CIS Newsletter

No. 208
January 2007

CIS Newsletter celebrates 19 years & still going strong!
Bringing news to over 140 countries in the CIS Network!

Contents

  1. Editorial
  2. News from CIS HQ - preparing World Day for Safety and Health at Work on 28 April 2007
  3. Canada National Forum
  4. Poland - Noise conference
  5. Bangladesh - Asbestos conference
  6. News from around the World
  7. News Briefs - KANBrief, USA OSHA
  8. World Bank takes major step on labour standards
  9. More News from around the world - Canada, ILO, Poland, Singapore, UK and USA
  10. OSHE websites to explore
  11. Diary of Events

Editorial

Dear CIS Colleagues

Please accept my warm welcome to CIS colleagues and friends around the world as we start a New Year.

Many thanks for all the lovely greetings cards and good wishes that I have received during this Festive time.

Thanks also for the publications, emails and news - these are always gratefully received and are used as soon as possible.

Publicity... tell them, tell them and tell them again...

You know I welcome ideas for inclusion in the future editions of this Newsletter. Let me know if there are any areas you would wish to see covered in future. It is amazing how much the CIS Newsletter content gets re-used around the world. Take advantage of free publicity! Remember you can see CIS Newsletter on the web site www.sheilapantry.com/cis where back issues are stored.

From 2007 CIS Newsletter is only available via this website - but I will continue to send you an email to let you know when the new edition is available. Some of you may have changed your email number and addresses in recent months, please let CIS Headquarters know your new email/address and also let me know as well - otherwise you will not get the CIS Newsletter or other news.

Remember >>>>

Use the CIS Logo on your web site and publications!

Thriving in 2007... Keep promoting and telling the World at large that CIS and its network exists! And start preparations for 28 April 2007 - World Day for Safety and Health at Work!

All good wishes to you, your families and your colleagues.

Sheila Pantry, OBE
85 The Meadows, Todwick, Sheffield S26 1JG, UK
Tel: +44 1909 771024
Fax: +44 1909 772829
Email: sp@sheilapantry.com
www.oshworld.com
www.sheilapantry.com
www.shebuyersguide.com
www.oshupdate.com

Please consider the environment before printing this Newsletter
Feel free to use this Newsletter on your own web site/pages/e-news

News from CIS HQ

World Day for Safety and Health at Work organized by the International Labour Office (ILO) on 28 April 2007

The International Occupational Safety and Health Information Centre (CIS) is pleased to announce that the theme for the World Day for Safety and Health at Work organized by the International Labour Office (ILO) on 28 April 2007 will be:

Making Decent Work a Reality - Safe and Healthy Workplaces

A brief report will be produced on this occasion, as well as various promotional products. The Web site for 2007 will soon be available and we will send you relevant information on this and other issues to assist you in the organization of this major event.

We wish you all the best in your preparation for this World Day and look forward to hearing about your activities.

Sincerely,

Annick Virot, CIS Centres Coordinator | Email: virot@ilo.org

News from Canada

National Forum to focus on health and safety issues of changing workplaces

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) will host a national forum to explore health and safety issues that are emerging from changing workplaces. CCOHS' Forum '07 will be held 17-18 September 2007 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

With "Emerging Health & Safety Issues in Changing Workplaces: A Canadian Discussion" as the theme, this two-day event will bring together subject experts, workers, employers and governments to share their knowledge and experience around this pan-Canadian issue and to discuss problems and solutions.

To determine what issues were considered to be timely and crucial to creating healthy workplaces, research and interviews were conducted with representatives from governments, labour and employer groups, health and safety practitioners, as well as with a special advisory committee of CCOHS' tripartite Council of Governors

"The research showed us that people are very concerned with how the health and safety of workers are impacted by the changes they are facing today," explained Len Hong, CCOHS President and CEO. "The workforce is aging and is increasingly more diverse. And the "nature" of the workplace is also changing with the growth of contract, seasonal and part-time employment and outsourcing. All of these present new issues such as gaps in worker protection, accountability and who is responsible for occupational health and safety in the changing workplace. These unique challenges impact the health and safety needs of workers - and deserve to be fully explored and understood."

This will be CCOHS' second national forum. The first one held in 2005 brought together nearly 350 Canadians who shared concerns, debated issues and made recommendations on the issue of occupational disease. The benefits of the forum were extended to thousands more who reviewed the information and outcomes which were posted on the CCOHS website. It is expected that Forum '07 will generate a similar interest and enthusiasm, and will help stimulate creative solutions among Canadians to help ensure people can be safe and healthy at work.

