CIS Newsletter

No. 222
March 2008

CIS Newsletter celebrates 20 years & still going strong!
Bringing news to over 145 countries in the CIS Network!

Contents

  1. Editorial - Meeting and training session of CIS Members in London, 10-11 September 2008 all are welcome...
  2. News from around the World - Canada, Europe, Finland, India, Ireland, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Panama, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, UK and the USA
  3. OSHE websites to explore
  4. Diary of Events

Editorial

Dear CIS Colleagues

CIS network has for many, many years helped each other in so many different ways
e.g. one-to-one, in groups, training sessions put on by members, members being invited to host organisations for training, organizing conferences and having the CIS meetings co-located. We are always willing share information, ideas, publications, guidance and advice, input into the CISDOC database, or even into the CIS News Centre.

Most of this has been going on via email, telephone and sharing news via this Newsletter which has now been in existence for more than 20 years. All relatively cheap and easy. But there is nothing like face-to-face meetings as can be experienced at our various meetings held in different places. The joy of meeting up with each other is exhilarating; the information and learning exchange is priceless. Sadly not everyone can afford to travel to countries where the ILO Congress is held every third year e.g. in Korea in 2008, in USA in 2005, in Vienna, Austria in 2002.

Safework and CIS HQ are really busy with the events in Korea and are not now able to support a Regional meeting that was voted for at last year's annual meeting in Dusseldorf, Germany.

However a group of CIS members do wish to meet up on 10-11 September 2008, in Central London, UK and are organising a Meeting of the CIS Members' Network. Everyone is very welcome.

The aim of this 2-day meeting that will include a training session on organizing campaigns, events and publicity for CIS Centres so that ideas can be shared and either used collectively or individually in each country. The main message for this 50th anniversary is raise the profile of Occupational safety and health information worldwide and especially the role of the CIS Centres. The programme will include an exchange of information from members.

See below for full details.

Everyone is invited - we each are paying our own travel, accommodation and meals as we always do. CIS network should benefit from this meeting enormously.

As we welcome new members into our CIS family of members, the year ahead is already looking very busy for CIS network - the ILO Congress and CIS Annual meeting in Korea... see below for details.

As mentioned in the January 2008 edition of this Newsletter - a very important date is ahead of us - the celebration of the 50th Anniversary in 2009 of the formation of CIS! We need to plan for this important - please start to think about this major event and how news of CIS and its activities can be broadcasted around the World. We will not get such a chance for another 50 years!!!

Ideas, news items are always welcomed for inclusion in the future editions of this Newsletter. Let me know if there are any areas you would wish to see covered in future. It is amazing how much the CIS Newsletter content gets re-used around the world. Take advantage of free publicity! Remember you can see CIS Newsletter on the web site www.sheilapantry.com/cis where back issues are stored now for over 6 years. I have just done a Google search for CIS Newsletter and over 1,790,000 hits are recorded!

Some of you may have changed your email number and addresses in recent months, please let CIS Headquarters know your new email/address and also let me know as well - otherwise you will not get the CIS Newsletter or other news.

Remember >>>>

Use the CIS Logo on your web site and publications!

Remember the motto of all publicity people... tell them, tell them and tell them again... so take every opportunity to give publicity to "Health and Safety at work"...

Thriving in 2008... Keep promoting and telling the World at large that CIS and its network exists! And start preparations for 28 April 2008 - World Day for Safety and Health at Work!
see below for the theme for 2008.

Remember that your News in the CIS Newsletter goes to over 145 countries and gets re-used in other magazines and websites. CIS Newsletters on the web are getting more and more used... With many thousands of hits per month......send your news to me and get even more publicity for your Information services!

Will you be Surviving in 2008?... perhaps you will if you make efforts in 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
Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd, 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
www.fireinf.com

Please consider the environment before printing this Newsletter

Feel free to use this Newsletter on your own web site/pages/e-news

Important Latest News from CIS Members

Meeting and training course for CIS Members will be held on Wednesday and Thursday, 10 and 11 September 2008 at the Imperial Hotel, Russell Square, Central London

The aim of the meeting is to enable CIS members to:

The Draft Agenda

The following draft agenda is a first stab of what we can/want do - but please do send in other topics...

  1. What we should be doing to celebrate the CIS 50th anniversary in 2009 collectively and in our own countries
  2. Share best promotion and publicity practices in each of our countries - examples of successes
  3. Build on ideas that we have discussed over the years and which are captured in the report I wrote that can be accessed on www.sheilapantry.com/cis/other/wp01.html
  4. Use of the 50th anniversary of CIS to make people worldwide aware of the available validated and authoritative health and safety information centres, services, guidance and advice that CIS network members hold or have access to.
  5. Have an updating exchange of news from those attending
  6. Any other business topics

Everyone is invited - we each are paying our own travel, accommodation and meals as we always do when attending CIS Meetings. CIS network MEMBERS should benefit from this meeting enormously.

Please note that you will NOT receive any official invitation from CIS HQ because this meeting is an informal meeting, organised by CIS members for CIS Members.

A number of members have already indicated that they wish to attend this meeting.

If you are attending this September 2008 meeting please send your name, organisation, address and all up-to-date contact details including email number to:

Sheila Pantry, OBE
Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd, 85 The Meadows, Todwick, Sheffield S26 1JG, UK
Tel: +44 1909 771024
Fax: +44 1909 772829
Email: sp@sheilapantry.com

Hotel accommodation prices are being sorted and will be sent to all delegates and published in the next editions of the CIS Newsletter.

The location of the meeting is central London and easy access from all airports - Heathrow, Gatwick, London City, Stanstead and the new St. Pancras International Train Station. See www.imperialhotels.co.uk. Details of travel to the Imperial Hotel will be forward to delegates.

News from around the World

News from Israel

CIS Members offer many, many congratulations to well-known member Israel Shreibman on his promotion to Deputy Director of Israel Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IIOSH).

News from the International Trade Union Confederation

Protection of domestic workers: the ITUC supports proposed ILO Convention

Already grouping over one hundred million workers worldwide, the largely female domestic labour force is continuing to grow in line with the rising demand for these services. Whilst contributing to improving the quality of life and living standards of others, domestic workers themselves remain confined within an invisible and very poorly protected segment of the labour market. Although a vital link in the economic chain, they are often deprived of their basic rights and confronted with exploitation and ill-treatment.

Calling on its affiliates to rally to the cause, the International Trade Union Organisation is urging the countries represented on the ILO Governing Body to support the proposal to draw up an International Convention specifically to protect domestic workers.

Excessive working hours, low wages, inadequate or no social security, sexual harassment, physical abuse, unscrupulous employment agencies, no trade union rights, forced labour... the inventory of abuses drawn up in the document to be submitted to the members of the ILO Governing Body, which will meet in Geneva from 6 to 20 March, highlights the cruel lack of decent work among this category of particularly vulnerable workers, often excluded from national labour legislations and, until now, ignored by international law.

