European Week of Safety and Health
Publish Date: Friday, 10 October 2008
"Healthy Workplaces: Good for you. Good for business. A European campaign on Risk Assessment"
20th - 26th October 2008
Every year 5,720 people die in the European Union as a consequence of work related accidents with an estimated further 159,500 deaths from occupational diseases. Most of these accidents and diseases are preventable, and the first step in preventing them is risk assessment. That is the message of "Healthy Workplaces: Good for you. Good for business" the Europe-wide information campaign on risk assessment, recently launched by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work.
The campaign will run for two-years (2008/2009) and is designed to raise awareness of the importance of Risk Assessment to make European workplaces safer, healthier and more productive. It will focus especially on high risk sectors and on the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises.
Under health and safety law, all employers in the EU are required to carry out risk assessments. Risk assessment is the start of the risk management process and helps employers understand the action they need to take to improve workplace health and safety, as well as productivity.
"Every occupational accident and disease is one too many," says Mr Alan Burke, Director of Environmental Health in Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough Council. "Even if they don't result in fatalities, the consequences are unacceptable, both for the people concerned and for the economy. Every year, millions of workers in the EU are involved in accidents which force them to stay at home for at least 3 working days at an enormous cost to the economy. Risk assessment is the key to reducing these figures. But it can only be the first step - implementation must follow"
During the European Week for Safety and Health at Work (20th -26th October 2008) Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough Council's Environmental Health Department will be carrying out a series of inspections in local business outlets with a specific emphasis on risk assessment. In particular, inspectors will be looking at risks associated with the employment of vulnerable workers such as young and migrant workers, as these groups are recognised as being more at risk of workplace accidents and ill health.
According to Mr. Burke, "With the Healthy Workplaces campaign we want to encourage enterprises to carry out risk assessment properly, involving
everyone in the workplace. Risk assessment is not necessarily complicated, bureaucratic or a task only for experts. There are plenty of tools available (such as checklists) that can help in the process. Proper risk assessment also
brings a number of business benefits, because making workplaces safer and healthier helps to reduce absenteeism and insurance costs, and increases worker motivation and productivity."
Information packs containing guidance on risk assessment and vulnerable workers will be distributed by the Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough Council's Environmental Health Department to a number of catering and retail businesses throughout the area. In addition guidance and further information can be accessed on the Council's website at www.dungannon.gov.uk
It is hoped that this campaign will help demystify risk assessment and, in particular, to reduce the risk of accidents and ill health in relation to vulnerable workers.
For further details please contact Melanie Patterson, Lead Environmental Health Officer (Health and Safety)
Notes to editors:
1. The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work
was set up by the European Union to help meet the information needs in the field of occupational safety and health. Based in Bilbao, Spain, the Agency aims to improve the lives of people at work by stimulating the flow of technical, scientific and economic information between all those involved in occupational safety and health issues.
2. Risk assessment is the process of systematically evaluating the risks to workers' safety and health from workplace hazards. It looks at all aspects of the workplace and the work that is carried out there, considering what could cause harm, whether hazards can be eliminated, and if not, what preventive or protective measures should be put in place. Risk assessment is the start of the process of health and safety management.
3. "Healthy Workplaces: Good for you. Good for business. A European campaign on Risk Assessment" is EU-OSHA's Europe-wide information campaign, designed to raise awareness of the importance of Risk Assessment and to make European workplaces safer, healthier and more productive. The campaign runs for two-years (2008/2009) and is backed by the EU Presidencies, the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European social partners.
During the European Week for Safety and Health at Work (20-26 October 2008 and 19-25 October 2009), a series of events will be organised, involving the focal points, which are usually the national health and safety authorities in each Member State. The campaign also features Good Practice Awards, which recognise companies and organisations that have made outstanding contributions in promoting risk assessment in the workplace.
For more information please visit the following website: http://osha.europa.eu/en/campaigns/hw2008
