Health and safety: Challenges of the new Strategy

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Health and safety Challenges of the new Strategy
EMPL Introductory Workshop Policy areas and
current challenges in the field of Employment and
Social Affairs at EU level Workshop organised by
Policy Department A22 23 September 2014

• Lothar Lißner
• Kooperationsstelle Hamburg IFE (KOOP)

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Background of this presentation

• EU - Evaluation of the regulatory impact of
  EU-Directives
• EU - Evaluation of Costs and Benefits of OSH
• EU - Database on Exposed workers
• ILO - Global OSH strategy evaluation
• International strategy overview
• National strategy evaluation DE
• Analysis and advice on work organisation and OSH

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Three challenges of the new strategy

• 1. Improving the implementation record
  (particularly by supporting SMEs and micro
  enterpr.)
• 2. Improving the prevention of work-related
  diseases by tackling existing, new and
  emerging risks
• 3. Tackling demographic change

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Seven objectives

• Further consolidate national strategies
• Facilitate compliance with OSH legislation,
  particularly by micro and small enterprises
• Better enforcement of OSH legislation by Member
  States
• Simplify existing legislation
• Address the ageing of the workforce, emerging new
  risks, prevention of work-related and
  occupational diseases
• Improve statistical data collection and develop
  the information base
• Better coordinate EU and international efforts to
  address OSH and engage with international
  organisations

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Major components of the OSH-infrastructure

• Ministries of Labour or Ministries of Health or
  Social Affairs - Legislation
• Labour inspection (partly keeping all working
  conditions under surveillance, partly only
  competent for OSH)
• Accident insurance (recognition / compensation of
  work accidents and work related diseases,
  private, public or mixed systems, guidance and
  regulation)
• Enterprises - Obligations for enterprises (e.g.
  resources for OSH according to the legislation)
  and voluntary activities
• Rules and institutions for the education and
  training of professionals and practitioners
• Bodies (public / private) - technical standards
  and norms
• Communications channels official channels,
  journals and events
• Research institutes - public, private or mixed
  systems

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Very insufficient data of the work place situation

• Data on work accidents in Europe
  Underreporting and doubt on figures
• Influence of work on the health situation
  Few reliable data for extreme exposures
• Development of the quantity and quality of risk
  factors and exposures at workplaces From
  noise over chemicals and air quality to heavy and
  tiring work to violence and aggression
• Prevention level in enterprises Organisation,
  awareness, competence
• Effectiveness of public infrastructure

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Key indicators for safety risks

• Work accidents more than 3 days, fatal,
  traffic related

Key indicators for health risks

• Occupational cancer
• Musculo-skeletal diseases
• Mental disorders
• Listed occupational diseases

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Main changes in three areas

• Work organisation
• Workforce structure
• Technical progress

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Example - Work organisation

• Work pace
• Units have become smaller
• Work is more project oriented
• Steering happens less via hierarchies
• Time schedules and working arrangements

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Illustrating the differences - 1980
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Illustrating the differences 1995 and 2010
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Five main conclusions

• Better data
• Improve the prevention level in enterprises
• Modernise the legislation
• Rethink the concept of occupational diseases
• Activate the health and pension insurances, who
  currently pay the bill of bad prevention, start
  with workers with high and multiple work loads

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Contact

• Dr. Lothar Lissner
• Kooperationsstelle Hamburg IFE
• Humboldtstr. 67a, 22083 Hamburg
• 49-40-484010-100
• www.kooperationsstelle-hh.de
• l.lissner_at_kooperationsstelle-hh.de