EW Closing Event 2001

EUROPEAN CONFERENCE - CLOSING EVENT OF THE EUROPEAN WEEK 2001. Brussels, European Parlament. 22-23 November 2001

Participation is by invitation only. Please contact the secretariat

PROGRAMME

Background

Across Europe, work-related accidents remain at stubbornly high levels.

• Every year about 5,500 people are killed in workplace accidents.
• There are over 4,5 million accidents (equivalent to 4,229 accidents per 100,000 employees) that result in more than three days absence from work, amounting to around 146 million working days lost.
• The direct insurance costs alone of workplace accidents are estimated to be 20 billion ¤ per year. Accidents happen in all sectors of the economy and are a particularly acute problem in enterprises with less than 50 workers.
• Slips, trips and falls cause most accidents, followed by manual handling, being struck by moving or falling objects, and transport accidents.
• Falling from height and accidents involving vehicles cause most fatalities.

The majority of these accidents can be prevented.

The European Union has adopted directives to protect workers and to improve safety and health at work. These measures include minimum requirements aimed at preventing work-related accidents. Specific directives cover a framework for managing safety, work equipment, the use of safety signs, personal protective equipment and construction sites for example. Member States have issued legislation on preventing accident risks, and practical guidelines and preventive tools are also available.

Reducing work-related accidents is not just a moral and legal imperative. There's a strong business case for doing so as well. The most successful businesses usually have the best accident prevention records. Good safety and health is good business

The European Week 2001

The European Week 2001 is an information campaign aimed at making Europe a safe and healthy place to work by promoting activities to reduce the number and severity of work-related accidents. With the backing of all Member States, the European Commission and Parliament, trade unions and employers federations, it provides a unique opportunity to focus attention on the importance of workplace safety and health. Communicating that message is the key aim of this year's European Week for Safety and Health at Work being run by the EU's 15 Member States in October 2001.

Objectives of the conference

The conference is organised jointly by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work and the Belgian Presidency of the European Union in collaboration with the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs of the European Parliament. It includes the closing event of the European Week 2001, as well as the Award Ceremony for the Good Practice Award Scheme

This conference provides an opportunity for leading European decision-makers to discuss and raise awareness of the issue of work-related accidents and the changing world of work focusing on the major policy challenges in tackling the problem. It is also aimed at promoting the results of the European Week and, in particular, to highlight how accidents can be effectively prevented.

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PART I
The prevention of work-related accidents: a continuing challenge

Date: Thursday, 22 November 2001, pm

Venue: European Parliament, Brussels

Time schedule:
13.30 - 14.30 Registration and welcome
14.30 - 18.30 Conference
20.00 - 23.00 National evening

14.30 Opening session:

Chair:
Hans-Horst Konkolewsky, Director, European Agency for Safety and Health at Work

• Laurette Onkelinx, President of the European Union, Belgian Deputy Prime Minster and Minister for Employment and Equal Opportunities
• Representative of the European Parliament
• Odile Quintin, Director General, DG Employment and Social Affairs, European Commission.

15.00 Session 1:

A century of accident prevention: starting point for new approaches and strategies?

Chair:
Representative of the European Parliament

• The prevention of work-related accidents yesterday, today and tomorrow
  Jorma Rantanen, Director General of Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Finnland
• Preventing work-related accidents: a global challenge
  Jean-Luc Marié, President of the Special Commission on Prevention, International Association for Social Security

15.45 Session 2:

The impact of the changing world of work

Chair:
Richard Clifton, Health and Safety Executive, United Kingdom

• European data on work-related accidents: a statistical overview
  Angel Fuente-Martin, Health and Safety Unit, DG Employment and Social Affairs
• New concepts in the prevention of work-related accidents in the changing world of work
  Rik Op De Beeck, Head of Research and Consultancy Department, PREVENT, Belgium
• From prevention of occupational accidents to safety promotion
  Richard Wynne, Director, Work Research centre, Ireland
• Relevance of gender issues in risk assessment and prevention
  Kristina Kjaer Helgstrand, Researcher, AMI, Denmark
• Ageing of the workforce and prevention of work-related accidents
  Kari Lindstrom, Finnish Institute for Occupational Health, Finland
• Exposure to violence as a risk factor at work
  Karen Clayton, Health and Safety Executive, UK

16.30 Session 3:

New approaches in the prevention of work-related accidents

Chair:
Marcel Wilders, Trade Union Confederation (FNV), the Netherlands and Chairperson of the Agency's Administrative board

• OSH-management: a general framework for the prevention of work-related accidents
  Marc Heselmans, Director General, Safety Directorate, Ministry for Employment and Labour, Belgium
• OSH-agreements at sector level: the Dutch experience
  Ferdi Licher, Head of OSH Department, Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, the Netherlands
• The employer model: a branch-based approach in Germany
  Helmut Ehnes, Director of Prevention, Steinbruchs-BG, Germany
• The Aragón model: a regional approach of health and safety management in Spain
  D. José Luis Martínez Laseca, Director General de Trabajo, Govierno de Aragón, Spain

17.30 Session 4:

Round table discussion

Chair:
Christophe De Brouwer, Chairman of the OSH Council, Belgium

A panel with the speakers of the day will reply to participants' questions.

18.30 End of the first day

20.00 National evening hosted by the Belgian Presidency of the EU

Including the Belgian Good Practice Awards ceremony introduced by Willy Imbrechts, European Agency Focal Point Manager, Belgium.

