scholarly journals A Cloud-Based Tool for Integrating Occupational Risk Assessment Within Management Systems for SMEs

Safety ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 47
Author(s):  
Diego De Merich ◽  
Maria Grazia Gnoni ◽  
Brunella Malorgio ◽  
Guido J. L. Micheli ◽  
Giusi Piga ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Software Tool ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Small Companies ◽  
Accident Rate ◽  
Web Based ◽  
The Social ◽  
Service Sectors

About 67% of workers employed in the industrial and service sectors in the European Union are currently contracted by Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), which represent the economic heart of the European economy. However, this strength is counterbalanced by a considerably higher overall accident rate compared to Large Enterprises (LEs), and this trend seems to be confirmed worldwide. Moreover, most available tools for risk assessment and occupational health and safety (OHS) management are originally designed to fit the needs of LEs, resulting in a gap for SMEs. Therefore, the effective management of OHS in SMEs has become a crucial issue for researchers, practitioners and policymakers, aiming to improve the social and economic sustainability of small companies. The main purpose of this study is to provide guidelines to implement effective risk assessment processes and integrate them with OHS management systems in SMEs. A literature analysis of risk assessment and OHS management in SMEs highlights the main findings and gaps. Then, the three-phases methodology adopted is presented, outlining the main steps and outputs of the project. Finally, the web-based software tool for OHS risk analysis and management, designed to answer the specific needs of SMEs, is presented.

Health and Safety Strategies in a Changing Europe

1998 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 305-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Walters
Keyword(s):  
Public Expenditure ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Regulatory Agencies ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Social ◽  
Safety Strategies ◽  
Common Framework ◽  
New Challenges

This article presents a synthesis of some of the more significant findings from two recent surveys on working conditions and national strategies for their improvement in the European Union in the 1990s. As patterns and organization of employment have changed in the past decade, the consequences for health and safety present new challenges for legislators, the social partners, the regulatory agencies, and the specialists. These challenges are only partially met in most European member states. Because of the continued deregulation of employment, reduced public expenditure, and reduced trade union presence, the operation of strategies to implement a common framework of E.U. legislation is limited and often incomplete. This issue must be confronted if systems for promoting the well-being of people at work in Europe are to keep up with the rapidly changing nature of the risks that they face.

scholarly journals Modern Trends in Occupational Safety Management

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 126-138
Author(s):  
Teresa Lis ◽  
Krzysztof Nowacki
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Safety Management ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Occupational Health And Safety ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Work Safety ◽  
Systems Requirements

Abstract Problems related to work safety have been accompanying humanity since the dawn of time. In times before the Industrial Revolution, human and animal muscle strength was used to work, and “safe work” solutions were developed and introduced individually by the user or supervising the work. Only a change in the way work was done due to the industrial revolution, the introduction of new energy sources, the transformation of manufactories into factories and the birth of the working class brought about greater, concrete changes. It was at that time that various machines and devices began to be introduced into the workplace, which on the one hand improved work and on the other hand created more and more potentially dangerous situations. Security was started holistically and institutionally. With the transformation and return of capitalism, the subject of real work safety returned. Health and safety was to be not only a fashionable slogan, but a value that was supposed to guarantee profit – in accordance with the principle that accidents reduce productivity. It was also connected with the process of adapting Polish law in the field of health and safety to the law of the European Union (EU), which resulted from Poland’s pursuit of EU membership. Moreover, an important factor initiating these changes was the interest of enterprises in quality management systems compliant with the ISO 9000 series and environmental management systems compliant with the ISO 14000 series, and related attempts to adapt the system management concept to the area of occupational health and safety, resulting in PN-N standards 18000 series. This publication analyzes the new standard PN-ISO 45001:2018 – “Occupational health and safety management systems – Requirements with guidance for use” comparing it with the standard PN-N 18001:2004 – “Occupational health and safety management. Requirements”.

scholarly journals An Approach to Health and Safety Assessment in Industrial Parks

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 3646
Author(s):  
Fco. Javier García-Gómez ◽  
Cristina González-Gaya ◽  
Víctor Fco. Rosales-Prieto
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Safety Assessment ◽  
Safety Management ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Fundamental Aspect ◽  
Know How ◽  
Industrial Parks ◽  
Design Construction

Safety is a fundamental aspect to take into account in the design, construction and operation of industrial parks. Therefore, it is important to know how to deal with safety in this type of facility, and how to deal with risk analysis. This document provides information related to the industrial park risk assessment process to improve the health and safety of workers in these places. A search and consultation of references related to occupational health and safety management systems is carried out, and it is found that, although there is adequate protection, both in relation to the safety of workers in industrial parks and the safety of personnel outside the facilities, it is helpful to establish a health and safety risk assessment to identify hazards and hazardous events, evaluate associated risks, and select techniques or strategies (opportunities) to manage those risks after prioritization. Following the implementation of the selected techniques, their effectiveness can then be monitored in order to avoid incidents. This document can be a model for future implementation of a health and safety management system based in ISO 45001:2018.

