News from around the World
August 2004
- OSH UPDATE: new Internet based service from Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd
- First President for INSHPO - the International Network of Safety and Health Practitioner Organisations
- First International Symposium on Occupational Health Implications of Nanomaterials
- Institute of Public Health workshop on the role of the Occupational Physician in preventing diseases in construction workers
- Living to work - working to live
- News from NIOSH
- News from Ireland: Minster Fahey establishes Bullying Advisory Group
- UK HSE publish multilingual information for the catering industry
- European Agency for Safety and Health at Work
OSH UPDATE: new Internet based service from Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd
Want to keep up-to-date in worldwide occupational health, safety, hygiene, road safety, water safety, environment trends and the latest information? Do budget constraints not allow you to buy all the journals, newsletters and documents that contain the latest information? Can't afford the time to search for the latest information, legislation and standards? No staff to search for this information? And no time yourself to spend hours searching for information?
Then a new, very affordable Internet based service OSH UPDATE, from Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd is the answer for you.
Powered by Head Software International's Headfast/Discovery Internet publishing software*, OSH UPDATE will be launched in the Autumn 2004 and updated monthly. It contains a number of bibliographic databases from worldwide authoritative sources such as the UK Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Canada Ryerson University, the International Labour Office CIS Health and Safety Centre, European Union legislation and other legislation sources and OSH standards specifications.
OSH UPDATE will expand - we are continuing to make agreements with other well-known information producers around the world and these databases will also be included.
As well as the latest information many reference sources go back 80 or more years and so a valuable tool for researchers.
This new aggregation of databases will contain thousands of relevant references with abstracts or keywords and will keep you and your colleagues alerted to hot topics such as the health risks of nanotechnology, corporate killing, bioterrorism, management of road risks, preparedness and business continuity.
The title price for a single user via the Internet will be GBP250.00 / US$ 450.00 per year - less than 68 pence / 1.2 dollars per day.
The price reflects our aim to bring health and safety guidance, advice, research, journal articles, papers, standards to the attention of health and safety practitioners and managers, researchers, trade union safety representatives, occupational physicians, information specialists in industry, colleges and universities, government staff, inspectors, university and college safety directors, university and college lecturers and those in training - at a cost that is affordable and a service that is time efficient.
If you are interested in taking up this service on trial please complete the OSH UPDATE Interest Form, or contact us to ask further questions.
Contact: Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd, Sheffield S26 1JG, UK | Tel: +44 (0) 1909
771024 | Fax: +44 (0) 1909 772829 | Email: sp@sheilapantry.com
| www.sheilapantry.com | www.oshworld.com
| www.shebuyersguide.com
Electronic Products: Environment Plus | Fire Worldwide | OSH Ireland | OSH UPDATE
* Headfast/Discovery is being used for important bibliographic and full text information services on the Internet by other publishers including CERAM Research, Ellis Publications, Inspec, Nielsen BookData, Oxmill Publishing and TWI.
First President for INSHPO - the International Network of Safety and Health Practitioner Organisations
The first President of the International Network of Safety and Health Practitioner Organisations (INSHPO) is a familiar face to IOSH members - as former president of the Institution Paul Faupel CBiol MIBiol MIRM FIOSH RSP has been elected for the prestigious role.
Paul, UK Cambridgeshire County Council's Health and Safety Adviser, was appointed IOSH president from 2000 - 2002. It was during this time that discussions took place with Eddie Greer, former President of the American Society of Safety Engineers and Jim Allan, former President of the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, on the formation of an organisation that would provide a global network for professional bodies representing generalist practitioners in OSH.
INSHPO has since formed and exists to bring together generalist professional safety and health practitioner organisations throughout the world in order to reduce, minimise or eliminate the exposure of humans to risks connected with work activities.
The objectives of INSHPO include promoting and developing the OSH profession throughout the world, promoting the exchange of OSH information among member organisations, encouraging the further development of OSH at a professional level and engaging with other bodies in the field of health and safety in areas of common interest.
On being elected first president of INSHPO, Paul said: "It is a great honour to have been recognised by my international peers in this way. It is a first for IOSH, a first for Cambridgeshire County Council and a personal first for me.
"It is a timely event to have established this network because colleagues in the related professions of Occupational Hygiene, Occupational Health, Ergonomics and Risk Management all have their own international associations.
"The health and safety profession needs to be operating in the same context to establish truly global standards of best practice in the drive to reduce the toll of death, injury, ill health and collateral losses associated with poor health and safety management."
IOSH chief executive, Rob Strange, said: "I'd like to express my warmest congratulations to Paul on receiving this great honour. Paul has played a major role in the establishment of and success of INSHPO and I am sure his appointment into such an important position will ensure INSHPO's continued success."
