News from around the World

News Archive

December 2003

Need fire information? Environment Protection information? Health and safety information?

Then.... look at the following Solutions from worldwide sources for your health, safety, fire and environment information needs. All at affordable prices and with powerful retrieval software... so why pay?

SHEILA PANTRY ASSOCIATES LTD offer the following products, using SilverPlatter WinSPIRS or WebSPIRS software, which are available on CD-ROM and via the Internet. All are updated quarterly.

ENVIRONMENT PLUS

So you need up-to-date environment and integrated pollution prevention control (IPPC) information? Looking for essential environment and IPPC legislation and guidance? Don't look any further! It's all on ENVIRONMENT PLUS which is the definitive source to help you to meet your ISO 14001 information needs for accreditation requirements. Thousands of full text pages of information are instantly accessible in ENVIRONMENT PLUS. Used by organisations worldwide.

FIRE WORLDWIDE

Aimed at everyone in the fire industry internationally with the emphasis on all aspects of fire management principles, practices and research.

· Fire Worldwide is the World's premier collection of validated, authoritative information contains two major collections - the Full Text Collection and the Bibliographic Collection - containing thousands of full text authoritative pages of information. Used by brigades and other fire information seekers.

There is information on every subject from airport fire safety, to the use of abandoned buildings for fire training, facemasks, forest fires, loss prevention, sprinklers, and wildland fires. One of the databases - from the British Standards Institution contains references to over 2800 fire and fire related standards.

OSH-IRELAND

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 other organisations, and contains 11 databases of all the appropriate occupational safety and health information.

There is no equivalent product to OSH Ireland. Powerful software, yet easy to use and gives immediate information to a wide range of essential OSH information.

OSH-ROM

OSH-ROM is one of the world's oldest collections of health and safety information. Started in 1986, by Sheila Pantry and SilverPlatter Information it brings together six complementary bibliographic databases covering critical international occupational health and safety information. OSH-ROM is a unique and vital resource for information concerning occupational health and safety, hazardous incidents, and the handling of dangerous materials. The individual databases contain over 1.2 million citations from over 5000 journals and 100,000 monographs and technical reports.

• RILOSH Ryerson International Labour Occupational Safety and Health Index is produced by the Ryerson Technical University Library, Toronto, Canada, and is included in OSH-ROM by Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd.

RILOSH is a comprehensive database of bibliographic references and covers international as well as Canadian and American health and safety, chemical toxicology, environmental health, safety engineering, biotechnology, biohazards, workers' compensation and workplace disability information. Other major databases are:

• HSELINE from the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Information Services
• CISDOC from the International Occupational Safety and Health Information Centre (CIS) of the ILO
• MHIDAS the Major Hazard Incident Data Service, created by AEA Technology Plc on behalf of the Major Hazards Assessment Unit of the UK Health and Safety Executive
• MEDLINE Advanced OEM Subset: Occupational and Environmental Medicine a subset of the US National Library of Medicine's (NLM) MEDLINE database
• NIOSHTIC and NIOSHTIC2 from the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

30 DAY FREE TRIALS

All the products are available on a 30 day free trial. Why not try these for yourself and check out the contents of these exciting sources of information against your own workplace/academic needs.

Contact: Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd, 85 The Meadows, Todwick, Sheffield S26 1JG, UK | Tel: +44 (0)1909 771024 | Fax: +44 (0)1909 772829 | email: sp@sheilapantry.com

European Agency for Safety and Health and Organization of American States (OAS) agree to join forces to improve safety and health at work: Online network to cover 34 countries in the Americas

Efforts to improve the safety and health conditions of over 200 million workers in Latin America and the Caribbean have taken a major step forward with the agreement of the OAS' Inter-American Agency for Cooperation and Development (IACD) to join the Agency's online information network.

The joint website will serve as the portal for occupational safety and health (OSH) information and activities in the region and provide direct access to the Agency's extensive European and international information network. At the same time the two organizations have agreed to look at how horizontal cooperation projects could be developed and implemented in the future.

Commenting on the arrangement, the Director of the European Agency, Hans-Horst Konkolewsky, said: "Workplace safety and health is a matter of global concern and geographical barriers should not stand in the way of the flow of information that can raise safety and health standards in workplaces across the world. Through this cooperation arrangement, businesses, workers and experts in Europe and the Americas will be better informed in the future about regulatory demands, new research findings and best practices on both sides of the Atlantic. And therefore be in a better position to meet the safety and health challenges of globalization."

IACD Director General Ronald Scheman, commented: "An exploding labor force, high levels of unemployment and the growing number of workers in the informal sector in many OAS's member countries has seriously affected occupational safety and health conditions. The IACD in coordination with the OAS's Unit for Social Development and Education is committed to assisting member countries to develop good workplace safety and health practices and legislation by identifying successful consolidated programs and transferring experiences and know-how. Our link up with the European Agency provides access to one of the world's largest repositories of OSH information."

Contact: European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Gran Via 33, E-48009 Bilbao, Spain | email: information@osha.eu.int | Fax: +34 94 479 4383

http://osha.europa.eu

South Africa's NOSA strikes a global first with HIV/AIDS management standard

National Occupational Safety Association (NOSA) has decided to make its AIDS management standard, the AMS 16001 and AMS 16004 audit guidelines available free of charge to the world via its web site www.nosa.co.za

NOSA warn that these programmes on their own are not a HIV/AIDS management plan or HIV/AIDS strategic plan. They form an important extension for the successful implementation, evaluation and continual improvement and maintenance of all HIV/AIDS management programmes at all levels in the private and public sector, including national and international plans.

