CIS Newsletter

No. 216
September 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 - CIS Annual Meeting 2007 information
  3. New database from IRSST added to OSH UPDATE
  4. News from around the World - Canada, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Korea, Mexico, Sweden, Tunisia, UK and the USA
  5. FOCUS: Complacency over malaria
  6. OSHE websites
  7. Diary of Events

Editorial

Dear CIS Colleagues

This month - September 2007 will see some of us gathering in Dusseldorf for The CIS Annual Meeting 2007 - have you informed CIS HQ yet that you are attending? See also some more details regarding the Annual Meeting in this Newsletter.

CIS Network members will wish to know that Annick Virot, CIS Network Co-ordinator was taken ill in Tibet whilst on vacation but is now at home in Switzerland recuperating after being hospitalised. Many people have been asking about Annick and sending good wishes to her for a very speedy recovery. Sadly Annick will not be in Dusseldorf at the annual CIS meeting. We wish miss her.

Occupational safety and safety (OSH) is rarely out of the news - locally, nationally and internationally - as I write this an announcement on the radio a company in the UK has just been fined GBP400,000 for negligence.

News continues to come in - many thanks to all those sending news... and those have NOT SENT any news - I look forward to hearing from you!

You will see in this edition many activities and developments are taking place around the world that are informing, advising and training people of all ages, and especially the young people just starting their working lives or hoping to gain work experience during the summer holidays.

More information and preparations are now taking place for our 2007 CIS Meeting - in Düsseldorf, Germany, on Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20 September 2007.

The Meeting is being organized jointly with the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. The CIS Meeting will be held at the same time as the European Agency has its meeting of focal points, some of which are also our centres.

The Meeting will be held in conjunction with the A+A 2007 Congress and Trade Show, jointly sponsored by BASI (Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft für Sicherheit und Gesundheit bei der Arbeit), the ILO, the European Agency and other safety and health bodies.

And because of the joint meeting there will NOT be any Training Workshops for CIS members this year.

Don't forget to make as much Publicity as possible regarding your OSH activities ... tell them, tell them and tell them again... 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!

You know I welcome ideas for inclusion in the future editions of this Newsletter. 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.

Changed email number recently? Please let me know of any changes so that I can continually alert you to when the new edition of CIS Newsletter is available via this website

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

Sheila Pantry, OBE

Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd, 85 The Meadows, Todwick, Sheffield S26 1JG, UK
Tel: +4 41909 771024
Fax: +44 1909 772829
Email: sp@sheilapantry.com
www.oshworld.com
www.sheilapantry.com
www.shebuyersguide.com
www.oshupdate.com
www.fireinf.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

Gabor Sandi writes:

Dear Colleague

We are very pleased that you have indicated your desire to attend the 45th annual meeting of CIS Centres in Düsseldorf, Germany, on 19-20 September 2007. (If you have not yet informed CIS HQ please send details as soon as possible)

May I remind you that we have received a kind invitation from our German National Centre, the Bundesanstalt für Arbeitsschutz und Arbeitsmedizin (BAuA), whose premises are in Dortmund, to visit them on Friday, 21 September 2007 (from 10 am to 3pm). The visit would also include a guided tour of the German Occupational Safety and Health Exhibition (DASA), which is an integral part of the BAuA. All participants of the CIS Meeting will be welcome to join this visit.

Dortmund is quite close to Düsseldorf. We do not know yet what the arrangements, if any, will be for transportation between Düsseldorf and the BAuA. In any case, there are frequent train services between the two cities, the journey takes about 50 minutes.

Please let CIS HQ whether you will participate in the visit to Dortmund. BAuA would like to know beforehand how many people will be attending.

With our best wishes,

Gábor Sándi
Head, CIS

____________________

May we remind you that as the CIS Meeting will be held within the A+A Congress location, participants must pay the registration fees for the Congress in order to participate in the CIS Meeting. Contact Françoise Riette, CIS Centres Secretariat for an application form. The price of entry is a reduced price tickets (75 euros). This form should be completed and returned to the address given.

