CIS Newsletter

No. 205
October 2006

CIS Newsletter celebrates 18 years & still going strong!
Bringing news to over 140 countries in the CIS Network!

Contents

  1. Editorial
  2. Farewell to Dr Jukka Takala
  3. 2006 Annual Meeting
  4. CIS Workshop, Wednesday, 13 September 2006
  5. News from around the world - Bangladesh, Belgium, Canada, El Salvador, European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Finland, ILO, India, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, UAE, UK and USA
  6. OSHE websites to explore
  7. Diary of Events

Editorial

Dear CIS Colleagues

The CIS Annual Meeting and Workshop were both very well attended - due in part to the good timescale people had to get approval and make travel arrangements. It was a real pleasure for all those attending to meet up with old friends and to welcome new ones.

A farewell party was held for Dr Jukka Takala, who has now taken up his new job as Director of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work in Bilbao. Many good wishes were given to Jukka... See report below in the Newsletter.

Remember that your News in the CIS Newsletter goes to over 140 countries and gets re-used in other magazines and websites. CIS Newsletters on the web are getting more and more used... With many hundreds of hits per month......Publicity means... tell them (would be customers as well as existing customers of your Information services), tell them and tell them again...

Too busy to read this newsletter?
The Workshop held on 13 September 2006 entitled Working Smarter not Harder recognized that every one is mega busy and offered some very helpful ways of improving the visibility of your CIS Centre - again see below for the report.

Don't know how to publicise your Centre?
One way is to send news about your centre or other OSH information produced in your country for this CIS Newsletter- it is amazing how far the Newsletter reaches - after every edition I get messages from outside of the CIS network from people who want to receive it on a regular basis.

Don't have enough finance to fund all the services you wish to provide from your Centre?
Learn lessons from others! - see the 2006 CIS Workshop presentations on the web site www.sheilapantry.com/cis (Presentations in a box on the same page as the CIS Newsletter). Please use these presentations and adapt for your own use in your country.

Don't know how to communicate OSH information and services?
See the CIS Working Group Paper 1 - Publicity, Promotion and Communication Strategy - on the same web page www.sheilapantry.com/cis - this gives All you need to know on how, why, when etc - again Work Smarter NOT Harder!!!!

Don't know where to find up-to-date OSH information?
Never been easier - at the Training Workshop the delegates explored the new collection of 10 - soon to be 11, databases in OSH UPDATE. It is there for you to trial free-of charge until the end of October 2006... again see below for details.

It was really lovely to meet up with you who attend this year's meeting - many thanks for your news and also many thanks to you who have sent emails and news - these messages are always gratefully received and are used as soon as possible.

Remember you can see CIS Newsletter on the web site www.sheilapantry.com/cis where back issues are stored.

Remember >>>> Surviving in 2006... By promotion, publicity and telling the World that CIS and its network exists!

All good wishes to you, your families and your colleagues.

Sheila Pantry, OBE

85 The Meadows, Todwick, Sheffield S26 1JG, UK
Tel: +44 1909 771024
Fax: +44 1909 772829
Email: sp@sheilapantry.com
www.oshworld.com
www.sheilapantry.com
www.shebuyersguide.com
www.oshupdate.com

Farewell to Dr Jukka Takala

A farewell party was held on Friday, 15 September 2006 for Dr Jukka Takala, who has now taken up his new job as Director of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work in Bilbao.

Many good wishes were given to Jukka and a Souvenir Memories Book that contained kind messages and good wishes from CIS people around the world was presented by Sheila Pantry on behalf of all CIS members.

Maureen Shaw also presented a most appropriate, lovely photographic book on Workers from around the World.

Sheila reminded those attending of Jukka's great contribution to our world of health and safety with the following details:

Dr Jukka Takala

Director of the InFocus Programme on Safety and Health at Work and the Environment - SafeWork, International Labour Office, ILO.

Holds a BSc and an MSc in Mechanical Engineering, and a Doctorate in Engineering (D.Sc. Tech.) from the Tampere University of Technology (Finland); studied Engineering at the Helsinki University of Technology, Industrial Economics at the Helsinki School of Economics and Occupational Safety and Health at the Tampere University of Technology (Finland).

Worked in metal industry as a design engineer from 1968-70 and for the Helsinki University of Technology as assistant lecturer from 1971-73.

Held the posts of Inspector, Safety Engineer, Chief Engineer and Chief of Machine Safety Bureau in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and the Ministry of Labour in Finland from 1973.

Joined the ILO as Chief Technical Adviser and Expert in Occupational Safety and Health in Nairobi (Kenya) in March 1978 and then in Bangkok (Thailand) in June 1983.

