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Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd

News from around the World

News Archive

April 2006

Contents
  1. World Day for Safety and Health at Work to be held on 28 April 2006
  2. 26 April 2006 is the last date to book EurOHSE Masterclasses to be held in May 2006, at the Royal National Hotel, Russell Square, London
  3. European survey on working time and work-life balance: High levels of flexi-time arrangements in the UK compared to Europe
  4. NEW WEBSITE: Introducing the independent guide to desktop search tool
  5. DIARY DATE: The leading international conference on occupational safety - Third 'Working on Safety' - conference in Holland
  6. Ten key facts about bird flu
  7. Efficacy of Gloves used in Printing
  8. OSH UPDATE keeps everyone informed and healthily and safe
  9. Is your workplace noisy?
  10. Environment and Waste Plus

World Day for Safety and Health at Work to be held on 28 April 2006

The International Labour Office (ILO) World Day of Safety and Health on 28 April 2006 themes are Decent Work - Safe Work - HIV/AIDS or any combination you may wish to select such as Safe Work - HIV/AIDS or Decent Work and HIV/AIDS, the idea being to raise awareness to the plight of occupational accidents and diseases in your workplace.

It also a day to remember those who lost their lives or suffer long-term ill health through work see
www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/safework/worldday/index.htm

Two reports have been prepared by the ILO:

1) Decent Work - Safe Work - HIV/AIDS:

2) Country profiles:

Two posters have been prepared:

Please also note that the CIS (International Occupational Safety and Health Information Centre) has prepared a bibliography with a lot of references on HIV/AIDS with links to the pdf files. A number of documents on good practice are included.

All the links point to the English versions of the document but the reports as well as the posters and the Bibliography are also available in French.

www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/safework/cis/products/themes/april2806.htm

26 April 2006 is the last date to book EurOHSE Masterclasses to be held in May 2006, at the Royal National Hotel, Russell Square, London

EurOhse 2006 Masterclasses will provide key points for future activities for all those responsible for securing good standards of health and safety in the workplace, and excellent networking opportunities.

The Trainers are all very experienced and the first three Masterclasses will be held in May 2006 in the Edward V11 Suite, Royal National Hotel, Russell Square London, details as follows:

Tuesday, 23 May 2006
MASTERCLASS -Training of business continuity management teams
Trainers - Eve Coles and Les Moseley, University of Coventry, Centre for Disaster Management.

Wednesday, 24 May 2006
MASTERCLASS - Training of emergency planning teams
Trainers - Les Moseley and Eve Coles, University of Coventry, Centre for Disaster Management.

Thursday, 25 May 2006
MASTERCLASS - The Six Day-to-Day Habits of a Pro-Active Safety Culture - Active Monitoring
Trainer - Dr Tim Marsh, Managing Director, Ryder-Marsh (Safety) Ltd

The Masterclasses are aimed at:

OSH managers, directors and others responsible for Business Continuity Management Teams, risk managers and emergency and business continuity planners in industry, commerce and local and central government, practitioners who need to get the a pro-active safety culture established.

Places are limited for these interactive Masterclasses ... make sure that you book now.

SPECIAL REGISTRATION OFFER
The cost per Masterclass is £295.

If you register for 2 Masterclass events you will receive a 10% discount.
If you register for 4 or more Masterclass events you will receive a 20% discount

Payment must be received prior to the event. Delegates are responsible for making hotel bookings. The organisers reserve the right to alter the content of the programme. Payment can be made online via our secure World Pay system, payment can be made by cheque or you can request an invoice to be sent to you. This booking includes admission to the Masterclass and lunch/coffee for the day.