CCOHS will be releasing more details on its website - www.ccohs.ca/events/forum07 - in the upcoming weeks about the topics and speakers, as well as registration and exhibiting information.

Contact: Eleanor Irwin, Manager of Communications, Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety | Tel: 905/572-2981, Ext. 4408 | Email: eleanori@ccohs.ca | www.ccohs.ca

News from Poland

XIV International Conference on Noise Control, June 3 - 6, 2007, Elbląg, Poland, in the Gromada Hotel

CIOP-PIP, Poland are pleased to invite you to take part in the XIV International Conference on Noise Control Noise control'07, which will take place between June 3 and 6, 2007, in Elbląg, Poland, in the Gromada Hotel.

They have the honour to invite everybody interested in the broadly understood problems of noise and vibration control, those involved in research and development, training courses, occupational safety and health management, technical consultancy, and legislative and standardization work related to the working and natural environments.

Honorary Chairs of the Scientific Committee
Prof. Danuta Koradecka,
Ph.D., D. Med.Sc.
Prof. Jerzy Sadowski, Ph.D. (Eng.), D.Sc.
Chair of the Organizing Committee
Wiktor Marek Zawieska, Ph.D. (Eng.)

For more information - see: www.ciop.pl

The first Announcement: www.ciop.pl/17625

The registration form: www.ciop.pl/17626

News from Bangladesh

Banning Asbestos in South Asia - Strategies and future direction
15-16 December 2006, Chittagaon, Bangladesh

South Asia is also a major hub for ship breaking with places like Alang and Chittagaon famous for its ship-breaking industry - where ships packed with deadly asbestos are torn apart by migrant workers (with no protective equipments) who have no clue about the toxic environment they are working in. Interestingly, asbestos sheets have been used widely in the construction work of Industry or the asbestos lobby has been active in promoting the 'white asbestos' as a safe and cheap material when used under "controlled conditions". There are no doubts about the non-existence of controlled conditions in South Asia.

The asbestos lobby led by the Canadian Chrysotile Institute has been feeding lies and myths to promote the white asbestos and our governments in the region have been falling prey to such campaign which is exposing hundreds of thousands of workers and community people to this known hazardous and carcinogenic substance.

Even though large quantities of asbestos are being used in South Asian countries, yet the cases of asbestos related diseases are hardly surfacing. Persistent use of asbestos in South Asia also epitomises the state of health and safety here, where profits attain priority to the lives of workers.

It also shows the grave problems of diagnosis in these countries. Very few doctors can correctly diagnose asbestosis, and it is routinely diagnosed or mis-diagnosed as Tuberculosis, to diagnose Mesothelioma would seem out of question.

The invisibility of asbestos victims in this region can be attributed to this reason where thousands of exposed workers might be dying quietly in their homes without proper diagnosis. Lack of proper diagnosis is also key factor responsible for no or very few compensation cases on asbestos related sickness in the region.

South Asian Workshop in Dhaka

The only way to go ahead is the full and complete ban on all forms of asbestos in the region including the ban on export of asbestos laden ships for ship breaking in the region. However, we need to develop proper strategies to initiate a region wise campaign for the complete ban.

In this regard Bangladesh Occupational Safety, Health and Environment Foundation (OSHE) and Asia Monitor Resource Centre (AMRC), Hong Kong jointly organised a sub regional workshop - Banning Asbestos in South Asia - Strategies and future direction at Hotel Saint Martin, Agrabad, Chittagaon from 15 - 16 December 2006 to address the problem of growing usage of asbestos in the South Asia region and discuss the broader joint strategies for complete ban of the asbestos in the region.

Participants:

Participants in the workshop will be from national trade union centres, labour NGOs, OSH institutions, university academic, asbestos researchers, journalist, officials of Ministry of health and labour from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Japan, UK and Hong Kong.

Objectives:

  1. To discuss the extent of present usage of asbestos in South Asia and the exposure to workers and the community.
  2. Problems of diagnosis and the missing or invisible victims of the asbestos.
  3. Ship breaking and its effects on the workers and the community
  4. Need for South Asia level strategy to deal with the dangers of asbestos.
  5. Develop strategies - short term prevention of workers and community exposure to the asbestos and long term to ensure complete ban of asbestos in the region.

