April 28th - World Day for Safety and Health at Work: Making Decent Work a Reality

On 28 April this year, thousands of representatives of governments, employers
and workers will be celebrating the ILO’s World Day for Safety and Health at Work.
They will be considering how to make their contribution to the Decent Work Agenda by improving working conditions and making work in their areas safe and healthy. The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work joins in supporting this annual event and in promoting better workplace throughout Europe.

The Agency has launched the second edition of the Healthy Workplace Initiative campaign. This major campaign organised by the Agency and its national Focal Points (FOPs) network, will help thousands of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the 12 newer EU Member States, Croatia and Turkey to implement an effective health and safety policy.

A series of free seminars will be held in these countries targeting SMEs on how to make workplace safer, healthier and more productive. SMEs have long been a priority area of work for the Agency, given their importance in Europe’s economies. They provide employment to over 72% of the EU 12 new Member States workforce and, at a general level, accident rates are higher in the 12 new Member States than in the EU 15, with accident rates in SMEs of the EU 15 alone being alarmingly higher than the average.

The 2007 edition of the campaign will be launched on 26th April in Nicosia and will continue until the end of November. It will run in Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, and Turkey.   Learn more about the HWI campaign Attend our free seminars