DANGEROUS SUBSTANCES - Handle with care

The European Week 2003 is an information campaign aimed at making Europe a safe and healthy place to work by promoting activities to reduce the risks of working with dangerous substances. With the backing of all Member States and enlargement countries, the European Commission and Parliament, trade unions and employers’ federations, this annual initiative has become the largest workplace safety and health event in Europe. It provides a unique opportunity to focus attention on the importance of safety and health at work. 

It is being coordinated by the Bilbao-based European Agency for Safety and Health at Work and will run in all 15 EU Member States, the candidate countries, and beyond. The Agency is the European Union organisation responsible for occupational safety and health information. 

European Week will take place throughout the month of October 2003, with each country deciding precisely which week is designated. However, the campaign will run throughout 2003. 

The Week is aimed at people in organisations, companies and workplaces of all sizes and sectors. Everybody involved in occupational safety and health matters is invited to take part, especially safety and health institutions and occupational insurance organisations, trade unions and employers’ organisations, companies, managers, employees and safety representatives. 

Across Europe, millions of employees are exposed to dangerous substances in their workplaces. Failure to control the associated risks can harm people’s health in many different ways including: asthma; skin irritation or dermatitis; cancer; reproductive problems and birth defects. It can also result in damage to the nervous and immune systems, affecting vital organs such as the lungs, heart, kidneys and liver. 

In turn, organisations can suffer through lost productivity and increased liability to prosecution and claims for compensation from employees. 

European legislation sets out the obligations of employers to prevent the exposure of workers to harm from dangerous substances in the workplace. These include risk assessment, the prevention of risks associated with dangerous substances, arrangements for dealing with accidents and emergencies, and information and training for workers. In addition, employers are required to involve workers in the development of their safety and health policies. 

A huge amount of guidance for employers and workers is available, but it needs to be acted on if it is to protect workers’ health. And a key aim of the European Week is not only to raise awareness of the risks, but also to stimulate actions to make Europe’s workplaces safer, healthier and more productive. 

The ideal situation is to stop using a dangerous substance altogether, or if this is not possible, to substitute the substance for a less dangerous one. The key to minimising the risks of dangerous substances lies in risk assessment and following through the requirements of the various EU directives that cover the use of dangerous substances at work. Guidance on how to do this can be found on the European Week website at http://osha.europa.eu/ew2003/. Member States have also produced their own practical guidelines and preventive tools.  

Reducing the risks of working with dangerous substances is not just a moral and legal imperative. There is a strong business case as well. More effective controls can lead to improved staff morale and improved productivity by reducing the amount of raw materials used. The most successful businesses usually have the best safety and health performance. Good health is good business.