For more information: A.R. Chowdhy REPON, Bangladesh Occupational Safety, Health and Environment Foundation (OSHE) | Email: oshe@agni.com

News from around the World

A stronger voice for health and safety in the UK: HSC announces consultation on merging HSC and HSE

The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) published on 5.12.06 a public consultation document seeking views on merging HSC and Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into a single health and safety authority.

HSC believes that merger with HSE will modernise our corporate governance and provide a stronger voice for health and safety. As part of this, the consultation discusses how the HSC would become the governing body of the new authority, retaining its current independence and links with stakeholders while strengthening its capacity to challenge and support delivery.

The merger will provide:

Commenting on the consultation, Bill Callaghan, HSC Chairman, said: "We believe that our governance structures - the infrastructure that supports our decision- making ? have served us well in the past. In particular, the broad partnership nature of the HSC, its independence and its strong links with Local Authorities are assets we wish to maintain. Equally, the shape of the labour market, the nature of workplace risks and stakeholder expectations are very different to those which created the backdrop to the Health and Safety at Work Act thirty years ago.

"We therefore decided earlier this year that the time was right to look critically at how our governance arrangements compare with best practice, what works well at present and whether we could strengthen the links between strategy and delivery necessary to provide the accountability expected of a public body in the 21st century.

"Our conclusion is that merging the Commission and Executive into a single body will give us a more robust governance framework, improve our working practices and create a stronger voice for health and safety in Great Britain. We believe that our proposals take the best from the existing governance arrangements, updating them to instill the drivers necessary for re-invigorating the decision-making framework within which we work and strengthening our existing partnerships, particularly those with Local Authorities."

The consultation can be downloaded from www.hse.gov.uk/consult/live.htm

Comments on the consultation should be sent to Ami Badmus, Health and Safety Executive, Rose Court, 2 Southwark Bridge, London. SE1 9HS, UK, or Email: governance@hse.gsi.gov.uk to arrive no later than 5 March 2007.

  1. The modernisation of health and safety law in Great Britain has its origins in the report "Safety and Health at Work" (1972). The report was used as the basis for the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSW Act). It proposed the introduction of 'a single authoritative body to facilitate and promote health and safety within the workplace with autonomy, its own budget, executive powers and functions.
  2. The majority of the proposals set out in Lord Robens report on were adopted in full and formed the basis of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSW Act). However, contrary to Roben's recommendation, the HSW Act did not provide for a single authority, but two separate Crown Non Department Public Bodies (NDPBs); the Health and Safety Commission and the Health and Safety Executive (HSC/E).
  3. The HSC has overall responsibility for occupational health and safety regulations in Great Britain. The Commission consists of a chairman and 9 members. It is sponsored by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). The DWP minister for occupational health and safety is Lord Hunt of Kings Heath.
  4. The HSE and Local Authorities are the enforcing authorities that work in support of the Commission. HSE looks after health and safety in nuclear installations, mines, factories, farms, hospitals and schools, offshore gas and oil installations, the safety of the gas grid and the movement of dangerous goods and substances, and many other aspects of the protection of workers and the public.

News from Singapore

Workplace Safety and Health Awards

The much awaited Workplace Safety and Health Awards Presentation Ceremony was held on 24 November 2006. Jointly organised by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Workplace Safety and Health Advisory Committee, the event honours companies that have shown exemplary efforts in ensuring safe and healthy workplaces.

This year event was preceded by an exciting exhibition showcasing innovative safety and health projects as well as a two-day seminar. The exhibition and seminar aimed at enhancing the participants' knowledge about workplace safety and health and to provide them with an opportunity to tap on the expertise of safety and health professionals including experts from MOM.

Read more about the event at the following website: www.mom.gov.sg

or more specifically at the following URL: www.mom.gov.sg/workplace-safety-health/Pages/awards-incentives.aspx

Alan Chong, Manager, IT Solutioning | Occupational Safety & Health Division, Ministry of Manpower | Tel (65) 63171429 | Fax (65) 63171446 | www.mom.gov.sg

News from Canada

Vision: A Great Workforce. A Great Workplace
Values: People-Centredness; Professionalism; Teamwork; Passion for Progress

IAPA (Industrial Accident Prevention Association) is proud to announce that its 2005 Safety Group has received a $2,124,845 million rebate from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) in recognition of its 304 member firms successfully integrating health and safety into their daily operations. The WSIB's rebate will be distributed to all firms within the 2005 IAPA Safety Group, which is comprised of 16 chapters across Ontario.

