October 21st marks the beginning of European Week for Safety and Health at Work.
Organised centrally by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) and coordinated in Ireland by the Health and Safety Authority, the 2018/19 “Healthy Workplaces Manage Dangerous Substances” campaign aims to raise awareness of the risks posed by dangerous substances in the workplace and to promote a culture of risk prevention. The campaign has a number of objectives including:
- Increase the understanding of the need to manage dangerous substances at work
- Promote risk assessment, elimination and substitution, as well as the hierarchy of prevention measures
- Raise awareness of the risks linked to exposure to carcinogens at work
- Target groups of workers with specific needs and increased levels of risk
Dangerous substances have been on the OSH policy agenda across the EU for decades. Although some substances have been banned, restricted or subject to strict regulatory control, dangerous substances continue to be a safety and health risk in many workplaces.
The effective management of work related exposure to dangerous substances is only possible if everyone in the workplace is well informed about the risks and the measures that can be taken to manage them. This means that employers need to take steps to actively involve workers in OSH management processes.
Employers are required by legislation to involve workers in the risk assessment process, provide them with information on what they may be exposed to and organise training on safety and health issues. When a workplace has established a prevention culture, the management of dangerous substances is integrated into systematic, sound and participative OSH management.
Get Involved
There are a number of ways to get involved and support this campaign:
- Raise awareness by disseminating and publicising the campaign materials within your own workplace
- Organise events and activities, for example a workshop or training session
- Promote the substitution principle and the hierarchy of prevention measures
- Share good practices for the prevention of risks posed by dangerous substances in the workplace
Further information can be found on the chemicals section of the HSA website here or on the official ‘Healthy Workplaces’ campaign website here.