"For the international trade union movement, ensuring better protection for domestic workers is one of the keys to promoting decent work, which is at the heart of our action," declared Guy Ryder, General Secretary of the ITUC.

The ITUC has published several testimonies regarding the organisation of domestic workers, which can be read at:

Also see the video on domestic workers released by ILO-ACTRAV (in French), at: www.pourlemploi.com/video/domestiques/domestiques.html

The ITUC represents 168 million workers in 155 countries and territories and has 311 national affiliates. www.ituc-csi.org

News from Europe

Europe: Euro MPs call for work disease action

Euro MPs have called for measures to protect workers from a new generation of health threats at work. The all-party European Parliament employment committee wants a Europe-wide drive against cancer-causing exposures in the workplace as well as measures to combat musculoskeletal disorders such as back pain and repetitive strain injuries.

Socialist spokesperson on the committee, Stephen Hughes, said: 'The European Commission has proposed to cut accidents at work by 25 per cent throughout the EU. We need similar ambitious targets for cuts in occupational diseases and cancers.' British Labour MEP Glenis Willmott, who drafted the employment committee report adopted in December 2007, said: 'We need new EU legislation to deal with new and emerging risks and where the existing laws have proved to be inadequate. In particular, we need binding new limit values for cancer-causing substances, such as crystalline silica, which can cause pulmonary diseases.'

The report approved by the employment committee is critical of the European Commission's strategy, which was last year slammed by unions as the 'poorest yet'. The Euro MPs committee echoed the union concerns, expressing 'regret' that the strategy 'is silent on targets for the reduction of occupational diseases but understands the difficulty in measuring occupational diseases.

News from Europe

Limit value of particulate matter exceeded in nearly half of Europe

In 2005, the limit value for particulate matter (PM10) was exceeded in nearly half of the EU25 designated zones, mostly as a result of traffic volume. For ozone the limit value was exceeded in nearly one third of the zones and for nitrogen dioxide this was the case in a quarter of the zones.

These are the main conclusions of a report by the European Topic Centre on Air and Climate Change (ETC/ACC). Since 2001, EU air quality legislation requires the Member States to report on the air quality in designated zones compared to air quality objectives. Member States have divided their countries into zones and they report on the exceedances of air quality objectives for SO2, NO2, NOx, PM10, Lead, Benzene, CO and O3.

The objectives aim at limiting the negative effects of air pollution on human health and ecosystems. According to the most recent reports, the total number of EU25 zones exceeding EU limit values, margin of tolerance or target values is highest for PM10 day (44%), O3 health (34%) and NO2 year (26%). The main reason for these exceedances is traffic related (NO2 - 70%; PM10 - 50%; O3 - 20%). The decrease in the emission of air pollutants as a result of policies is not yet reflected in observed improvements in air quality, particularly for PM and ozone.

The European Topic Centre on Air and Climate Change (ETC/ACC) assists the European Environment Agency (EEA) in supporting EU policy in the field of air pollution and climate change. The MNP leads the ETC/ACC consortium of 14 European research institutions.

Report on ETC-ACC website: http://air-climate.eionet.europa.eu/reports/ETCACC_TP2007_4_AQQ2005

Anneke Oosterhuis, Milieu- en Natuurplanbureau, Senior Communicatieadviseur/persvoorlichter, Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, P.O. Box 303, 3720 AH Bilthoven, The Netherlands | Tel + 31 (0)30 274 3033 | Fax + 31 (0)30 274 4479 | Email anneke.oosterhuis@mnp.nl | www.mnp.nl

News from Europe

New European report highlights emerging psychosocial risks in the workplace

Working environments are changing significantly with the introduction of new technologies, materials and work processes. Changes in work design, organisation and management can produce new risk areas resulting in increased stress levels and may finally lead to a serious deterioration of mental and physical health. A new report by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work shows that the main psychosocial risks are related to new forms of employment contracts, job insecurity, work intensification, high emotional demands, violence at work and a poor work-life balance.

Jukka Takala, Director of The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) states: "Working life in Europe is changing at an ever-increasing speed. Job insecurity, multiple jobs or high work intensity can all lead to work-related stress and put workers' health in danger. Constant monitoring and improving of psychosocial work environments are necessary to create quality jobs and retain workers in good condition."

Work-related stress is one of the biggest occupational safety and health (OSH) challenges faced in Europe and the number of people suffering from stress-related conditions caused or made worse by work is likely to increase.

In the UK, the 2007 Psychosocial Working Conditions (PWC) survey by the Health and Safety indicated that around 13.6% of all working individuals thought their job was very or extremely stressful.

Emerging psychosocial risks have been explored in an expert forecast and are presented in this new report, the third in a series on new and emerging risks issued by the European Risk Observatory (ERO), an integral part of EU-OSHA.

Precarious work puts workers' health at risk

Precarious work is generally defined as low income and low quality employment with little opportunity for training and career progression. People on precarious contracts tend to carry out the most hazardous jobs, work in poorer conditions and receive less OSH safety training. Working under unstable working conditions can give rise to job insecurity which significantly increases work-related stress.

Work intensification leads to health problems

Strict deadlines and fast changing work environments make a growing number of EU workers experience high workload and pressure. Reduction in workplaces, increasing amount of information to handle at work as a result of new communication technologies and more demands shared between fewer workers can also lead to greater work-related stress.

Violence or bullying jeopardise workers

The problem of violence and bullying in workplaces is of growing concern. Although it affects all types of occupations and activity sectors, prevalence is high in the healthcare and service sectors. Deterioration of self-esteem, anxiety, depression and even suicide can be the consequence.

Poor work-life balance affects families

High workloads and inflexible working hours make it more difficult to achieve a decent work-life balance, particularly for women, who often still face a "double shift": first at work, then at home. This can lead to stress and other negative effects on people's health, especially when there is no possibility for the employees to adjust the working conditions to their personal needs. Over 40% of employees from the EU27 who worked long hours reported being dissatisfied with the balance between work and family life.

EU-OSHA is planning a large scale forecasting study to monitor workplace and societal changes that lead to emerging OSH risks. In 2009, EU-OSHA plans to launch a survey of enterprises in all 27 EU Member States to learn how organisations in both the public and private sectors deal with psychosocial risks, and how enterprises can be assisted to manage these complex workplace hazards more effectively.

Further reading - Download the reports on emerging risks free of charge:

European Risk Observatory: http://osha.europa.eu

The European Risk Observatory was set up in 2005 as an integral part of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. Demographic changes and developments in the organisation of work and production methods are generating new types of risks to workers' safety and health that demand new solutions. The Risk Observatory aims to identify new and emerging risks and to promote early preventive action. It describes trends and underlying factors and anticipates changes in the working environment and their likely consequences to health and safety.

