Agency launches online guide to safer working with dangerous substances
News release - 22.10.2003
The European Agency has launched a new online safety and health guide on dangerous substances as support for the European Week for Safety and Health at Work.
The European Agency has launched a new online safety and health guide on dangerous substances as support for the European Week for Safety and Health at Work.
The European Week is the first pan-European campaign to reduce the risks of chemicals, biological agents and other dangerous substances at work – hazards that affect around a quarter of the EU’s 150 million employees. During October, thousands of campaign events are taking place in more than 30 countries across Europe.
The Agency’s dangerous substances web feature means that practical and up-to-date advice is now just a mouse click away. It covers all the main risks associated with working with dangerous substances and links to online information provided by more than 100 safety and health institutions across Europe. Users can choose from a list of more than 40 key topics, like ‘chemical accident prevention’ or ‘personal protective equipment’, or by sector, such as ‘agriculture’ or ‘construction’.
The information on offer ranges from dedicated web features on issues, such as asbestos, to real-life case studies showing how dangerous substances have been effectively substituted in the workplace. In addition, exposure limit information for dangerous substances as well as ‘SME-friendly’ information for small and medium-sized businesses is also available.
Agency Director, Hans-Horst Konkolewsky, commented: “The European Week campaign is all about reducing the risks of working with dangerous substances. The Agency’s web feature provides access to a wealth of practical advice as to how this can be done. It will enable anyone who works with dangerous substances to get access to safety and health information, which is up-to-date and, above all, practical.”
The good practice web feature is online at http://europe.osha.europa.eu/good_practice/risks/dangerous_substances/index.php . Over the coming weeks, the feature will be made available in up to 11 languages.
More information on the European Week is available at http://osha.europa.eu/ew2003/
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Press contacts:
Eke Heetveld or Brenda O’ Brien, European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Bilbao. Tel: (34) 94 479 43 86 or (34) 94 479 35 41 e-mail: heetveld@osha.europa.eu or obrien@osha.europa.eu .
Other enquiries:
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Gran Via 33, E-48009 Bilbao, Spain, e-mail: information@osha.europa.eu , fax: (34) 94 479 43 83.
Notes to editors
- The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work was set up by the European Union to help meet the information needs in the field of occupational safety and health. Based in Bilbao, Spain, the Agency aims to improve the lives of people at work by stimulating the flow of technical, scientific and economic information between all those involved in occupational safety and health issues.
- The European Week for Safety and Health at Work is an information campaign designed to raise awareness and promote activities to make Europe a safe and healthy place to work. It is coordinated by the European Agency and is being run in the Member States, EFTA and candidate countries in October 2003 with each Member State deciding the precise week. The Week is aimed at the workplace and all safety and health institutions and organisations, trade unions, companies, managers, employees and safety representatives are invited to take part and organise their own activities. These can include special audits and risk assessment activities in the workplace, organising training, distributing information material, launching a new workplace policy, suggestion schemes, encouraging participation of employees and their representatives or linking-up with other organisations, businesses or sub contractors to carry out activities in partnership. The slogan of EW2003 is "Dangerous Substances – Handle with Care".
