Actions to improve prevention - PowerPoint Presentation

1. Actions to improve prevention of work-related accidents and illnesses in line with a Vision Zero approachDr. Andreas D. StoimenidisAdvisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work VISION ZERO WP

2. Actions to improve prevention of work-related accidents and illnesses in line with a Vision Zero approachAdvisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work Vision Zero WP3 Groups, 1 WP12 Colleagues, 1 TeamCommission’s Unit and EU OSHA perfect supporting6 Meetings, 5 electronics, 1 two days physicalDifferent approaches in more than 50 points at the beginningFinally Consensus of WP and AC for the one common goal: VISION ZERO

3. Actions to improve prevention of work-related accidents and illnesses in line with a Vision Zero approachAdvisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work Vision Zero WPHAVING REGARD TO (1):The EU Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) legal acquis, has contributed, among others, to a significant reduction of fatal work accidents in all economic sectors by about 70% between 1994 and 2020 Nevertheless, there were over 3,300 reported fatal work accidents in the EU-27 in 2020 and each year an estimated 200,000 workers die due to work-related illness in the EU. Continuous improvements in the implementation and enforcement of existing legislation are crucial to reduce the number of occupational accidents and work-related diseases in all economic sectorsThe EU "Strategic framework on health and safety at work 2021-2027 – that It states, among others, that" all efforts must be deployed to reduce work-related deaths as much as possible, in line with a Vision Zero approach to work-related deaths in the EU.The European Parliament, welcomes the Commission’s strategic framework and, in particular, the introduction of the "vision zero" approach to work-related accidents and diseases

4. Actions to improve prevention of work-related accidents and illnesses in line with a Vision Zero approachAdvisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work Vision Zero WPHAVING REGARD TO (2):The Council of the European Union, invites the Member States to "promote a Vision Zero approach pursuing the ambitious objective of preventing all harm at the workplaceThe European Committee welcomes the Vision Zero approach and its target of zero work-related deathsThe European Economic and Social Committee supports, among others, the Commission's Vision Zero approach to work-related deathsThe International Labour Organisation (ILO), in its 110th International Labour Conference on 10 June 2022, adopted a resolution to add the principle of a safe and healthy working environment to the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Fundamental Principles and Rights at WorkThe mandate of the ACSH Working Party "Vision Zero" adopted on 24/11/2021.

5. Actions to improve prevention of work-related accidents and illnesses in line with a Vision Zero approachAdvisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work Vision Zero WPADOPTED THE FOLLOWING OPINION A. Background and context (1)According to the mandate adopted on 24 November 2021 (doc. 011-21), the remit of this WP is to prepare a draft opinion for adoption by the ACSH in 2022, in light of the key objective laid down by the new EU strategic framework on HSW 2021-2027 to identify and prioritise the necessary and appropriate actions to improve prevention of work-related accidents and illnesses in line with a vision zero approach.

6. Actions to improve prevention of work-related accidents and illnesses in line with a Vision Zero approachAdvisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work Vision Zero WP A. Background and context (2)The EU strategic framework on HSW 2021-2027 indicates that the European Commission should promote a "Vision Zero" approach to work-related deaths by:Setting up a dedicated Vision Zero ACSH tripartite working group, and developing targeted information actions and tools to increase awareness

7. Actions to improve prevention of work-related accidents and illnesses in line with a Vision Zero approachAdvisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work Vision Zero WP B. Introduction (1)To achieve the goal of zero occupational accidents and illnesses, reliable, timely and comparable data on occupational accidents and work-related health problems is a key requirement to assess OSH performance across Member States and draw evidence-based policy conclusions from such comparisons.Amongst existing innovative approaches, a vision zero approach should contribute to a comprehensive culture of prevention by promoting decent working conditions, safety and health at work, including mental health, as well as access for workers to lifelong training on OSH. Building on a multi-stakeholder cooperation at all levels, a vision zero approach should take into account the safety and health and wellbeing of workers at work, including organisational and psychosocial aspects as well as the risk of underreporting of occupational accidents and illnesses and promote appropriate measures to avoid it.

8. Actions to improve prevention of work-related accidents and illnesses in line with a Vision Zero approachAdvisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work Vision Zero WPB. Introduction (2) At organisational level, Vision Zero is a comprehensive approach where objectives are formulated and agreed uponwhich is geared towards the reduction of risks and hazards, including psychosocial risks and which takes into consideration all the circumstances of occupational accidents and illnesses, including a gender and age perspective.A vision zero approach builds on leadership and business excellence in cooperation and consultation with workers as part of the solution, and takes the opportunity to analyse occupational accidents and illness at work in order to develop actions to avoid those situations in the future. In today's economy, where all countries have global business relations, a vision zero approach can be a key element to improve safety and health throughout the global supply chains, thus contributing to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on decent work and economic growth.