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PART II
Towards a European strategy for accident prevention

Date: Friday, 23 November 2001

Venue: European Parliament, Brussels

Time schedule:
09.00 - 09.30 Welcome coffee
09.30 - 12.30 Conference

9.30 Session 5:

The future EU-strategy for the prevention of work-related accidents: a round table discussion

Chair:
Marc De Greef, Managing Director, PREVENT, Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Belgium

• Representative of the European Parliament's Committee for Employment and Social Affairs
• Wilfried Beirnart, Economic and Social Committee
• José Ramón Biosca de Sagastuy, Health and Safety unit, DG Employment and Social Affairs, European Commission
• Marc Sapir, Representative of the ETUC
• Therèse de Liedekerke, Representative of UNICE
• Bertil Remaeus, Deputy Director General of Swedish Work Environment Authority
• Representative of the Belgian Presidency of the EU
• Carlos Maria Font Blasco, Director General of the Dirección General de la Inspección de Trabajo y Segurdidad Social, Spanish Minsitry of Labour and Social Affairs

11.00 Session 6:

Prevention in practice and Good Practice Awards Ceremony

Chair:
Christa Schweng, Austrian Economic Chamber, Vice-Chairperson of the Board of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work

A European Award Scheme for good practices in the prevention of work-related accidents
Hans-Horst Konkolewsky, Director, European Agency for Safety and Health at Work

Presentations of award-winning innovative solutions to work-related accident prevention based on the Good Practice Award Scheme

Good Practice Awards Ceremony

12.15 Closing address:

Anna Diamantopoulou, EU Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs

12.30 End of the conference

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Pre-conference workshops
Work-related accidents: the current situation and new developments

Date: Thursday, 22 November 2001

Venue: Diamant Conference & Business centre, A. Reyers Boulevard, Brussels

Time schedule:
09.00 - 09.30 Welcome coffee
09.30 - 12.00 Parallel workshops
12.00 - 13.30 Lunch
13.30 - 13.45 Transport to the European Parliament by bus

Objectives

The pre-conference workshops will provide an opportunity for discussion and exchange of information and experiences. They are intended to create a basis for networking of European OSH-experts and policy-makers. The results of the discussion will be used as an input into the conference. Most of the workshops will make use of the results of the projects carried out by the European Agency Topic Centre on Research.

Workshop 1

New concepts in the prevention of work-related accidents in the changing world of work

Chair: Paul Weber, Inspection du Travail et des Mines, Luxemburg

Keynote: Jean-Claude André, Scientific Director, INRS, France

Rapporteur: Rik Op De Beeck, Head of Research and Consultancy Department, PREVENT, Belgium

Workshop 2

From prevention of occupational accidents to safety promotion

Chair: Kris de Meester, FEB-VBO, Representative of UNICE

Keynote: Gerard Zwetsloot, TNO, the Netherlands

Rapporteur: Richard Wynne, Director, Work Research centre, Ireland

Workshop 3

Relevance of gender issues in risk assessment and prevention

Chair: Elisabeth Lagerlöf, Head of Information and Communication, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions

Keynote: Laurent Vogel, Researcher, European Trade Union Technical Bureau for Health and Safety

Rapporteur: Kristina Kjaer Helgstrand, Researcher, AMI, Denmark

Workshop 4

Ageing of the workforce and prevention of work-related accidents

Chair: T. Koukoulaki, European Trade Union Technical Bureau for Health and Safety

Keynote: Karl Kuhn, Head of Unit, Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Germany

Rapporteur: Kari Lindstrom, Finnish Institute for Occupational Health, Finland

Workshop 5

Exposure to violence as a risk factor at work

Chair: NN, Idict, Portugal

Keynote: Annika Hultin, Swedish Work Environment Authority, Sweden

Rapporteur: Karen Clayton, Health and Safety Executive, UK

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General information

Venues

Conference venue
European Parliament, Brussels

Workshops venue
Diamant Conference & Business centre, Boulevard A. Reyers, Brussels

Transport

Buses will transport the participants from the official hotels to the venue of the workshops at 9.00 am on Thursday 22nd. At 1.30 pm these buses will take the participants to the European Parliament for the official opening of the conference.

Dates

22 November, morning (pre-conference workshops) and afternoon
23 November, morning

Participation

The number of participants is limited. Early registration is recommended. Participation is free of charge and includes a conference pack with full information and details of attendance at the national evening on Thursday. Vegetarians and participants with food allergy should tell the conference secretariat about any special requirements.

Working languages

The working languages of the conference will be Dutch, French, English, German, Spanish and Italian. The pre-conference workshops, however, will be held only in English.

Social programme

A "Brussels Special" guided tour will be organised on Wednesday 21 November at 8.00 pm. Those people accompanying participants may attend the national evening on Thursday. Please use the registration card to book for these events.

Travel and hotel Accommodation

For travel and hotel accommodation, please contact the travel agency:
AWT
Rue Gachardstraat 86, B-1050 Brussels

Please note…
A number of rooms have been reserved in several hotels; please use the registration form to book a room. Because a lot of visitors will be in Brussels during the presidency, we strongly recommend making your reservation as soon as possible.

Secretariat

PREVENT, Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Rue Gachardstraat 88, B-1050 Brussels
International Affairs
Tel: +32 2 643 44 44
Fax: +32 2 643 44 40
e-mail: international@prevent.be
www.prevent.be

Steering committee

Hans Horst Konkolewsky, European Agency for Safety and Health at Work,
Luc van Hamme, Ministry of Labor and Employment, Belgium
Marc De Greef PREVENT, Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Belgium

Organisation

Belgian Presidency of the EU
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work
European Parliament Committee for Employment and Social Affairs

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