New campaign promotes health and safety at work
The European Agency for safety and health at work has launched a new information campaign aimed at cutting the number of work-related accidents. The campaign will run until October 2001, culminating with the European week for safety and health at work. The European Commission, European Parliament and Member States support the campaign. 'Every year about 5,500 people are killed in workplace accidents across the European Union. There are over 4.5 million accidents that result in more than three days absence from work, amounting to around 146 million working days lost,' says the European Agency for safety and health at work. 'The problem affects all sectors of the economy and is particularly acute in enterprises with less than 50 workers. Slips, trips and falls cause most accidents, followed by manual handling, being struck by moving or falling objects, and transport accidents. Falling from height and accidents involving vehicles cause most fatalities. But with good practice and by following existing European Directives on safety at work, many of these accidents can be prevented, says the Agency. The campaign includes a European good practice award scheme for innovative practical solutions to prevent accidents at work. The European Commissioner for employment and social affairs, Anna Diamantopoulou, praised the initiative: 'The economic costs of work-related accidents are enormous, but the human costs are infinitely greater. Cutting those costs is the key aim of this year's European week for safety and health at work,' she said, urging all businesses to take up the challenge and get involved in the initiative. Mona Sahlin, the Swedish Minister for Industry, employment and communications agreed: 'Reducing work-related accidents is not just a moral imperative,' she said. 'There is a strong business case for doing so as well. The most successful companies usually have the best accident prevention records. Reducing the risk of accidents at work is one of the principal factors in improving the quality of working life, which is a central theme of the Swedish Presidency of the European Union.' In addition, in April 2001, the European Agency for safety and health at work plans to launch an accident prevention programme targeted at Europe's small and medium sized enterprises.