NEWS ON THE WORKING TOGETHER EUROPEAN CAMPAIGN 2012 - 2013

Working together for risk prevention: Leadership and worker participation in occupational safety and health

The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) is running a two year campaign entitled ‘Working together for risk prevention’.  The campaign highlights leadership and worker participation as two key factors that contribute to effective management of work related health and safety risks.  ‘Effective risk management’ describes more accurately the campaign objective rather than ‘prevention’, a term used more widely in this context in other parts of Europe.   

HSE provides the United Kingdom (UK) Focal Point for the EU-OSHA campaign. On 20th April 2012, the Great Britain (GB) launch was marked by a short film by HSE’s Chair, Judith Hackitt, available on the dedicated campaign website at http://www.hse.gov.uk/campaigns/european.
In Northern Ireland the campaign contact point is HSENI.

Full details of the campaign, including key messages and information to help organisations to get involved will be available via the GB web site and the EU-OSHA campaign website http://www.healthy-workplaces.eu/.  The campaign will run until late 2013.

The websites include information on the benefits of leadership and worker participation and show how you can get involved.  In GB, the campaign is supported by a number of organisations through the Focal Point network including TUC, CBI, EEF, IOSH, ROSPA and EEN. Other organisations are encouraged to participate, for example by running campaign related activities or incorporating elements of the campaign into existing activities.

The European Good Practice Awards are also linked to the campaign, giving an opportunity to share existing good practice and learn from others.  Details of how to take part are on the campaign web site at http://www.hse.gov.uk/campaigns/european/good-practice-awards.htm.  (For successful examples from the 2010/11 Good Practice Awards, which were about Safe maintenance, see http://osha.europa.eu/en/publications/reports/good_practice_awards_maintenance-TEAL11001ENC/view)

CRS have been told that HSE would like to hear of your plans for involvement in the campaign – please see the website for details or email uk.focalpoint@hse.gsi.gov.uk