Appointed Chief of the ILO's International Occupational Safety and Health Information Centre, CIS, in September 1986 and Chief of the Safety and Health Information Services Programme in January 1994.

Appointed Chief of the Occupational Safety and Health Branch in June 1996. Appointed Director of the InFocus Programme on Safety and Health at Work and the Environment (SafeWork) of the International Labour Office from 1 October 1999.

And from 18 September 2006 Director of the European Agency for Health and Safety at Work.

We wish Jukka every success in his new post and we hope for continued collaboration in all our efforts to raise standards of health and safety in all workplaces, wherever they are in the World.

2006 CIS Meeting and Workshop - report

There was a record turnout of people representing their Centres and countries at this year's CIS Annual General Meeting and Workshop - due in part to the good timescale people had to get approval and make travel arrangements - so thanks to CIS HQ. It was a real pleasure for all those attending to meet up with old friends and to welcome new ones.

Mr Assane Diop, Executive Director, Social Protection Sector welcomed CIS Members and opened the 44th Annual Meeting...

He said he was proud to have the privilege and the pleasure of opening the annual meeting. He presented an overview of CIS activities and asked that CIS Members think of the best ways in which they could help to greatly to reduce the OSH information gap that exists between rich and poor countries. Assane also asked that CIS Members publicize the contents of ILO Convention No.187 on the Promotion Frameworks for Occupational Safety and Health which was adopted by the ILO Conference this year, and that you do all you can to encourage and the adoption and ratification of the principles ex[ressed in this Convention into national legislation and practice.

A full report of the Annual Meeting will be issued shortly by the CIS HQ.
Meanwhile here is some feedback from my notes and discussions with many of the delegates. Hope you find them useful.

Many thanks to all CIS HQ staff for the arrangements and their input for both the Workshop and the AGM also for co-ordinating the farewell party for Jukka Takala, who has now left the ILO to take up his new post as Director of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work.

On the technical side many thanks to András Szucs for his support and preparation for the Hand-on workshop - we had 36 computers all linked to the Internet in our training room - and they all worked wonderfully well all the long day of the Workshop. I know how much preparation time and patience it needed to set up such a classroom with all the equipment. The systems stood up well all day.

The CIS Dinner was real fun - held in a restaurant where the décor was a Swiss Chalet, complete with musicians playing a variety of instruments from cowbells to a very large Swiss Mountain Horn! Everyone enjoyed themselves very much.

During the CIS meeting it was really lovely to see Mr. Robert, the founder of CIS and also ex ISSA member Dick Meertens who used to attend CIS Annual meetings and came in for Jukka's Farewell party.

At the CIS Meeting

We heard presentations from many CIS centres - which will be published with the CIS Annual Report. As a result some people felt that we had too little time to discuss the future of the CIS network.

Summary of achievements this past year

It was good and useful to hear the summary from Annick Virot, CIS HQ about the new centres that have been established, and the CIS achievements and developments that have occurred during the past year. The Wind of Change idea from the 1st European Regional meeting held in May 2005 in Geneva is certainly starting to be felt. More to follow in the annual report.

Andras Sucz's proposals for the new ways of working via the web - Institutions and OSH News are useful. Andras says "As far as the OSH News and the Institutions database and their related applications are concerned, our plans are the following:

Andras' timetable is as follows:

More details about these two projects to be announced from CIS HQ shortly.

Other Presentations

Seijie Machida's presentation on the Framework Convention and likewise Michele Nahmias' National OSH profiles presentation were interesting. David Gold's SOLVE presentation (Stress, Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs, HIV/AIDS, Violence) was really interesting and a timely reminder of how it has developed. Sadly only a few people heard this presentation. See www.ilo.org/safework/solve

Corinne Perthuis' presentation on good communication techniques was useful and she promised to send information much earlier on the 28 April 2007 ILO World Day of Safety and Health.

N.B. Reminder that the revised CIS Working Group 1 Paper - Publicity, Promotion and Communication Strategy has detailed suitable information for the NCCs.

The Declaration

CIS delegates discussed a draft proposal for a Declaration of what CIS is aiming to achieve.
More work on the content is needed and CIS HQ will be contacting CIS Members.

Future activities

Gabor Sandi, Head of CIS led a discussion on future plans/new directions for the CIS network. The main aim is make CIS more prominent worldwide. Many ideas abound of what to do during the coming year to help CIS become more visible, help emerging centres to quickly and easily become more effective, and how the "Twinning" arrangements (already established for many years) can work better. We need to expand on the Twinning arrangements idea of one-to-one help, especially for the newer CIS centres.

