European Safety and Health at Work Week

Businesses are encouraged to get involved in this campaign which is designed to help reduce workplace risks

HSENI (The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland) is encouraging businesses to get involved in European Safety and Health at Work Week 2013 which takes place during the week of 21 October 2013. The theme of the campaign is Working Together for Risk Prevention.

The campaign is organised by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) and is designed to help reduce workplace risks.

Every year more than 5,000 people lose their lives in the EU as a result of accidents in the workplace according to Eurostat. In addition, the International Labour Organization estimates that a further 159,000 die as a result of occupational diseases.

A great many of these lives could be saved if risks were anticipated and sensible safety measures implemented and followed rigorously. It is often said that ‘prevention is better than cure’ and this applies more than ever to promoting a safe and healthy workplace.

Campaign details

The week is set to be full of awareness-raising events and activities for businesses to take part in. Businesses are encouraged to get involved and discover why combining strong management with active worker participation is so important.

The campaign focuses on:

  • risk prevention
  • managing risks
  • encouraging top managers to actively engage in risk reduction
  • encouraging workers, their representatives and other stakeholders to work with managers to reduce risks

You can find out more about the campaign on the EU-OSHA website.

To get involved in European Safety and Health at Work Week or to request a campaign pack you can contact HSENI on Tel 0800 0320 121 or email mail@hseni.gov.uk.