9. Actions to improve prevention of work-related accidents and illnesses in line with a Vision Zero approachAdvisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work Vision Zero WPB. Introduction (3) International Vision Zero approachesInternational Social Security Association (ISSA), the Global Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Vision Zero fund of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) some long-standing national vision zero approaches in the EU such as the Vision Zero Forum in Finland.

10. Actions to improve prevention of work-related accidents and illnesses in line with a Vision Zero approachAdvisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work Vision Zero WPC. Recommendations (1)The following recommendations identify and prioritise appropriate actions to improve prevention of work-related accidents and illnesses in line with the vision zero approach while fully respecting the existing EU OSH legal framework:General recommendations (1)1. Encourage all EU stakeholders to join vision zero activities such as relevant awareness raising campaigns2. Develop, as a result of tripartite cooperation, efficient EU vision zero guidelines and practices3. Integrate vision zero approaches, as soon as possible, into national strategies on occupational safety and health (OSH), and develop and promote all related action plans;4. According to national legislisation, practices and needs, foster the knowledge, competence and training on vision zero approaches amongst management, workers and political decision makers, at organisational level as well as at all education levels starting from elementary schools.5. Prepare non-binding EU guidelines for training with the aim to strongly promote competence of OSH staff in enterprises, in accordance with national legislation and practices.

11. Actions to improve prevention of work-related accidents and illnesses in line with a Vision Zero approachAdvisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work Vision Zero WPC. Recommendations (2)General recommendations (2)6. Continue to improve EU data collections on occupational accidents and diseases, taking into account existing legislation and practices. Emphasis should be placed on analysing the root causes of work accidents and diseases (including organisational factors and psychosocial risks), preventive actions and costs and benefits of OSH. A focus should be placed on the analysis and publication of data on high-risk sectors. In addition, data sources from relevant national institutes and other policy areas should be identified and used, and research on occupational diseases should be intensified7. Raise awareness about the return on investments into OSH measures at all levels, and offer related guidelines and good practices;8. Maintain and sustain efforts in combating occupational cancer and other leading causes of work-related deaths in the EU9. In the future, any new technologies or intelligent systems for protecting the safety and health of workers should fully respect data protection and confidentiality

12. Actions to improve prevention of work-related accidents and illnesses in line with a Vision Zero approachAdvisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work Vision Zero WPC. Recommendations (3)Recommendations concerning EU bodies and Member States (3)10. Encourage the Senior Labour Inspectors Committee (SLIC) as well as national labour inspections, to include vision zero approaches in their campaigns, documents and other actions for preventing workplace accidents and occupational diseases. A focus should be put on supporting the OSH competence in high-risk sectors in EU-27 as well as of enterprises with higher OSH challenges such as micro enterprises and SMEs11. Ensure sufficient numbers of labour inspectors and resource allocations in order to carry out effective and timely inspections12. Encourage EU OSHA to disseminate information on vision zero approaches, include vision zero in its campaigns and spread related tools and guidelines13. Arrange fora for sharing best practices on vision zero approaches, in and between Member States as well as in a tripartite framework14. Develop and promote EU guidelines on including occupational safety and health specifications in procurement procedures

13. Actions to improve prevention of work-related accidents and illnesses in line with a Vision Zero approachAdvisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work Vision Zero WPC. Recommendations (4)Recommendations concerning Social Partners (4)15. Promote the participation of workers to build effective vision zero safety cultures16. Promote vision zero approaches as part of companies' code of conduct for suppliers and as an element of companies' outsourcing activities17. Promote relevant ILO standards in third countries targeting suppliers and business partners18. Map and make available an updated EU document on existing national OSH incentive programs for employers (including refinancing, co-financing the improvement of working conditions)19. In accordance with national legislation and practices, strengthen OSH competence of micro-enterprises and SMEs by establishing OSH training committees at sectoral/regional level, supporting the production of accurate risk assessments and preparing additional guidelines on practical implementation of existing OSH legislation.

14. Actions to improve prevention of work-related accidents and illnesses in line with a Vision Zero approachAdvisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work Vision Zero WPThank you very much for the attention! Dr. Andreas Stoimenidis