Some other suggestions for expanding the visibility of CIS and the Network

"Hands on" Workshop New OSHE Services - Working Smarter not Harder held Wednesday, 13 September 2006

This intensive 9-hour day was action-packed consisted of 7 presentations followed by practical sessions. It was attended by 36 people. The programme organised by Sheila Pantry offered the following:

You will find the PowerPoint presentations and word documents for most of the presentations are available on www.sheilapantry.com/cis see the box on the right hand side of the screen. Please adapt and use these presentations in your own country... remember do NOT re-invent the wheel... work Smarter NOT Harder

Future training courses

The following are suggestions made in the Evaluation Sheets that delegates filled in at the end of the Training Workshop.

  1. Training the Trainers in new information technology
    Ensure that any OSH information training programmes that are available is made known and available free of charge so that they can be used by the NCCs.
    The 2006 Workshop training presentations are on web site www.sheilapantry.com/cis for anyone to use and adapt to their own needs in their own country. Putting together training courses takes time and effort as well as knowledge so it would be really useful to all NCCs to have knowledge of the best validated and authoritative sources to go to for specific courses such as we did this Workshop
  2. Environmental and biological monitoring information sources
  3. Knowledge of OSH management systems
  4. Knowledge of OSH e-books and journals
  5. How to make a CIS centre more effective - we did give a lot on this - but could make a longer session.
  6. How to contact /coordinate with other more established Centres to exchange experiences - so the TWINNING idea could be another session at future Training courses.
  7. Expansion on OSH Information gathering and distribution services. Again in the CIS Working Group 1 Paper - Publicity, Promotion and Communication Strategy

OSH UPDATE - please try it for free until the end of October 2006. You will never get a better offer! Go to www.oshupdate.com and enter username cis and password 2006 and start to search for information!

This collection of 11 databases - just added the original NIOSHTICs database that has 211,526 records in it and complements NIOSHTICS2 database already in OSH UPDATE.

This brings the total number of records in OSH UPDATE to over 800,000 - surely the most comprehensive collection at the lowest price!

The 11 database in the collection are: HSELINE, CISDOC, RILOSH, NIOSHTICS, NIOSHTICS2, UK Legislation, European Legislation, ILO Conventions and Recommendations, European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Standards

This new aggregation of databases contains 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 and corporate social responsibility, bioterrorism, management of road risks, preparedness and business continuity.

Wherever possible the references link to the full text... thousands of links to documents already exists. Some advice on searching See OSHUPDATE Worksheet - www.sheilapantry.com/cis

Want to know about CIS? Work Smarter not Harder!

If you wish to write about CIS Activities in your country and short of information on the range of CIS activities then you will find lots of very useful information, facts and figures in the report Report of the Director-General. Second Supplementary Report: Activities of the International Occupational Safety and Health Information Centre (CIS) in 2004-05.

Read it and "cut and paste" the details into your own report or newsletter. You will be impressed at the range of activities. I think the 2006-2007 activities will be even more impressive!

www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/relm/gb/docs/gb295/pdf/gb-16-2.pdf

News from Bangladesh

A comprehensive report entitled 'Report to the ILO Committee of Experts on the Bangladesh Government's Compliance with the Labour Inspection Convention' has been produced.

Bangladesh Occupational Safety, Health and Environment Foundation (OSHE) and Center for Corporate Accountability (CCA) were engaged to develop the report for the workers organisations of Bangladesh.

The report was endorsed and jointly submitted by the seven core national trade union centres to the ILO Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations (CEACR), Geneva, for necessary action by CEACR.

A.R. Chowdhury REPON, General Secretary / Executive Director, Bangladesh Occupational Safety, Health and Environment Foundation (OSHE), Road # 13, House # 7 (2nd Floor), Dhanmondi, R/A, Dhaka-1209, Bangladesh | Tel: +88-02-8143795, +88-0152-407627, +88-01711-731218 | Fax: +88-02-8015919 | E-mail: oshe@agni.com | www.oshebd.org

News from El Salvador

El Salvador ratifies four ILO Conventions - signalling a victory for international and trade union pressure

The pressure exerted by the trade union movement on President Saca and the Salvadorian government has borne fruit. El Salvador, after much resistance, has at long last ratified four ILO Conventions. The Salvadoran president signed, on 29 August, Conventions 87 on freedom of association and protection of the right to organise, 98 on the right to organise and collective bargaining, Convention 135 on the protection of workers' representatives and 151 on labour relations in the public service.

According to the new Generalised System of Preferences Plus (GSP+) scheme adopted by the EU in 2005, countries wishing to benefit from such preferences must have ratified a series of 23 international instruments, including all eight Core Conventions of the ILO.

