News from around the World

News Archive

January 2022

ILO: Calls for increased action on inequalities and skills end second session of 109th International Labour Conference

The second and final session of the December 2021 109th International Labour Conference has concluded with a call from Member States for the ILO to develop new strategies to tackle inequalities and boost skills and life-long learning.

Delegates attending the second segment of the 109th International Labour Conference (ILC) have tasked the International Labour Organization (ILO) with developing new strategies to accelerate action to reduce inequalities and boost skills and life-long learning.

The move came at the closure of the 2021 ILC, after the adoption of two sets of conclusions and reports, on Skills and lifelong learning and Inequalities and the world of work. The documents were produced by two tripartite conference Working Groups.

The strategy on inequalities and the world of work is intended to help ILO Member States accelerate action to reduce and prevent inequalities in the world of work and ensure that no-one is left behind. This entails combined and coordinated action in seven areas: promoting employment creation; fostering equal opportunity; ensuring adequate protection for all workers; accelerating the transition to formality; ensuring gender equality and non-discrimination, promoting equality, diversity and inclusion; realizing universal social protection; and promoting trade and development for a fair globalization and shared prosperity.

Delegates asked the ILO to engage urgently in stronger multilateral coordination and collaboration on inequality during recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.

More information: https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_831652/lang--en/index.htm

European Agency: Healthy Workplaces Campaigns 2022

The Healthy Workplaces Campaigns are our flagship awareness-raising activity. They are the main way of getting our message to workplaces across Europe.

The Healthy Workplaces Campaigns’ message is – Safety and health at work is everyone’s concern. It’s good for you. It’s good for business. We help you to promote it by making practical guides and tools freely available. Each campaign also features the Good Practice Awards and the Healthy Workplaces Film Award.

The campaigns are now the largest of their kind in the world. Why not join us and use our online OSH Campaign Toolkit to run your own campaign?

The Healthy Workplaces Campaigns have been running since 2000, formerly under the title ‘European Weeks for Safety and Health at Work’.

Learn more about work-related musculoskeletal disorders: https://osha.europa.eu/en/healthy-workplaces-campaigns

USA and COVID-19: Resolve to be Safe

COVID-19 cases continue to increase rapidly across the United States. This surge is driven by the Omicron variant, which CDC’s Nowcast model projects may account for approximately 95% of cases. On 5 January 2022, 705,264 new cases were reported, more than doubling the January 2021 peak. The entire country is now experiencing high levels of community transmission. Hospitalizations are also on the rise. While early data suggest Omicron infections might be less severe than those of other variants, the increases in cases and hospitalizations are expected to stress the healthcare system in the coming weeks.

Given what we currently know about COVID-19 and the Omicron variant, CDC recently updated its quarantine and isolation recommendations for the public. If you come into close contact with someone with COVID-19, you should quarantine if you are in one of the following groups:

• You are ages 18 or older and completed the primary series of recommended vaccine, but have not received a recommended booster shot when eligible.
• You received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine (completing the primary series) over 2 months ago and have not received a recommended booster shot.
• You are not vaccinated or have not completed a primary vaccine series.

If you have confirmed or suspected COVID-19, regardless of your vaccination status, stay home and isolate from other people for at least 5 full days. Wear a well-fitting mask when around others at home and in public for an additional 5 days. Testing may be used to help determine when to end your isolation period. For information about when and how to test, visit CDC’s website.

Vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself from COVID-19 and reduce its impact on our communities. Everyone should get vaccinated and boosted as soon as they are eligible, including people who have already had COVID-19. Find a vaccine.

More information: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidview/index.html

USA: Influenza Hospitalization Surveillance Network (FluSurv-NET)

FluSurv-NET is a population-based surveillance system The Influenza Hospitalization Surveillance Network (FluSurv-NET) is a population-based surveillance system that collects data on laboratory-confirmed influenza-associated hospitalizations among children and adults through a network of acute care hospitals in 14 states.

FluSurv-NET is CDC’s source for important data on hospitalization rates associated with flu. FluSurv-NET also provides demographic and clinical information including age, sex and underlying medical conditions among persons hospitalized with flu. Data gathered are used to estimate age-specific hospitalization rates on a weekly basis and to describe characteristics of persons hospitalized with influenza illness.

More information: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/influenza-hospitalization-surveillance.htm

COVID-19 situation update for the EU/EEA, as of 7 January 2022

At the request of Member States, data on the daily number of new reported COVID-19 cases and deaths by EU/EEA country has been available to download from 11 March 2021.

ECDC continues to publish weekly updates on the number of cases and deaths reported in the EU/EEA and worldwide every Thursday. The daily and weekly data are available as downloadable files in the following formats: XLSX, CSV, JSON and XML.

Full details: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/cases-2019-ncov-eueea

USA CDC Expands Booster Shot Eligibility and Strengthens Recommendations for 12-17 Year Olds

The USA Center for Disease Control (CDC) is endorsing the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendation to expand eligibility of booster doses to those 12 to 15 years old. CDC now recommends that adolescents aged 12 to 17 years old should receive a booster shot 5 months after their initial Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination series.

Data show that COVID-19 boosters help broaden and strengthen protection against Omicron and other SARS-CoV-2 variants. ACIP reviewed the available safety data following the administration of over 25 million vaccine doses in adolescents; COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective.

At this time, only the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is authorized and recommended for adolescents aged 12-17.

More information: https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2022/s0105-Booster-Shot.html

IOSH UK: Our vision for a safer and healthier world of work

Millions of people have their lives severely affected because of the work they do, with illness, injury and death all too common.

At the same time, there is much more to the world of work than preventing accidents and injuries. Work, when it’s good, gives people status, positive health benefits, a quality of life, and a sense of wellbeing. We believe that by working together, we will all achieve a safer and healthier world of work, and as the chartered body for health and safety in the UK, IOSH can lead the way.

Our new five-year strategy, “WORK 2022 – shaping the future of safety and health”, sets out this vision and defines the steps that we need to take. Help us to shape the future of health and safety and make WORK 2022 a reality, today and in the future.

More information: https://www.ioshwork2022.com