Risk assessment – the key to a better work environment
News release - 21.10.2009
“With better risk assessment practices, we can prevent many workplace accidents that occur every day all around Europe”, says Dr Jukka Takala, Director of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA). Dr Takala will be visiting Sweden next week, as a speaker at the high level conference on labour market inclusion under the Swedish Presidency of the European Union.
The conference is to take place in Stockholm on 26-27 October. In the context of the Swedish priority to fight exclusion, occupational safety and health will be analysed as an instrument for labour market inclusion. Dr Takala will present the link between OSH, productivity, business competitiveness and reintegration management, as a key contribution to labour market inclusion. He will also present a report from EU-OSHA; “Workforce diversity and risk assessment: Ensuring everyone is covered”, which highlights the need to carry out inclusive risk assessment, taking into account the diversity of the workforce when assessing and managing risks. It provides interesting examples of risk prevention for vulnerable workers, such as migrant workers, disabled workers, young and old workers, women and temporary workers.
The conference is a follow-up on the informal ministers meeting that took place in Jönköping on 8-9 July earlier this year. The conference will focus on finding the best ways to fight exclusion and make it possible for the workforce to be able to stay in work, even as we experience the world-wide economic crisis. Among the participants are experts, scientists, representatives from organisations, trade unions and employer organisations, coming from all over Europe.
Dr Takala´s presentation will be held in a workshop at 9.00-11.30 on Tuesday 27 October at the conference centre, Norra Latin.
Dr Takala is available for a limited number of interviews on Monday 26 October. Please contact Pär Lönegård, +46 (0)8 572 42 58 or par@lonegard.com to arrange an interview in advance.
Press contacts:
Swedish media
Pär Lönegård, +46 (0)8 572 42 58 or par@lonegard.com
Karolin A Johansson (pressekreterare hos arbetsmarknadsminister Sven-Otto Littorin) +46 (0)8 405 22 11
Further reading:
Report “Workforce diversity and risk assessment: Ensuring everyone is covered” http://osha.europa.eu/en/publications/reports/TE7809894ENC/view
