News from around the World

November 2008

Contents

ITUC Welcomes re-Election of Juan Somavia as ILO Director General
Missing OSH-ROM? Why not take OSH UPDATE? Don't make decisions without quality OSH information
4th Annual Health and Safety Conference 2008: 3 December 2008 the must attend conference of the year!
NIOSH to Host International Conference on Road Safety at Work
FERMA Risk Management Forum 2009: Global Village: The Future of Risk Management
World Health Organisation report on the Global Burden of Disease
Occupational skin diseases and dermal exposure in the European Union (EU-25): policy and practice overview from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work
Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week
EU Report presents examples of good practice for hotels and restaurants
Online Ordering Available for NIOSH Publications
Nanotechnology Research News Notes
Australia's First report on harmonised safety laws released

ITUC Welcomes re-Election of Juan Somavia as ILO Director General

The ITUC has welcomed the re-election on 18 November 2008 of International Labour Organisation Director General Juan Somavia for a further term, at the meeting of the ILO's Governing Body in Geneva.

"The ITUC and the Workers' Group of the ILO supported Mr Somavia in his re-election, and we congratulate him on today's important outcome. The ILO has an essential role to play in promoting the Decent Work agenda, most especially at this most difficult time when the global economy is in crisis and jobs and living standards are under such serious threat", said ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder.

The ILO, as the UN specialised agency dealing with the world of work, is a tripartite body bringing together representatives of governments, employers and trade unions. At its annual conference this year, it adopted a landmark Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalisation, which in the ILO's words represents a "new strategy to sustain open economies and open societies based on social justice, full and productive employment, sustainable enterprises and social cohesion".

"We look forward to continuing to work with Juan Somavia during his forthcoming mandate to make decent work a reality for all working people, and to deal with the enormous challenges facing the world community", said Ryder.

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

Missing OSH-ROM? Why not take OSH UPDATE? Don't make decisions without quality OSH information

You may have had access to OSH-ROM for many years and will now know that it is ceasing publication. OSH-ROM was created by Sheila Pantry OBE who subsequently, in 2004 produced OSH UPDATE.

OSH UPDATE - produced by Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd now has 19 databases (latest one just added) containing validated and authoritative worldwide information on all aspects of health and safety at work.

OSH UPDATE - arguably one of the best collections of full text and bibliographic health and safety information, is continuously updated as new data is published. It has user-friendly powerful software and the lowest priced collection of occupational safety and health (OSH) information.

During 2007, 24,152 new bibliographic records containing 3,387 links to full text and 1,811 full text documents containing 42,724 pages were added. Additions in 2008 have already exceeded this number.

www.oshupdate.com

Why not take a FREE NO OBLIGATION TRIAL FOR 15 DAY OF OSH UPDATE now?

Send your request at www.sheilapantry.com/interest.html

4th Annual Health and Safety Conference 2008: 3 December 2008 the must attend conference of the year!

The Hawkesmere / Croner 4th Annual Health and Safety Conference will be held on 3 December 2008, in London, UK. Now in its fourth year, this practical one-day conference will help you move ahead with health and safety challenges in your organisation and enable you to understand what needs to be addressed to achieve success. Programme is organised and conference chaired by Sheila Pantry OBE.

The 2007 conference was attended by well over 100 delegates and received very good delegate feedback:

'A very good forum for the exchange of information from both presentations and networking'

'The content and speakers were all of a high standard'

Attending this conference will give you:

Individual awareness and perspectives on new major health and safety topics
The ability to quickly develop credible, coherent and effective plans for turning strategies into action
The opportunity to talk to and ask questions of the expert speakers
The opportunity to network with other senior professionals

This conference will help you to:

Identify the key health and safety issues for 2008/2009
Turn your own strategy into successful action programme

Who should attend?:

Owner-managers
All Occupational Health and Safety Managers aiming to be up-to-date in 2008 with the latest hot topics
Senior Level Managers and Directors who need to be aware about their health and safety responsibilities and the consequences of non-compliance
Finance directors
Representatives from organisations wishing to benchmark their own practices against other leading organisations
Health, Safety and Facilities Managers looking to update and improve their own knowledge and skills base on what is changing in health, safety, professional capabilities, latest legislation and trends
Senior Employee Representatives

NIOSH to Host International Conference on Road Safety at Work

The U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and partners will hold the International Conference on Road Safety at Work on 16 - 18 February 2009, at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, D.C., U.S.A. Conference co-sponsors include the World Health Organization, Pan American Health Organization, International Labour Organization, U.S. Department of State, and National Safety Council.