Best regards,

Françoise Riette
CIS Centres Secretariat
Email: ciscentres@ilo.org

New database from IRSST added to OSH UPDATE... which now contains 17 databases from worldwide sources

OSH UPDATE, arguably the world's most comprehensive collection of authoritative and validated occupational safety and health databases has expanded again - this time the new database is from the Canadian Occupational Health and Safety Research Institute (IRSST).

IRSST has been established in Québec, Canada since 1980 and is a scientific research organization known for the quality of its work and the expertise of its personnel. The Institute is a private, non-profit agency. Its board of directors is composed of an equal number of trade union and employers' representatives, making it a joint body.

The Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CSST) provides most of the Institute's funding from the contributions it collects from employers.

The IRSST team is composed of some 130 individuals, including a scientific corps of 80 researchers, professionals, and technicians in various disciplines: ergonomics, industrial hygiene, chemistry, physics, engineering, sociology, anthropology and demography.

IRSST carries out scientific activities concentrated in seven research fields: accidents, chemical substances and biological agents, musculoskeletal disorders, noise and vibration, protective equipment, occupational rehabilitation, safety of industrial tools, machines and processes.

The IRSST database includes over 900 reports from early 1980s and is continuously updated.

So Work Smarter not Harder! Why waste time searching around the Internet for OSH information that is never to be found on web sites.

Instead use the easy access route to the latest worldwide occupational health, safety, hygiene, road safety, water safety, environment trends information. It has never been easier!

Do budget constraints not allow you to buy all the journals, newsletters and documents that contain the latest information? Can't afford the time to search for the latest information, legislation and standards? No staff to search for this information? And no time yourself to spend hours searching for information?

Then this very affordable, very successful Internet based service OSH UPDATE, from Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd is the answer for you. Powered by Head Software International's Headfast/Discovery Internet publishing software, OSH UPDATE containing over 800,000 references is now available and is regularly updated as new information is published.

OSH UPDATE records have links to the full text where possible - this is all done for you!

In addition to IRSST you will find databases from worldwide authoritative sources included e.g.:

OSH UPDATE is expanding - we are continuing to make agreements with other well-known information producers around the world and these databases will also be included. As well as the latest information, many reference sources go back 80 or more years and so a valuable tool for researchers.

This aggregation of databases contains thousands of relevant references with abstracts or keywords and full text will keep you and your colleagues alerted to hot topics such as the health risks of nanotechnology, corporate killing and corporate social responsibility, bio-terrorism, management of road risks, preparedness and business continuity, risk assessment and much more!

TAKE A 15-DAY FREE TRIAL

For full details of this product, please check out the list of contents of OSH UPDATE on www.sheilapantry.com or why not take a FREE 15-DAY TRIAL OF OSH UPDATE? Send your request now www.sheilapantry.com/interest.html

News from Chile

Americas Regional Initiative to Eliminate Silicosis

The Second Regional Meeting to Advance the Latin American Plan to Eliminate Silicosis was hosted in Santiago, Chile on July 13 and 14 by the Minister of Health and the Minister of Labor of Chile. The World Health Organization (WHO), Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), International Labor Organization (ILO) and Ministerial representatives from Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay participated, along with representatives from labor and employers from those countries, the International Commission of Occupational Health (ICOH), the International Occupational Hygiene Association (IOHA), and experts from NIOSH and Fundacentro, Brazil. Commitments were made to cooperate together to take specific actions necessary to success of this effort. Participation by NIOSH included training to help Chilean officials set up and run sampling for silica dust, and co-chairing a workshop that developed simple and inexpensive control guidance for small businesses in brick-making and stone-crushing.

NIOSH initiated technical assistance to Chile in these areas in 2005 and conveyed admiration for the leadership of the Chilean Ministry of Health and Institute of Public Health for making substantial advances in each area. NIOSH looks forward to continuing cooperation with WHO, PAHO, ILO and the partners of the Americas. Additional information on NIOSH's global collaborations research program is available at www.cdc.gov/niosh/programs/global.

