Healthy workplaces

The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) regularly leads campaigns to promote safety and health in workplaces throughout Europe. As an official EU-OSHA partner for the 2020/22 campaign entitled “Healthy Workplaces, Lighten the Load”, ESIG encourages all its members to make the most of their helpful resources.

The spread of COVID-19 has meant that many workers have been forced to telework from their homes and other locations. While remote working has some benefits, the increase in sedentary positions, combined with the lack of ergonomic remote workspaces during the pandemic, might contribute to the development or aggravation of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among workers.

A dangerous substance is any solid, liquid or gas that has the potential to cause damage to the safety or health of workers. Overall, 38 % of European enterprises report potentially dangerous chemical or biological substances in their workplaces. This presents major safety and health concerns.

In March 2019, the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) organised the annual Healthy Workplaces Campaign Partner event of the ‘Manage Dangerous Substances’ campaign (2018-19). During the event, ESIG gave a presentation on environmental and occupational safety and health (OSH) issues that included a demonstration on how to use gloves in cooperation with ESF, the European Safety Federation, which contributed to the Best Practice Guidelines on the safe use of gloves.

A prevention culture must be created to successfully prevent the ill health, injuries and deaths caused by dangerous substances in workplaces across Europe. Everyone involved must be aware of the risks and committed to managing or preventing these.