News from Finland

The Cochrane Collection: reliable sources of evidence in health care

No one can keep up to date with the relevant evidence in their field of interest. The major bibliographic databases cover less than half the world's literature and are biased towards English-language publications.

Of the evidence available in the major databases, only a fraction can be found by the average searcher. Textbooks, editorials and reviews which have not been prepared systematically may be unreliable. Much evidence is unpublished, but unpublished evidence may be important. More easily accessible research reports tend to exaggerate the benefits of interventions.

The Cochrane Library solves many of these problems. Published on a quarterly basis and made available both on CD-ROM and the Internet, it is the best single source of reliable evidence about the effects of health care. Cochrane Reviews are based on the best available information about healthcare interventions. They explore the evidence for and against the effectiveness and appropriateness of treatments (medications, surgery, education, etc) in specific circumstances.

The Cochrane Collaboration is an international not-for-profit and independent organization, dedicated to making up-to-date, accurate information about the effects of healthcare readily available worldwide. It produces and disseminates systematic reviews of healthcare interventions and promotes the search for evidence in the form of clinical trials and other studies of interventions. The Cochrane Collaboration was founded in 1993 and named after the British epidemiologist, Archie Cochrane

For more details go to www.cochrane.org and especially www.cochrane.org/docs/descrip.htm

Also to vote for full free access to the Cochrane Collection http://cochrane.epetitions.net

News from India

India: International Trade Union Movement organised an international conference on Child labour

The international trade union movement, through the Council of Global Unions, held a major international trade union conference for child rights organisers and campaigners on 21and 22 February 2008 in New Delhi, India. The Conference, opened by Oscar Fernandez, Minister of Labour, addressed important issues including the role of trade unions in the elimination of child labour or the development of strategies to ensure all children take part in quality education. Prior to the Conference, participants visited education projects for former child labourers run by Indian trade unions and supported by the Building and Wood Workers' International, the key organiser of the meeting.

The conference brought together key political, trade union and social figures from India and other Asian countries, along with representatives from the regional and international trade union movement. The Conference dealt with developing and implementing political and trade union strategies regarding child labour, recognition of trade unions as partners for sector-based child labour eradication programs, and reinforcing international trade union cooperation, including with other civil society organisations, on child labour.

Child Labour is a pervasive problem throughout the world, especially in developing countries. Africa and Asia together account for over 90 percent of total child employment. According the International Labour Organization (ILO) 246 million children are engaged in child labour throughout the world while India has the highest number of child workers.

Trade unions have historically led the fight against the exploitation of children, through direct action to stop exploitation of children and ensure decent wages and working conditions for adults, thus reducing the likelihood that children will end up working. At the international level, unions have played a central role in the development of International Labour Organisation Conventions on the issue, as well as campaigning for governments to ratify and implement these standards. Unions are also heavily involved in international and national action to ensure Education for All.

"Tens of millions of children at work instead of at school" said ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder. "Governments must show the political will to invest in quality education for all children, and make sure that child labour laws are strong and are fully implemented", he added.

The ITUC represents 168 million workers in 155 countries and territories and has 311 national affiliates. Website: www.ituc-csi.org

News from the Ireland from the Euro Foundation

Diverse approaches to older workers across Europe

Few companies are actively responding to demographic change, despite the fact that the ageing labour force debate has increasingly moved up the European policy agenda. This is according to research from Eurofound, (The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions) the EU agency based in Dublin, Ireland. Although age management policies in companies have become more common, there is a wide diversity of approaches and developing and implementing good practice tends to be triggered by the direct business needs of companies, rather than by pressure from public policy or age-awareness campaigns.

For example, flexible working practices are key to age management strategies in Austria, Germany and the Netherlands, while the Nordic countries tend to focus on improving employees' health and well-being. Companies in Belgium, France, Greece, Italy and Spain, for their part, focus more on training and development.

'Organisations are more likely to be successful when they clearly communicate the purpose of their age management strategy and establish a comprehensive policy framework that involves all parties,' says Robert Anderson, Head of Unit of Eurofound's 'Living Conditions and Quality of Life' research team. 'Managers often identify value for money and its impact, but in fact there are few systematic evaluations of company initiatives.'

The demographic challenges facing Europe intensify the need for debate on the employment and working conditions of workers as they age. Working conditions tend to vary considerably across age groups: the effect of age on physical abilities is neither uniform nor systematic. In studies that have examined the relationship between work performance and age, no clear-cut association has been found and the results vary considerably. However, it is clear that if workers are to remain in employment for longer, working conditions need to be improved - a strategy that, apart from contributing to increasing the employment rates of older people, will benefit workers of all ages. Measures taken at company level to address this issue often combine an ergonomic review of the job, an evaluation of individual abilities and an assessment of the demands of a job, with a view to eliminating tasks that cannot be carried out by workers with reduced physical capacity. Other approaches include physical training, medical monitoring and promotion of healthy, active lifestyles.

During the course of 2008, Eurofound will highlight its work on active ageing and flexible solutions in the workplace. Arguing that older workers are key to sustainable development in the EU, Eurofound contends that companies will increasingly have to rely on the experience and skills of older workers. Eurofound has an extensive range of reports and databases that support the policy and practice of active ageing policies. These include maintaining and promoting health and work ability as employees age, developing skills and continued employability of older workers, and offering suitable working conditions and employment opportunities.

The Foundation's work on ageing is available online at www.eurofound.europa.eu/areas/populationandsociety/activeageing.htm

For further information, contact Måns Mårtensson, Press Officer, on telephone +353-1-204 3124, mobile +353-876-593 507, or email mma@eurofound.europa.eu

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

News from Ireland

Ireland's Safe use of all-terrain vehicles

The Health and Safety Authority has just published Safe use of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) in Agriculture and Forestry - Information Sheet

This 6 page information sheet gives advise on the safe use of sit-astride all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) often known as ATV Quad Bikes.

http://publications.hsa.ie/index.asp?locID=32&docID=269

News from Ireland

Ireland's manual handling incidents in the health care sector

The following report has recently been released:

Analysis of the causes and cases of manual handling incidents in the health care sector
Health and Safety Authority
Sara Dockrell, Muriel Johnson and Joe Ganly
September 2007 103 pages

www.hsa.ie/eng/Statistics/Research_Series/Manual_Handling/Manual_Handling_Analysis_Report.pdf

News from Japan

The Japan International Centre for Occupational Safety and Health (JICOSH) to close 31 March 2008

This Center will be closed on 31st March 2008. JISHA - The Japan Industrial Safety and Health Association and also the ILO CIS National Centre in Japan has operated the Japan International Centre for Occupational Safety and Health (JICOSH) for nine years. This centre was supported by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The Ministry decided to make away with this commitment.

But, for the convenience of users, the Ministry will transfer the contents provided by the web site to another site.