In spite of the international trade union movement's repeated demands that no country should be allowed to derogate from this rule, an exception had been made in the case of El Salvador, which was given preferential access to the European market for a trial period ending in December 2006. This concession had been granted on the condition that the instruments must, meanwhile, be ratified.

The stakes in terms of trade for this Central American country were huge, as were the social stakes for the trade union movement and workers of El Salvador. "The Core Conventions of the ILO are non-negotiable. No excuse can be found to justify a departure from this principle. No country has the right to use its workers as a bargaining chip, sacrificing their basic rights in the race for competitiveness," insisted International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) general secretary Guy Ryder in a recent statement.

El Salvador had claimed that it was unable to ratify the Conventions owing to "constitutional constraints". This purported excuse was finally overridden by political resolve. The vote in the Legislative Assembly was, moreover, unanimous. For Willy Thys, general secretary of the WCL, "this decision is most opportune at a time when negotiations for an Association Agreement between the European Union and Central America have just commenced. The social dimension and decent work must be at the core of this Agreement."

"We are left with the task of ensuring that all the countries benefiting from GSP in this region and other continents fully respect all these Conventions, in addition to having ratified them," added John Monks, general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation.

The ICFTU represents 155 million workers in 241 affiliated organisations in 156 countries and territories www.icftu.org ICFTU is also a partner in Global Unions: www.global-unions.org

News from Canada

IAPA is in the news - and wins an Award

IAPA (Industrial Accident Prevention Association) has been awarded a Canada Awards for Excellence Quality Award -Bronze Level by the National Quality Institute (NQI), becoming the first not-for-profit association in Canada to receive such a distinction. To receive Bronze recognition, organizations must be at the equivalent of a Level III of one of NQI's Progressive Excellence Programs. In February 2006, IAPA became the first not-for-profit association in Canada to achieve NQI's Level III for Quality Certificate.

"We began the process of obtaining the different certification levels of NQI's Progressive Excellence Program for Quality in 1999, and it is a tremendous honour to have our efforts now recognized by NQI's Canada Awards for Excellence," says Maureen Shaw, President and CEO, IAPA. "We talk a lot about the need to strive towards excellence in business, and we can only ask that of others if we're willing to apply that same philosophy to how IAPA operates as an organisation."

The Canada Awards for Excellence Quality Award is based on the Canadian Framework for Excellence, which is used by numerous organizations as a management model for continuous improvement and achievement of great operational results.

The Canada Awards for Excellence is an annual awards programme that recognizes Canadian organizations which, through a commitment to innovation, productivity, a healthy workplace, and ethics, have demonstrated sustainable measures of continuous improvement. Recipient organizations have reported expanded market share, increased efficiency, enhanced international competitiveness, reduced costs, higher employee retention, and increased productivity. NQI's research shows that private sector recipients dramatically out-perform the TSE, S&P, and the Dow Jones consistently over time.

IAPA is a not-for-profit, member driven organization operating in Ontario since 1917. Representing more than 50,000 member firms and in excess of 1.5 million Ontario workers, IAPA is Canada's leading workplace health and safety organization. The association is focused on providing industry-leading training, consulting, educational products, and informational services that meet members' needs and the needs of those in their communities.

IAPA is an International Labour Organization - CIS Collaborating Centre, a designation received in 2002. In 2004, IAPA was also officially designated as a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre in occupational health, one of only three such centres in Canada. IAPA is the only centre among 56 worldwide to assume the title of a "WHO Collaborating Centre for Workplace Illness and Injury Prevention."

For more information on IAPA's products, programs, and services, call Tel: 1-800-406-IAPA (4272), or visit its website at www.iapa.ca

Zuzka Hora, Manager, Information Centre Team, Industrial Accident Prevention Association, 5110 Creekbank Road, Suite 300, Mississauga, Ontario, L4W 0A1, CANADA | Tel: +1 905-614-4272 ext 2385 or 1-800-406-4272 ext 2385 | Fax: 905-219-0009 | Fax: 1-800-316-4272 | Email: zhora@iapa.ca

European Week for Safety and Health at Work 2006
Safe Start: 23rd - 27th October 2006

The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work 2006 campaign slogan is 'Safe Start' and is dedicated to the occupational safety and health (OSH) of young people to ensure a safe and healthy start to their working lives. The Agency's web pages contain helpful information for young people, employers, parents and supervisors of young people.

The Safe Start campaign is backed by all Member States, candidate and EFTA countries, the Austria and Finland European Union (EU) Presidencies, the European Parliament and the European Commission, and by the European Social Partners.

