Safe maintenance has new ambassadors from leading European companies and organisations

Citation

(2011), "Safe maintenance has new ambassadors from leading European companies and organisations", Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, Vol. 58 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/acmm.2011.12858eab.007

Safe maintenance has new ambassadors from leading European companies and organisations

Article Type: Environment and safety From: Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, Volume 58, Issue 5

In the second year of EU-OSHA’s Healthy Workplaces Campaign on safe maintenance, the number of official campaign partners has now risen to 52 as seven more pan-European organisations and multinational companies from a range of public and private sectors have joined: AEIP, CPME, Dupont, ECTA, EORNA, Golder Associates, and UEPG.

As many as 20 percent of all workplace accidents in Europe are connected with maintenance, with organisations across the continent increasingly aware that action is necessary to combat hazards related to maintenance. With this in mind, over a quarter (26.8 percent) of the partners have cited the improvement of safe and healthy work conditions for employees and employers alike, as the main reason for their participation in the campaign. The partners identified further reasons for their participation, such as aiming to engage their own workers and/or members in managing safety and health (16.01 percent), or sharing good practices (5.39 percent). Other partners associated their participation as an opportunity to work closely with other like-minded organisations (14.4 percent).

“Renowned companies, organisations and associations from a wide range of sectors such as the chemical industry, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, manufacturing and construction, among many others, have joined our campaign,” Jukka Takala, Director of EU-OSHA said. “We are delighted that the issue of safe maintenance has been incorporated in industries and workplaces across Europe helping transform the daily lives of workers. I’d like to welcome our seven new ‘ambassadors’ and look forward to working in cooperation with them for the remainder of the campaign.”

Since the start of the campaign on 28 April 2010, good practice in safe maintenance has been promoted by the partners all around Europe through a wide variety of activities. The many seminars and conferences across Europe touched on specific topics, such as the latest OSH products and services available to help improve conditions in workplaces throughout the continent. One of the partners also invented a scheme that develops, assesses, and certifies the competency of personnel responsible for the installation and maintenance of equipment in hazardous areas. Recently, this tool is operated not only within the EU but in locations across the globe.

The new official campaign partners will be recognised during a ceremony on the 22 and 23 November in Bilbao, which also plays host to the closing event of the Healthy Workplaces Campaign 2010/2011 on safe maintenance.

For more information about campaign partners and their activities, as well as a wide range of information resources on safe maintenance, visit the Healthy Workplaces Campaign 2010/2011 official web site: http://osha.europa.eu/en/campaigns/hw2010/partners/eu-partners; http://osha.europa.eu/en/campaigns/hw2010/