Safe Maintenance has new ambassadors from leading European companies and organisations

As many as 20% of all workplace accidents in Europe are connected with maintenance, with organisations across the continent increasingly aware that action is necessary to combat hazards related to maintenance. With this in mind, over a quarter (26.8%) of the partners have cited the improvement of safe and healthy work conditions for employees and employers alike, as the main reason for their participation in the Campaign. The partners identified further reasons for their participation, such as aiming to engage their own workers and/or members in managing safety and health (16.01%), or sharing good practices (5.39%). Other partners associated their participation as an opportunity to work closely with other like-minded organisations (14.4%).

“Renowned companies, organisations and associations from a wide range of sectors such as the chemical industry, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, manufacturing and construction, among many others, have joined our Campaign”, Jukka Takala, Director of EU-OSHA said. “We are delighted that the issue of safe maintenance has been incorporated in industries and workplaces across Europe helping transform the daily lives of workers. I’d like to welcome our 7 new ‘ambassadors’ and look forward to working in cooperation with them for the remainder of the campaign”.

Since the start of the campaign on 28th April 2010, good practice in safe maintenance has been promoted by the partners all around Europe through a wide variety of activities. The many seminars and conferences across Europe touched on specific topics, such as the latest OSH products and services available to help improve conditions in workplaces throughout the continent. One of the partners also invented a scheme that develops, assesses and certifies the competency of personnel responsible for the installation and maintenance of equipment in hazardous areas. Today this tool is operated not only within the EU but in locations across the globe.

The new Official Campaign Partners will be recognised during a ceremony on the 22nd and 23rd November in Bilbao, which also plays host to the closing event of the Healthy Workplaces Campaign 2010/11 on safe maintenance.

For more information about campaign partners and their activities as well as a wide range of information resources on safe maintenance, visit the Healthy Workplaces Campaign 2010/11 official website:
http://hw.osha.europa.eu
http://hw.osha.europa.eu/partners/eu-partners
 

Approved Official Campaign Partners:
AEIP (European Association of Paritarian Institutions); Airliquide Welding; Baxter; BUSINESSEUROPE; CEEP (European Centre of Employers and Enterprises providing Public services); CEFIC (European Chemical Industry Council; CEOC International; CEPI (Confederation of European Paper Industries); CES/ ETUC (European Trade Union Confederation); CSEE-ETUCE (European Trade Union Committee for Education); CPME (Standing Committee of European Doctors), Delphi; DuPont Sustainable Solutions; EAEF (Employee Assistance European Forum); EBC (European Builders’ Confederation); ECTA (European Chemical Transport Association); EEMUA (The Engineering Equipment and Materials Users’ Association); EFBWW (European Federation of Building and Woodworkers); EFNMS (European Federation of National Maintenance Societies); EFFAT (European Agriculture and Tourism Sectors/ European Federation of Trade Unions in the Food); European Network FOCUS; EMCEF (European Mine, Chemical and Energy Workers’ Federation); EORNA (European Operating Room Nurses Association); EWF (European Federation for Welding, Joining and Cutting); ETPIS (European Technology Platform on Industrial Safety); ETF (European Transport Workers’ Federation); EuroCop (European Confederation of Police); EPSC (European Process Safety Centre); ESF (European Safety Federation); ETSA (European Textile Services Association); ETSC (European Transport Safety Council); EU-VRI (European Virtual Institute for Integrated Risk Management ); FEES (Federation of the European Ergonomic Societies); FERMA (Federation of European Risk Management Associations); FIEC (European Construction Industry Federation); FOHNEU (Federation of Occupational Health Nurses within the European Union); Gamesa Corporación Tecnológica; General Electric Energy; Golder Associates; Granite Service International; Ideal Standard International; IMA-Europe (Industrial Minerals Association – Europe); IIRSM (International Institute of Risk and Safety Management); Intel International B.V.; ISHCOO (International Safety and Health Construction Coordinators Organisation); Medicover; Pirelli & C. SpA; Syndex; TMHE (Toyota Material Handling Europe AB); UEAPME (European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises); UEPG (European Aggregates Association); UNI Europa.

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Notes to editors

1. The mission of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) is to make Europe a safer, healthier and more productive place to work. EU-OSHA 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, EU-OSHA 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. http://osha.europa.eu

2. The Healthy Workplaces Campaign 2010/11, which is co-ordinated by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work and its partners in the 27 EU Member States, supports a wide range of activities at the national and European level that promote safe maintenance. It highlights the importance of maintenance to eliminate workplace hazards, and to provide safer and healthier working conditions in workplaces throughout Europe. For the second consecutive year, safe maintenance will be the focus of this year’s European Week for Safety and Health at Work (24 to 28 October) before the conclusion of the campaign in Bilbao on 22 and 23 November. http://hw.osha.europa.eu

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