Focus for European Week 2006:

The Agency has already carried out several projects on the 'mainstreaming of OSH into education' and the campaign will draw on these resources.

The Safe Start campaign has two distinct elements:

There is a need for "awareness raising" and education from an early stage - risk education and the prevention culture are the key factors for maintaining and improving the quality of work. This includes mainstreaming OSH into activities on youth employment and workplace training and development; and into education in schools, colleges and vocational training. Pre-work health and safety education and training are part of preparing young people for work, and part of the life-long learning agenda.

Safe Start will include:

The campaign will culminate in the European Week for Safety and Health at Work in October 2006.

Wherever you are in the world, now is your chance to make sure that young people have a safe and healthy start to their working lives, and that risk awareness and risk prevention are promoted in enterprises, schools and colleges by taking part in European Week for Safety and Health at Work 2006.

All safety and health institutions, public and private sector bodies, companies at the workplace level including SMEs, trades unions and safety representatives, managers, supervisors and workers, the education community - schools, colleges and training providers, youth organisations, work experience bodies - are invited to organise their own activities during this week.

Safe Start is a great opportunity for you to participate in a campaign to prevent accidents and ill health, to protect young people, and to ensure that they have a Safe Start to their working lives.

For more information, details of the campaign see http://osha.europa.eu/en/campaigns/ew2006

News from Finland

ASEM: A step in the right direction

Trade unions welcome the outcome of the Sixth Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) held in Helsinki on September 10 &11. The conclusions of the Meeting went further than ever before at ASEM in calling for the strengthening of the social dimension of globalization, and underline that productive employment, decent work and the protection of the rights of all workers are crucial for sustainable socio-economic development. The meeting called for substantive ASEM dialogue and cooperation on labour and employment issues.

All these issues are long-needed progress at ASEM resulting from sustained trade union pressure over many years, and emphasised when the trade unions met Finnish President Tarja Halonen in Helsinki on 8 September. In fact it took 10 years for ASEM to organize its first ever labour and employment minister meeting, finally held on 3-5 September this year in Potsdam, Germany. The fact that ASEM leaders have now agreed to pursue this dialogue on an ongoing basis is a victory for the unions who have been arguing for the last 10 years that ASEM would not deliver for the people of Europe and Asia unless a substantive social dimension was added to the ASEM process.

Another positive outcome is the endorsement by all ASEM Leaders of the conclusions of the labour and employment ministers meeting in Potsdam. The International Confederation Of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), the WCL and the ETUC support the conclusions of this meeting which underline the importance of policies respecting and promoting human and social rights, particularly those set out in the ILO decent work agenda and the ILO 1998 Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. The conclusions state that "further cooperation should also try to involve the social partners and other relevant actors in an appropriate way".

The situation in Burma was extensively discussed in both the labour ministers' meeting and the Summit itself. ASEM Leaders expressed their deep concern at the lack of tangible progress and lack of inclusiveness in the process towards national reconciliation. Unions are calling for the UN Security Council to adopt a binding resolution on Burma in order to put an end to its widespread practices of forced labour and to achieve a peaceful outcome to the political stalemate in the country.

It is the first time since the beginning of the ASEM process ten years ago that unions' voice has been heard so effectively. A battle has been won. The ICFTU, the WCL and the ETUC count on the Helsinki Summit to mark the beginning of a constructive and ongoing dialogue between social partners and ASEM leaders. The next step must be to balance the privileged status accorded to the Asia-Europe Business Forum 10 years ago by achieving recognition of trade unions' consultative role by the ASEM structure.

The ICFTU represents 155 million workers in 241 affiliated organizations in 156 countries and territories: www.icftu.org ICFTU is also a partner in Global Unions: www.global-unions.org

Workers in Europe benefit from more holiday entitlements

The amount of collectively agreed annual leave - holidays - for workers in Europe varies widely, from 33 days in Sweden to 20 days in Cyprus and Slovenia, according to the annual update on working time development in Europe from the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions European Industrial Relations Observatory (EIRO). The average entitlement across the former EU15 countries and Norway stands at 26.8 days, showing a slight increase every year since 2000 when it was 25.6 days.

Workers in Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland and France have 25 days each: a week less than their Danish and German counterparts (and closer to a fortnight less than in Sweden). Meanwhile, workers in Greece (23 days) fared better than those in Bulgaria (22 days), Slovakia (21.3 days), Cyprus (20 days) and Slovenia (20 days), where workers had to work a fortnight longer than in Germany and Denmark, and almost three weeks longer than in Sweden. Average collectively agreed annual leave exceeds the statutory minimum by at least four days in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Sweden and the UK.

