News from around the World

News Archive

May 2003

Launch of 'Safe! - Helping children to stay safe on farms' video and children's magazine

In ten years 42 children have been killed on UK farms and a new video and children's magazine have be produced by the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to highlight the dangers. Both the video and the magazine will be given to schools. A special guest at the launch of these titles on 20th May 2003, will be farmer Ray Brown and his son, Adam (15) who suffered cracked ribs and pelvis, and spent ten days in hospital, after he fell from the wheel arch and was run over. His father actually managed to physically lift the three tonnes vehicle off his son and called the ambulance. Both are willing to talk about their experiences.

The video was filmed at Ray Brown's farm in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire and takes the style of a Saturday morning programme with three young characters, Josh, Tanya and Alex, pointing out the hazards and giving advice on how to avoid them. The other character is the farm hand,

Jock, who represents the responsible adult and tells the children if they do anything wrong. All of the characters are actors. Mrs Patricia Twelvetree from Sheffield, will talk about an accident involving her 15 year old son, Joseph, who missed 12 weeks off school when he became entangled around a power take off shaft leading to a pulping machine and he suffered two broken legs and a serious head haemorage. (Joseph will not be at the launch.)

Immediately after the launch a group of seven and eight year old pupils from St Mary Magdalene School at West Bromwich will become the first group to watch the video and participate in the activities in the magazine which includes a full colour poster and stickers.

Two new research reports looking at zoonoses (diseases caught off animals including ecoli 0157) and the type of accidents which happen to children on farms will also be available for the first time.

To order copies of the video and magazine contact: HSE Books, PO Box 1999, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 2WA, UK | Tel: +44 (0)1787 881165 | Fax: +44 (0)1787 313995 | www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books

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Striving for excellence: NIOSH's Research and Prevention Programmes in the USA:

Dr Vern Anderson explains at the Eurohse2003 Conference in November 2003

Vern Anderson will be speaking at Eurohse2003 Conference, which will be held on Tuesday 4 November 2003 and Wednesday 5 November 2003 at the Royal National Hotel, Russell Square, London, UK. Vern will be speaking about the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's various research and prevention programmes. EurOhse2003 conference is being organised by Angel Business Publications Ltd publishers of the European Occupational Health and Safety Magazine (EurOhs) and Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd. Sheila Pantry OBE is also editor of EurOhs magazine and weekly EurOhs electronic newsletter.

Dr. Anderson received his Ph.D in psychology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and joined NIOSH after five years of teaching at the University, Dr. Anderson began his career as a NIOSH researcher performing worksite and laboratory studies focusing on the impact of work hazards on injuries and illnesses. For the last five years, Dr. Anderson has served as the Chief of the Information Resources Branch within the Education and Information Division of NIOSH in Cincinnati. Dr. Anderson manages the NIOSH Web site (www.cdc.gov/niosh) an 800 number information inquiry service, toxicology databases, exhibits, as well as printing and information dissemination. He also is active in promoting NIOSH's information resources. The Information Resources Branch is developing new methods and products for meeting the information needs of the public for the prevention of workplace injury and illnesses.

Other eminent speakers will be addressing the major themes of the European Commission's Adapting to change in work and society: a new Community Strategy on health and safety at work 2002-2006. This conference will provide key points for future activities for all those responsible for securing good standards of health and safety in the workplace.

It is the major conference of 2003! Bookings have already been made - make sure your reservations comes in on time, and also gain a discount by making an early-bird reservation.

The web site www.eurohse2003.com gives all details, including a booking form.

For further details contact: Mary Meadows, Office and Logistics Manager, European Occupational Health and Safety Magazine (EurOhs), Angel Business Communications Ltd, 34 Warwick Road, Kenilworth CV8 1HE, Warwickshire, UK | Tel: +44 (0)1926 512424 | Fax: + 44 (0)1926 512948 | email: mary@angelbc.co.uk

Quality is Key for a Competitive Enlarged Europe

If Europe is to meet its target of creating the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy and greater social cohesion by 2010, a more stringent focus on the quality of the labour market as a whole - and more and better jobs in particular - is needed.

In an effort to encourage European social policymakers to explore how quality can contribute to achieving better jobs in an enlarged European economy, and how quality can be promoted through strong partnerships (tripartite or bipartite), the Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working conditions co-organised a two-day conference in Alexandroupolis, Greece, on 12-13 May 2003.

The conference, 'Better work and life - towards an inclusive and competitive enlarged Union' took place in cooperation with the Greek Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. Focusing on better quality of work, employment and life the conference will use various experiences and practical examples revolving around employment status, work and non-work time management, and modernisation of work organisation.