News Brief from the USA

Work, Stress and Health 2008" Scheduled for March 2008

NIOSH, the American Psychological Association, and the Society for Occupational Health Psychology will convene "Work, Stress and Health 2008: Healthy and Safe Work Through Research, Practice and Partnerships" on March 6 - 8, 2008, in Washington, DC. This conference, the latest in a series, is designed to address the constantly changing nature of work, and the implications of these changes for the health, safety, and well-being of workers. Conference topics include: traumatic stress and resiliency, fatigue, workplace diversity and discrimination, and work-family integration. The deadline for paper, poster and symposium proposals is August 31, 2007. www.apa.org/pi/work/wsh.html

News Brief from the USA

CDC Publishes Guide for Next Decade of Public Health Research

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released Advancing the Nation's Health: A Guide for Public Health Research Needs, 2006-2015.

The Research Guide identifies research areas that should be addressed during the next decade by CDC and its partners in response to current and future needs and events. www.cdc.gov/od/science/PHResearch/cdcra/index_ad.htm

News Brief from Denmark

The Bjarne Olesen, conference president, regarding Indoor Air 2008 - August 17-22nd 2008 in Copenhagen reports that there is now less than a year until the opening of the Indoor Air & Climate 2008 conference in Copenhagen. So the countdown has started.

Please promote the conference among your colleagues. The most important thing is to make potential attendees aware of the web-site: www.indoorair2008.org

The site includes information about abstracts, papers, accommodation, social events, registration fee and other details.

The deadline for Abstracts is now 15 October.

Indoor Air 2008, International Centre for Indoor Environment and Energy, Technical University of Denmark, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Nils Koppels Allé, Building 402, DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby | Tel.: +45 45 25 40 07 | Fax: +45 45 93 21 66 | Email: ssk@mek.dtu

News from Canada

Labour, Employer and Government Panel to Discuss Gaps in Workplace Health and Safety

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) has added a panel discussion to the program for the national forum being held in Vancouver, British Columbia, September 17-18, 2007.

Denis St-Jean, National Health and Safety Officer, Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC); Alec Farquhar, Director of the Occupational Health and Safety Branch, Ontario Ministry of Labour; and Wallace Baer President and CEO, Enform will engage in a dialogue about the gaps in protection, accountability and responsibility for worker health and safety following a plenary session on the same topic by Katherine Lippel, professor of law at University of Ottawa's Faculty of Law. They will explore how our existing laws and traditional definitions apply to non-standard work arrangements including self-employment, and part-time, temporary and seasonal employment. The panel will also touch on ideas and solutions for protecting workers, and will field questions from Forum delegates.

With Emerging Health & Safety Issues in Changing Workplaces: A Canadian Discussion as the theme, this two-day national forum hosted by CCOHS is expected to provide an opportunity for subject experts, workers, employers and governments to share their knowledge and better understand how these unique challenges impact the health, safety and well being of workers. The interactive panel discussion is expected to be a highlight of Forum '07.

Information about Forum '07 is available on the website: www.ccohs.ca/events/forum07

Contact: Eleanor Westwood, Manager of Communications, Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety | Tel: +1 905 572 2981, Ext. 4408 | Email: eleanorw@ccohs.ca | www.ccohs-cchst.ca

Plan to attend Forum '07. Seats still available!

News from Canada

Interlocking Devices: Selection and Use: IAPA's newest 1 day machine safety course

The inappropriate selection or use of interlocks can leave workplaces at risk of serious injuries, fatalities and prosecutions.

Find out how to protect your workplace with IAPA's newest machine safety course.

Learn about the role of risk assessment in interlock selection, review key requirements of CSA Standard Z432-04 and identify common types of interlocks and their strengths and limitations. Plus, use actual machine models to assess and determine appropriate interlocks for specific applications.

Who Should Attend

Participants should have core knowledge of machine safeguarding principles or should complete IAPA's Safeguarding of Machinery before taking this course. Participants should also have a basic understanding of interlocking devices and how they function.