NIOSH is the Federal agency in the U.S. that conducts research and makes recommendations to prevent work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths. NIOSH is working with partners on strategic research and outreach to reduce the toll of road traffic injuries at work, which are a leading cause of workplace death, injury, and disability in countries around the world. In the U.S., road traffic injuries account for over 35 percent of all occupational fatalities. Worldwide, road traffic accident deaths from all causes are projected to increase from 1.2 million in 2002 to 2.1 million in 2030, primarily due to increased motor vehicle fatalities associated with economic growth in low- and middle-income countries. If effective interventions are not implemented, the World Health Organization estimates that by the year 2030, road traffic injuries from all causes will become the eighth leading cause of mortality worldwide.

The International Conference on Road Safety at Work will provide a forum for business, labor, policy makers, and the research community to discuss strategies to prevent road traffic crashes in the workplace. This is the first international conference dedicated to this important occupational safety issue. Conference sessions will address topics such as crash analysis and benchmarking, strategies to protect drivers in emerging markets, labor perspectives on occupational road safety, corporate social responsibility, and the role of technology in monitoring driver performance and efficacy. A discussion paper on best practices in occupational road safety will be available before the conference.

For information about the conference including registration and hotel information, please contact Jane Hingston at email: JHingston@cdc.gov

More information about NIOSH research on preventing motor-vehicle-related occupational injuries and deaths can be found at www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/motorvehicle

FERMA Risk Management Forum 2009: Global Village: The Future of Risk Management

An ideal environment to meet and share experiences with other European risk professionals!

Following the success of the FERMA Risk Management Forum'07 in Geneva with almost 1300 delegates, Prague will be hosting Forum 2009.

Prague, Czech Republic, 4-7 October 2009 is a date that must go into your diary.

Today's business climate and recent turbulence affecting global financial markets show clearly that risk management is more than ever a number one priority in most organisations. Risk Management is still developing and moving forward.

FERMA's Risk Management Forum 2009 in Prague will address the increasingly complex issues risk managers are facing to establish effective management of risk.

Key topics of the workshops covered under the overall theme of the Forum: Global Village: The Future of Risk Management.

The Forum is an ideal opportunity to increase your knowledge and to network! The FERMA Forum is also renowned for hosting a high quality exhibition and for the business opportunities to offers its participants.

World Health Organisation report on the Global Burden of Disease

A consistent and comparative description of the burden of diseases and injuries, and risk factors that cause them, is an important input to health decision-making and planning processes. Information that is available on mortality and health in populations in all regions of the world is fragmentary and sometimes inconsistent. Thus, a framework for integrating, validating, analysing and disseminating such information is needed to assess the comparative importance of diseases and injuries in causing premature death, loss of health and disability in different populations. The first Global Burden of Disease (GBD) is updated with this report entitled The global burden of disease: 2004 update.

It covers the Cost of illness, contains statistics and gives trends on Mortality.

The global burden of disease: 2004 update. Published 2008
World Health Organization. ISBN 978 92 4 156371 0 (NLM classification: W 74)

Occupational skin diseases and dermal exposure in the European Union (EU-25): policy and practice overview from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work

Skin diseases are the second most common work-related health problem in Europe. They represent more than 7% of all occupational illnesses and are one of the most important emerging risks related to the exposure to chemical, physical and biological risk factors.

The fact that there is no scientific method to measure the level of the body's exposures to risks via dermal contact and their physiological consequences, increases the importance of recognising risk factors and developing methods of assessing the level of exposure and controlling it.

This report presents an overview of dermal exposures and occupational skin diseases. It also presents the principal policies relating to the recognition and recording of skin diseases, as well as the recognition, assessment and control of dermal exposure to chemical, biological and physical risk factors in the Member States of the European Union.

Occupational skin diseases and dermal exposure in the European Union (EU-25): policy and practice overview
The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work Address European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Gran Vía 33, 48009 Bilbao, Spain Luxembourg, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities; L 2985; 2008; 107 pp; OPOCE Catalog Number: TE7007049ENC 2008; ISBN 9789291911615; European Risk Observatory Report No. 6; English

http://osha.europa.eu/en/publications/reports/TE7007049ENC_skin_diseases/view

This document is indexed in OSH UPDATE.

Why not take a free of charge trial of this collection of databases from validated and authoritative sources? see www.oshupdate.com

Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week

Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is being highlighted by the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE). It is lending its support for CO Awareness Week organised by CO-Awareness. It is again taking place in the autumn which coincides with the use of central heating boilers and increased gas consumption by consumers.

This is the third such week and HSE are happy to support the week aimed at reducing incidents, fatalities and ill health due to carbon monoxide poisoning by raising awareness amongst consumers.

CO is a colourless and odourless gas caused by faulty or badly installed gas appliances. Symptoms include drowsiness, headaches, nausea and breathlessness. There are a number of simple steps that gas consumers can take to keep themselves safe from these risks.

