Editorial
Making any New Year's resolutions?
January 2013
Sheila Pantry OBE
Happy, Safe and Healthy 2013 to all OSHWORLD Readers
If you are making some New Year's resolutions - you may wish to think about how you can help to achieve less accidents and fatalities in the world's workplaces. Whatever job you hold - for example - whether you are a managing director, director, owner, supervisor, line manager, trainer, manufacturer, worker, journalist, TV or radio producer you can play your part in helping to reduce needless accidents and deaths that still occur in workplaces by making sure that all workers are trained and have the competence to carry out their jobs safely and healthily and that their workplaces meet the highest standards of safety and health.
The International Labour Office (ILO) in Geneva stress the importance and the need to give higher priority to preventing accidents and ill-health at work. The ILO acknowledges that an estimated 2.34 million people die from work-related accidents or diseases each year. Such a high number is simply not acceptable today - it equates to an average of more than 6,300 work-related deaths every day, around the world.
Do whatever you can to ensure that all workers have a more safer and healthier workplace in 2013.
Your 2013 Diary
As you start your New Year's diary think about the training, which perhaps has not been carried out for you and others. Look at the latest additions to the Diary of Events and you will see plans have been made already worldwide for 2013 to offer training courses, symposiums and conferences in many places in the world on a wide range of subjects. For example on 19-20 March 2013 - The UK Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL) offers a two day course on Human Factors in Accident and Incident Investigations - for details in the Diary of Events.
One way of keeping up to date is to go to exhibitions and the world's major OSHE events. 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, I 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 send to sp@sheilapantry.com
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 find the right course, seminar or conference.
Look further into the portal OSHWORLD www.oshworld.com and view the latest additions. 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.
Your OSHWorld Portal
Globally there are new publications, news items, new products so remember to look at the News section to find the latest information from an ever increasing number of sources such as the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work to the US National Institute for Occupational safety and Health (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. Papermaking, Corrugated and Recovered Paper industry and also the problems of working with silica.
This month's FOCUS article is Start the New Year with good intentions! The importance of exercise at work: Useful exercises that can easily be done at your desk.
Remember to look at the Products and Services on this web site and see what is new and updated.
OSHWORLD - your portal to some of the best OSH web sites in the world
Also look at our www.shebuyersguide.com that give you access to many organisations, their products and services. You may also wish to add your company's information to the listing for free!
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OSH UPDATE was described recently as a "brilliant site"!
Don't work harder - work smarter! Be ahead of the game.
Are you hoping to have a zero accident, incident-free and healthy record 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, including leadership and worker involvement for 2013 and beyond!