with EH40/2002 Occupational Exposure Limits 2002, price £10.50, which remains available from HSE Books, available online at www.hsebooks.co.uk International round up on Severe Acute Respiratory SyndromeSARS - from Medical Services Overseas (MSO) Medical Services Overseas MSO advises organisations with staff working in other countries, and provide health solutions for them. The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome SARS is causing concern for all travellers and MSO's website covers:
This report is provided free of charge on the website. Further advice can be provided on application from Dr Andrew Dickson, Medical Services Overseas, UK | dr@mso-uk.com | www.mso-uk.com SHEILA PANTRY ASSOCIATES LTDoffers the following products, using SilverPlatter WinSPIRS or WebSPIRS software. Available on CD-ROM and via the Internet. All are updated quarterly. ENVIRONMENT PLUS FIRE WORLDWIDE OSH-IRELAND FREE TRIALS Also check out the following websites www.oshworld.com www.shebuyersguide.com www.sheilapantry.com Contact: Why go to extremes? . . . Register for FREE now! . . . for the SHE show, 19-22 May 2003, Birmingham National Exhibition Centre, UKWhether it's to meet up to 300 suppliers of safety & health products and services including the EurOhs team; to sit in on a FREE informative presentation within The Information Theatre; to congratulate the winners of the Product Innovation Awards or simply to keep up to date or source new suppliers - you need to attend Safety & Health Expo 2003 which takes place at the NEC, Birmingham, UK from 19th - 22nd May 2003. To get your free entry ticket contact: www.safety-health-expo.co.uk or telephone Ticket Hotline +44 (0) 870 429 4328 Be a winner with RoSPA at the SAFETY & HEALTH EXPO 2003 Running alongside the exhibition is the annual Royal Society for the
Prevention of Accidents Visitors to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents stand at Safety & Health Expo 2003 will have a chance to win a prize worth more than £6,500. A free draw winner will be given a place on RoSPA's NEBOSH National Diploma Part 1 - full course, including five weeks accommodation sponsored by Moathouse Hotels, and the examination fee. RoSPA is co-sponsor of the event at the NEC, Birmingham, May 19-22, and will be offering the broadest range of products and services available for organisations to ensure they manage health and safety correctly. The Society will be based at stand U46 in Hall 12. Visitors will find information about training and consultancy, signs, posters and publications. It will be the place to tap RoSPA's experience and expertise for those who want the complete health and safety solution. RoSPA members will be told about new products and services and how to make even better use of their membership package. Applications for membership will be welcomed at the exhibition. Benefits include technical advice and substantial discounts on most RoSPA products and services, including health and safety training. The Society's training covers everything from practical skills courses to management and professional qualifications, including NEBOSH Diplomas. To learn more about RoSPA visit www.rospa.com News from JapanLatest Annual report from JISHA Recently published is the 2002 edition of the Japan Industrial Safety and Health Association (JISHA) which covers the many activities including:
Contact: All Russian Meeting 19 - 21 May 2003 "Problems of occupational Safety and Health at the current stage of the labour relations' development and their solutions"This meeting is being held under the auspices of the Ministry of Labour and Social Development of the Russian Federation and is being totally organised by the All Russian Centre for Occupational Safety and Health on the "Problems of occupational Safety and Health at the current stage of the labour relations' development and their solutions". It is expected that over 400 people will attend, including specialists, practitioners, experts and scientists dealing with occupational safety and health, including leading figures from the Federal Ministries and Departments, Heads of Regional Administrations, representatives of executive organisations dealing with issues of labour conditions and occupational safety. Workers and employers' organisations will also take part. Contact: Evgenvy Reshetnikov, Head, InfoCIS and Foreign Relations Unit, VCOT,- All Russian Centre for Occupational Safety and Health, 4, Parkovaia ul., 29, 105043 MOSCOW, Russian Fedaration | Tel. (095) 164 93 64 | Fax (095) 367 13 09 | Email: vcot@mintrud.ru | vcot@mail.ru | vcot@vescom.ru | www.vcot.info Title you may have missed.......NORA News Spring 2003 The US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has published the latest edition of the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) News. It contains details of
Contact: European Green Week, 2- 5 June 2003Business leader, policy maker, representative of an NGO and local and regional, authorities, teachers, scientists and young people, can now register on-line for the 2003 edition of Green Week that will take place 2-5 June 2003! Green Week 2003 intends bringing people together to debate, as a follow-up to the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg on key environmental issues of sustainable consumption and production, renewable energy & climate change and water. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/greenweek European Foundation welcomes new Deputy Director Willy BuschakWilly Buschak, former Confederal Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), took up the reins as Deputy Director of the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions on 1 April 2003. Willy Buschak succeeds Eric Verborgh, who retires from the Dublin-based EU Agency after 18 years. After studying history and philosophy at the Ruhr-Universität in Bochum, Germany, Willy Buschak started work as a research manager with the German Trade Union for Food, Beverages and Restaurant Workers. His early career involved research on trade union subjects for the Hans Böckler Foundation and the Institute for the History of the Labour Movement in Germany. In 1991, Willy Buschak started his career at the European Trade Union Confederation as Confederal Secretary, where his fields of responsibility included democratisation of the economy, health and safety at the workplace, the environment, research, consumer and industrial policy. He was appointed Managing Director of the ETUC in 2000. Willy Buschak is no newcomer to the Foundation and its work. Over an eight-year period up to 2000, he played an important part in the Foundation's progress through his role as coordinator for the workers' group in the administrative board. He thus brings with him a deep knowledge and understanding of the Foundation's key areas of work. The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions is a tripartite EU body, whose role is to provide key actors in social policy making with findings, knowledge and advice drawn from comparative research. The Foundation was established by Council Regulation EEC No 1365/75 of 26 May 1975. More information about the Foundation is available on www.eurofound.europa.eu. 'Enlargement is set to be a big challenge for the Foundation, as for all other EU bodies, but the Foundation is in a strong position to meet those challenges,' says Willy Buschak. 'My role will be to support the Director in building on the successes of the past as we move to tackle this new future.' Further information on Willy Buschak (curriculum vitae, photographs, etc) is available at www.eurofound.europa.eu/press/presspack/general Keep up with news from the European Foundation in the newsroom at www.eurofound.europa.eu/press. Further information regarding any other information from the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, please contact Mr. Måns Mårtensson, Press Officer | Tel: +353-1-204 3124 | mobile: +353-876-593 507 | e-mail: press.officer@eurofound.eu.int
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