In the UK The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 place duties on gas consumers, installers, suppliers and landlords. Ventilation and flues are covered by The Building Regulations. By law, anyone carrying out work on gas appliances or fittings as part of their business must be competent and a registered gas fitter.

CO alarms

HSE strongly recommends the use of audible CO alarms as a useful back-up precaution, but they must not be regarded as a substitute for proper installation and maintenance of gas appliances by a registered gas installer. CO alarms should comply with European standard EN 50291 and should be installed, checked and serviced in line with the manufacturer's instructions.

Further information

HSE have produce a range of free leaflets and information sheets for further advice | www.hse.gov.uk/gas/domestic or see the gas webpages on the HSE website www.hse.gov.uk/gas/domestic/co.htm and the DH public information leaflet on the risks of CO poisoning which has recently been updated provides useful advice.

EU Report presents examples of good practice for hotels and restaurants

A new report by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) focuses on the risks faced by workers in the hotels, restaurants and catering (HORECA) sector. The report, 'Protecting workers in hotels, restaurants and catering', showcases examples of good practice in dealing with workplace risks, as well as giving an overview of policy in the area, and describing changes that are taking place in the sector.

The HORECA sector is an increasingly important source of jobs in many EU Member States, and it employs a high proportion of relatively unskilled young and migrant workers. Working conditions are often difficult, however, with long working hours and physically demanding tasks. In addition, the HORECA sector is characterised by atypical working patterns, with seasonal and shift work being common.

A deterioration in working conditions has been recorded in the HORECA sector from 1995 to 2000 in relation to working hours, job demands and job autonomy.

The workforce in the HORECA sector also faces a large number of psychosocial risks: long, non-standard and unpredictable working hours, a lack of control over work, heavy workloads, and time pressure, which lead to increased stress levels, and lack of work-life balance.

Violence, harassment and discrimination - from customers, colleagues and employers - are more commonly encountered by workers in the HORECA sector than others. They are more often faced with intimidation (12% versus 8.5%), physical violence (6.5% versus 3.5%) and unwanted sexual attention (8% versus 2%). Moreover, workers in the HORECA sector experience greater discrimination (10.5% versus 6.5%). Workers in pubs, discotheques, nightclubs and bars are particularly at risk*.

The physical risk factors that workers face include prolonged standing and the carrying of heavy loads; exposure to high levels of noise and smoke; very high or low temperatures, and working with dangerous substances such as cleaning agents. The resulting health problems include musculoskeletal disorders, skin diseases and respiratory problems.

The few health and safety policies that are specific to this sector include those relating to food hygiene, as well as the smoking ban, which have led in some cases to the introduction of further safety and health measures.

Since 90% of all HORECA establishments are very small (with up to 10 workers), employers often lack the time and resources fully to implement legislation at company level. EU-OSHA's report includes a number of excellent examples of successful risk prevention, which are of use not only in restaurants and hotels, but also in school canteens, clubs and bars. Effective prevention management involves good risk assessment, worker involvement and training in the successful implementation of prevention measures.

In addition to the report, EU-OSHA has developed a wide range of material on health and safety in this area, including seven good practice factsheets and a forum on 'working safely in a multicultural HORECA sector', which can all be found in a dedicated section of the EU-OSHA website. The forum identifies in particular the problems faced by the large numbers of migrant workers in the sector, and provides practical solutions for them.

*European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (2000, 2002)

Online Ordering Available for NIOSH Publications

Did you know that you can now order NIOSH publications on line at www.cdc.gov/niosh/pubs?

You can order up to 18 different titles at once, including CDs and videos. Order limits have been placed for each document and are listed next to the publication number.

If you need additional information or are requesting copies of a NIOSH publication which exceeds the order limit, please contact Sherri Diana at email: sdiana@cdc.gov or by phone at +1 513 533 8471.

Nanotechnology Research News Notes

The NIOSH Nanotechnology Research News Notes, October 2, 2008, highlights recent accomplishments by NIOSH in its strategic research and partnerships addressing the health and safety implications and applications of nanotechnology.

These recent accomplishments include two peer-reviewed scientific papers in key research areas, two international partnership activities, and a professional award presentation.

More information is available at www.cdc.gov/niosh/updates/upd-10-02-08.html

Australia's First report on harmonised safety laws released

The Panel conducting the Australian National Review into Model Occupational Health and Safety Laws has completed its first report in accordance with the terms of reference timetable of 31 October 2008. The second and final report is due to be completed by 30 January 2009.

A copy of the first report was released with the communiqué following the WRMC meeting.

The Panel's first report was completed by 31 October 2008 in accordance with the review's terms of reference.

http://employment.gov.au/occupational-health-and-safety-harmonisation