We appreciate your warm cooperation and consideration to this Center and your visit to this site.

To obtain a copy in English of the Safety and Health in Japan, No. 52 March 2008 where this announcement was made... contact: Japan Industrial Safety and Health Association (JISHA), ILO-CIS National Centre in Japan, 5-35-1 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108 0014 Japan | Tel: +81 3 3454 4596 | Email: kokusai@jisha.or.jp | www.jisha.or.jp

News from Korea

XVIII World Congress on Safety and Health at Work in COEX, Seoul, Korea
29 June 29 to 2 July, 2008

Korea Occupational Safety and Health Organization (KOSHA) in cooperation with the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the International Social Security Association (ISSA) will host XVIII World Congress on Safety and Health at Work in COEX, Seoul, Korea from June 29 to July 2, 2008. The World Congress is the biggest event in the area of safety and health where experts share information and knowledge on occupational safety and health.

On this meaningful occasion, for the first time in its history, Safety and Health Summit will be held as a part of the World Congress. Representative of the ILO, ministers responsible for safety and health, global business leaders, high-level representatives from employers' and employees' organizations as well as from leading occupational safety and health organizations will participate in the Summit at which they will adopt the "Seoul Declaration", recognizing safety and health as a means to a basic human right and to economic growth and development.

At the same time, the World Congress will offer opportunities to access the latest information and best practices in the realm of safety and health through a wide range of programs such as Technical Sessions, Regional Meetings, Symposia, Speakers' Corner, Poster Sessions and International Safety and Health Exhibition.

Meanwhile, with regard to registration, Early Bird Registration will remain open until February 28, 2008. This advance registration provides registrants with a better opportunity to join the World Congress and delight in specialists' seasoned experiences and state-of-the-art technologies at a discounted rate.

Lastly, I would like to appreciate you for your passionate efforts to prioritize safety at work, and I am looking forward to seeing you in this auspicious World Congress.

Sincerely yours,
Dr. Lee, Joon-Won

Secretary General / Ph.D., PSE, CPLA

Secretariat for XVIII World Congress on Safety and Health at Work

Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, 34-4 Gusan-dong, Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, Korea | Tel : +82-32-5100-636 | Fax : +82-32-502-7199 | Email: safety2008@kosha.net |  www.safety2008korea.org

News from New Zealand

Occupational Road Safety in New Zealand: Research into Practice Briefing, February 2008

Dr Will Murray, Research Director, Interactive Driving Systems; Visiting Research Fellow, Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety - Queensland. will.murray@virtualriskmanager.net

Road collisions have been widely acknowledged as one of the biggest causes of premature death, and driving to or for work is a particularly high risk activity. For this reason, occupational road safety has taken off around the world, as an important issue for governments, researchers and industry over the last few years (1).

In many ways New Zealand, which has approximately 400 road fatalities per annum, has been at the forefront of initiatives in occupational road safety:

  1. New Zealand government has clarified that Occupational Health and Safety laws do apply to drivers who are at work (2), has introduced several innovative resources for corporate road safety including guides on vehicle selection (3) and a comprehensive guide to fleet safety policy (4) . It has also supported a number of corporate management workshops on the issue (5).
  2. Researchers in New Zealand have focused particularly on quantifying the extent of the problem of occupational road safety. For example McNoe et al (6) identified that work-related traffic fatalities contributed to 29% of all fatal injuries in the workplace in New Zealand. According to Sultana et al (7) the non-fatal work-related motor vehicle crash rate is 109 per 100,000 workers per year, at an average cost of $2,884 per incident. Department for Labour research (8) showed that about 25% of commercial vehicles are involved a collision each year and proposed a proactive model for organisations to apply to improve their performance, which has already proved successful in other countries such as the UK and USA.

An obvious next step is for corporate New Zealand to focus more attention on managing the safety of its drivers. There are several reasons why this is important, but particularly:

In other countries around the world, particularly UK, Australia and the US, many organisations have successfully implemented work-related road safety programs to achieve all these outcomes. Examples are show at www.fleetsafetybenchmarking.net and www.virtualriskmanager.net

IT is our conviction that now an opportunity for NZ organisations to follow this lead, by adopting a PROACTIVE approach and working towards developing a crash free culture in their businesses.

Participating in the forthcoming government-led workshops on work-related road safety in Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch during March 2008 is a very good starting point for this process.

More details are available from Anita Dransfield, Event Coordinator, Tel: 0-9-528 6092, Fax: 0-9-521 1784, E-mail: pacificpr@ihug.co.nz

Looking at the following websites would also be a good starting point:

References

  1. www.cdc.gov/niosh/contract-reports/WORS/WORS-04-10-2007.html
  2. Health and Safety Act in Employment (amended 2002), Land Transport Amendment Act (2005)
  3. www.landtransport.govt.nz/vehicles/safety-features
  4. www.landtransport.govt.nz/commercial/safe-driving/safe-driving-policy-booklet.pdf
  5. www.virtualriskmanager.net/main/aboutus/managementworkshops.php?newsid=2020
  6. McNoe B, Langley J, and Feyer A. (2005) Work-related fatal traffic crashes in New Zealand: 1985-1998, New Zealand Medical Journal, Vol 18, No 1227
  7. Sultana S, Robb G, Ameratunga S, Jackson R. (2007) Non-fatal work-related motor vehicle traffic crash injuries in New Zealand: analysis of a national claims database. NZMJ 14 December 2007, Vol. 120 No. 126
  8. www.dol.govt.nz/News/Media/2007/road-safety.asp

Dr Will Murray, Research Director, Interactive Driving Systems ® | Tel: + 44 (0) 1484 400399 | Mobile: + 44 (0) 7713 415454 | Email: will.murray@virtualriskmanager.net | www.virtualriskmanager.net and www.fleetsafetybenchmarking.net

Remember: Not only cars can be recalled by their maker. Its 14 times safer to go by train, and 2.5 times safer to go by bus, than it is to take the car.

News from Panama

Panama ratifies ILO Safety and Health in Construction Convention

Panama has 67 ILO conventions in force of which the Safety and Health in Construction Convention, 1988 (no. 167) ratified on 31 January 2008.

This Convention and its accompanying Recommendation (No. 175) lay down the basic principles and measures to promote the safety and health of workers in construction. They guarantee workers the right to work in a healthy and safe working environment, to participate in ensuring safe working conditions and to receive training on occupational hazards and their prevention. The aim is to eliminate or reduce work-related accidents and injuries in this sector.

The ILO Code of Practice Safety and Health in Construction provides guidance in the implementation of the provisions of the Convention.

News from Sweden

Sweden's National Institute for Working Life (CIS National Centre) is closed and the following gives details of the dispersal of the information collection

This is what can happen to a CIS Centre... Take note!!

The Winding Up Authority of The National Institute for Working Life (NIWL) states that as of July 1, 2007 that it closed down for good. The Riksdag's (Government) decision came 21 December 2006.