For further details regarding the content of the Masterclasses contact the programme organiser Sheila Pantry at Tel: +44 (0)1909 771024 or Email: sp@sheilapantry.com

For further details regarding booking a place contact: EurOhse 2006, Office and Logistics Manager, European Occupational Health and Safety Magazine (EurOhs), Angel Business Communications Ltd, Unit 6, Bow Court, Fletchworth Gate, Burnsall Road, Coventry CV5 6S, UK | Tel: +44 (0)1926 512424 | Fax: +44 (0)1926 512948 | Email: jesse@angelbc.co.uk

European survey on working time and work-life balance: High levels of flexi-time arrangements in the UK compared to Europe

More than half (56%) of all private companies and public organisations in the UK with more than 10 employees have flexible working time arrangements in place, according to new research from the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, the Dublin-based EU agency. In terms of flexibility, this ranks UK companies and public sector bodies fourth behind Latvia, Sweden and Finland. However, the degree of flexibility offered by flexi-time arrangements in the UK is less advanced than elsewhere in Europe.

Flexible working-time arrangements are regarded as being advantageous for both the employer and the employee, the interview-based survey of personnel managers and employees representatives in 21,000 workplaces across Europe reveals. A higher degree of job satisfaction (EU average 63%, UK 50%), better adaptation of working hours to the workload (EU 55%, UK 49%), and lower absenteeism (EU 26%, UK 35%) are reported as the benefits of flexi-time arrangements. The negative effects, such as a rise in costs (EU 5%, UK 6%) and communication problems (EU 10%, UK 10%) are minor in comparison.

'This positive approach to flexi-time arrangements is good news for job creation in Europe, since it makes work more attractive, especially for women and older workers,' says Jorma Karppinen, the Foundation's Director, in a response to the findings. 'This survey provides unique knowledge about working time arrangements and practices in the workplace in Europe, and it gives the views of both managers and worker representatives.'

The survey results also characterises the UK labour market as part-time friendly. UK companies and public organisations rank first in Europe when it comes to easily switching from full-time to part-time work. More importantly, only one in five (18%) personnel managers in the UK report slightly or significantly worse career prospects for part-time workers than full-time workers, compared to an average of one in three (28.8%) in Europe. The findings confirm, however, that more UK companies and public organisations rely on overtime and that employees are more likely to be rewarded with money than with time off in the UK.

The European survey on working time and work-life balance is a large-scale survey carried out among more than 21,000 establishments (both private companies and public organisations) in the 15 old Member States of the European Union (EU15) and in six of the new Member States: the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Latvia, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia.

Find out more on www.eurofound.europa.eu/areas/worklifebalance/eswtfindings.htm

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

European body, whose role is to provide key actors in social policymaking with findings, knowledge and advice drawn from comparative research. The Foundation was established by Council Regulation EEC No. 1365/75 of 26 May 1975. The Foundation is located in Dublin, Ireland. More news and information from the Foundation is available on: www.eurofound.europa.eu.

NEW WEBSITE: Introducing the independent guide to desktop search tool

A new website is being launched, the Desktop Search Guide, that aims to be the complete - and independent - guide to desktop search tools, with information about what desktop search tools are and what they can do, plus reviews and links to sites where desktop search tools can be downloaded. For health and safety managers, safety reps or, indeed, anyone with responsibility for health and safety, desktop searching can be a quick and easy way to find reports, records, correspondence, or data relating to machinery, equipment, suppliers or incidents.

Desktop search tools can revolutionise the way you use your computer; in particular, they can save time and frustration. With desktop searching you can locate documents, emails, images, web searches, instant messages and more. You can also find information or data that is contained within documents, files and databases on your hard disc, look inside archives such as Zip files, and search across networks (depending on the capabilities of the tool being used).

There are many alternative desktop search tools available - and most are FREE. To help visitors choose the tool that best suits their needs, the Desktop Search Guide enables users to learn how desktop searching works, what it can do, how it can be used, and what to look for when comparing alternative tools. In addition, there are reviews that highlight the pros and cons of the various tools.

When a visitor has decided which tools are of interest, the Desktop Search Guide provides links so that the tools can be downloaded. And for those who are undecided or who simply want to keep up-to-date, there is a section that carries the latest news about this fast-evolving class of software.

DIARY DATE: The leading international conference on occupational safety - Third 'Working on Safety' - conference in Holland

From 12 - 15 September 2006 the Netherlands will host the third international networking conference 'Working on Safety'. The latest scientific insights will be presented, as well as the most powerful regulatory (soft law) instruments and best practices. A must for all professionals on the globe occupied with the improvement of occupational safety. Previous Working on Safety conferences were in Germany (2004) and Denmark (2002).

