European Agency for Health and Safety at Work: review of progress made in 2006

In 2006, the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (OSHA) strengthened its tripartite governance structure and network by involving workers, employers and governments more closely in the agency’s work.

As part of its communication strategy on occupational safety and health, OSHA implemented the following actions:
 The Safe Start campaign - A Europe-wide information campaign focusing on young people, culminating in the European Week for Safety and Health at Work in October 2006.
 A corporate campaign intended to promote the agency and its work carried out at the start of 2006
 Two studies to support the 2007 campaign on musculoskeletal disorders with literature reviews, policy overviews, and case studies (to be published soon).
 Support for the Healthy Workplace Initiative, which seeks to instil a culture of accident prevention in the EU-10 as well as Romania and Bulgaria.
 Follow up work on the 2004 European Week campaign on Construction and on the 2005 Stop that Noise campaign.

The agency also carried out pioneering work on new and emerging risks. Three reports have been developed in 2006 following the first report of the Risk Observatory on emerging occupational risks :
 a report on emerging biological risks that looks at new pathogens (such as avian flu) and the effects of modern environments (such as air-conditioned offices) in creating biological risks.
 a report on emerging chemical risks that focuses in part on the potential risks of nanotechnology to health and the environment.
 a report on emerging psychological risks that looks at the effects of broad changes in work organisation and society on health and safety. In each case, follow up work will be carried out on areas of new and emerging risk to keep up with fast-changing modern workplace.

OSHA’s annual report 2006

EU Health and Safety agency 2005 priorities: end of year review