Healthy Workplaces Campaigns 2014-19 Edwin Schmitt, EU-Consulting, TÜV Rheinland Safety and health at work is everyone s concern. It s good for you. It s good for business.
What you are going to hear? Healthy Workingplaces Campaigns: Manage Stress 2014/15 Heathy Workingplaces for all ages 2016/17 Manage dangerous substances in the workplace 2018/19 2
1. Managing stress and psychosocial risks at work Scale the problem Over half of European workers report that stress is common in their workplace. Stress is thought to contribute to about half of all lost working days, along with other psychosocial risks. Around 4 in 10 workers think that stress is not handled well in their workplace. 3
The psychosocial work environment A poor psychosocial work environment may be the result of excessive or conflicting work demands; lack of participation and influence over the way the job is done; poor communication and lack of support; psychological and sexual harassment and third-party violence; poorly managed organisational change and job insecurity. 4
The negative effects For the individual Difficulty in concentrating and making mistakes Burnout and depression Problems in personal life Drug and alcohol abuse Poor physical health For the organisation Poor overall business performance Increased absenteeism and presenteeism Increased accident and injury rates 5
How to manage stress and psychosocial risks Even with only limited resources, psychosocial risks can be effectively assessed and managed. Being proactive and having a plan in place to pre-empt problems is the most effective way to tackle psychosocial risks in the workplace. A risk assessment is essential to identify hazards and appropriate solutions. Involve workers (two-way dialogue) Practical tools and guidance facilitating effective management of psychosocial risks are available. 6
Healthy Workplaces for All Ages - Promoting a sustainable working life What is the issue? Europe s workforce is ageing longer working lives Challenges arising from demographic change: general labour shortages shortages of skilled workers more people at work with health problems/chronic diseases concerns about productivity and absenteeism Management of OSH in the context of an ageing workforce requires a multidisciplinary approach... 7
Prevention throughout working life holistic approach Health in later life is affected by working conditions in earlier life Prevention of work-related accidents, health problems and occupational diseases is needed throughout working life Holistic approach, including: work environment and organisation training and lifelong learning leadership work life balance motivation career development 8
Diversity-sensitive risk assessment Risk assessment is the cornerstone of OSH management in Europe Differences exist between individuals, take account of: age gender disability migrants For younger workers, take account of: physical and intellectual development immaturity lack of experience For older workers, consider: high-risk situations (e.g. shift work, high physical workload, extreme temperatures) Older workers are not a homogeneous group and differences in both functional capacity and health between individuals increase with age Diversity addressed by focusing on work demands in relation to individual capacities and health 9
Adapting the workplace Work should be adapted to individual abilities, skills and health status, as well as other factors of diversity Dynamic and continuous process throughout working life Examples of changes in response to functional capacity: use of equipment good ergonomic design job re-design job rotation Good workplace design and good organisation benefit all ages 10
Lifelong learning Enable workers of all ages to take part in education and training Prevent erosion of skills and competences Updating and developing skills important for employability Also important for psychosocial working environment 11
Human resources (HR) and OSH management Cooperation between stakeholders is very important, particularly HR and OSH management HR policies have an impact on safety and health, for example: work life balance working time lifelong learning career development HR should support OSH management of all ages 12
Healthy Workplaces Campaign 2018-19 Manage dangerous substances in the workplace Safety and health at work is everyone s concern. It s good for you. It s good for business.
Introduction to the campaign Coordinated by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) Organised in more than 30 countries Supported by a network of partners: National focal points Official campaign partners European social partners Media partners Enterprise Europe Network EU institutions Other EU agencies 14
Key objectives Raise awareness of the risks posed by dangerous substances in the workplace Promote a culture of prevention to eliminate or effectively manage risks Improve understanding of the risks associated with carcinogens Target workers with specific needs and vulnerabilities Provide information on policy developments and relevant legislation 15
What is the issue? Many workers are exposed to dangerous substances in European workplaces The awareness of this issue is often low Dangerous substances can lead to: acute and long-term health problems for example cancer, respiratory diseases and skin irritation fire, explosion and suffocation substantial costs to businesses for protective measures and liability 16
What are dangerous substances? Any substance (gas, liquid or solid) that poses a risk to workers safety and health: chemicals, e.g. in paints, glues, disinfectants, cleaning products or pesticides process-generated contaminants, e.g. welding fumes, silica dust or combustion products like diesel exhausts naturally occurring materials like grain, asbestos or crude oil Dangerous substances are likely to be present in almost all workplaces Harm can arise from both short- and long-term exposures 17
Facts and figures Chemical or biological substances are present in 38 % of workplaces Large enterprises often use more than 1,000 different chemical products Of workers surveyed in the EU, 18 % report being exposed to chemicals for at least 25 % of their working time A single worker can come into contact with hundreds of different chemical substances New risks are emerging all the time 18
How to manage dangerous substances? Creating a prevention culture is key Raise awareness everyone must be aware of the issues Risk assessment is essential for effective prevention Legislation on dangerous substances is already in place in the EU employers must be aware of their legal obligations Practical tools and guidance can help businesses manage the risks and ensure safe and healthy workplaces 19
Risk assessment Everyone employers, managers and workers should be involved Should cover all groups of workers and contractors, and also exceptional work situations, e.g. repair Should be kept up to date and workers should be well informed and trained In SMEs, risk assessment can be broken down into steps to make the process more manageable Tools are available to help enterprises (OiRA) 20
Legislation The employer is legally responsible for ensuring workplace safety and health Risk assessments must be carried out to identify all safety and health risks Risks must be managed based on a hierarchy of prevention measures the STOP principle Substitution Technological measures Organisational measures Personal protection 21
Substitution Dangerous substances and processes should be completely eliminated from workplaces if possible These can often be substituted for safe or less harmful alternatives Substitution presents challenges for many workplaces Tools and examples of good practice are available to help workplaces implement substitution 22
Getting involved Organisations of all sizes and sectors, as well as individuals, can get involved by: disseminating and publicising campaign materials taking part in or organising events and activities using and promoting dangerous substances management tools becoming a campaign partner keeping up to date via social media 23
Healthy Workplaces Good Practice Awards Recognition of innovative safety and health practices in the workplace Organisations are rewarded for successful and sustainable initiatives to managing dangerous substances in the workplace Open to organisations in: EU Member States candidate countries potential candidate countries European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries Winners are announced at an awards ceremony 24
Campaign resources Campaign guide Practical e-tool Reports Series of info sheets on priority topics Database of case studies, tools and audio-visual material OSHwiki: updated section and new articles Napo films Promotion material Campaign leaflet Good Practice Awards flyer Poster Video Online banner Email signature 25
Key dates Campaign launch: April 2018 Healthy Workplaces Good Practice Exchange event: 2 nd quarter of 2019 European Weeks for Safety and Health at Work: October 2018 and 2019 Healthy Workplaces Summit and Good Practice Awards Ceremony: November 2019 26
Further information Learn more at the campaign website: Subscribe to our campaign newsletter: https://healthy-workplaces.eu/en/healthy-workplaces-newsletter Keep up to date with activities and events through social media: Find out about events in your country from your focal point: /fops 27