INSHPO members include:
- American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), America
- Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, Canada
- Industrial Foundation for Accident Prevention (IFAP), Australia
- Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), UK
- Institution of Occupational Safety and Health Management (IOSHM), Mauritius
- Safety Institute of Australia (SIA), Australia
Membership of INSHPO is open to generalist professional safety and health practitioner organisations throughout the world, but it is not open to individual practitioners.
For further information on INSHPO, please visit its website at www.inshpo.org
Alternatively contact Sascha Lemon, IOSH, The Grange, Highfield Drive, Wigston, Leicestershire, LE18 1NN, UK | Tel +44 (0)116 257 3100 | Fax: +44 (0)116 257 3101 | email: sascha.lemon@iosh.co.uk | www.iosh.co.uk
First International Symposium on Occupational Health Implications of Nanomaterials Palace Hotel, Buxton, Derbyshire, UK 12-14 October 2004
Organised by the UK Health and Safety Laboratory in collaboration with the UK Health and Safety Executive and the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Key Topics
- Current and future developments in the nanotechnology industry;
- Health effects of existing nanomaterials and potential health effects of new materials;
- Exposure assessment and control of nanoparticles;
- Workshop on identifying gaps in knowledge of health effects, assessment and control;
- Workshop on regulatory implications of nanomaterials.
The nanotechnology symposium is the first of its kind to bring together researchers, industry representatives and policy makers in order to define the issues facing workers and employers and to develop strategies to address the potential health risks. This is an open symposium aimed at initiating dialogue on nanotechnology and workplace safety and health.
Poster Exhibition
There will also be a poster exhibition for those with relevant new work to report. Three hundred word abstracts should be submitted by 3 September 2004, to:
Karen Wilkinson, Health and Safety Laboratory, Harpur Hill, Buxton, Derbyshire, United Kingdom SK17 9J | Tel: (+44) 0114 289 2023 | www.hsl.gov.uk
Institute of Public Health under the patronage of TREHB (Training and Research In Environmental Health - The Balkans) Michigan State University workshop on the role of the Occupational Physician in preventing diseases in construction workers October 20th 2004 at the Institute of Public Health, Romania
The workshop is organized in the framework of EUROPEAN WEEK FOR SAFETY AND HEALTH AT WORK 2004 - BUILDING IN SAFETY
TOPICS
- Occupational risks in construction workers' activity
- Occupational diseases of construction workers
- Health promotion in construction industry workplaces
GUESTS
The workshop is opened for participation for all occupational physicians, engineers working in safety at work and all the specialists involved in the implementation of the concept of health and safety at work.
Please inform us of your participation at phone number: + 021-2249228/extension 203 or 213, Dr. Adriana Todea, Dr. Aurelia Ferencz. E-Mail adrianat@ispb.ro
Living to work - working to live
Tomorrow's work-life balance in Europe, Dublin, 3-4 November, 2004
- An average of 23% of EU citizens complain they are too tired to carry out household tasks when they come home from work.
- About 15% of people in the new Member States report difficulties in fulfilling family responsibilities because of time spent at work.
- Women, more often than men, experience problems in balancing work and family responsibilities.
- People who work more than 48 hours a week generally report being less able to reconcile their working and non-working lives.
These data from the Foundation's recent European Quality of Life survey, highlight one of the key challenges facing Europe's policymakers today. How can we balance worklife commitments while moving towards the full employment target of the Lisbon agenda? While aiming to create more and better jobs, policymakers across the 25 countries of the new European Union are increasingly faced with the pressing issues of flexibility and work, pension reform, time management and labour market restructuring.
- Must we work more and longer to maintain our ailing pension systems?
- How do we offset the effects of an ageing workforce?
- Should we encourage women back into the workforce at all costs?
- Who will then look after our children? How will we care for our parents?
These issues, and many more, will be examined at this year's Foundation Forum 2004 which brings together high-level European representatives from the social partners, government and civil society, as well as experts in the field to provide fresh and timely insights into the future direction of this crucial debate.
For further details contact: www.eurofound.europa.eu
News from NIOSH
The US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health have produced the following new publications.
Surveillance Resource for the US on occupational safety and health and mortality - the Chartbook
This allows you to drill down to the raw data in spreadsheet format. www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/chartbook
Wildland firefighters suffer from respiratory problems
NIOSH is conducting a pilot study to determine the feasibility of measuring potential respiratory risks that wildland firefighters may face from work-related exposures. Statistics show that approximately 5 percent to 10 percent of wildland firefighters suffer from respiratory problems, but scientists do not know what proportion of those cases may be due to job-related exposures. In the pilot project, NIOSH scientists followed two National Park Service Interagency Hotshot Crews from Colorado and California. The scientists took air samples at wildland fire operations and conducted medical evaluations of the firefighters. Results will determine whether a full study is feasible. For more information on this project, contact Denise Gaughan at DGaughan@cdc.gov or (304) 285-6262.