scholarly journals Risk Management of Hazardous Materials in Manufacturing Processes: Links and Transitional Spaces between Occupational Accidents and Major Accidents

Materials ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1915 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Brocal ◽  
Cristina González ◽  
Genserik Reniers ◽  
Valerio Cozzani ◽  
Miguel Sebastián
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Safety Management ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Occupational Accidents ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Manufacturing Processes ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Transitional Spaces ◽  
The Individual

Manufacturing processes involving chemical agents are evolving at great speed. In this context, managing chemical risk is especially important towards preventing both occupational accidents and major accidents. Directive 89/391/EEC and Directive 2012/18/EU, respectively, are enforced in the European Union (EU) to this end. These directives may be further complemented by the recent ISO 45001:2018 standard regarding occupational health and safety management systems. These three management systems are closely related. However, scientific literature tackles the researching of these accidents independently. Thus, the main objective of this work is to identify and analyse the links and transitional spaces between the risk management of both types of accident. Among the results obtained, three transitional spaces can be pointed out which result from the intersection of the three systems mentioned. Similarly, the intersection of these spaces gives shape to a specific transitional space defined by the individual directives linked to Directive 89/391/EEC. These results are limited from a regulatory and technical perspective. Thus, the results are a starting point towards developing models that integrate the management systems studied.

scholarly journals Health and Safety at Work in the Time of COVID-19: A Social Europe Reckoning?

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 864-883
Author(s):  
Konstantinos ALEXANDRIS POLOMARKAKIS
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Occupational Health And Safety ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Public Health Perspective ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Status ◽  
European Health ◽  
Key Driver

The shortcomings in the handling of COVID-19 highlighted the salience of health and safety at work and fuelled discussions surrounding the desirability of a European Health Union. This article conceptualises occupational health and safety at the European Union (EU) level as a key driver for the creation of a European Health Union. Through recourse to the area’s roots and its relevance to the tackling of the COVID-19 pandemic, the benefits of putting occupational health and safety in the driving seat are set out. The implications of maintaining a healthy workforce are acute, from both a social and a public health perspective, especially in the time of a pandemic. Relying on a reflective approach that goes beyond the status quo, this article offers pragmatic yet imaginative proposals for strengthening the occupational health and safety acquis. The proposals act as the blueprint for health and safety in the workplace to lay the foundation for a European Health Union and advance the social dimension of the EU.

scholarly journals Operationalization Of The Professional Risks Assessment Activity

2015 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-78
Author(s):  
Victoria Larisa Ivascu ◽  
Bianca Cirjaliu ◽  
Anca Draghici
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Analysis And Evaluation ◽  
Industrial Companies ◽  
Assessment Approach ◽  
Assessment Activity ◽  
Risks Assessment ◽  
Web Platform ◽  
Short Presentation

Abstract Professional risks assessment approach (integration of analysis and evaluation processes) is linked with the general concerns of nowadays companies for their employees’ health and safety assurances, in the context of organizations sustainable development. The paper presents an approach for the operationalization of the professional risk assessment activity in companies through the implementation and use of the OnRisk platform (this have been tested in some industrial companies). The short presentation of the relevant technical reports and statistics on OSH management at the European Union level underlines the need for the development of a professional risks assessment. Finally, there have been described the designed and developed OnRisk platform as a web platform together with some case studies that have validate the created tool.

Occupational Safety and Health Risk Assessment in Engineered Nanoparticles Manufacturing Processes

2017 ◽  
Vol 887 ◽  
pp. 65-73
Author(s):  
George Bălan ◽  
Roland Iosif Moraru ◽  
Lorena Bălan
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Materials Science ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Engineered Nanoparticles ◽  
Manufacturing Processes ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Ethical Challenges ◽  
Safety Regulations ◽  
Safety And Health

The engineered nanoparticles are more and more entering in Romanian working places, both in research laboratories and in manufacturing processes. Ever increasingly numerous evidence shows that this materials science revolution can generate significant health, safety and environmental hazards, in addition to the social, economic and ethical challenges involvedBased on the precautionary principle recommended be the European Union and a thorough literature review, this research is intended to introduce a framework for further development of an Occupational Health and Safety risk management foundation in this field of concern. Starting from a systematic approach in terms of occupational exposure, the paper emphasizes certain feasible means aimed at nanoparticle’s risk assessment, particularly in a qualitative manner. Recommendations are provided for the industry in order to meet the safety regulations, which in turn should be adapted to the findings of researches, considering that we are facing emerging risks whose nature is often unknown.

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