The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work Healthy Workplaces Good for you. Good for business Ljubljana, 25th October 2010 William Cockburn European Risk Observatory, EU-OSHA

EU-OSHA Established in 1996 in Bilbao Mission: To help improve working conditions in the European Union by collecting, analysing and communicating technical, scientific and economic information related to OSH to Community bodies, Member States, the social partners and all those involved in the field of OSH EU-OSHA is a tripartite organisation and brings together representatives from: governments, employers’ and workers’ organisations as well as from the European Commission Our mission We are the European Union organisation responsible for the collection, analysis and dissemination of relevant information that can serve the needs of people involved in safety and health at work. Our vision To be the European centre of excellence for occupational safety and health information, promoting a preventive culture to support the goal of making Europe’s current and future workplaces safe, healthy and productive. Our values Pan-European; relevant and responsive; reliable and transparent; tripartite; and partnership- and network-based. Our goal: To raise awareness of OSH risks and their prevention To identify good practice in OSH and facilitate its exchange To anticipate new and emerging risks in order to facilitate preventive action To promote MS co-operation on information sharing and research, and To promote networking to make the best use of OSH resources in Europe and beyond

A network of Focal Points to support the Agency's activities Every Member State has a focal point Every focal point has a tripartite national network Extent of activity depends upon national structures EU EFTA/EEA Candidate and potential candidate countries

Health and safety at work: What is the scale of the challenge in Europe? What is EU-OSHA’s role?

5,580 died in a fatal accident at work in 2007 Accidents at work 5,580 died in a fatal accident at work in 2007 7 million workers (3%) suffered an accident resulting in time off work In 1 in 4 cases, this was for longer than a month 800,000 had two or more accidents Equal to 83 million lost days, not including those who will never work again (25,000) and those still on sick leave during the study (363,000)

Work-related health problems and occupational diseases 8.6% of workers suffered a work-related health problem in 2007 Approximately 23 million workers, of whom 2.1% (483,000) had two or more problems 12.5 million had to take time off work Approximately 367 million work days lost in 2007 (excluding 1.4 million who do not expect to work again) Longest absences related to cardiovascular problems, stress/depression/anxiety and lower body MSDs

Work-related health problems experienced in the past 12 months Source: LFS ad hoc module 2007 – FR not included 60% identified MSDs as their most serious work-related health problem 14% identified stress, depression or anxiety as the most serious health problem

EU-OSHA’s role Identify OSH issues related to the changing world of work Board, Focal Points, staff, stakeholders, Topic Centre, others Analyse the issues and help coordinate research European Risk Observatory Identify practical approaches to dealing with the issues Working Environment Information Unit Disseminate the information Communication and Promotion Unit Pan-European ‘Healthy workplaces’ campaigns Bring together interest groups to share information and promote a positive health and safety culture Networks include EFTA/EEA, candidate, pre-accession countries Internet-based information exchange www.osha.europa.eu The Agency was set up in 1996 to collect and disseminate information on health and safety at work. Since 2005, the European Risk Observatory has been responsible for identifying new and emerging risks, monitoring trends in OSH, helping to coordinate research and providing a platform for debate.

Upcoming EU-OSHA activities Coordination and promotion of research Seek consensus on priorities and encourage inclusion of OSH in research programmes Foresight on new and emerging risks Identify risks arising due to demographic, scientific, technological, societal or economic changes 2012 Healthy Workplaces Campaign Better Health and Safety at Work through Prevention Provide workplace solutions Online interactive risk assessment tool, economic incentives, occupational health promotion, mainstreaming OSH into education

Thank you for your attention http://ESENER.eu http://osha.europa.eu