News from Ireland: Minster Fahey establishes Bullying Advisory Group
The Minster for Labour Affairs, Frank Fahey, T.D., has announced the establishment of an expert advisory group on bullying and resulting stress in the workplace. The Minister said that for some time he has "been concerned with the loss of workdays, ill-heath effects including stress, the workplace difficulties and the general dysfunctional work cultures which bullying and resulting stress is causing". The expert group will, he says, provide information on the best way forward to tackle the problem.
The Minister's announcement follows his comments about the issue when he spoke at the launch of the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) annual report (see Health and Safety Review , July/August 2004, p7). The Minister, who acknowledged the work done in the area by the former Minister and the Task Force on the prevention of Workplace Bullying, has asked the expert group to report within three months on:
- the effectiveness of measures relating to workplace bullying
- the identification of improvements in procedures
- how to address the contribution made by bullying to the incidence of workplace stress and its impact on health.
The 15 member expert group, which will be chaired by Paul J Farrell, partner, Business Consulting Services IBM Ireland, includes in its membership bullying expert Professor Mona O'Moore, the HSA's organisational psychologist Patricia Murray and HSA board members Marie Rock, Louise O'Donnell, Fergus Whelan and Martin Lynch.
Herbert Mulligan, Editor, Health & Safety Review, Dublin, Ireland | www.healthandsafetyreview.ie
UK HSE publish multilingual information for the catering industry
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published a series of leaflets providing guidance for all those working in the catering industry in a variety of different languages.
The leaflets cover a range of information including the management of health and safety in kitchens, guidance on preventing accidents, kitchen ventilation and the maintenance of equipment. They alert employers to some of the main risk areas in the kitchen. The most common being slips and trips and manual handling injuries. The information, already available in English, has now been translated into Bengali, Chinese, Gujarati, Greek, Turkish and Urdu for the following leaflets:-
- CAIS2 Priorities for health and safety in catering activities.
- CAIS3 Precautions at manually ignited gas fired catering equipment.
- CAIS4 Managing health and safety pays in the catering industry.
- CAIS4 Managing health and safety pays in the catering industry.
- CAIS5 Health and safety training pays in the catering industry: Guidance for owners and managers.
- CAIS6 Slips and trips. Summary guidance for the catering industry.
- CAIS7 An index of the health and safety guidance for the catering industry.
- CAIS8 Managing health and safety of catering equipment and workplaces.
- CAIS9 Planning health and safety when selecting and using catering equipment and workplaces.
- CAIS10 Ventilation of kitchens in catering establishments.
- CAIS11 The main health and safety law applicable to catering.
- CAIS12 Maintenance priorities in catering.
- CAIS13 Manual handling in the catering industry.
The leaflets are available to download from the web at www.hse.gov.uk/languages/index.htm or from HSE Books on Tel: +44 (0) 1787 881165.
The leaflets demonstrate HSE's commitment towards the joint Health and Safety Commission (HSC) and HSE Race Equality Scheme launched in May 2002. HSC and HSE each have a duty to publish a race equality scheme. However, because the work of both organisations is so closely aligned, they have decided to issue a single scheme that commits both organisations to working in partnership to achieve improvement. A revised edition was published in September 2003 and takes account of a consultation undertaken with stakeholders since the launch, including employers and workers from ethnic minorities, and updates HSC/E's progress with actions. The Race Equality Scheme, September 2003 edition can be viewed at www.hse.gov.uk/diversity/hse.htm or hard copies can be obtained by contacting Radha Hirani at HSE on 020 7717 6985.
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work
The following new Agency publications, in all official languages of the EU, provides brief introductions to the Agency and its activities.
- Issue 54: Corporate social responsibility and occupational safety and health
- https://osha.europa.eu/publications/factsheets/54/view
- Issue 53: Ensuring the health and safety of workers with disabilities
- https://osha.europa.eu/publications/factsheets/53/view
- Issue 52: Mainstreaming occupational safety and health into education
- https://osha.europa.eu/publications/factsheets/52/view
- Issue 51: Asbestos in construction
- https://osha.europa.eu/publications/factsheets/51/view
- Issue 50: Management of noise in construction
- https://osha.europa.eu/publications/factsheets/50/view
- Issue 49: Safe roofwork
- https://osha.europa.eu/publications/factsheets/49/view
- Issue 48: Health and safety on small construction sites
- https://osha.europa.eu/publications/factsheets/48/view
- Issue 313: Mainstreaming occupational safety and health into education
- https://osha.europa.eu/en/publications/reports/313/view
The European Union strategy on health and safety has identified education and training as key factors to strengthen the prevention culture. Education about health and safety does not start with entry into the world of work; it should be part and parcel of the school curriculum or a vocational subject in its own right. The report is aimed at practitioners and intermediaries within the educational system, and policymakers and social partners both at Member State and EU level. It consists of three main parts: a description of good practice; an analysis of the key elements of a successful mainstreaming process illustrated within a model; and a road map for the future development of a coherent strategy to mainstream occupational safety and health into education at European level.
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