Good practice awards
Stop that noise! – Reducing risks from workplace noise
What are the awards?
The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work invites nominations for the sixth European Good Practice Awards in occupational health and safety. The 2005 award scheme will recognise companies or organisations that have made outstanding and innovative contributions to the prevention of risks from noise. The awards aim to demonstrate, by example, the benefits of following good safety and health practices to all European employers and workers.
The awards will provide those selected with European recognition for their role in improving working conditions in Europe. In addition:
*Representatives of the selected enterprises/organisations will be invited to the European Week for Safety and Health at Work 2005 closing event and award ceremony in Bilbao.
*The examples will be presented in an Agency booklet to be widely distributed across Europe and presented on the Agency’s website.
What types of good practice examples can be entered?
Good practice examples are implemented solutions to prevent or reduce risks from noise to workers safety and health. All entries should show good management, particularly the effective use of risk assessment and implementation of its findings, and be focused on the successful prevention of risks to workers.
Noise does not just cause hearing loss; it can be a causal factor in accidents, contribute to work-related stress, and may act together with other workplace hazards to cause ill health.
The good practice examples should preferably focus on:
*Effective management actions, involving the workforce, for example:
oAn effective risk assessment and subsequent action programme taking a holistic approach to the risks arising out of noise at work;
oProcurement plans taking into account noise emissions from work equipment;
oOccupational health preventive actions (e.g. health surveillance or monitoring systems).
*The elimination of loud noise from the workplace.
*Control of noise at source, for example by innovative noise reduction measures on work equipment (e.g. on powered hand tools).
*Collective control measures, for example by good workplace design and layout to reduce noise exposures.
*Training, for example;
oWorkplace training and education programmes to raise awareness of noise issues and reduction strategies;
oThe effective communication of knowledge on hazards, risks, and solutions by means such as instruction, training, and actions by safety representatives.
*Elimination or reduction of risks from noise where noise is acting in combination with other workplace hazards, for example noise and dangerous substances.
Examples of good practice are also welcome from work equipment and machinery manufacturers who have taken effective measures to reduce noise from their machinery, and from organisations who facilitate the procurement of low noise work equipment (e.g. providing databases), particularly where manufacturers have liaised with employers and workers to develop a solution. Cases where individual or collective innovative sound management methods are used to enable effective communication in noisy environments (e.g. by emergency services) are also welcomed.
What should the examples demonstrate?
*Workplace focus;
*Risks tackled at source through good management, particularly the effective use of risk assessment and implementation of its findings;
*Good consultation between management and the workforce, or between the supplier and purchaser of work equipment;
*Effective participation of the workforce;
*Successful implementation in the workplace;
*Real improvements;
*Sustainability across time;
*Going beyond simple compliance with all relevant legislative requirements;
*Possibility of transfer to other workplaces, preferably including those in other Member States and to SMEs; and
*´Freshness´ of information provided. The example should be recent or not widely known.
Good practice examples should not have been developed only for commercial profit. This particularly relates to products, tools or services that are or could be marketed. Examples focused on the individual, such as training, should also demonstrate how they are part of a wider risk-management approach. You can see awarded good practice examples from previous years on the Agency’s website, for example at http://osha.europa.eu/publications/reports/103/en/Accidentprevention.pdf .
Who can take part?
Good practice examples will be accepted from organisations in EU Member States. Organisations include:
*Individual enterprises, (from whom entries are particularly welcomed) where actions have been taken;
*Enterprises or organisations within the product, equipment, or personnel supply chain, for example plant-hire companies;
*Employer organisations, trade associations, trade unions, nongovernmental organisations; and
*Regional or local occupational health and safety prevention services, and other intermediary organisations.
How to enter
The Agency’s network partner responsible for organising the European Week in your country has more detailed information available and will inform you about the closing date for receipt of nominations.
Contact them at:
IRELAND (Closing date for Ireland entries: xx/xx/xxxx)
Address: Health and Safety Authority
10 Hogan Place
Dublin 2
Tel. (353-1) 614 71 22
Fax (353-1) 614 71 25
E-mail: info@hsa.ie
URL: http://ie.osha.europa.eu
MALTA (Closing date for Malta entries: xx/xx/xxxx)
Name: Malta Focal Point
Address: Occupational Health and Safety Authority
120 St Ursola Street
Valletta VLT 02
Tel. (356) 21 24 76 77 / 8
Fax (356) 21 23 29 09
E-mail: ohsa.communications@gov.mt
URL: http://mt.osha.europa.eu/
UNITED KINGDOM (Closing date for UK entries: 01/07/2005)
Name: UK Focal Point
Address: Health and Safety Executive, Better Regulation and International Branch
Rose Court 8SW,
2 Southwark Bridge,
London, SE1 9HS
Tel. 08701 545 500 (HSE Infoline)
E-mail: uk.focalpoint@hse.gsi.gov.uk
URL: http://uk.osha.europa.eu/
More information about the European Agency and the European Week 2005 can be found at:
http://ew2005.osha.europa.eu
