Accident claim news - 30/10/2006
EU makes demands about workplace safety
The European Community has demanded better workplace safety across Member States this month (October 2006), saying that improving jobs that already exist rather than creating more jobs is the answer.
Work-related accidents have a physical toll on the health of employees and subsequently affect productivity and business. Both employers and employees suffer if workplace safety standards are not properly implemented and adhered to.
Millions of working days lost through work-related accidents
In the 25 EU Member States, around 5500 people die every year in work accidents. The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work reports 4.5 million accidents which result in staff missing more than three days work. This totals 146 million lost working days every year.
New initiatives such as the annual European Week for Health and Safety at Work aim to make Europe a better place to work. This is done by promoting activities to reduce the number of work-related accidents. It is the largest work-related health and safety event in Europe and last year looked at industrial deafness and noise at work.
UK Health and Safety Commission Chairman Bill Callaghan expressed his belief that people who can't manage health and safety can't manage properly at all. He said that Britain needs to revitalise the current health and safety system and force managers to take responsibility. This means that there will be more administration and more management considerations in the future.
The amount of lost working days must be reduced by 2010
Specific targets that have been set include cutting the number of working days lost through work-related injury and ill-health by 30 % and reducing the rate of fatal and major injury accidents by 10 %, both by 2010.
Other development plans include adding health and safety to the national curriculum in schools and making sure employers are obliged to state their policy on rehabilitation and getting injured employees back to work.
The main areas of attention in the UK that are under the accident at work microscope include work stress; musculoskeletal disorders; workplace transport incidents; falls from heights and slips and trips.
The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work has the task of gathering and sharing occupational health and safety information throughout the EU. Read more at http://uk.osha.eu.int/index.stm.