Keynote speakers are leading professors e.g.:

Other speakers are decision-makers and professionals e.g.: Ruth Dyson (minister for ACC in New Zealand), about the 'Accident Compensation Corporation' in New Zealand, Magne Ognedal (director for the new Petroleum Safety Authority Norway), about 'The risk picture in the Norwegian Petroleum Activity', and Joy Oh (policymaker of the Dutch ministry of Social Affairs and Employment), about 'An innovative view on occupational safety in the Netherlands'.

Network conference
The programme consists of 8 plenary keynote sessions, 35 parallel sessions and about 140 speakers.

Subjects are: occupational accidents, present and new techniques in analysis, safety management systems, safety culture, soft law instruments and good practices.

The main purpose is to exchange knowledge and experiences in the field of working on safety. And of course to meet colleagues from all over the world who are concerned with the same issues.

The Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (Joy Oh) and the Delft University of Technology (Professor Andrew Hale) organize the conference in cooperation with an international committee on which both the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work are represented.

The conference language will be English. The conference takes place in 'De Eemhof', a business conference centre (and holiday park) not far from the international airport Amsterdam-Schiphol. The price for accommodation and registration will be about 1100 Euro.

WORKINGONSAFETY is the worldwide network of decision-makers, researchers and professionals responsible for the prevention of accidents and trauma at work.

For specific questions about the content of the conference: Joy Oh, +31 70 333 5499 or Peter van Beek, +31 70 333 5500 | Email: arbeidsveiligheid@minszw.nl

For questions about registration, accommodation et cetera: Claudia Wouters of ATP, + 31 70 3766 733 of Email: wos2006@atp.nl

Ten key facts about bird flu

A fact sheet on avian influenza developed by the European Commission (SANCO), EU Health Ministries, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Food Safety Authority EFSA has been published providing information and advice to groups at risk and members of the public.

Efficacy of Gloves used in Printing

This range of substances coupled to the need for flexibility and sensitivity poses difficulties in the selection of appropriate gloves. Advice and guidance on glove selection is often based on laboratory tests of the permeation of single substances. The penetration of mixtures of substances is less well understood and there is suspicion that some components in mixtures will enhance the penetration of others. In addition, there is a concern that gloves will behave differently in use and perform less well than in laboratory tests.

Reasons proposed for this are that flexing, stretching and elevated skin temperatures act to reduce breakthrough times below that of the test conditions (unstretched, unflexed, 23°C). The effect of flexing and temperature has been found to reduce breakthrough times to as little as one third (Oppl, 2001). HSE is looking at the solvents, gloves and exposure controls used by printers in an attempt to help reduce exposure and risk of ill-health. Field studies are being conducted to determine what solvents and gloves are commonly used and whether there are more appropriate gloves.

Other investigations involve laboratory studies of the standard permeation rates of solvent mixtures through gloves. To complete the picture HSE also needed to look at the effectiveness of gloves when worn and used. This study sought to use the solvents and gloves used by lithographic printers and simulate their activities in a controlled environment where inhalation could be prevented and the effectiveness of their gloves studied.

The information gathered will contribute to HSE's policy and advice to the UK printing industry on the correct selection and use of chemical protective gloves. Although this project deals with lithographic printing, ultimately all sectors of the UK printing industry will be studied in a rolling programme

Recommendations

Contact: The Health and Safety Laboratory, Harpur Hill, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 9JN | Tel: +44 (0)1298 218000 | Fax: +44 (0)1298 218590

For the full report and free download go to www.hse.gov.uk/research/hsl

OSH UPDATE keeps everyone informed and healthily and safe

Keeping up-to-date in worldwide occupational health, safety, hygiene, road safety, water safety, environment trends and the latest information can be time consuming. Do budget constraints not allow you to buy all the latest 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 do what many organisations and individuals have done recently and take out a subscription to OSH UPDATE!

