Recent news
ES – a new portal on Workplace Health Promotion in Spain ()The INSHT (Instituto Nacional de Seguridad e Higiene en el Trabajo) has launched a new website on Workplace Health Promotion in Spanish. |
EU - registration is now open for the Health Programmes conference to take place 3 May 2012 in Brussels ()This conference, organised jointly by the DG SANCO of the European Commission and the Executive Agency for Health & Consumers, will gather together many stakeholders such as policy makers, NGOs and key actors from the health sector. |
EU-Eight chemicals added to the list of substances subject to Authorisation (Annex XIV of REACH) ()Eight more substances of very high concern have been added to the REACH Authorisation list, following a Decision adopted by the European Commission on 14 February 2012 and published today in the Official Journal of the European Union. These eight chemicals, which are all carcinogenic and/or toxic for reproduction, are diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP), diarsenic trioxide, diarsenic pentaoxide, lead chromate, lead sulfochromate yellow (C.I. Pigment Yellow 34), lead chromate molybdate sulphate red (C.I. Pigment Red 104), tris (2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) and 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT). |
Work-family balance requires proper attention ()Work-life conflict is prevalent in Europe with more than a quarter of workers reporting to suffer from some form of it. It doesn’t only cause problems for individuals, but it’s also detrimental to the organisations in which they work. An Agency e-facts Family issues and work-life balance looks at the causes of the conflict, its consequences and what practical steps can be taken by both employers and employees to address it. |
ECHA launches Classification and Labelling inventory ()This database contains classification and labelling information on notified and registered substances received from manufacturers and importers. It also includes the list of harmonised classifications. Companies have provided this information in their C&L notifications or registration dossiers. ECHA maintains the Inventory, but does not verify the accuracy of the information. Companies have provided this information in their C&L notifications or registration dossiers. |
UK, HSE, Vehicles at work - Interactive case studies ()The UK Health and Safety Executive has put together some ‘before-and-after’ interactive case studies to help you think and talk about vehicle safety in the workplace. They are all based on events that their inspectors have reported. |
UK, HSE, How HSE complies with its equality duties ()HSE's Commitment to the Equality Duty The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is committed to eliminating discrimination and promoting equality in our policies and in our dealings with our staff. We are committed to all aspects of equality with overarching objectives covering all equality strands. |
DE-Multitasking "don´t disturb" - guidance on how to avoid stress and overload (in German) ()The German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) has just published a brochure on how to tackle stress and overload linked to frequent interruptions and the demand for multitasking. The brochure is one of the outcomes of a project that attempted to identify good working practices to support an ageing working population. |
SLIC campaign 2012 on psychosocial risks ()The Committee of Senior Labour Inspectors (SLIC) has launched its European Campaign 2012 on psychosocial risks. A SLIC working group, in which EU-OSHA took part, has developed an inspection toolkit available in 22 languages. The Campaign will address especially the health and social care, service, and transport sectors. The results and conclusions will be presented at the Final Conference in Sweden in March 2013. EU-OSHA will draw on the SLIC campaign’s experiences and lessons to prepare its own Healthy Workplaces campaign on psychosocial risks that will take place in 2014-2015. More information about the SLIC campaign is available from: http://www.av.se/SLIC2012/ Visit our section on stress: http://osha.europa.eu/en/topics/stress See also the ESENER survey results on psychosocial risks: http://esener.eu |
BE - Women and occupational diseases: the case of Belgium ()The ETUI recently published a report highlighting the discriminatory impact on women of the system for the declaration and recognition of occupational diseases in Belgium. There is one striking statistic: women represent less than 10% of recognised cases of occupational diseases. |
Scientific evaluation of aluminium and aluminium compounds ()The Nordic Expert Group (NEG) has recently published an evaluation on aluminium. The document is a joint production of the Nordic Expert Group for Criteria Documentation of Health Risks from Chemicals (NEG) and the Dutch Expert Committee on Occupational Safety (DECOS). It has been published separately by DECOS and NEG and the NEG version, hereby announced, has been adapted to the requirements of NEG. |
UK, HSE, Leadership and worker involvement on the Olympic Park ()This research considers leadership and worker involvement practice across selected projects on the London 2012 Olympic Park. |
BE - Transport sector social partners campaign against toxic gases ()The social partners in the transport and logistics sector launched an information campaign, on 30 November 2011, to raise awareness about the hazards of exposure to toxic gases among workers in contact with goods containers. When containers are opened, workers can be exposed to toxic gases in two different cases: when the goods transported have been treated with a gas or solid substance to prevent rotting or to control vermin, and when goods contain substances, such as glues or paints, that can release toxic substances. |
UK, Healthy Working Lives, Respiratory protection selector online tool ()In UK the Health and Safety Executive and the Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives have developed a new Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) selector tool to assist organisations select the correct RPE. |
Commission announces winners of the 3rd EU Health Prize for Journalists ()On 31 January 2012, in Brussels, four prizes were awarded to European journalists for the best articles on health issues. |
EU, ETSC, Final call - PRAISE occupational road safety awards ()ETSC has launched a final call for entries in its third annual competition on work related road safety. This is part of its project: Preventing Road Accidents and Injuries for the Safety of Employees (PRAISE). |
DK- The Danish national return-to-work (RTW) program ()The Danish national return-to-work (RTW) program aims to improve the management of municipal sickness benefit in Denmark. A study is currently ongoing to evaluate the RTW program. The program includes 21 municipalities with about 19 500 working-age adults on long-term sickness absence, regardless of reason for sickness absence or employment status. |
US - Study finds that working shifts may increase the risk of developing diabetes in nurses ()Examining the association between rotating shift work (≥3 nights/month plus days and evenings) and Type 2 diabetes among 177,000 female nurses aged 25–67 (the Nurses' Health Study), this large-scale study revealed a graded association between the duration of working life the nurses had been engaged in shift work and risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes. |
IE - Guidance on the Management of Manual Handling in Healthcare ()This guide provides practical information on managing the risk of injury from manual handling activities in the healthcare sector. |
DE - Hand-held laser processing devices – safety measures (in German) ()The range of applications for hand-held laser processing devices (HLDs) is increasing rapidly. Today, hand-held laser processing devices are available amongst others for welding, cutting, cladding, hardening and cleaning. The devices are used in the automotive, engineering and tool making industry, and recently also in shipbuilding. Also, hand-held laser systems are applied for art restoration and conservation. |
