GETTING involved

• increase safety and health awareness among employees and managers to make your workplace a safer and healthier place to be;
• demonstrate that good safety and health is good business;
• help to prevent work-related stress - saving time and money;
• contribute to cutting the human and economic toll of a Europe under stress.

A wide range of activities

In 2000 and 2001, the European Week saw thousands of activities organised across Europe. They promoted the importance of preventive measures to tackle the problems of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and accidents. Many organisations worked in partnership to carry out joint activities. Our aim is for this year's Week to be bigger still, involving even more organisations, companies and individuals.

There's no set formula for a European Week activity and they can range from the simple to the ambitious. You can think about including psychosocial issues and stress within your existing health and safety activities or you could arrange special activities. Activities could include:

• special risk identification and assessment activities, health and safety audits in the workplace etc.;
• training seminars or workshops;
• workplace safety and health exhibitions;
• information material aimed at raising awareness on these issues in the workplace;
• 'Good neighbour' schemes encouraging larger companies to support smaller ones;
• competitions or suggestion schemes to develop and exchange good practice;
• encouraging the participation of workers and/or their representatives;
• launching a new workplace policy or prevention initiative during the Week.
• workplace health promotion activities.

Rewarding good practice

As part of the Week, the Agency is also running a Good Practice Award Scheme to recognise companies or organisations, which have made outstanding and innovative contributions to the prevention of psychosocial risks in the workplace. The Awards will be presented in November, in Bilbao (Spain) at the closing ceremony of this year's European Week. Details of the award scheme and how to enter are available from your national contact point as well as from the Agency website.