The Library of the National Institute For Working Life (and formerly CIS Centre) book-collections are moving to the Stockholm University Library. For more information go to www.sub.su.se

Publication services

Many of the Institutes publications are available from the new owners It is no longer possible to order or download publications from the institute. For more information and ordering, please contact the new owners of the publications:

Books from the National Institute for Working Life

FAS (the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research)
www.fas.se/bokhandel

Arbete och Hälsa

Göteborg University
www.medicine.gu.se/avdelningar/samhallsmedicin_folkhalsa/amm/aoh/

Work Life in Transition

Växjö University
www.vxu.se/svi/aio/skriftserie_aio.xml

Arbetslivsrapporter

Högskolan Dalarna
www.du.se/arbetslivsrapporter

EU & arbetsrätt

Stockholm University
www.juridicum.su.se

Perspektiv på arbetslivet

Talentum
www.talentum.se

For further information contact:

Postal address: The Winding-up Authority for the National Institute for Working Life, SE-113 46 Stockholm, Sweden

Office address: Vanadisvägen 9, Stockholm.

Tel: ++ 08-27 32 80 | Fax: ++08-657 95 17

News from Switzerland, CIS HQ

How to get the CIS Centres News as an RSS feed

The CIS Centres News provides an RSS feed to enable users to be automatically notified of changes or additions to the database. To subscribe to it, you will need to install a news reader.

Use a search portal like Google to find some useful information on the use of RSS and the installation of a news reader of your choice.

To subscribe to the RSS feed for the current country and language combination, click on the XML button below and copy the URL into your installed news reader.

An RSS feed may be set up in the same way for any country/language combination selected from the CIS Centres News Home screen.

News from Tunisia

The latest edition of SST Sante et de Securite au Travail - January 2008 edition contains a 22 page special feature on L'Industrie Agroalimentaire: risques professionnels et prevention.

For further details contact
Institut de sante et de securite au travail (ISST), 5 bd. Mustapha Khaznadar, 1007, Tunis, Tunisa | Tel: +216 71 561 636 | Fax: +21 71 571 902 | Email: analy.isst@email.ati.tn | www.isst.nat.tn

News from the USA

AIHA International Affairs Committee Officers and Members, please let the odd 600 subscribers on the AIHA IAC List for Africa know how we can translate U.S. government's commitment for Africa to our commitment to promote safe and healthy working communities on this diverse continent.

Since the inception of the AIHA IAC List for Africa in July 2005 our subscribers have repeatedly expressed a sincere interest in obtaining technical information from AIHA and ACGIH, and a ready access to educational resources in form of on-line courses and educational scholarships.

The interest in the new AIHA International Affiliate Membership sponsorship has been remarkable and personally rewarding.
Read 'AIHA's International Affiliate Program Bridges the Gap in Kenya'.

Please pitch in and help our Brother Elias Okoro afram@airmail.net to succeed on the 'Forgotten Continent'.

Andrew Cutz, CIH
AIHA International Affairs Committee
Moderator, AIHA IAC List for Africa
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/AIHA_International_Affairs_Committee_List_for_Africa

Reference URLs:

Africa Education Initiative

African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) - www.agoa.gov

'AIHA's International Affiliate Program Bridges the Gap in Kenya'
http://tiny.cc/RUvuA (as a tiny url)
www.aiha.org/Content/AccessInfo/synergist/pubsep07synGlobalConnections.htm

Benin Visit Symbolises U.S. Commitment to Africa: Bush is first U.S. president to visit Benin

President Bush's arrival in Cotonou, Benin - the first stop on his historic five-nation Africa tour - symbolizes the U.S. commitment to improving peoples' lives all across the continent. Bush is the first U.S. president ever to visit Benin.

Speaking with President Thomas Yayi Boni at Cadjehoun International Airport, Bush said he chose to visit Benin, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana and Liberia because it is 'in our national interest to support the people of nations - even though we may not [have] had relations with them in the past - particularly those nations in which the leadership and the government makes a firm commitment to the investment in its people, fighting corruption, marketplace economies.'

'My trip here is to remind future presidents and future Congresses that it is in our national interests and in the moral interests of the United States of America to help people,' he said.

In his comments, President Yayi praised Bush for visiting Benin and said it comes as a follow-up to talks both leaders had at the White House on December 14, 2006. Yayi said both he and Bush had 'very fruitful exchanges' during their brief meetings in Cotonou.

Both nations, Yayi said, are united in 'excellent relations.'

'As you know,' Yayi noted, 'during his two terms in office, President Bush showed great concern for Africa, its well-being and the development of his people.' He praised Bush in particular for the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI), the Africa Education Initiative, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and for initiatives that help in the empowerment of women.

Yayi said his country also is benefiting from the Millennium Challenge Account initiative and the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

Both leaders also talked about issues of cooperation and conflict situations in Africa, Benin's participation in peacekeeping operations and reform of the United Nations system.

Bush praised Yayi for believing 'that all human beings deserve dignity that people need a government that responds to their desires and wishes.' Bush said he had 'come bringing the warm friendship of the people of the United States' and reaffirming 'our desire to help strengthen your democracy by helping the people here realize their God-given talents.'

Bush also praised his Beninese counterpart for his dedication to ensuring that every child has an anti-malarial, insecticide-treated bed net. 'We can save lives with an aggressive, comprehensive strategy,' he said, in reference to the PMI and Yayi's dedication on the issue. The use of
specially treated bed nets has been shown to reduce sickness and death caused by malaria.

Additionally, Bush praised Yayi for his equal dedication to education. 'You know what I know - that a nation can't be a hopeful place unless its youth are educated, so I am very pleased to be working with you to expand educational opportunities for the people of your country,' he said.
Through the Africa Education Initiative, Bush said, the United States has helped train about 30,000 teachers in Benin and provide 1 million textbooks that have helped young girls get a good education.

'We are going to spend about another $6 million on these efforts only because you are focused and your government is dedicated to making sure the money is spent well and wisely,' he said.

On the Millennium Challenge Account, Bush said the United States has been 'more than pleased' to provide $307 million over five years to help the country develop, which has touched the lives of about five million people and help thousands more get out of poverty.

He also praised the Yayi government in its fight against corruption. 'One of the reasons I have come here, sir, is because leaders around the world have got to understand that the United States wants to partner with leaders and the people, but we are not going to do so with people who steal money.'

Bush said this state trip was designed to herald success in Africa that would help others realize what is possible. He acknowledged the crisis in Kenya and the Darfur region of Sudan.

'Sudan is a very difficult situation which we have labeled a genocide,' he said.

On Kenya, Bush said the situation is significant and he sent Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the country on 18 February 2008. There Rice assisted with former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's initiative and deliver a message to end the violence and create a power-sharing agreement.

