The Concept of Safety and Health at Work Assoc. Prof. Dr. P. Antov, Assoc. Prof. Dr. T. Pancheva UNIVERSITY OF FORESTRY, SOFIA Final Project Conference & Partner Meeting, 10-11 September 2015, Malta

European Dimensions of OSH Health and safety at work is one of the areas where the EU has the biggest impact – with a solid legal framework covering the maximum number of risks with the minimum number of regulations. Directive 89/391/EEC on measures to improve safety and health at work: encourages improvements in occupational health and safety in all sectors of activity, both public and private; promotes workers' rights related to health and safety at work The EU action in health and safety at work has its legal basis in Article 153 of the EU Treaty: “…. the Union shall support and complement the activities of the Member States in the following fields: improvement of the working environment to protect workers' health and safety; working conditions; social security and social protection of workers, etc.”

The European Commission has widened the scope of its activities, in favour of information, guidance and promotion of a healthy working environment by paying particular attention to small and medium-size enterprises. The Commission works with the European Agency for Health and Safety at Work and the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions to disseminate information, offer guidance and promote healthy working environments. Health and Safety at Work statistics provide data on accidents at work, work-related health problems and exposure to risk factors. In order to develop Health and Safety at Work statistics the main partners within the European Statistical System are National Statistical Offices, Social Security Institutions (Worker's Compensation or similar) and Ministries of Labour Affairs.

The main sources of statistical data: European Statistics on Accidents at Work (ESAW) – case-by-case data on occupational accidents with more than 3 days of absence from work and fatal accidents; European Occupational Diseases Statistics (EODS) – harmonised data on occupational diseases from 2001 onwards; Labour Force Survey ad hoc modules on accidents at work and work-related health problems 

Accidents at Work Statistics Accident at work - a discrete occurrence during the course of work which leads to physical or mental harm; Non-fatal accidents at work - those that imply at least four full calendar days of absence from work (they are sometimes also called 'serious accidents at work'); Fatal accidents at work – they lead to the death of the victim within one year; Non-fatal accidents at work often involve considerable harm for the workers concerned and their families. They have the potential to force people, for example, to live with a permanent disability, to leave the labour market, or to change job. They also result in a considerable number of days of work being lost.

Main statistical findings - in 2012, there were just under 2 Main statistical findings - in 2012, there were just under 2.5 million non-fatal accidents and 3 515 fatal accidents in the EU-28

A substantial reduction in comparison with 2009 - approximately 313 thousand fewer non-fatal accidents and 310 fewer fatal accidents; Part of the reduction in accidents at work observed in 2009 may be attributed to the slowdown, stagnation or contraction of economic activity, associated with the financial and economic crisis; Men are considerably more likely than women to have a non-fatal accident or to die at work. In the EU-28, almost four out of every five (78.5 %) non-fatal accidents at work and 19 out of every 20 (95.6 %) fatal accidents at work involved men; Across the EU-28 there were, on average, 2.44 fatal accidents per 100 000 persons employed in 2012 and there were 1 702 non-fatal accidents per 100 000 persons employed.

Fatal accidents at work, 2011 and 2012 (standardised incidence rates per 100 000 persons employed)

Non-fatal accidents at work, 2011 and 2012 (standardised incidence rates per 100 000 persons employed)

The number of accidents at work varies greatly depending upon the economic activity in question and is positively skewed in relation to male-dominated activities; Within the EU-28, the construction industry, manufacturing, transportation and storage, and agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors together accounted for two thirds (66.6 %) of all fatal accidents at work and just under half (47.8 %) of all non-fatal accidents at work in 2012; More than one in five (22.2 %) fatal accidents at work in the EU-28 in 2012 took place within the construction sector, while the manufacturing sector had the next highest share (16.6 %);

Fatal and non-fatal accidents at work by economic activity, EU-28, 2012 (% of fatal and non-fatal accidents) 

EU Occupational Safety and Health Strategic Framework 2014 - 2020 In order to better protect the more than 217 million workers in the EU from occupational accidents and diseases, the European Commission adopted a new Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work 2014-2020, which identifies key challenges and strategic objectives for health and safety at work, presents key actions and instruments; This new Framework aims at ensuring that the EU continues to play a leading role in the promotion of high standards for working conditions both within Europe and internationally, in line with the Europe 2020 Strategy.

The Strategic Framework identifies the following 3 major challenges: to improve implementation of existing health and safety rules, in particular by enhancing the capacity of micro and small enterprises to put in place effective and efficient risk prevention strategies; to improve the prevention of work-related diseases by tackling new and emerging risks without neglecting existing risks; to take account of the ageing of the EU's workforce. The Strategic Framework includes the following 7 strategic objectives: to further consolidate national health and safety strategies; to provide practical support to small and micro enterprises to help them to better comply with health and safety rules; to improve enforcement by Member States; to simplify existing legislation; to address the ageing of the European workforce; to improve statistical data collection; to reinforce coordination with international organisations (e.g. the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

OSH in Construction Industry In the EU construction is one of the most physically demanding sectors and the sector most at risk of accidents, with more than 1 300 people being killed in occupational accidents every year; Around 45% of construction workers in the EU say their work affects their health; Worldwide, construction workers are three times more likely to be killed and twice as likely to be injured as workers in other occupations; The costs of these accidents are immense to the individual, to the employer and to society and they can amount to an appreciable proportion of the contract price; Over 99% of construction firms in Europe are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). SMEs are therefore most affected by construction accidents.

Workers in the construction sector have greater exposure to biological, chemical and ergonomic risk factors; The main hazards include working at height; slips, trips and falls; vehicle accidents; lifting operations; dangerous substances; manual handling and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs); electricity; fire; demolition works; exposure to loud noise and vibration, work-related stress; Priority must be given to measures that eliminate or reduce the hazard at source and provide collective protection; Individual protection, such as protective equipment, is used where risks can’t be further reduced by other means; Ongoing monitoring and regular inspections are needed in order to achieve safer working environment;

Risk Assessment Employers should take all necessary steps to ensure the safety and health of workers. The first step is to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment; The guiding principles that should be considered throughout the risk assessment process can be broken down into the following five steps: Step 1. Identifying hazards and those at risk - looking for hazards at work that have the potential to cause harm, and identifying workers who may be exposed to the hazards; Step 2. Evaluating and prioritising risks - estimating the existing risks (their severity, their probability, etc.) and prioritising them in order of importance;   Step 3. Deciding on preventive action - identifying the appropriate measures to eliminate or control the risks;  Step 4. Taking action - putting in place the preventive and protective measures through a prioritisation plan and specifying who does what and when; Step 5. Monitoring and reviewing - the assessment should be reviewed at regular intervals to ensure it remains up to date.

Occupational Health and Safety in Education The safety and health of tomorrow’s workforce is dependent on the integration of occupational safety and health into education today. Children and young people need to learn about safety and health at an early stage of their education so that they can carry these ideas forward into their future working and private lives; The EU strategies on health and safety at work underline the necessity of strengthening the prevention culture by means of education, awareness training and anticipating new and emerging risks in order to maintain and improve the quality of work; Education about health and safety does not start with entry into the world of work, it should be a part of the school curriculum or a separate vocational subject; The sooner people get acquainted with the concept of safety and health, the sooner they can develop OSH awareness, and the better they can shape their own safety and health environment in their future working and private lives.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!