'Quality that affects the work and life of the EU citizens is an issue well embedded in the business culture and the challenge today is to introduce it to both the economic and social fields,' says Raymond-Pierre Bodin, the Foundation's Director.

Labour markets, employment relations, and working and living conditions in candidate countries differ significantly from the EU Member States and quality matters are important in their modernisation process in order to ensure a smooth accession to the EU and a normal functioning after accession.

Further information on the event can be downloaded at www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/htmlfiles/ef0389.htm

More information about the Foundation is available on www.eurofound.europa.eu

Further information regarding the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, please contact Mr. Måns Mårtensson, press officer, at tel: +353-1-204 3124, mobile: +353-876-593 507, or e-mail: press.officer@eurofound.eu.int

Keep up with news from the European Foundation in our newsroom at http://eurofound.europa.eu/news

OSHmail: Electronic newsletter from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work

OSHmail is the electronic newsletter from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work.

OSHmail is published every two weeks in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

European Week for Safety and Health at Work 2003

First pan-European campaign to combat risks of dangerous substances at work

"I am very pleased to announce that the European Week for Safety and Health at Work has developed into the largest safety and health event in our region, including not only the 15 EU-Member States but also all Candidate Countries and all EFTA countries," says Hans-Horst Konkolewsky, Director of the Agency. "Dangerous substances need to be handled with care - this is the key message of our 2003 campaign."

European Week for Safety and Health at Work https://www.healthy-workplaces.eu/en/european-week-safety-and-health-work

ChemHELP SDS and ChemHELP DB

Environmental Science Ltd (ESL) has recently launched the ChemHELP SDS database that provides quick and easy access to over 3000 Safety Data Sheets with basic data, plus over 620 safety data sheets with complete CHIP3 (Chemical Hazard Information and Packaging) Regulations. The database is also available on CD-ROM and will help organisations that do not have their own in-house expertise for writing safety data sheets. The data sheets are laid out under 16 headings. ESL will also add your own safety data sheets in their standard format.

ChemHELP SDS includes the facility to view, sort, search and print safety data sheets with built-in templates and a range of tools that allows the user to create their own safety datasheets. ChemHELP SDS program also includes automatic format formula text entry, and built-in abbreviation tools. The index gives quick access to which part of the system you wish to use.

ChemHELP DB

Launched in 2000 this is an advanced database of substance hazards, exposure, list and properties and includes data from various lists such as ASL, EH40. ACL and ADR.

The fastest way to find any chemical substance when you are sure of its name (or part of its name) is to use the Fast Find button. You can use CHEMHelp Fast Find to generate an entire list of all the substances on the system.

The displays on both systems are clear and easy to use. Installation is neat and quick despite the large amount of data in the systems. You will need a computer with at least 32Mb of memory, and either Windows 95 or 98 installed as the operating system - this should be within most computers capability so will present no difficulties.

If you wish to take a trial and explore in your own time contact:
Sam Awolesi, Senior Consultant, Environmental Science Ltd, 3 Station Approach, Station Road, March, Cambridgeshire PE15 8SJ, UK | Tel: +44 (0) 1354 653 222 | Fax: +44 (0) 1354 855030 | www.esldatasheets.com/sdscheckservice.html

European Agency launches new Facts 21 Safety and health online:

A step-by-step guide to accessing good practice information on the web

This two page Fact Sheet shows how to get hold of information about good practice in occupational safety and health via the Agency comprehensive network of websites.

Contact: European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Gran Via 33, E-48009 Bilbao - Spain | Tel: + 34 94 479 4360 | Fax: + 34 94 479 4383 | email: information@osha.eu.int | http://osha.europa.eu/good_practice

Title you may have missed.......

Do you know how to use a fire extinguisher? If not then get "Extinguishing Fires at Work" - FPA's best selling video.

The Fire Prevention Association's video about fire extinguishing equipment and how to use it covers:

• types of extinguishers
• a demonstration of the new 'wet chemical' extinguisher on a deep fat fryer
• how to operate the various extinguishers
• fire blankets and their use
• hose reels

Audience:

• employers/companies who need to educate their staff
• fire safety trainers
• fire safety managers and fire wardens
• health and safety managers
• any staff who may be called upon to extinguish a fire at work

Contact: Fire Prevention Association, Publications Department, Bastille Court, 2 Paris Gardens, London SE1 8ND, UK. | Tel: +44 (0)20 7902 5300 | Fax: +44 (0)20 7902 5301 | Email: fpa@thefpa.co.uk | www.thefpa.co.uk