Apr 27 2004
The European Agency has invited nominations for the fifth European Good Practice Awards in occupational safety and health. The 2004 award scheme will recognise companies or organisations that have made outstanding and innovative contributions to the prevention of risks from construction and building activities.
Good practice examples are implemented solutions to prevent the exposure of workers to risks during construction activities. All entries should show good management, particularly the effective use of risk assessment and implementation of its findings, and be focused on ‘successful prevention of risks to workers’. Entries are invited from all areas of building and maintenance work, not just construction and examples may come from different stages of the construction process – from the initial design and planning stage right through to the work place or worksite phase. They can be submitted by workplaces or by intermediary organisations, including chambers of commerce, trade and professional associations and trade unions.
The Director of the European Agency, Hans-Horst Konkolewsky, said ‘Construction is one of Europe's largest industries, with an annual turnover in excess of €900 billion. Unfortunately it also has one of the worst occupational safety and health records. This has to change and the good practice awards aim to demonstrate, by example, to all European employers and workers the benefits of following good safety and health practice in building tomorrow's Europe.’
This is the fifth year of the awards, which come under the umbrella of the annual European Week for Safety and Health at Work. This year’s awards will also be open to the new Member States – which means that a total of 25 countries will be taking part. The Agency will announce the winners at the week’s closing event in November. The awards will provide the winners with European recognition for their role in improving working conditions in Europe.
Source: European Agency