Upon verification by the WSIB, the 2005 IAPA Safety Group firms were reported to have reduced their lost-time injury (LTI) rate by 27% and their overall injury severity rate by 29%. These results from the 2005 IAPA Safety Group indicate a growing commitment towards workplace injury and accident prevention amongst the participating firms. Firms from the 2004 IAPA Safety Group posted a LTI rate reduction of 22% and an injury severity rate reduction of 21%.

"The success of a program like the Safety Group lies solely with the level of commitment and investment of its member firms," says Jim Armstrong, Director of Consulting Services, IAPA. "The financial incentive that the rebate presents is a strong motivator, but Safety Group participants are committed to this program because they recognize the long-term benefits of incorporating effective health and safety practices into their businesses - protecting people and reducing injury, illness, and life suffering in the workplace."

The 2006 version of the IAPA Safety Group increased its membership by more than 50% with 583 members firm and 22 chapters across Ontario, with multiple chapters in Burlington, Cambridge, Mississauga, and Scarborough. Registration is currently ongoing for the 2007 IAPA Safety Group and IAPA is hoping to increases next year's membership to 750 participating firms.

As a member of the IAPA Safety Group, member firms are brought together in a collaborative environment to plan accident and injury prevention measures and incorporate them into their daily business. In joining the IAPA Safety Group, member firms receive expert support and advice from IAPA's consultants and technical staff, savings on in-plant training, workshops, and regional conferences, access to IAPA's information resources, products, and services, and the opportunity to network with other Safety Group participants and share information on how to further develop their respective health and safety programs.

IAPA is a not-for-profit, member driven organization operating in Ontario since 1917. Representing more than 50,000 member firms and in excess of 1.5 million Ontario workers, IAPA is Canada's leading workplace health and safety organization. The association is focused on providing industry-leading training, consulting, educational products, and informational services that meet members' needs and the needs of those in their communities. IAPA is also recognized as a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre in occupational health and an International Labour Organization - CIS Collaborating Centre.

Zuzka Hora, Manager, Information Centre Team, Industrial Accident Prevention Association, 5110 Creekbank Road, Suite 300, Mississauga, Ontario, L4W 0A1,  CANADA | TEL: 905-614-4272 ext 2385 or 1-800-406-4272 ext 2385 | FAX: 905-219-0009 | FAX: 1-800-316-4272 | zhora@iapa.ca | www.iapa.ca

New ILO Safework Chief appointed

Ms. Sameera Maziad Al-Tuwaijri (Saudi Arabia) is appointed Chief, Occupational Safety and Health Branch (SAFEWORK), Labour Protection Department, Social Protection Sector, with effect from 1 February 2007.

Make my Day... Send some News - Your Editor

News Briefs

GERMANY

The latest edition of KANBRIEF no.4 /06 presents New KAN studies

KAN - Kommission Arbeitsschutz und Normung's latest edition of KANbrief has recently been published. KAN endeavours to exert influence upon standardization activity at the earliest possible opportunity. For this purpose, it commissions studies and expert reports in the run-up to standardisation activity proper which provide guidance during subsequent technical work. This issue of KANBrief present KAN studies produced in 2006 and those planned for 2007.

KANBRIEF is available on the web www.kan.de

KANBRIEF is published quarterly contact: DR. Ing Joachim Lambert, Alte Heerstr.111. D-53757 Sankt Augustin, Germany | Tel: +49 (0) 2241 231 3463 | Fax: +49 (0) 2241 231 3464 | Email: info@kan.de | www.kan.de

USA

US OSHA has released it new Hurricane Matrix

In this Hazard Exposure and Risk Assessment Matrix, OSHA provides information on many of the most common and significant additional hazards that response and recovery workers might encounter when working in an area recently devastated by a hurricane. This Matrix highlights a number of tasks and operations associated with disaster response and recovery. The Matrix is designed to help employers make decisions during their risk assessment that will protect their employees working in hurricane-impacted areas.

www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/hurricane

Wanda M. Walters, Safety Specialist, Office of the Inspector General - USPS, 1735 N. Lynn St, 10th Fl., Arlington, VA 22209-2020, USA | Tel: +1 703 248 2380 | Fax: +1 703 248 2256

Make my Day... Send some News - Your Editor

World Bank takes major step on labour standards

World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz has announced that the Bank has now taken a decision that all infrastructure projects funded by it in future would have fully to respect the core labour standards of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Wolfowitz conveyed the decision at a meeting with international trade union officials in Washington DC. Some US$8 billion worth of projects funded each year will come under the new requirements, which are aimed at ensuring workers' rights to trade union organisation and collective bargaining, freedom from discrimination in the workplace and the elimination of child labour and forced labour.

