Factsheet 37 - Improving occupational safety and health in SMEs: examples of effective assistance
SMEs are important contributors to European competitiveness, with most new jobs in Europe being created by micro-enterprises with up to six employees. However, they also face particular difficulties including effective management of safety and health and Member States have set up measures to assist entrepreneurship. The Agency has carried out several important projects to improve occupational safety and health in SMEs, including special funding schemes of good safety and health practice in SMEs initiated by the European Parliament and the European Commission. As part of these efforts the Agency has also made a study of practical examples of successful occupational safety and health assistance services to SMEs.
:
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work
:
16.06.2003
:
TE0202037END
Order a printed copy of this document!
In 2009, EU-OSHA carried out the first Europe-wide establishment survey on health and safety at the workplace, the European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER).
Following on from the initial analysis presented in the descriptive overview report in 2010, four secondary analysis projects have been carried out in 2011. This report focuses on management of safety and health at work, examining how practices vary across Europe depending on, for example, establishment size, location and sector.
Safe and healthy workplaces help businesses and organisations to succeed and prosper and also benefit wider society. This guide gives business leaders practical information on how safety and health can be improved through effective leadership, worker involvement and ongoing assessment and review, making businesses and organisations safe and healthy for everyone. A diagnostic check gives an idea of the level of prevention in a company and provides ideas for improvement.
One conclusion from the EU-OSHA economic incentives project is that incentives schemes should not only reward past results of good OSH management (such as accident numbers in experience rating), but should also reward specific prevention efforts that aim to reduce future accidents and ill-health. Experts from the economic incentives project therefore suggested the development of compilations of innovative and evidence-based preventive solutions, starting with the three sectors construction, health care and HORECA (hotels, restaurants, catering). The preventive measures from these compilations are worth promoting in their own right, as well as being applied in economic incentives schemes. These preventive solutions can be used as a basis for incentive-providing organisations to develop their own incentive scheme, adapted to the specific situation in their sector and country.
Show more publications on
Stress
&
Noise
&
Cleaning workers
&
Accident Prevention
&
Construction
&
Gender
&
Musculoskeletal Disorders
&
Dangerous substances
&
Education
&
Agriculture
&
Prevention
- Upcoming Events
- 12th World Congress on Environmental Health LT Vilnius, 22.05.2012
- Bilbao ORP 2012 X Congreso Internacional de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales ES Bilbao , 23.05.2012
- 12th edition of Green Week 2012 BE Brussels, 24.05.2012
- Worker's Compensation Symposium 2012 DE Munich, 24.05.2012
- aktivaltern2012 AT Vienna, 25.05.2012
- Search
- Subscribe
- Free Newsletter
- Alert Service
