fit for work europe

EU-OSHA

Official partner of EU-OSHA’s Healthy Workplaces Campaign 2012-2013

A healthy workforce makes for a healthy economy. In the current economic climate, Europe cannot afford poor worker well-being to impede economic growth and competitiveness in Europe. At the same time, over 44 million (one in six) members of the European Union (EU) workforce now have a long-standing health problem or disability that affects their muscles, bones or joints. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) account for a higher proportion of sickness absence from work than any other health condition, costing the EU €240 billion per year.

The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) [https://osha.europa.eu/en] is one of the leading actors working to raise awareness of the risks associated with the workplace, such as workplace accidents and work-related diseases, including MSDs. The agency is committed to making Europe a safer, healthier and more productive place to work through a culture of sustainable risk prevention, including measures for excessive physical load, accidental slips, trips and falls, as well as psychosocial risk factors – all of which can cause or exacerbate MSDs. This year, EU-OSHA has launched their Healthy Workplaces Campaign 2012-2013; ‘Working together for risk prevention’ [www.healthy-workplaces.eu].

Christa Sedlatschek, Director of EU-OSHA, said, ’We are delighted to welcome over 50 official campaign partners, from across all sectors, committed to working together for risk prevention. Their engagement proves that European companies and associations believe that investing in safety and health in the workplace is key to business and economic competitiveness. We hope that this partnership will have a cascade effect benefiting the whole supply chain, and workers in workplaces of all sizes, in Europe and beyond.’

Fit for Work Europe is delighted to have been chosen as a partner of the Healthy Workplaces Campaign 2012-2013 and is committed to working with a wide range of stakeholders from a variety of sectors to enhance the health and safety of individuals in the workplace, and in particular to minimise the impact of workplace factors that can cause or exacerbate MSDs.

“This is a truly exciting development for Fit for Work Europe and I am delighted to see that a large number of organisations and stakeholders across Europe are committed to enhancing the health and safety of workers in Europe.” said Steve Bevan, Founding President of Fit for Work Europe. “MSDs are the leading cause of workplace absence and in this economic climate European countries cannot afford for their citizens to be out of work. Through preventing physical and psychosocial risks in the workplace, as well as identifying early symptoms of MSDs, we ensure early access to diagnosis and intervention, helping to reduce the negative effects of MSDs on society”

This page will be updated with all the campaign materials over the coming months, so make sure check back soon.

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The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) contributes to making Europe a safer, healthier and more productive place to work. The Agency researches, develops, and distributes reliable, balanced, and impartial safety and health information and organises pan-European awareness raising campaigns. Set up by the European Union in 1996 and based in Bilbao, Spain, the Agency brings together representatives from the European Commission, Member State governments, employers’ and workers’ organisations, as well as leading experts in each of the EU-27 Member States and beyond.

You can follow EU-OSHA on Twitter, visit the Agency’s blog or subscribe to their monthly newsletter OSHmail. You can also register for regular news and information from EU-OSHA via RSS feeds. http://osha.europa.eu

The 2012–13 Healthy Workplaces Campaign ‘Working together for risk prevention’ is decentralised and is designed to help national authorities, companies, organisations, managers, workers and their representatives and other stakeholders to work together to enhance health and safety in the workplace. The campaign supports a wide range of activities at national and European level, including national partnership meetings and seminars. Smaller enterprises are particularly welcome to take part. www.healthy-workplaces.eu

Key dates

European Week for Safety and Health at Work: 22nd - 26th October 2012

Good Practice Awards Ceremony: April 2013

European Week for Safety and Health at Work: 21st - 25th October 2013