Safe and healthy work environment and knowledge are prerequisites for productivity and healthy employees
On the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, the necessity to improve working conditions and knowledge about occupational health and safety issues were emphasised at the Presidency Conference on Occupational Safety and Health, commemorating victims of occupational accidents and illnesses.
“Safety and health at work is one of the priorities of the Latvian Presidency programme. It is frequently believed that the term occupational safety and health relates to complicated normative requirements and formal execution of tasks. However, a safe work environment is one of the prerequisites for the efficiency and health of employees. We must therefore pursue modern and innovative measures to present occupational safety and health issues in a simple, clear and interesting manner while taking into consideration interests of different target audiences. Opportunities provided by the new technologies and means of communication must be also used to boost the motivation of both employers and employees to take an active part in the creating of a safe work environment. Exchange of good practice is important both at national and international experts’ levels , emphasised Mr Uldis Augulis, Latvian Minister for Welfare.
The conference focused on aspects related to active implementation of the European Commission’s Communication on the Strategic Framework for Safety and Health at Work 2014-2020. In addition, the good practice awards ceremony took place within the framework of the European Healthy Workplaces Manage Stress information campaign.
The latest statistics and survey results regarding the health and safety situation in European enterprises were presented to the conference participants. At the same time, the participants discussed further actions aimed at improving working conditions, particularly, in micro and small enterprises. Interactive tools (for example, games and applications) that can be used to improve knowledge about occupational health and safety, including the integration of these issues into educational programmes were presented in parallel to the plenary sessions. The following web-based Latvian examples were presented:
Feeling guide developed by the Rural Support Service
Web-based game:“Find the risks at the workplace
Web-based game “Calculate the cost of an accident
Web-based game “Healthy and Safe developed by the Latvian National Centre for Education
The second day of the conference focused on practical aspects of the effective implementation of safety and health at work issues, including methods of disseminating information and the use of social media and videos. Latvia shared its experience regarding the use of social media and videos to raise awareness about occupational safety and health. Videos are available on the Youtube account of the State Labour Inspectorate.
The conference brought together representatives from the European Commission Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, EU institutions, international organisations and academia. Other participants included representatives from employers’ and workers’ organisations and from the governments of EU Member States, candidate countries and European Economic Area countries.
The conference entitled From the strategic framework towards effective implementation - OSH can be simple and entertaining took place on 27-28 April during the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and it was co-financed by the European Commission (EaSi-PROGRESS Programme 2015).