To register, go to the IAPA website at: www.iapa.ca/Catalog

Further News from Canada

Heat Stress: New Toolkit and other documents available for download on the IAPA website

Overexposure to heat can stress the body's cooling system and when combined with other stresses like hard, physical labour, loss of fluids, fatigue or some medical conditions, it can lead to heat-related illness, disability and even death. Heat stress is the overloading of the body's cooling system. Both young and old are susceptible and in Ontario, heat stress is usually a concern during the summer at the early part of the season when people are not used to the heat. Significant sources of heat inside workplaces include furnaces, bakeries, smelters, foundries and heavy equipment. For outdoor workers, direct sunlight is the main source of heat. In mines, geothermal gradients and equipment contribute to heat exposure. Humidity also contributes to heat stress.

IAPA also has two industry-specific guides - Food & Beverage Sector Health and Safety Guide and Canadian Foundry Industry Health and Safety Guide that offer comprehensive sections on heat stress specific to these industries.

To download, go to the IAPA website at: www.iapa.ca/main/articles/summer_hazards.aspx

FOCUS

Complacency over malaria is still a major health-threat to expatriate workers and travellers

Malaria infects over 500 million people worldwide, causes over one million deaths and threatens the lives of about 40 per cent of the world's population. It is also one of the leading causes of death from an infectious disease among expatriates and business travellers. Every year, tens of thousands of travelers contract the disease.

Despite evidence of an increase in malaria over the last decade, with outbreaks and epidemics occurring on a frequent basis (the popular holiday spots of Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas have all have seen recent outbreaks), expatriate workers and business travellers are showing a remarkable lack of concern.

"One of the biggest dangers is a growing complacency amongst travellers and expatriates," explains Dr Irene Lai, Deputy Medical Director, International SOS, the world's leading provider of medical assistance services for corporations and individuals. "Rather than seeking professional advice, people often listen to anecdotal evidence from locals, or worse still, consult unofficial websites that all too often understate the chances of catching malaria."

International SOS evacuates 30-50 severe malaria cases annually, at significant cost to the companies involved.

Caused by the parasite Plasmodium, malaria is transmitted via the bites of infected mosquitoes. In the human body, the parasites multiply in the liver, and then infect red blood cells. Symptoms include fever, headache, and vomiting, and usually appear between 10 and 15 days after the mosquito bite. If not treated, malaria can quickly become life threatening by disrupting the blood supply to vital organs.

"International travel is so commonplace that people think nothing of visiting far-off places at short notice", comments Dr. Lai. "Expatriates in particular, mistakenly start to dismiss the threat, simply because they've not contracted the disease over a period of years."

Take for example the following recent cases with which International SOS has had to deal.

A 45-year-old expatriate working in Nigeria fell ill with non-specific symptoms including headache, fever, rigors, nausea and joint pain. He was rushed in to the local clinic in a semi conscious state where he was diagnosed with severe Falciparum Malaria. The severity of the infection resulted in Cerebral Malaria. In the hours that followed, he showed signs of severe malarial infection - with circulatory collapse requiring special medication to maintain his blood pressure, and his renal dysfunction developed into anuric renal failure. His neurological function deteriorated, and his level of consciousness dropped. This was complicated by tonic-clonic seizures - again evidence of a dire prognosis. A Johannesburg based, International SOS Air Rescue Africa air ambulance was despatched to Nigeria with a flight Doctor and nurse on board. The patient was placed on a life support system and advice was sought from the intensive care specialist on call, and further actions instituted.

The flight medical crew provided continued emergency and critical care in an attempt to stabilise the patent's dire condition. On arrival the patient was transferred to an Intensive Care unit in a Johannesburg hospital under the care of an intensive care specialist and a renal physician.

"The severity of the malarial infection and its complications predicted an unfavourable prognosis for the patient," said Dr. Roger Dickerson of International SOS. He continued: "Two weeks after the initial aero medical evacuation - the patient improved and was taken off the life support system. His neurological functioning has returned to normal and, although still requiring dialysis support, his renal function also improved. Malaria can be deadly but it is preventable provided the right precautions are taken."

In another case the patient was not so fortunate. A 34-year-old man went to the International SOS facility in Dubai after returning there from a vacation in Pakistan three weeks earlier. Prior to travel, he had not been given any medical advice, travel recommendations or malarial prophylaxis. The patient was feeling unwell with high fevers for several days but attributed his symptoms to a viral infection. On admission he had a high fever, headache, rigors and chills and was taken to the intensive care unit. The first malaria smear was positive with an extremely elevated parasite count on his blood tests.

