Recent news
EU - New Health-EU Portal online ()The official EU Public Health Portal has been revamped. Its new design aims at attracting new visitors and at further raising awareness about public health issues. The portal also hosts a section on health and safety at work. |
US- Home healthcare workers – updated guidance documents ()Home healthcare workers can be vulnerable as they face an unprotected and unpredictable environment each time they enter a client's community and home. |
DE-Multitasking "don´t disturb" - guidance on how to avoid stress and overload (in German) ()The German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) has just published a brochure on how to tackle stress and overload linked to frequent interruptions and the demand for multitasking. The brochure is one of the outcomes of a project that attempted to identify good working practices to support an ageing working population. |
US - Study finds that working shifts may increase the risk of developing diabetes in nurses ()Examining the association between rotating shift work (≥3 nights/month plus days and evenings) and Type 2 diabetes among 177,000 female nurses aged 25–67 (the Nurses' Health Study), this large-scale study revealed a graded association between the duration of working life the nurses had been engaged in shift work and risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes. |
IE - Guidance on the Management of Manual Handling in Healthcare ()This guide provides practical information on managing the risk of injury from manual handling activities in the healthcare sector. |
BE, CAN- Improving working conditions in home care services ()A guide to good organizational practices aimed at improving the quality of home care and home support services (HCS) jobs has just been published by the Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST). Developed by members of two research teams, the IRSST in Québec and the Service de psychologie du travail of the Université de Mons in Belgium, this project was funded by the 5th permanent joint board on cooperation between Québec – Wallonia-Brussels. |
NL- Standing, kneeling and squatting at work – health-based limit values ()In the present report, at the request of the Minister of Social Affairs and Employment, the Health Council of the Netherlands has investigated whether at the present time there are any new scientific insights concerning health-based or safety-based limit values for work performed while standing, kneeling or squatting. |
Innovative solutions to safety and health risks in the construction, healthcare and HORECA sectors ()
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.
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World AIDS Day – 1 December ()The health care sector presents a large number of hazards and risks and complex occupational safety and health management problems, including diseases such as AIDS. In this respect, prevention of sharps injuries is particularly important. It is not just medical professionals who are at risk. Auxiliary staff such as cleaners and laundry staff can also be at significant risk. To address this problem, Directive 2010/32/EU to prevent sharp injuries in the hospital and healthcare sector was adopted. Member States shall implement the directive by 11 May 2013 at the latest. EU-OSHA supports the implementation of the directive and prevention of HIV/AIDS by providing good practice resources including information on: Prevention from sharp injuries at the workplace |
EU-Occupational health and safety risks in the healthcare sector - Guide to prevention and good practice ()Practical instruments to support employers in identifying the risks for the health and safety of their employees and to guide the implementation of preventive measures in their healthcares facilities are outlined and clarified. This publication will be available in printed format in German, English and French and in electronic format in all other EU official languages. |
Emergency workers need better OSH protection ()A new report shows that emergency workers have a high risk of suffering fatal accidents, injuries and other occupational diseases. Past disasters demonstrate that both communities and companies are often not fully prepared for major accidents and catastrophes. Better protection for emergency workers against occupational hazards should be given high priority, as current environmental, economic, and political developments suggest an increase in the severity and frequency of future disasters. Full report: “Emergency services: occupational safety and health risks” |
World Mental Health Day – 10 October ()10th October is World Mental Health Day. The time to remind ourselves and others that mental health is an important aspect of general health – a value that should not be underestimated. The workplace can be a particularly important setting to maintain good mental health through both prevention of psychosocial risks and promotion of mental health. For more information on mental health at the workplace and how to improve it, visit these EU-OSHA resources: Prevention of work-related stress Management of psychosocial risks in the ESENER enterprise survey |
INT - NIOSH List of Hazardous Drugs in Healthcare Settings to Minimize Exposure and Reduce Health Risks ()About 8 million U.S. healthcare workers are potentially exposed to hazardous drugs, including pharmacy and nursing personnel, physicians, environmental services workers, workers in research laboratories, veterinary care workers, and shipping and receiving personnel. |
New EU Directive to prevent sharp injuries in the hospital and healthcare sector ()Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with this Directive or shall ensure that the social partners have introduced the necessary measures by agreement by 11 May 2013 at the latest. Access our section and good practice information on Prevention from sharp injuries at the workplace. |
EU – a toolkit for implementation of the sharps directive launched at the 2nd European Biosafety Summit, 1 June, Dublin ()The Summit highlighted the impact of sharps injuries, exchanged experience in tackling this issue and launched a practical toolkit drafted by the EBN for implementation of the directive. |
World No Tobacco Day – It’s Time to Stamp out Smoking at Work ()31st May is World No Tobacco Day. It is well known that smoke is bad for your health. However, thousands of workers are still exposed to tobacco smoke at their workplaces. The European Commission is launching during the 4th quarter of 2011 the second stage consultation of the social partners about its initiative on “Occupational exposure to environmental tobacco smoke”. EU-OSHA is supporting smoke-free workplaces by making available information to help employers, smoking and non-smoking workers to prevent and stop exposure to tobacco smoke at the workplace. Watch NAPO in… Lungs at Work and find out more on the no-tobacco dedicated section Green Paper towards a Europe free from tobacco smoke: policy options The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control |
EU - Non-binding guide to good practice for implementing Directive 2006/25/EC "Artificial Optical Radiation" ()Many workplaces contain artificial optical radiation sources and Directive 2006/25/EC lays down minimum health and safety requirements regarding exposure of workers to such sources. The European Commission non-binding guide to good practice for implementing Directive 2006/25/EC pinpoints applications posing minimal risk and provides guidance on others. It sets out an assessment methodology and outlines measures to reduce hazards and check for adverse health effects. This publication is available in English at: http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=148&langId=en&furtherPubs=yes It will also soon be available in printed format in English, French and German and in electronic format in all other EU official languages. |
Work-related stress - one of the biggest OSH challenges in Europe ()Stress is the second most frequently reported work-related health problem, affecting 22% of workers from the EU 27. Studies suggest that stress is a factor in between 50% and 60% of all lost working days. This represents a huge cost in terms of both human distress and impaired economic performance. Read the new report on work-related stress based on international and national statistics. |
E-fact 53: Risk assessment for biological agents ()
Following a brief introduction to biological agents and the hazards generated by these agents, e-fact includes sections on ‘How to do a Risk Assessment’ and ‘How to use a Checklist’. A checklist is then presented to help identify the hazards potentially posed by biological agents. An extensive list of ‘proposed solutions and examples of preventive measures’ is then considered in the light of some of the questions raised in the general checklist. An example of risk assessment relating to legionella is then presented. Finally, sources of further information are presented at the end of the e-fact.
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FI - FIOH - Violence link to MSDs found in health-care study ()Healthcare workers exposed to physical violence |
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Innovative solutions to safety and health risks in the construction, healthcare and HORECA sectors
- EU Framework Agreement
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Visit a European Framework Agreement on Prevention from Sharp Injuries in the Hospital and Health Care Sector (available in: Français, Deutsch, Svenska, Castellano, Dutch)
- News
- EU - New Health-EU Portal online 25.04.2012
- US- Home healthcare workers – updated guidance documents 28.02.2012
- DE-Multitasking "don´t disturb" - guidance on how to avoid stress and overload (in German) 15.02.2012
- US - Study finds that working shifts may increase the risk of developing diabetes in nurses 06.02.2012
- IE - Guidance on the Management of Manual Handling in Healthcare 03.02.2012