While in Benin, Bush was presented with the Grand Cross of the National Order of Benin. Both President Bush and first lady Laura Bush were greeted with a military band and honor guard upon their arrival.

A transcript www.america.gov/st/texttrans-english/2008/February/20080216125645bpuh0.4030115.html of a joint press availability with Presidents Bush and Yayi is available on www.america.gov

USINFO is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov

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News from the UK

UK HSC welcomes the establishment of the Risk and Regulation Advisory Council

The Chair of the UK Health and Safety Commission, Judith Hackitt, welcomed the announcement of the establishment of the Risk and Regulation Advisory Council (RRAC) and expressed the Commission's and the Health and Safety Executive's strong interest in working with the new body to address the key issues related to public risk and the role of policy makers and regulators.

Ms Hackitt said, "In recent years 'Elf & Safety' has become a universal excuse for banning many low risk activities and often in situations where there is actually no regulatory requirement at all. We have long promoted a common sense approach to risk and very much look forward to working with the RRAC to identify new ways to take this principle further".

Five Steps to Risk Assessment and example risk assessments can be found on the risk management webpages on the HSE website. The pages are written in everyday language for managers, not health and safety experts and include links to more information and a section for frequently asked questions.

TUC Gender and Occupational Safety and Health 'Gender-sensitivity' Checklist

Ready to use checklist from the UK Trades Union Congress (TUC) on how gender-sensitive is your workplace?

How gender sensitive is health and safety management in your workplace?

The TUC's Gender and Occupational Safety and Health (G&OSH) Working Party have produced a checklist to help safety reps and others check whether their workplace health and safety policies and practices are gender sensitive.

www.tuc.org.uk/h_and_s/tuc-14178-f0.cfm

UK Parliamentary Group To Champion Accident Prevention

A new UK all-party parliamentary group has been formed to champion the cause of accident prevention.

Its aim is to provide a voice for the relatives of the 12,000 people killed in accidents in the UK each year and millions more who suffer injuries.

Baroness Gibson of Market Rasen has been elected chairman, and has written to the Prime Minister seeking the appointment of a minister with responsibility for accident prevention.

Baroness Gibson said: "Many people do not understand the scale of the accident problem and the impact it has on families and society as a whole. My father was killed in a road accident and I know it can take years to cope with such a devastating event."

She said the current government approach was fragmented with one department dealing with workplace accidents, another responsible for road safety and very little being done to prevent home accidents, which lead to nearly 4,000 deaths and 2.7 million injuries each year. There was a need to unite the different elements under central government leadership.

Baroness Gibson, who is President of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: "No one in Whitehall or Westminster is looking at the whole picture as a problem which the Government should be addressing.

"The all-party parliamentary group will carry out a hugely important role by focusing on all accident prevention issues, lobbying and campaigning for change where necessary."

Vice-chairmen will be Lord Brougham and Vaux, Baroness Masham of Ilton and Mark Hunter, MP for Cheadle. The secretary will be Mary Creagh, MP for Wakefield, with David Drew, MP for Stroud, as treasurer. RoSPA will provide the secretariat for the group.

RoSPA House, Edgbaston Park, 353 Bristol Road, Birmingham B5 7ST | www.rospa.com

News from the UK

Safety posters in Polish for industry, construction and office

Almost all of the Safety Point range of safety posters from Heath Technical Services can now be produced in the Polish Language. The full range can be seen on www.stanssafetyposters.co.uk. Or contact Stan Allen in the UK on +44 (0)208 6534648 or at email: Stan@Allen1889.freeserve.co.uk

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UN members States must make decent work a prime commitment, say Global and European trade unions

As the 46th session of the United Nations Commission for Social Development convenes in New York today, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC) call for agreement on a strong resolution to go forward to the UN General Assembly, asserting the crucial importance of full employment and decent work in the fight against poverty.

Trade unions welcome the UN Commission's decision to focus on 'full and productive employment and decent work' as its 2007-2008 priority. Alarming trends in unemployment in the wake of the current global market turmoil and the threat of recession - revealed in the International Labour Organisation's (ILO) new Global Employment Report 2008 - mean urgent action is needed.

A 20-strong trade union delegation in New York is telling the UN Commission that it is crucial for it to agree on a hard-hitting message identifying decent work as a central objective, to be integrated systematically into social, economic and development policies at national, regional and international levels.

While global growth in recent years has brought new jobs, many of them are low-paid and low-quality, leaving many working poor unable to support themselves and their families. Worldwide, an estimated 195 million people are likely to be unemployed in 2008.

At present, a serious lack of policy coherence within international financial and trading systems is hampering progress: demonstrated, for example, by the unreasonable demands being imposed on developing countries in market-access negotiations in the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Policies should aim at quality jobs, education, and skills development, to address youth unemployment and enable people to escape from precarious or informal work - many of them women. Financial resources are key to success, and must be raised through progressive taxation regimes and development cooperation funding. Decent work further entails the full respect of trade unions' rights to organise and bargain collectively, a lesson all the more important for governments because unions are central actors in achieving greater income equality through fighting poverty and increasing the purchasing power of low-income workers.

"Governments both within the European Union and beyond should pledge themselves, as a matter of priority, to integrate the decent work agenda into all macroeconomic policies and development assistance frameworks at national as well as European and international levels," declared ETUC General Secretary John Monks.

"It is critically important that the UN Commission should reach agreement on an effective resolution that will galvanise efforts to end poverty through full employment and good quality jobs. Decent work for all must become a universal goal throughout international institutions and UN agencies," affirmed ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder.

"These objectives need to be prioritised across the board, and institutions of governance at global and regional levels must explicitly commit to mainstreaming decent work into their policies and activities," stated TUAC General Secretary John Evans.

Link to the statement: www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/CSocD46-ITUC_Statement-Decent_Work_for_All-EXECUTIVE_SUMMARY.pdf

The ITUC represents 168 million workers in 155 countries and territories and has 311 national affiliated organisations.

The ETUC exists to speak with a single voice, on behalf of the common interests of workers, at European level. Founded in 1973, it now represents 82 trade union organisations in 36 European countries, plus 12 industry-based federations.

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OSHE web sites to explore...

Also look in www.oshworld.com/links.html for hundreds of links to authoritative and validated web sites... constantly updated.

GERMANY

Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und-prüfung   GERMANY
www.bam.de
BAM - Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung -Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing is a senior scientific and technical Federal Institute with responsibility to the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi). The technological productivity of the Federal Republic of Germany is based on competitive high-quality products, which are to ensure by innovative measurement and testing technology. BAM has its responsibility in development of safety and reliability in chemistry and materials technologies, physical and chemical inspections of materials and plants including supply of reference methods and reference materials, collaboration in developing legal regulations like on safety standards and threshold values and consulting on safety aspects of materials technology for the Federal Government and industry.BAM is the successor of the Public Materials Testing Office ("Staatliches Materialprüfungsamt") founded in 1871 and of the Chemical-Technical State Institute ("Chemisch-Technische Reichsanstalt") set up in 1920.