The patient was then started on the appropriate intravenous medication. Unfortunately, by this time he had sustained liver and kidney damage leading to renal failure and was placed on dialysis. He subsequently developed respiratory distress and required mechanical ventilation. Over the course of the next week, although he showed signs of initial improvement, his condition deteriorated due to severe complicated malaria, multi-organ failure and sepsis. He died a short time later.

Providing accurate medical information to large numbers of employees across multiple locations is difficult. But, with the right advice and appropriate medication, travelers and expatriates can avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes and lead a normal, healthy life in regions affected by malaria.

With this in mind, International SOS has developed "Malaria for Expatriates and Travelers": an online course that is designed to prepare employees for working in a malarial area. It consists of four comprehensive lessons. Each lesson uses multimedia, including animation, video, text and audio to maintain employee interest and enhance the learning experience. By providing education programmes, companies can demonstrate to their employees that they care about their health and wellbeing. While little research exists on this topic to date, this may lead to increased employee morale and a more positive employee perception of the company as a whole.

Studies across multiple corporations and industries have found that companies save between 50% and 70% of their overall training costs by replacing traditional face-to-face programmes with courses delivered online. "As health education is often considered non-essential, it can frequently suffer from a lack of funding. But, by providing the content in an online learning format, important health education can be provided to large numbers of employees with minimal cost," says Dr Lai.

WHO: 2007 International Travel and Health Report
An online demonstration of the course is available at: www.internationalsos.com/demo/malariademo/index.html

DIARY DATE

5th Congress of Women, Work and Health, 27-31 October 2008

The Autonomous University of Zacatecas (La Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas - UAZ), the Autonomous Metropolitan University (La Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana - UAM),), Citizen's Initiative and Social Development, (Iniciativa Ciudadana y Desarrollo Social - INCIDE Social, A.C., the College of Sonora (el Colegio de Sonora), the Center for Research in Nutrition and Development (el Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, A.C.) and Zanzana, Knowledge and Expression, (Zanzana, Conocimiento y Expresion, A.C.) sponsored by International Labour Organisation and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Foundation, announce the 5th Congress of Women, Work and Health to take place in Zacatecas, Mexico October 27 - 31, 2008.

This international meeting has been held in Barcelona, Spain (1996), Rio de Janiero, Brazil (1999), Stockholm, Sweden (2002) and New Delhi, India (2005). For this fifth Congress, the international committee has proposed Mexico for its site and Dr. Leonor A. Cedillo as its General Secretary.

The objectives for this Congress are the following:

The Congress will be organized around the aspects of work that determine the health process - women's illnesses and the organized social response to them. The main topics covered will be:

Related to the organized social response to these health and labor problems facing women are the central themes of public and private policies, rights in accordance with legislation and universal guarantees, and lastly methodologies of research, action and training.

The options for participation are as follows (please note: time for each individual's participation will be limited to 15 minutes per participant per event):

  1. Individual oral presentations in the form of round-table discussions.
  2. Women's stories, to be told at organized tables.
  3. Organizing forums, whose objective is to generate contacts among groups with common interests.
  4. Keynote speakers' talks (plenary).
  5. Individual poster presentations in "arenas." This mode of participation is preceded by the submission of written summaries, from each participant, on the topics of the congress that will be grouped in each arena; The objective is that during the exhibition of the posters discussion will be generated on each topic.
  6. Videos.
  7. Exhibitions. Cultural and artistic events will be open to all.

Abstracts should be proposed before March 15, 2008. Responses will be communicated before July 15.

In accordance with the objectives stated, the two days prior to the convening of the Congress will be dedicated to courses of interest to the central theme.

For the first time, in this 5th Congress cultural activities have been programmed which will permit the people of the host city to come in contact with relevant aspects of the central theme of the Congress, such as art and photography exhibits and films in open areas in the city. These activities will be announced in a special notice soon.

