Seminars On Health And Safety In The Workplace

Safety in the workplace takes centre stage for a series of Europe-wide seminars organised by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA).

Designed to coincide with European Week for Safety and Health at Work, the seminars concentrate on the importance of risk assessments and mark the publication of a new report.

Entitled Assessment, elimination and substantial reduction of occupational risks, it is aimed at those responsible for carrying out risk assessments.

These include case studies of success in eliminating or controlling risks, and range from preventing needlestick injuries in hospitals to dangers associated with shipyards.

It concludes that assessment can avoid or eliminate many risks, and if not can minimise them by targeting them at source.

Says EU-OSHA director Jukka Takala: "There are many good examples of companies, even small ones, carrying out efficient risk assessment on a regular basis, but there is still a gap that our campaign has tried to fill in."

Copyright © Press Association 2009

David Urpeth from law firm Irwin Mitchell said: “ I welcome these seminars which I hope will reduce the misery caused by injuries sustained following an accident at work.

“Many work accidents could have been avoided if a suitable and sufficient risk assessment had been carried out.”