UK

Building Research Establishment BRE   Fire   UK
www.bre.co.uk
The BRE Group is a world leading research, consultancy, training, testing and certification organisation delivering sustainability and innovation across the built environment and beyond. The Building Research Fire testing, research and consultancy offer world class fire consultancy, research and testing services. Through the sister company LPCB they can provide third party certification on fire products and services - see www.redbooklive.com for details on this. With the most extensive laboratories in the world, a highly qualified team of expert scientists and engineers are able to deliver practical solutions, technical advice and a bespoke service to a wide range of clients.

Control of the Hazards Associated with the Transport and Bulk Storage of Fireworks   CHAF   UK
www.chaf.info
Control of the Hazards Associated with the Transport and Bulk Storage of Fireworks. This website describes a European Union (EU) funded project, CHAF, which aims to provide a better understanding of critical conditions that give rise to explosions in packaged fireworks, and improved methods of predicting performance in large scale storage. Annual sales of fireworks in the EU amount to tens of thousands of tonnes and similar quantities are held in storage. This project will provide a framework for the safe storage of bulk fireworks which will have direct benefits to the EU in terms of improving worker safety and reducing the work-related hazards to which members of the public are exposed. Also, reduction of the severity of large scale fireworks storage accidents will have beneficial environmental effects in terms of minimising the release of toxic fumes and reducing off site blast damage. Has links to other organisations.

European Fire Sprinkler Network   UK
www.eurosprinkler.org
European Fire Sprinkler Network connects those in Europe who share its aim to improve fire safety through the greater use of fire sprinklers. Members regularly receive email updates on items of common interest, and can call on the Network for information and data to support local campaigns. The Network also supports this web site, which acts as a resource of information on fire sprinklers. Working with its members, the Network establishes contacts with those responsible for fire safety at a European level, so as to inform and educate them about the benefits of fire sprinklers.

Passive Protective Federation   UK
www.pfpf.org
The Federation brings together the collective expertise of the passive fire protection industry and provides a central forum so that the Industry speaks with one voice to articulate the benefits and value of passive fire protection in the achievement of fire safe building design and construction. Passive fire protection is the primary measure integrated within the constructional fabric of a building to provide inherent fire safety and protection by responding against flame, heat and smoke to maintain the fundamental requirements of building compartmentation, structural stability, fire separation and safe means of escape. Passive fire protection measures achieve their intended purpose by raising the fire resistance of the structure, protecting the structure against the effects of fire, reducing fire spread through secondary ignition, limiting the movement of flame and smoke, and minimising the danger of fire-induced collapse or structural distortion. Passive fire protection design, incorporating passive fire protection materials, systems and assemblies, serves by fire containment to protect life, safeguard the building structure, protect assets, maintain building serviceability after fire, minimise rebuild costs, and facilitate quick business recovery and continuity.

Practitioners' Forum   UK
www.pforum.fire.gov.uk
The UK Practitioners Forum is the body through which practitioners and stakeholders in the fire industry will work together to provide advice to Government on policy development. It is the driving force in managing change and implementing reforms in the fire and rescue service. CFOA has a pivotal role in this Forum, providing the chair and secretariat, thus ensuring that the strategic direction for the service is developed in the light of practical considerations, and that specific policy initiatives are consistent with working practices on the ground and are deliverable"

Reduced Ignition Propensity Cigarettes (RIP) Coalition   UK
www.firesafercigarettes.org.uk
The UK Reduced Ignition Propensity Cigarettes (RIP) Coalition is campaigning for fire safer cigarettes to help reduce this needless death and devastation by cigarette fires. Cigarette fires are the biggest cause of fire-related deaths in the home. There are an average of 132 deaths, 1,600 injuries and 4,300 fires per year in accidental home fires caused by smoking materials, according to the Department for Communities and Local Government. Every three days someone dies in a fire caused by a cigarette. A significant proportion of the devastation could be prevented through EU legislation to introduce a fire safety standard for cigarettes in the UK.

USA

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health   NIOSH   Science Blog   USA
www.cdc.gov/niosh/blog
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health NIOSH are very excited about the NIOSH Science Blog launched in November 2007 - the most recent tool for sharing NIOSH research and communicating with our stakeholders. Typical Topics posted include Preventing Firefighter Deaths from Cardiovascular events, Stress at Work and Truck Driver Safety and Health. This is an important channel through which NIOSH research can be seen, read, discussed, understood and used to improve worker safety and health throughout the world. Through robust scientific discussion with stakeholders, NIOSH also hope that it can sharpen their own thinking about various occupational safety and health issues and learn how best to communicate with all segments of their stakeholder community.

New Book

Publications of interest

'Safety crimes', produced by top UK corporate crime academics Steve Tombs and Dave Whyte, warns workplace deaths fail on the whole 'to attract the interest if the politicians, the media or - least forgivably of all - the knowledge industry of criminology.'

The book is concerned with the nature of production and how this impacts on the decisions made in boardrooms. It also deals with how infrequently these decisions, however deadly, lead from the boardroom to the courtroom. It is not filled with stories of comic book villains with no concern for the consequences of their actions, portraying safety crimes as bad deeds by bad people. But boardroom decisions made with a key objective of maximising profit have consequences, and safety can be a casualty. Nice guys can kill you.

The book is critical of the drive towards greater 'self-regulation', where firms are exhorted to behave better and safer - an approach that assumes safety is a concern of equal importance throughout the organisation, from mailroom to boardroom. Instead it demonstrates that safety crimes are the product of profit seeking; they do not represent a breakdown of the production system but are themselves a product of it.

Safety crimes. Steve Tombs and Dave Whyte. ISBN 978 1 84392 085 4. £19.99.

Willan Publishing | www.routledge.com/books/details/9781843920854

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

You may also be inspired to organise something similar in your country.