This newly launched, very affordable Internet based service OSH UPDATE, from Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd is the answer for you. Powered by Head Software International's Headfast/Discovery Internet publishing software, OSH UPDATE containing over 540,000 references is now available and is updated monthly see www.oshupdate.com

OSH UPDATE records has links to the full text where possible - this is all done for you!

It currently contains ten bibliographic databases from worldwide authoritative sources:

OSH UPDATE will expand - we are continuing to make agreements with other well-known information producers around the world and these databases will also be included. As well as the latest information, many reference sources go back 80 or more years and so a valuable tool for researchers, trainers and practitioners.

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, bio-terrorism, management of road risks, preparedness and business continuity and risk assessment.

The title price for a single user via the Internet is GBP250.00/Euros 360.00 /US$ 450.00 per year - less than 68 pence/1 Euro /1.2 dollars per day

The price* (see below for further details) reflects our aim to bring health and safety guidance, Advice, research, journal articles, papers, standards to the attention of health and safety practitioners and managers, researchers, trade union safety representatives, occupational physicians, information specialists in industry, colleges and universities, government staff, inspectors, university and college safety directors, university and college lecturers and those in training - at a cost that is affordable and a service that is time efficient.

A user in Finland says "OSH UPDATE it is excellent and easy to use".
A Hong Kong multi user group says "it is what we need to keep us up-to-date".
A busy UK consultant says "it is very useful, and saves me a lot of time from having to search many sources elsewhere".

Why not take a 30-DAY FREE TRIAL of OSH UPDATE and see for yourself.

If you are interested in taking up this service on trial please email/fax with your details, or contact us to ask further questions.

Sheila Pantry OBE BA FCLIP, Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd | 85 The Meadows, Todwick, Sheffield S26 1JG, UK | Tel: +44 (0)1909 771024 | Fax: +44 (0)1909 772829 | Email: sp@sheilapantry.com | www.sheilapantry.com | www.oshworld.com | www.shebuyersguide.com | www.oshupdate.com
Electronic Products: Environment and Waste Plus | Fire, Emergency and Preparedness Worldwide | OSH Ireland | OSH UPDATE

Is your workplace noisy?

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has reminded employers that the UK Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 came into force on 6 April 2006. The 2005 Regulations will replace the existing Noise at Work Regulations 1989.

Hearing loss caused by work is preventable but once your hearing, or that of your workers, has gone it won't come back. A communications campaign was launched today through key trade journals, direct mail-outs, online newsletters and press activity to remind people of the simple rules of thumb to see whether the new regulations may apply. If they do, employers can get help tackling noise at work through HSE's noise web pages and Infoline.

The Regulations, which came into force on 6 April, put the emphasis on identifying measures to eliminate or reduce risks from exposure to noise at work rather than simply relying on hearing protection, although this may also be needed in the short term.

Geoffrey Podger, Chief Executive of the Health and Safety Executive said:

'Over 1 million employees in Great Britain are exposed to levels of noise which put their hearing at risk. The costs to industry, society and, most importantly, the people who suffer deafness or permanent hearing damage as a result of exposure to noise at work, are considerable. The new Regulations introduce a reduction in the acceptable noise levels at work.

The action values have gone down by 5 dB and there is a welcome focus on noise control rather than just taking measurements. Employers should consider changes of process, engineering controls, changes of workplace lay out, or controlling the amount of time individuals spend in noisy areas.

Full compliance with the new Regulations would over time eliminate occupational noise-induced hearing loss.'

Workplaces, which fell within the scope of the 1989 Regulations, should already have measures in place and the main effect is likely to be a need to review their risk assessments and prioritise their noise-control measures. Employees whose use of hearing protection under the 1989 Regulations was advisory will now have to wear the protection supplied.

Employees newly covered by the Regulations are at relatively lower risk, and the employer will need to put in place proportionate noise reduction measures and provide hearing protection on request."

For more information about the Regulations and simple steps that can be taken to reduce employee noise exposure visit: www.hse.gov.uk/noise

The simple rules of thumb that may indicate you have a noise problem are:

The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 require employers to:

The main changes in the Regulations are to lower exposure action levels. As of 6 April 2006 these will be lowered by 5 dB in comparison to the 1989 Regulations, to 80 dB for the lower exposure action value and 85 dB for the upper exposure action value.

