1. The Community Strategy on Health and Safety at Work 2002-2006
Fostering the Prevention Culture
Budapest, 28 April 2005
Martin Staxrud Jetlund

2. Realities of health and safety at work (1) General situation
210 million working days lost in the EU15 each year due to accidents at work (Third European Survey on Working Conditions 2000 – ESWC)
350 million working days lost each year due to work-related diseases (ESWC)
7 % of the victims have to change jobs and 4 % either reduce working hours or stop working (Labour Force Survey 1999)
Accidents at work were estimated to have caused costs of 55 billion euros in the EU15 in 2000 (Eurostat publication 2004)

3. Realities of health and safety at work (2) Member States as of 1 May 2004 (Source: Dublin Foundation)
Frequency of occupational accidents above the average for the EU 15
Longer working hours - holding of two or three jobs
Workers more exposed to vibration, noise, air pollution and to work in painful or tiring positions
More widespread workers in high risk sectors

4. Background to the Strategy
Changes in society
More females in the workforce
An ageing active population
Changes in forms of employment
Diversified forms of employment
Different types of contracts
Different forms of work
Changes in the nature of risks
New and emerging risks (Stress, harassment, violence)

5. The Community strategy on health and safety at work 2002-2006
A global approach to well-being at work (ILO definition)
Consolidating a culture of risk prevention in an enlarged Europe
Strengthening of competitiveness – the cost of non-quality
cost of non-quality – key role for the SMEs

6. What is prevention?
A gradual and integrated approach in the whole organisation to
Assess the risks – the key document being the risk assessment
Eliminate risks or reduce risk factors that can not be eliminated
Adapt the work to the individual worker
Health surveillance at regular intervals
Information of the risks and training and consultation of the workers
Definition of prevention in Article 3(d) in the Framework directive
"prevention: all the steps or measures taken or planned at all stages of work in the undertaking to prevent or reduce occupational risks"
all the measures to be regularly updated
Significant differences in prevention systems in the EU – in general it is not properly understood and applied effectively on the ground
Not seeing it in the long term.

7. Obligations stemming from prevention (1)
Obligations on the employers
Must ensure safety and health of workers in every aspect related to work
Assess all the risks to the health and safety in the undertaking
Take the appropriate measures in order to prevent injuries or accidents at no cost for workers
Designate worker(s) for protective and preventive services
Provide appropriate information, training and consultation of workers
Report on occupational accidents

8. Obligations stemming from prevention (2)
Obligations on the workers
Must take care of their own health and safety and of those persons that might be affected by their acts or omissions
Correct use of machines and equipment and personnel protective equipment supplied to them
Follow the instructions given by the employer
Report on any situation at work which constitutes an irregularity or a serious and immediate danger
Co-operate to protect the safety and health of other workers within their fields of activities

9. Strengthening the prevention culture (1) Two pillars
Improving people's attitudes towards risks
Awareness raising (especially among SMEs)
Mobilisation of all stakeholders (Social partners, enterprises)
Integration of health and safety into education (school and vocational training)
Anticipation of new and emerging risks
Ensuring implementation of existing legislation
Transposition of European legislation (e.g. Act no CXIII from 1993)
Labour inspection activities
Full enforcement of administrative and penal sanctions
Labour inspection:
administrative capacities to be strenghtened
Training of the inspectors to be provided
Social partners: consultation on musculo-skeletal disorders and violence

10. Strengthening the prevention culture (2) The role of the European Agency
The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work plays an important role
Network of focal points in all the Member States spreading information
Risk observatory in Bilbao
Refocusing the European Week on Health and Safety at Work on end-users
The focal point in Hungary
Fact sheets in Hungarian on various concrete issues (e.g. construction)
The website of the focal point is managed by the Hungarian Labour Inspectorate
Risk observatory set up as a prototype in 2004 and run as a small entity in Bilbao. Paoli's unit.

11. Strengthening the prevention culture (3) European week on noise
Information campaign to increase awareness and promote good practice
Partnership approach – Agency, Focal Points, Social Partners, EU institutions and presidency
31 countries (EU25, Candidate and EFTA countries) take part
Produces and disseminates information in 20 languages
Closing event in Bilbao in December
Dedicated web:
2003/10 directive which sets noise exposure limits is to be implemented in MS by Feb 2006

12. Ensuring implementation (1): EU legislation
Objective: To ensure better application of legislation and the principles of prevention on the ground
Implementation of directives
Framework directive
Individual directives (e.g. biological agents and temporary or mobile construction sites)
Guidelines produced on
Chemical agents directive
ATEX directive (explosive atmospheres)

13. Ensuring implementation (2): Labour inspection
Combine inspection role with a prevention function
Challenges at European level
Common principles for labour inspection
Ways and means of evaluating inspection systems
Two areas of special importance
Protection of young people
Trans-national working situations
EU15:

14. The challenges for a prevention culture
Bring the message across: Prevention pays off
Less work-related accidents and diseases push up productivity
Occupational accidents and diseases entail costs
Strengthened quality at work to ensure Europe's human capital
Involve all actors
Employers to consult the workers
Workers working with prevention services

15. The new Strategy
New Strategy was announced in the Social Agenda
Focus on new and emerging risks
Specific attention to quality of prevention services and health and safety training
All the players concerned must take up their responsibilities
Evaluation of the current strategy
Work will be launched in the Member States by the end of 2005
Will help to further define the problems to be addressed in the new Strategy
ESF is envisaged to play a major role
Some examples of MS initiative on evaluation: Nordic scoreboard with more MS joining this year

16. More information: http://europa. eu