In the second notice the program will be announced in detail and we hope that the enthusiasm of the organizers will be echoed by all of those who strive to achieve better health for women.

More information: V Congreso Mujer Trabajo y Salud Mexico 2008 | wwh2008@gmail.com

News Brief

US National Institute for Safety and Health (NIOSH) Consolidation of the NIOSH 800 number with CDC-INFO

Beginning on August 30, 2007, the NIOSH 800-number information service (1-800-35-NIOSH) will become part of the toll-free CDC-INFO public information contact center. CDC-INFO is the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) consolidated call and e-mail handling center. Established in 2005, CDC-INFO provides one-stop access to all the information resources of NIOSH and CDC. CDC-INFO call center representatives are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and answer public inquiries in English and Spanish.

Those of you who currently use the NIOSH 800-number may notice some changes in the way inquiries are processed, especially publication requests. We ask you to bear with us through the transition phase.

Please note the new telephone number: 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636) | Email: cdcinfo@cdc.gov | TTY: 1-888-232-6348

News Brief

SST from Tunisia

The latest edition - No. 242 Juillet 2007 of Sante et Securite au Travail (SST) from the Tunisian Institute and CIS Centre contains some interesting features in this Special edition of the Proceedings from the 8th Assises Internationales Organisees held in Tunis 15 -1 7 May 2007:

Special Etude: Sante mentale et conditions de travail

Contact: ISST, 5 Bd M Khaznadar, 1007, Tunis, Tunisia | Tel: +216 71 561 636 Fax: +216 71 571 902 | Email: Analy.isst@Email.ati.tn

News Brief

The Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency has issued its Annual Report for 2006.

It gives details on:

  1. Financial Support to Improve the Safety and Health Facilities in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises
  2. Technical Support for Occupational Safety and Health
  3. Test, Examination, Approval, and Certification
  4. Education & Training on Prevention of Industrial Accidents
  5. Safety Culture
  6. Publication & Distribution of Technical Information
  7. Systematic Management of Statistics on Industrial Accidents
  8. R&D Activities on Occupational Safety and Health
  9. International Cooperation

The appendices give details on:

  1. Organisation Chart
  2. Number of employees
  3. Contact Information
  4. XVIII World Congress on Safety and Health at Work being held on 29 June - 2 July 2008 in Seoul, Korea www.safety2008korea.org

You can download the report and other information including contact details from www.kosha.or.kr

More News from Canada

Activity Report 2006 from the Occupational Health and Safety Research Institute (IRSST)

Located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the Institut de Recherche Rober-Sauve en Sante et en Securite du Travail (IRSST) 2006 Activity Report entitled The IRSST for Research that Generates Change show a wide range of activities.

In 2006, the IRSST began to negotiate a major change in direction. Inspired by the results of both internal and external reflection and consultation, IRSST mapped out the itinerary that they will follow from now to 2010. Whilst the goal of this strategic positioning process has always been to increase the IRSST's research and expertise capacity, it must be said that They have put scientific research at the heart of their activities like never before. The results can be seen in this report that summarises the main activities of the Institute, its personnel, locally, nationally and internationally. There is also a list of this year's scientific publications.

For more information about IRSST as well as the research you can subscribe at l'Info IRSST www.irsst.qc.ca/en/subscribe.html

You will receive a monthly newsletter with IRSST's newest information.

Should you require any additional information please contact: Maura Tomi, Information agent, Direction des communication, IRSST, Montreal, Quebec, Canada | Tel: +1 514-288-1551 ext 302 | Email: mautom@irsst.qc.ca | www.irsst.qc.ca

News guidance

Managing Competence for Safety-related Systems

The Health and Safety Executive in partnership with the Institution of Engineering Technology (IET) and the British Computer Society (BCS), has published guidance to help companies manage the competence of their staff who are involved with electronic safety-related systems (e.g. fly-by-wire in aircraft, shutdown systems in the petrochemical industry and offshore and safeguarding arrangements for machinery and industrial automation).

The new publication Managing Competence for Safety-related Systems provides the essential requirements for a successful competence management system (CMS) suitable for all staff at all levels of responsibility within organisations working on safety-related systems.