Workers in the 10 new EU Member States work, on average, 101 hours a year (nearly 6%) longer than their counterparts in the former EU15 countries, the new EIRO overview reveals. This works out at equivalent to working over two and a half weeks a year more than their fellow EU workers. In the EU25, the average collectively agreed annual working time was 1,748.4 hours. In the former EU15 countries, it was 1,707.8 hours, compared to 1,808.8 hours in the new EU Member States. However, annual working time in Greece and Ireland is similar to the average for the new Member States, while that in Cyprus and the Czech Republic is closer to the average for the former EU15 countries.

The longest average annual working hours in the European Union are in Hungary, Latvia, Lituania, Estonia, Slovenia and Poland, while the shortest are in France, Denmark and Germany.

The EIRO report, or update, also looks at statutory working time and leave limits, actual working hours and overtime. It provides an overview of the duration of working time - as set by collective agreements and legislation - in the European Union, Norway and two acceding countries (Bulgaria and Romania). The overview also provides the weekly working hours for full-time workers as set by collective bargaining in six sectors selected to represent manufacturing industry (metalworking and chemicals), services (banking and retail) and the public sector (local government and the central civil service).

Read the full report at www.eiro.eurofound.eu.int/2006/08/update/tn0608101u.html

The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions is a tripartite European body, whose role is to provide key actors in social policymaking with findings, knowledge and advice drawn from comparative research.

For further information, contact Måns Mårtensson, Press Officer | Tel: +353-1-204 3124 | Mobile: +353-876-593 507 | Email: mma@eurofound.eu.int

More news and information from the Foundation is available on: www.eurofound.europa.eu

News from the USA

Statement for Labor Day 2006 including 35th NIOSH anniversary in 2006 by NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D.

The face of America is not one but many faces - those of our working men and women. Our economy drives the global market because people perform their jobs with dedication and skill. Labor Day gives occasion to recognize and honor the personal contributions that make our nation strong.

For those of us who serve in the field of occupational safety and health, honoring Labor Day brings an additional obligation. It calls on us to reaffirm our commitment to doing all that we can, every day of the year, to make workplaces free from hazards that can injure, sicken, and kill.

2006 marked NIOSH's 35th anniversary. In that time, the Institute has done much to help improve working life in the U.S. Risks from occupational exposures to hazardous respirable dusts, toxic 4chemicals, heavy machinery, falls from heights, cumulative stresses and strains, and infectious agents, to name some examples among many, have diminished significantly in the past three decades. In part, those successes were made possible because of NIOSH's research. Through the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA), which entered its second decade this year, we and our partners have laid a solid foundation for addressing the emerging concerns of the new century.

Even as we note our achievements and look to the future, the recent tragedies in the West Virgina coal fields remind us that we can never relax our vigilance. Hazards remain in industries that have existed for as long as men and women have worked. We must plan for the future, but we must also devise and use new tools and technologies to solve persistent problems in traditional workplaces.

Another commemoration will occur this month, the fifth commemoration of the World Trade Center attack. The dark days of 9/11 produced indelible images of horror in the fall of the towers, and equally indelible images of heroism in the rescue and recovery operations at Ground Zero. This is another critical aspect of occupational safety and health in our post-9/11 world, the need to plan smartly for protecting those who serve on the front lines in times of disaster.

October News Briefs

Canada's CHEMINFO - A Credible Source For Chemical Safety Information

Chemical safety information is not always easy to find and understand. But the chemical experts at the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) are working hard to change that. CCOHS has compiled more than 1300 chemical profiles, written in clear language, into one easy-to-use database.
Take a look at CHEMINFO, the chemical safety resource that's comprehensive, user-friendly, and continually updated. www.ccohs.ca/newsletters/hsreport/issues/2006/08/ezine.html?id=5112&link=5#ccohsnews

African Newsletter on Occupational Health and Safety August 2006, Vol 16, number 2

On noise and vibration and other articles: www.ttl.fi/AfricanNewsletter

Poland's CIOP-PIB: the Central Institute for Labour Protection National Research Institute 

It has a number of initiatives:

Contact: CIOP, Warsaw, Poland | Tel: +48 22 623 36 84 | www.ciop.pl

Canada's IAPA Raises $10,000 for Safe Kids Canada

On Tuesday, August 22, 2006, IAPA (Industrial Accident Prevention Association) raised $10,000 in support of Safe Kids Canada, the national injury prevention program of The Hospital for Sick Children. This amount surpasses IAPA's 2005 contribution by $1,500. Funds were raised through IAPA's Fourth Annual Golf Tournament, held at Glen Eagle Golf Club in Bolton, Ontario on August 22nd. IAPA President and CEO Maureen Shaw presented representatives of Safe Kids Canada with a cheque for the raised funds during the evening activities immediately following the tournament. IAPA has been raising funds for Safe Kids Canada through its annual golf tournament since 2003.

