News from around the World
May 2007
This year's campaign slogan is 'Lighten the Load' and is dedicated to
musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).
The website http://ew2007.osha.europa.eu is going to be updated on a regular basis along the year and provides general information on MSDs in 22 languages.
Back disorders are the most common form of ill-health disorders at
work, both across Europe and in the UK. They affect 1.0 million people in
Great Britain alone each year. Problems include joint injuries, repetitive
strain injuries, including work-related neck and upper limb disorders, and
lower back pain. Raising awareness, prevention and management are all key
factors in reducing MSDs.
The UK Health and Safety Executive has extensive information on MSDs as
well as tools, case studies and advice to workers and employers on its
dedicated MSD webpages. It also ran a 2006 Better Backs campaign - Visit
the campaign.
An HSE campaign website will be launched soon, featuring:
- How to get involved in Euroweek 2007
- Campaign Action Pack downloads
- Events near you
- Good Practice Awards opportunities
www.hse.gov.uk/campaigns/euroweek
Top bosses' organisation the Institute of Directors (IoD) has launched
a consultation on new guidance spelling out the safety role of company
directors. The initiative, at the request of the Health and Safety
Commission (HSC), is being overseen by a nine-person steering group, with
Bud Hudspith of Unite representing the TUC.
IoD says in 2001 HSC issued guidance for directors, but says following
a re-examination of the issue last year, 'the Commission determined that
new guidance was needed to build on the progress made since the earlier
publication, to do more to get the health and safety message over at board
level.'
Geoffrey Podger, chief executive of the Health and Safety Executive
(HSE), flagged up the new IoD guidance in a speech to the Institute of
Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) conference on 28 March. He said
through the guidance, HSE with the IoD was reaching out to boards and
directors to secure their commitment to ensure successful health and
safety performance. In parallel with this process, TUC and unions are
continuing their campaign for new legally binding safety duties on company
directors.
Directors' Duties on Health and
Safety at Work - A public consultation by the Institute of Directors.
Draft IoD guidance [pdf].
Responses should be made online, by email or post by Friday 22 June 2007. Online
response form on the draft IoD guidance. Written responses to HS
Consultation 2007, Policy
Unit, Institute of Directors, 116 Pall Mall, London, SW1Y 5ED, UK.
The focus of the conference is 'Partnership and Collaboration'
between health care professionals working in the field of occupational
health and/or others who have successfully worked in partnership with OH
services e.g. GPs, Practice and Community Nurses, Physiotherapists and
Counsellors.
The RCN are calling for papers, which demonstrate how these groups work
together to improve the health of workers and/or have reduced the
incidence of work related ill health.
The Government's health, work and well-being strategy is high on the
agenda and the occupational health professional's role in supporting this
will be addressed, with topics such as absenteeism, 'Welfare Reform' and
other current workplace health issues.
Contact: Priya Tekchandani, Conference and Events Organiser, The Royal
College of Nursing, 20 Cavendish Square, London, UK | Tel: +44 (0) 207 647
3581 | Fax: +44 (0) 207 647 3411 | Email: occupationalhealth@rcn.org.uk
| www.rcn.org.uk/events
Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd. publish a number of health, safety,
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as the Health and Safety Executive, European Agency for Health and Safety
at Work, ILO Health and Safety Centre, Geneva, US National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Fire Service College and UK
Forensic Science Service
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The Forensic Science Service® FORS® database is multidisciplinary and
covers literature relevant to the examination of evidential materials,
analytical methods and the presentation and interpretation of findings.
The database coverage includes drugs and toxicology, forensic biology,
DNA, forensic chemistry, forensic medicine and pathology, digital
evidence, computer crime, documents and firearms examination, arson
investigation, image processing, fingerprints, safety, quality and
management aspects of running a forensic science service.
In addition, the database covers techniques and problems that are also
encountered in many analytical laboratories, especially toxicology and
body fluid identification. It is an invaluable source of information not
only for forensic scientists but also for other professionals involved in
crime investigation and the provision of expert testimony to the courts.
The database routinely scans a core list of about 150 journals
published worldwide, together with a series of abstracting and
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abstract.
The database includes a Thesaurus of more than 10,000 controlled
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(0)20 7230 6702 | Email: info.services.enquiry.desk@fss.pnn.police.uk
The annual report for 2006 highlights Eurofound's achievements: it
raised its profile, it received positive acknowledgement of its work from
both European Union (EU) and national-level stakeholders and it
contributed more effectively to the EU's legislative processes.
In 2006, Eurofound launched the Network of European Observatories
(NEO), held the third Foundation Forum and presented the first findings of
the European Working Conditions Survey and the Establishment Survey on
Working Time.
In total, Eurofound published 168 English-language publications, which
contributed to the 40% increase in user sessions on its websites. Press
activities reached some 36 million people, almost 500 visitors came to the
Foundation, and Eurofound experts contributed to around 120 external
events. More than 3,500 policy-makers, social partners, advisors, and
experts participated at the 90 meetings that Eurofound organised.
Download the report at www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/htmlfiles/ef0717.htm
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The British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) has three Webinars
lined up for June, covering a range of hot topics widely relevant to
occupational health professionals. All can be booked on-line for just £30
(£20 for members of BOHS) which includes all phone charges from within
the UK.
6 June 2007: An Introduction to Control Banding presented by
Andrew Garrod, an HSE Specialist Inspector and Member of the Faculty of
Occupational Hygiene. The event will invite consideration of a number of
scenarios, many in occupational hygiene, involving hazard banding, risk
banding, control banding and other bandings applied in a regulatory
context, which involve scientific and 'political' decisions. A recent
application of Control Banding involved identifying appropriate,
precautionary approaches to the control of welding fume. The discussion
will include a brief resume of banding the hazard, assessing the risk, and
selecting the right control band.