The guidance is available free on the internet www.hse.gov.uk/consult/condocs/competence.htm

DIARY DATE

EUROGIP DISCUSSIONS

Work-related MSDs in Europe. Preventing risk and retaining victims on the job: what actions for what results?
Location: Paris, France
22.10.2007 - From 09:00 to 17:00

The Eurogip Discussions which will take place on Monday 22 October 2007 in Paris will be organised around four issues:

  1. The issues: definition, causes, implications...
  2. Which Community framework for preventing MSD?
  3. Occupational health and safety initiatives that have had a real impact
  4. Effective initiatives for reintegration of victims.

The objective of the Eurogip Discussions, held annually, is to encourage the exchange of information and experience between the relevant players at the European level: government, occupational risk insurance and prevention organisations, social partners, safety managers, occupational health services, employee representatives, etc.

Official languages: French and English Programme and registration on www.eurogip.fr/debats-eurogip.php

News Brief from Canada

The Certificate in Health, Safety and Environmental Processes (CHSEP)

The On-line program at the University of New Brunswick's College of Extended Learning in Canada is designed to benefit middle managers, front line workers, staff resource personnel, OSHE regulators, engineers, nurses, safety specialists, workers' compensation strategists, labour representatives, and industrial leaders with an interest in human resource development.

For more information visit: http://extend.unb.ca/prof_dev/hsep/contactus.php

News Brief from the USA

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) new reports

NIOSH has recently released the following Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation Reports:

F2005-28 Aug 06, 2005 One career fire fighter dies and two are injured in apparatus crash - California
www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200528.html
F2006-19 May 14, 2006 Career Lieutenant dies in residential structure fire - Colorado
www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200619.html

News from the UK

Health and safety in Small to Medium-sized Enterprises

This UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) project was commissioned in response to the HSE competition for ideas for research in 2001. The project aimed to identify psychosocial factors which are effective in the maintenance and improvement of health and safety by the SME. The report outlines the work undertaken to achieve this aim. It describes three key activities:

This project sought to identify what SMEs do about health and safety, what prevents them from doing health and safety, and what would encourage them to undertaken more health and safety. The project aimed to elicit views from stakeholders, identify the positive steps presumed to be undertaken, quantify the basis for presumed effectiveness of measures, and to provide recommendations regarding dissemination of these effective actions in support of good safety and health practice.

This report and the work it describes were funded by the HSE. Its contents, including any opinions and/or conclusions expressed, are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect HSE policy.

View the report [1.5MB PDF]

News from Korea... About World Congress 2008...

World Congress on Safety and Health at Work 2008 and APOSHO Annual General Meeting to be held simultaneously

World Congress on Safety and Health at Work and The annual general meeting of the Asia Pacific Occupational Safety and Health Organization (APOSHO), a cooperative organization of safety and health institutions in the Asia-Pacific region, will be held simultaneously in Seoul, Korea next year.

The Ministry of Labor (MOL) and KOSHA said on 5 June that the 24th annual general meeting of APOSHO will be held for 4 days beginning 29 June 2008 in Seoul.

www.safety2008korea.org

OSHE web sites to explore...

Also look in www.oshworld.com/links.html for hundreds of links to authoritative and validated web sites

BELGIUM

European Training Institute   BELGIUM
www.e-t-i.be
European Training Institute is the leading EU training centre in Brussels offering a full range of Programmes and Seminars dedicated to European Public Affairs. ETI programmes and seminars are fully interactive. They examine all aspects of Public Affairs Mangement, the working of the European Institutions and the best ways of influencing their policies. ETI also makes available a large range of Publications.

MALAYSIA

Ministry of Human Resource, Malaysia   MALAYSIA
www.mohr.gov.my
Malaysia's Ministry of Human Resource website gives details of activities, news, calendar of events, guidelines and links to related departments.

Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), Ministry of Human Resource, Malaysia   MALAYSIA
www.dosh.gov.my
Malaysia's Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), Ministry of Human Resource website gives details of activities, news, calendar of events, guidelines and links to related departments.