"This is an important step in the right direction, and we are pleased that the World Bank has now accepted our proposal. It reinforces the importance of fundamental workers' rights in the global economy, and shows that the other economic and finance institutions must also meet these standards in full", said ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder.

The same standard has been applied by the World Bank's private-sector lending arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), since May 2006. The union delegation also met with the Executive Vice-President of the IFC, Lars Thunell, to discuss implementation of the labour standards.

During their meeting with International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Rodrigo de Rato, the union leaders raised serious concerns about the growing global influence of hedge funds and speculative private investment. De Rato responded by setting out the IMF's intention to increase research and expertise concerning the impact of hedge funds and financial speculation on real economic decision-makers, and emphasised the crucial importance of macroeconomic stability in establishing the basis for long-term, low-inflation economic growth.

The union delegation included representatives from 35 countries from all regions of the world, including ITUC affiliates, Global Union Federations and the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD. They took part in three days of meetings with de Rato, Wolfowitz, IMF/World Bank Executive Directors and various other officials, to discuss the impact of the institutions' programmes on decent work and on labour conditions.

The trade union delegation pointed out serious inconsistencies at the World Bank concerning its treatment of Core Labour Standards and other labour issues. These included a World Bank report submitted last month to the government of China in which the Bank advised the government that it should not take seriously the question of "so-called "labour standards"". The union delegation reminded the Bank that wide-scale violation of the right to organize was taking place in China and was one of the root causes of the burgeoning inequality in that country. By advising China, an important Bank client, that it should avoid paying attention to the Core Labour Standards, the Bank was contributing to continued violation of the standards. The delegation also pointed to the negative impacts of Chinese lending overseas, since it is done in the absence of social and environmental standards, and in certain cases even involves forms of indentured labour.

ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder criticized the World Bank and IMF for their continued use of the Bank's Doing Business publication as the template for its country-level policy advice and conditionality on labour market reform. "Doing Business defines almost all labour regulations - such as hours of work, minimum wages, advance notice of mass dismissals and protection against discriminatory practices - as undue impediments to "doing business"", he emphasised. "We call on the Bank to remove labour regulation from the mandate of the Private-Sector Development department responsible for the publication."

In response, World Bank Wolfowitz agreed that the methodology of the Doing Business publication would be reviewed, particularly with regard to the debatable proposition that firing workers easily was a positive element of business regulation. He undertook to look into the China report, and agreed that any suggestion that China need not respect workers' basic human rights was unacceptable.

Further discussions with the IMF and World Bank concerned the recently-expanded debt cancellation initiative for low-income countries, Bank support for workplace HIV/AIDS programmes and the steps both institutions claim to have taken to reduce economic policy conditions attached to loans and debt relief on questions such as privatization, trade liberalization and public expenditure limits. The union representatives welcomed progress in these areas and called on the institutions to accelerate the reduction of conditionality that, in some cases, had led to the Bank and Fund working at cross-purposes with the UN system and impeding attainment of the Millennium Development Goals, for example when governments are obliged to constrain social expenditures so as to respect IMF-imposed public-spending caps.

This showed the need for the IMF and World Bank to work with the ILO and other UN agencies in policy coherence initiatives, as proposed by the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization, which both institutions have welcomed as have the ILO and other UN agencies.

Additionally, the ITUC presented the IMF a paper showing how inappropriate policy prescriptions had driven several developing-country governments, with the support of trade unions in these countries, to avoid further borrowing from the Fund.

Both Wolfowitz and de Rato concurred with trade union condemnation of corruption as an impediment to development, and spoke of the role that trade unions can play in exposing and fighting such corruption.

Founded on November 1 2006, the ITUC represents 168 million workers in 153 countries and territories and has 304 national affiliates www.ituc-csi.org

For more information, contact the ITUC Press Department | Tel: +32 2 224 0204 | Mobile phone: +32 476 62 10 18

More News from around the World

Ireland: Bullying - new Code of Practice proposed

A new draft Code of Practice for Employers and Employees on the Prevention and Resolution of Bullying at Work has been published by the HSA, which, in accordance with the Authority's public consultation policy, is inviting comments and observations from the public.