To date, $32,150 has been raised by IAPA in support of this injury prevention program. More than 200 golfers and 28 sponsors contributed to the fundraising success of IAPA's Fourth Annual Golf Tournament. In-kind sponsorships were received from Classic Honda, whose contributions included a 2006 Honda Civic to the first golfer to achieve a hole-in-one, and Ernest & Gallo Wine.

US NIOSH posts revised Nanotechnology Page

A revised nanotechnology topic page, describing NIOSH research on the occupational safety and health implications and applications of this emerging technology, is available online at www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/nanotech. The page was revised to make it easier for stakeholders and the general public to navigate, read, and use, reflecting the substantial amount of material that has been added to the topic page since the original version was introduced in 2004. The revised page also highlights an updated version of the online document "Approaches to Safe Nanotechnology: An Information Exchange with NIOSH," which was first posted in 2005

EBSCO Offers Individual Online Access To 1,300+ Top Elsevier Titles

In partnership with Elsevier, EBSCO is now offering individual e-journals to academic and government institutions in many of its major locations throughout the world.

This offering, made possible through E-Select™: E-journals from Elsevier, is ideal for institutions with small print journal collections.

www.managinginformation.com

OSHE Websites to explore

If you have a favourite website please send details to your Editor. Many other websites collected in the Country and Subject indexes in www.oshworld.com

HUNGARY

Hungarian Labour Inspectorate - Az Országos Munkabiztonsági és Munkaügyi Főfelügyelőség (OMMF)   HUNGARY
www.ommf.gov.hu
Hungarian Labour Inspectorate (HLI).Az Országos Munkabiztonsági és Munkaügyi Főfelügyelőség (OMMF) site contains information on safety at work in Hungary and links to organisations that deal with safety matters. The Hungarian Labour Inspectorate is an independent national authority under the supervision of the Minister of Employment and Labour, and was set up in 1984 to carry out occupational safety tasks of governance and defined official occupational safety tasks; its regional authorities are the Occupational Safety and Labour Inspectorates. Its legal status, responsibilities and powers are determined in the Act CXIII of 1993 on the labour safety (LSA) and in the Act. LXXV of 1996. on labour inspections. The powers of Hungarian Labour Inspectorate are realised by the occupational safety and labour inspectors and directors who are working in the general competent centre and the county (capital) competent regional authorities (inspectorates).

LUXEMBOURG

Inspection of Mines Luxembourg   LUXEMBOURG
www.itm.lu
Inspection of Mines Luxembourg website gives legislation, guidance and advice.

SLOVAKIA

Slovakia National Labour Inspectorate (NLI)   SLOVAKIA
www.safework.gov.sk
Slovakia National Labour Inspectorate (NLI) system main tasks in the field of labour inspection include - national and regional tasks of inspection activities, prevention activities, investigation of injuries etc., law agenda, planning, analysis, information system of NLI, control and economic activities.

SLOVENIA

Slovenia Labour Inspectorate   SLOVENIA
www.id.gov.si
Slovenia Labour Inspectorate oversees implementation of laws, other regulations, collective agreements and general documents regulating employment, wages and other receipts from employment, the employment of workers at home and abroad, cooperation of workers in management, strikes and occupational safety, unless otherwise provided by regulations. The Labour Inspectorate also oversees implementation of those regulations. The Chief Inspector heads and represents the Inspectorate, organises and coordinates the work of inspectors, and within the confines of his authorisation is answerable for the legality, quality and effectiveness of the Inspectorate's work. Inspectors operate within the framework of inspection procedures organised for the individual administrative field. Employment oversight is provided by employment inspections, while occupational safety and health oversight is provided by occupational safety and health inspections. The fundamental laws in the area of oversight are the Employment Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which redefine the rules for relations between workers and employers.

USA

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health   NIOSH Collection   Glutaraldehyde   USA
www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/glutaraldehyde
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health NIOSH glutaraldehyde information covers a range of information including physical properties, health factors, exposure limits, and monitoring methods used by OSHA - Occupational Safety and Health Association.

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health   NIOSH   Nanotechnology - Approaches to Safe Working Collection   USA
www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/nanotech/safenano
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health NIOSH approaches to safe nanotechnology working with engineered nanomaterials, exposure assessment and exposure control procedures, occupational health surveillance, NIOSH research and references. Feedback, comments or suggestions are requested.