SPAIN

European Agency for Safety and Health at Work: European Rick Observatory (ERO)   SPAIN
http://osha.europa.eu/en/riskobservatory
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work European Risk Observatory (ERO) website. As society evolves under the influence of new technology and of shifting economic and social conditions, so do workplaces, work practices and production processes are also constantly changing. These new work situations bring with them new risks and challenges for workers and employers which in turn demand political, administrative and technical approaches that ensure high levels of safety and health at work. The ERO website lists topics, publications and further information.

USA

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health   NIOSH   Emergency Response Resources: Natural Disasters   USA
www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/emres/natural.html
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Emergency response resources to deal with natural disasters. A number of documents give recommendations for improving safety management at large-scale disaster sites. Covers natural and manmade disasters, including terrorism. Work plan essentials, site safety and team leader checklists, potential hazards and recommendations.

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

18 September 2007 - Making Lite of lifting: an interactive seminar on musculoskeletal disorders
Manchester Occupational Health and Safety Group in conjunction with the Health and Safety Executive and sponsored by Berrymans Lace Mawer
Conference Room, Armitage Centre, University of Manchester, Moseley Road, Fallowfield, Manchester M14 6HE, UK
Contact: Mike Nixon, Treasurer, MOHSG, 62 Willow Avenue, Cheadle Hulme, Cheadle, Cheshire SK8 6AX, UK | Tel: +44 (0)161 610 6660 | Fax: +44 (0)161 485 8102 | Mob: 07743 336421 | www.mohsg.org.uk

17-18 October 2007 - Institute of Acoustics Autumn Conference 2007: Sources of noise and vibration problems
The Oxford Hotel, Oxford, UK
Contact: Judy Edrich, Institute of Acoustics, 77A St Peter's Street, St Albans, Herts AL1 3B, UK | Tel: 01727 848195 | Fax: 01727 850553 | Email: judy.edrich@ioa.org.uk | www.ioa.org.uk/events

6-8 November 2007 - US Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security "Technology for Critical Incident Preparedness"
San Francisco, CA, USA
Contact: www.ctc.org

12-13 November 2007 - IBC Energy presents the inaugural conference... Offshore Support Vessels 2007: Debating the operational, technical & safety issues in OSVs
Crowne Plaza, St James, London
Contact: Daniel Claassen | Email: daniel.claassen@informa.com

21 November 2007 - Fleet Safety annual Best of the Best conference
National Motor Cycle Museum, Birmingham, UK
Contact: Brake | Tel: +44 (0) 01484 559909 | Email: admin@brake.org.uk | www.brake.org.uk

2008

8-14 April 2008 - AOHC 2008: American Occupational Health Conference
New York, USA
Contact: American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) | Tel: +1 847 816 ext 374 | www.acoem.org

16-18 April 2008 - Disaster Management 2008: An endeavour to combat disaster
Pragati Maidan, New Delhi,India
Contact: Services International, New Delhi, India | Tel: 91 11450 55561/64 | Email: info@servintonline.com | www.dmindiaexpo.com

31 May - 5 June 2008 - 2008 American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Contact: www.aiha.org

2-6 June 2008 - 2008 World Safety Conference and Exposition
Las Vegas, NV, USA
Contact: www.nfpa.org/conference

4-8 August 2008 - ASTM Boulder Conference on Surface and Dermal Sampling 2008
Boulder, Colorado, USA
Contact: Kevin Ashley, NIOSH Division of Applied Research and Technology (Symposium Chair) | www.astm.org/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/filtrexx40.cgi?U+mystore+swqs8906+-P+EVENT_ID+1080+/usr6/htdocs/astm.org/SYMPOSIA/callforpapers.frm

14-16 August 2008 - International Association of Fire Chiefs Fire Rescue International 2008
Denver, Colorado, USA
Contact: www.iafc.org

14-18 September 2008 - 14th International Society for Respiratory Protection
Dublin, Ireland
Contact: www.isrp.com/dublin

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

Visit A+A Dusseldorf, Germany on 18-21 September 2007
www.aplusa-online.de

Also 2007 CIS Annual Meeting also in Dusseldorf, Germany