12-14 March 2008 - IALI Conference 2008: Towards healthy, safe and decent work through alliances, ethics and influence
Organized by SafeWork SA - the occupational health and safety (OHS) and industrial relations authority of the Government of South Australia - and the International Association of Labour Inspection (IALI) in cooperation with the OHS authorities of Australia and New Zealand and the ILO.
Adelaide, South Australia.
Contact: IALI 2008 Conference Secretariat, SafeWork SA, Level 4, 1 Richmond Road, Keswick, South Australia 5035 | Tel: +61 8 8303 0469 | Fax: +61 8 8463 4978 | Email: iali2008@safework.sa.gov.au | www.safework.sa.gov.au/iali2008conference

25-29 March 2008 - Semiconductor Environmental, Safety and Health Association (SESHA) Annual Symposium and Expo
Portland, OR., USA
Contact: www.seshaonline.org/meetings/2008

26-28 March 2008 - Nova Scotia Safety Council 26th Annual Health and Safety Conference
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Contact: Nova Scotia Safety Council, 2786 Agricola Street, Suite 207, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3K 4E1, Canada | Tel: +1 902 454 9621 | Fax: +1 902 454 6027 | www.nssafety.ns.ca

30 March - 4 April 2008 - Sixth International Course on Safety research / week 2
Alanga Hotel, Palanga, Lithuania
Contact: Gunilla Rasi, NIVA, Topeliuksenkatu 41 a A, FIN-00250 Helsinki, FINLAND | Tel: +358 30 474 2498 | Email: gunilla.rasi@ttl.fi | www.niva.org/courses.htm

31 March - 1 April 2008 - National Safety Council's Texas Safety Conference & Expo
Houston, Texas, USA
Contact: National Safety Council, 1121 Spring Lake Drive, Itasca IL 60143, USA | Tel: +1 800 621 7619 or +1 630 775 2056 | Email: customerservice@nsc.org | www.nsctexexpo.com

31 March - 2 April 2008 - 8th International Work Congress on Work Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation and Compensation
Durban, South Africa
Contact: mnyenti@uj.ac.za | www.uj.ac.za/wc2008

13-15 May 2008 - Occupational Hygiene 2008: British Occupational Hygiene annual conference
Thistle Hotel, Bristol, UK
Highlights include the Conference-opening Warner Lecture by Paul Schulte, Director of the Education and Information Division of NIOSH, which will be focusing on obesity in relation to occupational health and safety. Keynote lectures, leading into themed sessions, will also be given by Professor Lesley Rushton, of Imperial College, London, on the elimination of the occupational cancer burden in Britain, and Professor Anthony Seaton, himself a past Warner Lecturer, entitled 'Air: the past, the present and the future'. Other important themes within the three day conference programme will include REACH and nanotechnology. A series of interactive workshops will run over all three days, as will a poster display presenting scientific work. The associated exhibition of suppliers of services and equipment runs alongside.
Contact: Anthea Page, BOHS, 5/6 Melbourne Court, Millennium Way, Pride Park, Derby DE24 8LZ, UK | Tel: +44 (0) 1332 250 701 | Email: anthea@bohs.org | www.bohs.org
Readers may also wish to take a free trial of OSH UPDATE: www.sheilapantry.com/interest.html

13-15 May 2008 - Safety & Health Expo
National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham, UK
Contact: The Safety and Health Expo Team | Register Now | www.safety-health-expo.co.uk

14 May 2008 - International Congress on speed for road safety professionals
Contact: Brake, the road safety charity, PO Box 548, Huddersfield HD1 2XZ, Yorkshire, UK | Tel: +44 (0)1484 559909 | Fax:+44 (0)1484 559983 | E-mail: brake@brake.org.uk | www.brake.org.uk

29 May - 1 June 2008 - International Association of Fire Chiefs 2008 International Hazardous Materials Response Teams Conference
Hunt Valley, MD., USA
Contact: http://iafc.confex.com/iafc/haz08/cfp.cgi

31 May - 5 June 2008 - 2008 American Industrial Hygiene Conference & Expo (AIHce)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Contact: AIHc, 2700 Prosperity Avenue, Suite 250, Fairfax, VA 22031, USA | Tel: +1 703 849 8888 | Fax: + 1 703 207 3561 | Email : infonet@aiha.org | www.aiha.org

1-5 June 2008 - NSTI Nanotech Annual Conference
Boston, MA, USA
Contact: www.nsti.org/Nanotech2008

2-4 June 2008 - Disability at the workplace
Almåsa Konferens, Västerhaninge, Sweden (outside of Stockholm)
Contact: Gunilla Rasi, NIVA, Topeliuksenkatu 41 a A, FIN-00250 Helsinki, FINLAND | Tel: +358 30 474 2498 | Email: gunilla.rasi@ttl.fi | www.niva.org/courses.htm

2-6 June 2008 - NFPA World Safety Conference & Exhibition
Mandalay Bay Convention Centre, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Contact: Conference Organisers | www.nfpa.org/conference

9-12 June 2008 - American Society of Safety Engineers "SAFETY 2008" Professional Development Conference and Exposition
Las Vegas, NV. USA
Contact: www.asse.org

10-13 June 2008 Second international course on Seafarers' occupational risks and health examinations
Bergen, Norway
Contact: Gunilla Rasi, NIVA, Topeliuksenkatu 41 a A, FIN-00250 Helsinki, FINLAND | Tel: +358 30 474 2498 | Email: gunilla.rasi@ttl.fi | www.niva.org/courses.htm

11-18 June 2008 - 12th US/North American Mine Ventilation Symposium
Reno, NV. USA
Contact: www.unr.edu/ventsymp2008

12-14 June 2008 - A workshop on cardiovascular disorders and return to work - In connection with the Nordic Congress of Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation
Hämeenlinna, Finland
Contact: Gunilla Rasi, NIVA, Topeliuksenkatu 41 a A, FIN-00250 Helsinki, FINLAND | Tel: +358 30 474 2498 | Email: gunilla.rasi@ttl.fi | www.niva.org/courses.htm

15-17 June 2008 - Occupational Health and Safety Research in Action: Method, Results and Applications
Jointly organised by the Canadian Association for Research on Work and Health (CARWH) and the Réseau de recherche en santé et en sécurité du travail du Québec (RRSSTQ)
École de Technologie Supérieure, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Contact: Susan Stock MD MSc FRCPC, Institut national de santé publique du Québec, 190 rue Crémazie est Montréal (Québec) H2P 1E2, Canada | Tél: +1 514-864-1600 ext. 3206 | Secrétaire (Stéphanie Larose) : ext. 3250 | Fax: +1 514-864-7646 | Email: susan.stock@inspq.qc.ca | Conference Coordinator at: carwh-rrsstq@etsmtl.ca | www.etsmtl.ca

18-19 June, 2008 - 2e Congrès francophone sur les troubles musculo-squelettiques: de la recherche à l'action
Hilton Montreal Bonaventure Hotel, Montréal, Québec, Canada
Contact: IRSST, 505, blvd. De Maisonneuve West, 15th floor, Montréal, Québec, Canada, H3A 3C2 | Tel: + 1 514 288-1551 | Fax: + 1 514 288-7636 | Email: TMS2008@irsst.qc.ca | www.irsst.qc.ca

29 June - 4 July 2008 - XVIIIth World Congress on Safety and Health at Work: A Societal Responsibility
Organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Social Security Association (ISSA) and the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency
Seoul, Korea
Contact: Congress Secretariat, Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, 34-4 Gusan-dong, Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, Republic of Korea. | Tel: +82 32 5100 740/748/749. | Fax: +82 32 512 8482 | Email: safety2008@kosha.net | www.safety2008korea.org

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