The Code has been published following the report by the Expert Advisory Group on the Workplace Bullying (see HSR, September 2005, p7), which recommended the introduction of legislation requiring employers to have bullying prevention policies in every workplace. Last May the Minister for Labour Affairs, Tony Killeen, T.D., called upon the HSA to update the current Code, which was published in 2002. At the time the Minister, saying that he did not know when we might see new legislation, pointed out that the SHWW Act 2005 became law after the Expert Group reported.

The draft Code now published by the Authority is proposed under the SHWW Act 2005. The Code notes the provision in the 2005 Act requiring employers to manage work activities to prevent, in far as reasonably practicable, "improper conduct or behaviour" at work.

While similar to the current Code, the proposed new Code is very clearly grounded on the provisions of the 2005. The proposed Code:

One of the significant elements of the proposed new Code is the emphasis placed on the resolution of incidents of bullying. While not new, the emphasis is much stronger than in the current Code. Also, while not as definite as the current Code on the inclusion of bullying in safety statements, the Code is very clearly based on the health and safety principles of hazard identification, risk assessment and elimination or at least minimisation of risk.

The draft Code has been published on the HSA's website www.hsa.ie
To access and download the Code and submit comments visit the website home page and click on the consultation icon. The closing date for submitting comments is January 16th (at 5pm). Given that the Christmas and New Year break occurs during the consultation period the effective consultation period is 19 days, rather that the 28 normally allowed, so persons intending to submit comments and who need to consult with colleagues will need to act quickly.

HERBERT MULLIGAN
Editor, Health and Safety Review
www.healthandsafetyreview.ie

Bedford Prize awarded for paper on benzene in Chinese shoe factories

British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) latest Bedford Prize has been awarded for a paper which Dr Roel Vermeulen wrote, with 14 collaborators, on benzene and toluene exposure levels in two shoe factories in Tianjin, China. Dr Vermeulen was at the Occupational Epidemiology Branch of the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland when he wrote the paper, but has now returned to his earlier base at the University of Utrectht in the Netherlands, at its Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences.

The paper is part of a long-term collaborative study on benzene exposure and its effects, mainly between the US National Cancer Institute, University of California, Berkeley, and the Institute of Occupational Health and Poison Control in Beijing. The Bedford Prize is awarded for the best paper in BOHS's journal, Annals of Occupational Hygiene. Commenting on the paper, the Editor in Chief of the Annals, Dr Trevor Ogden, said "This is an excellent example of a thorough long-term study of exposure, which used modern statistical techniques to plan and analyse the sampling. The authors were able to quantify the main contributing factors using principal component analysis. No doubt it was this high-quality and thorough approach which attracted the judging panel to this paper."

The Bedford Prize is awarded every other year. Anyone can nominate papers to the shortlist, and the choice is then made by a panel of the journal Editorial Board and recent presidents of BOHS. This was the paper judged to be the best from the years 2004 and 2005, and the prize will be presented to Roel at Occupational Hygiene 2007, BOHS's Annual Conference which is to be held in Glasgow, UK from 17-19 April 2007. The winner two years ago, Professor Dick Heederik, was also from the Utrecht Institute, confirming its position as one of the leading occupational hygiene centres in Europe.

Since the award was made, Roel Vermeulen has joined the Editorial Board of the Annals, and is now one of its assistant editors. Roel obtained his MSc in Environmental Sciences with honours in 1995 at Wageningen University and his PhD in 2001 at Utrecht University. Besides his PhD fellowship he co-worked as a research assistant in several national and international projects with special focus on exposure assessment methodologies before joining the National Cancer Institute in 2001.

In 2006 he took up his current position as an investigator at the Environmental Epidemiology Group of the Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, at Utrecht University. He has (co-)authored over 65 peer-reviewed papers and has served as a consultant to several institutions and European Union projects. His research activities focus on the assessment of occupational exposures and the use of biological markers of exposure and effect in epidemiological and cross-sectional biomarker studies and methodological studies to improve exposure assessment techniques. He is currently involved in studies on the carcinogenic effect of benzene, diesel, and pesticides and the etiology of bladder, lung and hematopoietic and lymphatic malignancies.

The British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) is the definitive voice of occupational hygiene and has strong alliances with other health and safety organisations, the HSE, trade unions and business.

BOHS was formed in 1953 and its aim is simple: to help to reduce work-related ill-health. With members from across industry, and within health, education, government and research, it is by far the biggest occupational hygiene society in Europe. The Faculty of Occupational Hygiene within BOHS plays a vital role in developing and maintaining the professional standards of occupational hygienists, and is recognised internationally as a major professional examination and qualification body.