See also Workers Life Nov/Dec 2003, vol. 9, no. 7 which is published by NOSA, 508 Proes Street, Arcadia 0083, Pretoria, South Africa | Email: worklife@nosa.co.za

Health and Safety for Management: Focus on work safety: a text for health and safety courses by Jeremy Stranks

Failure to comply with health and safety legislation can have serious consequences for organisations and individual managers - large fines and even imprisonment are increasingly common. Being too busy is not an excuse and ignorance cannot be used in mitigation. Penalties for failing to prepare a statement of Health and Safety policy or undertake a "suitable and sufficient" risk assessment can be significant.

"Health and Safety for Management" has been written to overcome some of these problems. It is ideal as a reference for busy managers but also as a text for those persons attending Advanced Health and Safety Courses.

It deals with the main legal requirements, the management systems that must be put in place. Includes principles of accident prevention, safety monitoring and risk assessment. It covers a range of specialised topics, such as the workplace and the working environment, ergonomics, stress at work, fire safety, electrical safety, work equipment, and contractors' activities. Various audits, check lists and diagrams are incorporated to enable managers to get to grips with managing health and safety in the workplace, along with a comprehensive glossary of significant terms to increase understanding of the subject.

Health and Safety for Management: Focus on work safety by Jeremy Stranks
Highfield.Co.UK Ltd. 2003. ISBN 1 904544 002. 300 pages. www.highfield.co.uk

European Agency Facts Issue 44 - How to convey OSH information effectively: the case of dangerous substances

Within the EU's legislative framework, worker information and consultation about hazardous chemical agents occurring in the workplace, health and safety risks and protective and preventive measures is a legal obligation of the employer. The employer shall inform not only workers and their representatives but also employers from any outside undertaking. The information shall be provided in a manner appropriate to the outcome of the risk assessment. This may vary from oral communication to individual instruction and training supported by information in writing. Persons involved in implementing occupational health and safety measures at workplace level, such as employers or workers' safety representatives, sometimes find it difficult to obtain specific and practical information on dangerous substances.

For the European Week for Safety and Health 2003, the Agency has therefore collected some good practice examples describing how to transfer information effectively to different target groups and how to assess the relevance of the information for these groups. The aim is to provide policy makers, chemical suppliers, researchers, safety professionals, employers and intermediary parties (such as the social partners) with practical information to support, adapt and assess their approach. Nineteen good practice examples from across Europe were chosen and grouped relating to the level on which the information was dealt with.

This leaflet is available in all EU languages at https://www.healthy-workplaces.eu/en/european-week-safety-and-health-work

A fuller report: Systems and programmes - How to convey OSH information effectively
ISBN 92 9191 0449. 2003. 157 pp
This report is available from the Office for Official publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg.

Effective Food Hygiene Training: a brief guide for managers of food businesses, enforcement officers, trainers and potential trainers by Euan M R MacAuslan

This book covers: Competency or Certification, Who needs Training, The role of managers and supervisors, Education and Training, Barriers to overcome, Training skills, Resources to use, Choice of courses and trainers, Computer based training and e-learning, A lesson for the future.

Effective Food Hygiene Training: a brief guide for managers of food businesses, enforcement officers, trainers and potential trainers by Euan M R MacAuslan.
Highfield.Co.UK Ltd. 2003. ISBN 1 904 544 134. 164 pages. www.highfield.co.uk

New Workplace Handbook cracks the Law in 2004

The Workplacelaw Network has published the 2004 Edition of the best selling Workplacelaw Network Handbook packed with the latest guidance and legal information. The Handbook has been comprehensively updated to include the latest changes in law and practice.

The Workplacelaw Network Handbook 2004 (ISBN 1-900648-72-5) includes completely new information on: driving at work, rights for temporary workers, dress codes, wheel clamping, disaster management, flexible working and much more. Updated information includes sections on asbestos, disability access, dismissal, disciplinary and grievance, CCTV monitoring, legionella and many more.

The Handbook provides essential information on legislation, regulations, policy, case-law and best practice. Information is presented in plain English and broken down into over 100 separate A-Z sections containing legislative summaries, key points, checklists and sources of further information. This easy reference publication has over 450 pages of updated practical information for workplace managers.

The Workplacelaw Network Handbook 2004 is available in the Workplacelaw Network Online shop at: www.workplacelaw.net/eshop or by calling our sales hotline on 0870 777 8881 (9am-5pm, weekdays). Alternatively, Email: sales@workplacelaw.net
A 10% discount is available to members of the Workplacelaw Network, BIFM, RIBA or RICS. Please quote ref. 1520 when ordering.

6-9 June 2004 - 7th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion

Conference Objectives and Themes to strengthen injury control as an integral part of national and international public health policies and programmes, putting special stress on the overall themes Injury, Violence, Suicide and Disaster.

Contact: Conference Team Vienna: Kuratorium für Schutz und Sicherheit, Institut Sicher Leben, Oelzeltgasse 3 / Postfach 190, A-1031 Vienna, Austria, Europe | Tel: +43 1 715 66 44 232 | Fax: +43 1 715 6644 30