21 June 2007: Latex Allergy presented by Chris Packham of
EnviroDerm Services and Chair of BOHS's Hazardous Substances Special
Interest Group. Latex allergy continues to exercise many people,
particularly in those working environments where thin, single-use gloves
have to be worn. Whilst there have been problems with allergic reactions
to natural rubber latex gloves, both in health care and some other
occupational sectors, is this still a significant problem and should we
really be looking at alternatives to natural rubber latex? Chris will
review the evidence that is now available so that those responsible for
deciding which glove material to select can make their decisions based on
real facts.
25 June 2007: What is REACH and the impacts for Occupational Hygiene
presented by Chris Money of ExxonMobil and BOHS member. This Webinar will
review the key changes that REACH brings for the chemical industry and how
the new responsibilities that are being placed on chemical manufacturers
and importers will, in turn, affect all groups who supply, purchase and
use chemicals. In particular, the Webinar will discuss some of the major
changes that will take place to the structure and content of safety data
sheets and how these, by virtue of their comprehensiveness and
transparency, can be expected to affect the practice of occupational
hygiene.
All three Webinars take place at 15.00 (British Summer Time) and will
last for approximately one hour.
What is a Webinar? Simply a live, web-based tutorial with voice
communication by a conventional conference telephone call. All you need to
take part is a computer with a (preferably) broadband connection, and a
phone. Participants log onto a specific website to see the visual
presentation and listen to the commentary over the phone, and can ask
questions and debate issues throughout.
For full programme details and to book your place, go to the Event
Calendar on the BOHS website: www.bohs.org/eventsTemplate.aspx/Home/Events/EventCalendar.
The link to the Webinar website and the conference call telephone number
are provided directly to those who have registered.
Contact: Anthea Page, Communications Officer, BOHS, 5/6 Melbourne
Court, Millennium Way, Pride Park, Derby, DE24 8LZ, UK | Tel: +44 (0)1332
250701 | Email: anthea@bohs.org | www.bohs.org
In 2006, the USA National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH) sought stakeholder input on the NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality
Investigation and Prevention Program (FFFIPP) at a public meeting and
through a public docket, and conducted a national survey of U.S. fire
departments. NIOSH undertook these efforts to ensure that the program was
meeting stakeholders' needs and to seek input on ways to increase the
impact of the program on fire fighter safety and health.
NIOSH has identified future
directions for the FFFIPP based on this stakeholder input and survey
results.
NIOSH has released the following new publications:
NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Reports
The Service Sector
- Work stress. NIOSH responded to a request from management and
union representatives to evaluate work in a 911 emergency response and
dispatch center. NIOSH recommended improving supervisory training,
enhancing working relationships among different groups of employees,
and further evaluation of job satisfaction. www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/1997-0137-3026.pdf.
- Polychlorinated biphenyls and metals exposure. NIOSH
responded to a request from employees at a facility that recycles
transformers. NIOSH recommended changes to engineering and work
processes and providing personal protective equipment. www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/2006-0006-3039.pdf.
The Manufacturing Sector
- Chemical exposures. NIOSH responded to a union request to
evaluate various exposures at a plant manufacturing steel bars and
coils. NIOSH recommended engineering improvements, hearing
conservation and other medical surveillance programs, and other
changes to better protect the health of employees. www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/2003-0175-3033.pdf.
- Sudden hearing loss. NIOSH responded to an employee request
to investigate the occurrence of sudden hearing loss in one ear among
three employees. NIOSH did not identify any workplace exposure that
could explain the sudden hearing loss, which was more likely viral in
origin. www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/2005-0188-3038.pdf.
The Health Care and Social Assistance Sector
- Indoor environmental quality. NIOSH responded to a union
request to evaluate concerns at a medical center and methadone clinic.
NIOSH recommended improving ventilation to correct identified
deficiencies and implementing a violence prevention program. www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/2003-0205-3032.pdf
The European social partners (ETUC, BUSINESSEUROPE, CEEP and UEAPME)
have signed a framework agreement on harassment and violence at work. The
agreement aims to prevent and, where necessary, manage problems of
bullying, sexual harassment and physical violence at the workplace.
Companies in Europe will have to adopt a policy of zero-tolerance towards
such behaviour and draw up procedures to deal with cases of harassment and
violence where they occur. Data suggests that one in 20 workers (5%)
reports being exposed to bullying and/or harassment each year.
Vladimir Špidla, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal
Opportunities, who was present at the signing of the agreement in
Brussels, said: "Social Europe has made an important step forward
today. The existing tools for protecting workers' health and safety have
been completed by a social partners' agreement against violence and
harassment at the workplace. This is further proof of the success of
social dialogue in producing concrete results for workers and employers in
Europe."
The European agreement condemns all forms of harassment and violence
and refers to the employer's duty to protect workers against these
situations. Companies will need to set out procedures to follow when cases
of harassment or violence arise. These can include an informal stage
involving a person trusted by management and the workforce. Complaints
should be investigated and dealt with quickly. The principles of dignity,
confidentiality, impartiality and fair treatment need to be respected. The
agreement underlines that appropriate measures will be taken against the
perpetrator, including disciplinary action up to dismissal, while the
victim will receive support with reintegration, if needed.
The social partners have been negotiating on this issue for 10 months,
following a consultation by the European Commission in 2005. The final
text agreed upon in December 2006 was approved by the decision-making
bodies of the European social partner organisations and signed today by
the Secretaries-General of the four organisations. It will now be
implemented by the national social partners in all EU Member States over a
period of three years. This is the third "autonomous" framework
agreement of the social partners, following those on telework (2002) and
work-related stress (2004). This agreement was part of the social
partners' work programme for 2006-2008.
IP/07/569
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