Editorial
Don't work harder - work smarter!
December 2011
Sheila Pantry OBE
Greetings for the Festive Season wherever you are in the World!
All organisations will need to review their health, safety, chemical, fire and environment procedures on a regular basis. Security should be part of this continuous risk assessment of the workplace. The results should give some valuable guidelines when carrying out the Business Continuity Plans to ensure that the business and the most important part - the people working in it, are kept safe and secure, not only in their health but in their jobs. Is there violence, bullying and aggression in your workplace? Have you checked recently to see if absenteeism in the workplace is connected to workplace violence? Managing attendance and return to work are all part of ensuring that the workforce is well cared for - so check out how stressed workers are in your workplace.
Another area to watch is to ensure that you are up-to-date in your wider health and safety information. Remember ignorance of the law and its requirements is NO excuse. So do you want to keep up-to-date in worldwide occupational health, safety, hygiene, road safety, water safety, environment trends and the latest information? Do budget constraints not allow you to buy all the journals, newsletters and documents that contain the latest information? Can't afford the time to search for the latest information, legislation and standards? No staff to search for this information? And no time yourself to spend hours searching for information?
Then try the following practical, affordable solutions for your health, safety, fire and environment information needs. These services contain wide ranges of information - not only from Europe but from around the World. Check out OSH UPDATE www.oshupdate.com and FIREINF www.fireinf.com electronic collection of information sources. Information Seekers will find a wealth of authoritative and validated advice including best practices, case studies, journal articles, reports, legislation, standards and much more.
The electronic services OSH UPDATE and FIREINF will help you and your organisation to keep up-to-date. The services continue to bring you the latest information on health, safety, environment, fire and other subjects that you will find useful in your daily work.
OSH UPDATE and FIREINF services contain both full text and bibliographic information are continuously enlarged as new information is published. These services are used by individuals, organisations, universities, institutions and companies worldwide.
For a 15 DAY FREE NO OBLIGATION TRIAL contact: Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd | email: sp@sheilapantry.com | or fill in the Interest form www.sheilapantry.com/interest.html
This month's FOCUS is entitled Safety First. Polish technical solutions written by Professor Danuta Koradecka, Director of the Central Institute for Labour Protection - National Research Institute, Warsaw, POLAND.
OSHWORLD - your portal to some of the best OSH web sites in the world
Look at the portal OSHWORLD www.oshworld.com and view the latest additions to the Diary of Events where you will see that plans have been made for well into 2012 - see the training courses, symposiums, webinars and conferences in many places in the world on a wide range of subjects. Don't forget to budget for these events - make sure that you and your colleagues are up-to-date with the very latest knowledge - remember that all workplaces and those working in them change, so continue to do your risk assessments.
In these days of tighter budgets perhaps training may be put on the "back-burner" - but think again how you can keep up with the latest techniques and training opportunities.
Remember that even if you cannot attend these many events, speakers and organisers are often willing to share their knowledge. Look at the details - where possible, we add in the web sites of these events so you can request further information. And do let me know if you are organising any OSHE events so that I can add them to the Diary.
It is always good to review health, safety, chemical, fire and environment procedures on a regular basis. It is also important that the practices and systems in the workplace are constantly reviewed and if necessary, improved. This review may also indicate training requirements and updates and re-thinking how systems and services can be improved. This is where the free-of charge OSHWORLD can help you.
Globally there are continually new titles, news items, new products so remember to look at the News to find the latest information from a number of authoritative sources such as the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, the UK Health and Safety Executive and US NIOSH. Use OSHWORLD as your portal to many hundreds of validated and authoritative web sites which you can find in the Country and Subject links we offer. New subject topics are constantly brought together on web sites, e.g. nanotechnology.
Remember to look at the Products and Services on this OSHWORLD web site and see what is new and updated.
Don't work harder - work smarter! Be ahead of the game.
Are you hoping to have a zero accident, incident-free and healthy this year in your workplace? Some would argue that this is not possible! But keep on trying!
And do continue to make plans for your campaigns for 2012 and beyond!