Employers should always be looking to eliminate or reduce risks from noise, and the exposure action values are points at which the employers must take specific action. At the lower exposure action value a risk assessment is needed, employees told about the risks and hearing protection must be made available on request; and at the upper exposure action value noise control should be part of a planned programme, hearing checks are needed and hearing protection must be used.

Exposure is assessed over a working day, or a week if exposure varies markedly from day to day. Exposure to members of the public from their non-work activities is not covered by the Regulations. Also low-level noise, which, while it may be a nuisance, presents no risk to hearing damage, is not covered by the Regulations.

Employers in the music and entertainment sectors have a further two years transitional period, as the new Regulations do not come in to force in these sectors until 6 April 2008. Meanwhile they must continue to comply with the Noise at Work Regulation 1989 by ensuring they minimise the risk of hearing damage to their employees.

HSE has produced a simple guide to the Regulations and advice for employers to reduce exposure. This can be downloaded from www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg362.pdf

Copies of Controlling noise at work L108, ISBN 0 7176 6164 4, price £13.95, are available from HSE Books, PO Box 1999, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 2WA, UK | Tel: +44 (0)1787-881165 | Fax: 01787-313995.

Environment and Waste Plus

At a time when environment and waste information is ever more increasing and the legislation is more complex help is needed to guide busy managers and practitioners quickly and easily to the data they need for compliance with the law.

Up-to-date information from a wide variety of sources - the European Commission, the UK Government and the devolved Parliaments, the agencies and other organisations is needed on environment and integrated pollution prevention control (IPPC) and waste that also meet your ISO 14001 information needs for accreditation requirements. Guidance, advice and technical details are covered.

The answer for busy people at affordable costs - for less than GBP2 / US$3 a day is the newly launched ENVIRONMENT and WASTE PLUS published by Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd which contains a number of Full text databases and a Bibliographic database that may be searched either separately or together. These databases offer extensive coverage of FULL TEXT information on the topics of integrated pollution and prevention control, environment protection and waste.

Constantly updated and enlarged, Environment and Waste Plus, previously established some seven years ago as Environment Plus is re-launched to reflect the ever-increasing topic of waste and related information.

Easy to use software ensures that words and phrases that can be used to retrieve the required paragraph or instructions in a document is also a necessity when time is short and the information is needed quickly. Downloading or printing out the information or transferring to an individual's own document is also another facility. A major consideration is the price to have such a collection available to use whenever and wherever the busy practitioner requires it.

Thousands of full text pages of text are instantly accessible in ENVIRONMENT and WASTE PLUS which contains the following information:

In addition, Environment and Waste Plus contains:

Environment and Waste Plus is based on SilverPlatter's WinSPIRS software which will give the user quick and easy access to a wealth of important publications. The user can download data and print out required documents as well as cross search the database with other titles that use the WinSPIRS software such as the FIRE, EMERGENCY AND PREPAREDNESS WORLDWIDE and OSH-IRELAND. Available via the Internet or on CD-ROM It is also possible to network to enable simultaneous access by multiple users in an organisation. Users will be able to use their own personal computers to give authoritative and validated answers to questions on all aspects of environment and waste concerns.

30 Day FREE TRIAL

Why not try ENVIRONMENT and WASTE PLUS for yourself and check out the contents of these exciting sources of information against your own workplace or academic needs. After a free trial it is offered on a subscription service.

Send your request for either an Internet or CD-ROM trial now.

In the case of Internet trials, access will be timed out after 30 days.

Contact: Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd, 85 The Meadows, Todwick, Sheffield S26 1JG, UK | Tel: +44 (0)1909 771024 | Fax: +44 (0)1909 772829 | Email: sp@sheilapantry.com | www.sheilapantry.com | www.oshworld.com | www.shebuyersguide.com | www.oshupdate.com NEW
Electronic Products: Environment and Waste Plus | Fire, Emergency and Preparedness Worldwide | OSH-Ireland | OSH UPDATE

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Tel: +44 (0) 1909 771024
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