DIARY OF EVENTS

If you have a seminar, conference or exhibition that you would like to promote - please send details to your Editor. Also look in www.oshworld.com/diary.html

23-27 October 2006 - European Health and Safety Week
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work where you can find out more about the European Good Practice Awards 2006
www.hse.gov.uk/campaigns/euroweek

12-15 November 2006 - Global Energy Infrastructure Security 2006
Le Royal Meridien Hotel, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Contact: Sanjay Zaveri, Marketing Executive, IQPC Middle East | www.iqpc.ae/AE-10579

3-8 December 2006 - International Conference on Nanotechnology Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety: Research to Practice
Cincinnati, USA
Contact: www.uc.edu/noehs

7 December 2006 - Health and Safety Agenda 2007
Strand Palace Hotel, London, UK
Contact: Customer Services, Croner Training, 4th Floor, North West Wing Bush House, Aldwych, London WC28 4PJ, UK | Tel: 0845 120 9602 | Fax: 0845 120 9612 | Email: services@cronertraining.co.uk | www.cronertraining.co.uk

2007

6 February 2007 - EurOhse2006 Masterclass Training of Business Continuity Management Teams
Imperial Hotel, Russell Square, London, UK
Contact: Angel Business Communications Ltd/Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd, Unit 6, Bow Court, Fletchworth Gate, Burnsall Road, Coventry CV5 6SP, UK | Tel: +44 (0) 2476 718970 | Fax: +44 (0) 2476 718971 | Email: jesse@angelbc.co.uk

7 February 2007 - EurOhse2006 MASTERCLASS on Training of emergency planning teams
Imperial Hotel, Russell Square, London, UK
Contact: Angel Business Communications Ltd/Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd, Unit 6, Bow Court, Fletchworth Gate, Burnsall Road, Coventry CV5 6SP, UK | Tel: +44 (0) 2476 718970 | Fax: +44 (0) 2476 718971 | Email: jesse@angelbc.co.uk

7-9 February 2007 - European Tradeshow on Work Ergonomics and Wellness Solutions
Thurn & Taxis Brussels, Belgium
Contact: www.ergonoma.com

23-25 April 2007 - Petrosafe2007
National Safety Council - Kerala Chapter, in technical collaboration with Petroleum and Explosive Safety Organisation, India
Contact: Sri. K.M. Amanulla, Organising Secretary, Petrosafe 2007, Productivity House, Kalamassery, Eranakulam PIN 683104, Kerala, India | Tel: +91 484 2541060 | Email: kma@petrosafe2007.com or amanulla.km@gmail.com

16-18 April 2007 - Health and Safety Canada 2007: IAPA Conference and Trade Show
Metro Toronto Conference Centre, Toronto, Canada
Contact: Michael Dyet, Centre for Health and Safety Innovation (CHSI), 5110 Creekbank Road, Mississauga, ON L4W OA1, Canada | Tel: 00 1 905 614 42720 | Fax: 00 1 905 614 1414 | Email: mdyet@iapa.ca | www.iapa.ca

18-20 April 2007 - IALI (International Association of Labour Inspection) Conference
Metro Toronto Conference Centre, Toronto, Canada
Contact: Michael Dyet, Centre for Health and Safety Innovation (CHSI), 5110 Creekbank Road, Mississauga, ON L4W OA1, Canada | Tel: 00 1 905 614 42720 | Fax: 00 1 905 614 1414 | Email: mdyet@iapa.ca | www.iapa.ca

26-27 April 2007 - Electricity Industry Safety, Health & Environment Management Conference 2007
Beau Sejour Leisure and Conference Centre, St. Peter Port, Guernsey, Channel Islands
Contact: Neal Grant, Press and Public Relations Officer, Energy Networks, 18 Stanhope Place, Marble Arch, London W2 2HH, UK | Email neal.grant@energynetworks.org | Tel: +44 (0)207 706 5115 | Mobile 07725 372758 | www.energynetworks.org/spring/she/SHEconference_2007.asp

16-20 July 2007 - ASTM International 2007 Johnson Conference: Workplace Aerosol Sampling to Meet ISO Size-Selective Criteria
University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA
Contact: Call for Papers - to participate in the conference (either oral or poster presentation), presenters must submit a 250-300 word preliminary abstract via email to Conference Chairman Martin Harper at mharper@cdc.gov by Dec. 15, 2006. The abstract must include a clear definition of the objective and approach of the work.
Additional information about the conference: www.astm.org/MEETINGS/COMMIT/d22symp.html or from Conference Chairman Martin Harper, Exposure Assessment Branch, Health Effects Laboratory Division, NIOSH, Morgantown, W.Va. | Tel: +1 304 285-5823 | Email: mharper@cdc.gov).