New chairperson confirms Agency's plans for 2006 to target young people at work
News release - 14.12.2005
Meeting in Bilbao on 13 December 2005, the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work’s Governing Board has elected Dr Bertil Remaeus as its new chairperson, and approved the Agency’s work programme for 2006.
Dr Bertil Remaeus is the Swedish government representative on the Agency’s Board. He takes over from Mr Luis Lopes, the Portuguese workers’ representative.
Commenting on his appointment, Dr Remaeus said: "I am very proud to have been entrusted with this responsibility by my colleagues on the Board. I am particularly looking forward to the implementation of the Agency’s work programme for 2006, which the Board has just agreed, as it focuses on an important challenge: the safety and health of EU's 58 million young workers. At the start of their professional career young people are considerably more vulnerable than other categories of workers and accidents or health damage at this early stage are particularly distressing as they can have life-long consequences. We must take steps to ensure young people have a safe and healthy start at work, and to promote risk prevention in enterprises, schools and colleges."
According to Eurostat data, the risk of work accidents is at least 50% higher among those aged 18-24 years than in any other age category. The "Safe Start" campaign, coordinated by the European Agency, will be run in the 25 EU Member States, as well as EFTA and candidate countries.
Also included in the Agency’s 2006 work programme is a major awareness-raising programme in the EU's 10 new Member States (Healthy Workplace Initiative); further development of the Risk Observatory – a data collection and analysis structure aimed at providing insights into the impact of the changing world of work on occupational safety and health; and the setting up of a good practice information resource for the catering, hotel and restaurant sector.
Commenting on the outcome of the Board meeting, Hans-Horst Konkolewsky, Director of the European Agency, said: "I am very happy to welcome Bertil Remaeus as Chairperson of the Agency and look forward to working closely with him in promoting the Agency’s health and safety activities in 2006, including our priority campaign: the European Week 2006 on young workers."
Ends
Press enquiries:
Marek Kosarczyn, Press Officer, European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, email: kosarczyn@osha.europa.eu, tel: +34 94 479 43 86.
Other enquiries:
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Gran Via 33, E-48009 Bilbao, Spain, email: information@osha.europa.eu, fax: +34 94 479 4383.
Notes to editors:
1. 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.
2. Dr Bertil Remaeus is Deputy Director-General of the Swedish Work Environment Authority (before January 2001 called the Swedish National Board of Occupational Safety and Health). In the years 1991-1995 he was Director of Supervision at the same authority, for which he has worked since 1974. Dr Remaeus is a metallurgist and materials technologist. Between 1970 and 1974 he was researcher at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. In the years 1985-1989 he worked as Expert Technical Adviser at the Ministry of Labour. Dr Remaeus is a Board Member of the Swedish Radiation Protection Authority and the Institute of Environmental Medicine. He is also member of the Advisory Committee of the European Commission, as well as Senior Labour Inspectors Committee, SLIC.
Traduction fournie par le Centre de traduction (CdT, Luxembourg), sur la base d’un original anglais.
Commenting on his appointment, Dr Remaeus said: "I am very proud to have been entrusted with this responsibility by my colleagues on the Board. I am particularly looking forward to the implementation of the Agency’s work programme for 2006, which the Board has just agreed, as it focuses on an important challenge: the safety and health of EU's 58 million young workers. At the start of their professional career young people are considerably more vulnerable than other categories of workers and accidents or health damage at this early stage are particularly distressing as they can have life-long consequences. We must take steps to ensure young people have a safe and healthy start at work, and to promote risk prevention in enterprises, schools and colleges."
According to Eurostat data, the risk of work accidents is at least 50% higher among those aged 18-24 years than in any other age category. The "Safe Start" campaign, coordinated by the European Agency, will be run in the 25 EU Member States, as well as EFTA and candidate countries.
Also included in the Agency’s 2006 work programme is a major awareness-raising programme in the EU's 10 new Member States (Healthy Workplace Initiative); further development of the Risk Observatory – a data collection and analysis structure aimed at providing insights into the impact of the changing world of work on occupational safety and health; and the setting up of a good practice information resource for the catering, hotel and restaurant sector.
Commenting on the outcome of the Board meeting, Hans-Horst Konkolewsky, Director of the European Agency, said: "I am very happy to welcome Bertil Remaeus as Chairperson of the Agency and look forward to working closely with him in promoting the Agency’s health and safety activities in 2006, including our priority campaign: the European Week 2006 on young workers."
Ends
Press enquiries:
Marek Kosarczyn, Press Officer, European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, email: kosarczyn@osha.europa.eu, tel: +34 94 479 43 86.
Other enquiries:
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Gran Via 33, E-48009 Bilbao, Spain, email: information@osha.europa.eu, fax: +34 94 479 4383.
Notes to editors:
1. 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.
2. Dr Bertil Remaeus is Deputy Director-General of the Swedish Work Environment Authority (before January 2001 called the Swedish National Board of Occupational Safety and Health). In the years 1991-1995 he was Director of Supervision at the same authority, for which he has worked since 1974. Dr Remaeus is a metallurgist and materials technologist. Between 1970 and 1974 he was researcher at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. In the years 1985-1989 he worked as Expert Technical Adviser at the Ministry of Labour. Dr Remaeus is a Board Member of the Swedish Radiation Protection Authority and the Institute of Environmental Medicine. He is also member of the Advisory Committee of the European Commission, as well as Senior Labour Inspectors Committee, SLIC.
Traduction fournie par le Centre de traduction (CdT, Luxembourg), sur la base d’un original anglais.