Contact: Anthea Page, Communications Manager, BOHS, 5/6 Melbourne Court, Millennium Way, Pride Park, Derby, DE24 8LZ, UK | Email: anthea@bohs.org | Tel: +44 (0)1332 250701

Block the dates in your diary: visit A+A Dusseldorf, Germany on 18-21 September 2007

With ergonoma promotional support and the presence of an ergonoma space, A+A is going to be the major European ergonomics and wellness at work event of the year 2007, and the largest ever exhibition of products, equipment and services allowing to contribute to ergonomic solutions at the workplace with over 55000 visitors from the entire world.

Patrick Le Martin, AMT Europe ergonoma, BP 00011, 28800 Bonneval France | Tel: +332.37.44.04.60 | Fax: +332.37.44.04.50 | Email: patrick@ergonomia.com | www.ergonoma.com | www.aplusa-online.de

OSHE Websites to explore

If you have a favourite website please send details to your Editor.
Many other websites collected in the Country and Subject indexes in www.oshworld.com

Here are some new UK websites that may be of interest...

Department for Transport: Road Safety   UK
www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_rdsafety/documents/sectionhomepage/dft_rdsafety_page.hcsp
The UK Department for Transport website contains information on the Government's Road Safety Strategy and its targets for reducing the number of road deaths and injuries by 2010. In addition there is information about Government policies and initiatives and advice for all road users.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE)   Advice on chronic fatigue syndrome   UK
www.hse.gov.uk/chronicfatigue
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published advice on chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) for employers and employees. The advice comes from NHS Plus, a network of occupational health services based in NHS hospitals. It defines CFS as being characterised by severe and disabling fatigue lasting at least six months.CFS affects mental and physical functioning and can be accompanied by musculoskeletal pain, sleep disturbance, impaired concentration and headaches. Some people with CFS have concomitant depression and anxiety. NHS Plus has published four advice documents on: national guidelines on occupational aspects of the management of CFS; guidance for healthcare professionals on occupational aspects of the management of CFS; guidance for employees on occupational aspects of the management of CFS and guidance for employers on occupational aspects of the management of CFS.

Health and Safety Executive: Bullying   UK
www.hse.gov.uk/research/hsl_pdf/2006/hsl0630.pdf
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in the UK reminds employers to step up procedures to tackle the growing problem of bullying in the workplace. Bullying costs employers 80 million working days and up to £2 billion in lost revenue every year. Nearly half a million people in Britain experience work-related stress at a level they believe is making them ill and the financial costs to society are estimated at £3.8 billion a year. The Health and Safety Laboratory report Bullying at work: a review of the literature discusses definitions of bullying at work, and highlights and reviews current publications and research in the area of bullying at work. Bullying is a big contributor to work related stress that affects one in six people in Britain (source: The Psychosocial Working Conditions (PWC) survey). Bullying is a form of organisational violence and if not dealt with properly is a potential source of work-related stress (WRS) and can take many different forms, from actual physical violence and threats of violence - to name calling, sarcasm and teasing. Employers should review whether they are doing enough to secure the well being of their employees and the effective performance of their business. HSE's Management Standards for Work-Related Stress represent a widely adopted, practical and usable approach to taking the necessary steps to manage stress and improve well-being in the workplace. It is important that a dialogue between employers and employees is setup to find a way to manage this growing problem. HSE's Stress Management Standards apply to six aspects of work design that research has shown as potential stressors: control; demands; support; relationships, role and change. The Relationships standard covers bullying. The Management Standards, guidance and comprehensive supporting toolkit are available, free of charge, from the HSE website www.hse.gov.uk/stress/standards

Health and Safety Executive: Stress: Statistics   UK
www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/stress
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in the UK website contains the cost to the economy and the numbers of cases of stress in British workplaces is taken from the 2004/2005 Self reported Work-related Illness report. More information on the stress management standards can be found at: www.hse.gov.uk/stress.

Institution of Occupational Safety and Health: Smoking in the workplace   UK
www.iosh.co.uk/technical
Institution of Occupational Safety and Health technical guidance A breath of fresh air - Introducing a smoke-free policy at work is available to download free.

Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents RoSPA : Winter driving tips   UK
www.rospa.com/RoadSafety/AdviceAndInformation/Driving/winter-driving-tips.aspx
Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) driving advice. Skidding can generally be avoided through good observation and anticipation - and smooth use of the vehicle's controls. Your risk of skidding increases if your tyres do not have adequate tyre depth. The legal minimum tread depth for cars and light vehicles in the UK is 1.6mm, but for safety RoSPA recommends 3mm. If you are unsure about the tread depth of the tyres, get them checked by a professional. Correct tyre pressure is also very important. Under-inflated tyres will increase your fuel consumption. Over-inflated tyres will reduce your grip on the road, making it vital that you reduce your speed. It is better to avoid skidding rather than hope you can control a skid when it happens. Such a hope is rarely realised.

Trades Union Congress TUC: Asbestos   UK
www.tuc.org.uk/extras/asbestosguide.pdf
Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the Health and Safety Executive Brief guide for safety representatives on asbestos and the new Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 (the Regulations). It does not cover the legal functions of safety representatives. You can also contact your trade union for more advice on asbestos or go to www.tuc.org.uk/asbestos

Virtual Risk Manager: Road Risk Assessment   UK
www.virtualriskmanager.net
During 2003 and 2004 groundbreaking evaluation research undertaken by Australian Napier University's Centre for Mathematics and Statistics showed a clear statistical link between drivers' performance on the Virtual Risk Manager Road RISK assessment and their reported crash outcomes. In total the four studies involved eight, thirteen and twenty-six thousand people. This remains the only driver risk assessment validation study that we are aware of, and means that as a tool for driver risk assessment, monitoring and improvement, the Virtual Risk Manager is unique in that it has been validated through applied University research. The outcome shows a clear relationship between crashes and the assessment results for attitude, behaviour, knowledge, hazard perception and personal exposure. Interactive Driving Systems® is an award winning 'research-led' provider of global fleet risk management solutions working from offices in Europe and North America. 'Research led', means that we deliver products and services that are both proven and independently validated to work.

Diary of Events

If you have a seminar, conference or exhibition that you would like to promote - please send details to your Editor. Also look in www.oshworld.com/diary.html.

12-14 March 2007 - American Academy of Emergency Medicine 13th Annual Scientific Assembly
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Contact: www.aaem.org

18-20 April 2007 - International Forum on Quality and Safety in Health Care 2007
Organized by the BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement
Barcelona, Spain
Contact: www.quality.bmjpg.com

3-6 June 2007 - XIV International Conference on Noise Control
Gromada Hotel, Elbląg, Poland
Contact: CIOP, Warsaw, Poland | Tel: +44 (0)1386 842104 | www.ciop.pl | The registration form: www.ciop.pl/17626

17-20 June 2007 - Occupational and Environmental Exposures of Skin to Chemicals
Co-sponsored by NIOSH and the Colorado School of Mines
Golden, Colarado, USA
Contact: www.mines.edu/outreach/cont_ed/oeesc

15-19 July 2007 - Eleventh International Congress of Toxicology
Palais des Congrès de Montréal, Québec, Canada
Contact: Pierre Lamoureux, Congress Secretariat, National Research Council Canada, 1200 Montreal Road, Building M-19, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1A 0R6 | Tel:+1 613 993 9431 | Fax: +1 613 993 7250 | Email: ict2007@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca

24-26 July 2007 - Americas' Fire and Security Expo 2007
Miami Beach, Florida, USA
Contact: www.americasfireandsecurity.com

15-19 September 2007 - European Respiratory Society Annual Congress 2007
Stockholm, Sweden
Contact: www.ersnet.org

18-21 September 2007 - A+A with Ergonoma
Dusseldorf, Germany
Contact: Patrick Le Martin, AMT Europe Ergonoma, P 00011, 288800 Bonneval, France | Tel: +33 2 37 44 04 60 | Fax: +33 2 37 44 04 50 | Email: patrick@ergonoma.com | www.aplusa-online.de | www.ergonoma.com

26-29 September 2007 - Association of Occupational Health Professionals 2007 National Conference
Savannah, Georgia, USA
Contact: www.aohp.org

10-11 October 2007 - Annual Conference - Occupational Health and Safety in the Food Industry
Campden & Chorleywood Food Research Association, Chipping Campden, Glos. GL55 6LD, UK
Contact: Daphne Llewellyn-Davies, Training Department, Campden & Chorleywood Food Research Association | Tel: +44 (0)1386 842104 | To note interest and get on the delegate list email: training@campden.co.uk

12-19 October 2007 - National Safety Council 2007 Congress and Expo
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Contact: www.nsc.org

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