EZA MAGAZINE
EZA PODCAST

Safety and health in the workplace: healthier, safer and more productive workplaces in Europe

The Seminar on "Safety and health in the workplace: healthier, safer and more productive workplaces in Europe" was held on 19, 20 and 21 February 2021 in Bilbao/Spain, organized by CEAT (Centro Español para Asuntos de los Trabajadores), with the support of EZA and the European Union.

47 representatives of workers' organizations participated, of whom 21 by videoconference.

SEMINAR OPENING SESSION

The following persons spoke at the opening session: Mr. JAVIER MORILLAS, on behalf of the Executive of C.E.A.T.., Mr. DAVID CERVERA OLIVARES, President of C.E.A.T., who due to flight problems did not arrive at the opening and sent a video conference.

Ms MARTA URRUTIA, Manager of Corporate Promotions of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), then spoke about the Agency's objectives to promote a culture of risk prevention and improve conditions in workplaces. Among the main activities of the Company, he highlighted the Healthy Jobs campaigns that have been carried out since 2000 in all workplaces throughout Europe..

On the other hand, the 2020-2022 campaign focuses on the prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSD), which continue to be one of the most prevalent work-related ailments in Europe and are: a sedentary lifestyle, repetitive movements  of hands and arms and the movement or lifting of people or heavy loads. Other strategic objectives of the Agency are: raising awareness of MSTs, promoting risk assessment and management of MSTs, improving knowledge of new and emerging risks in the area of MSTs, and ended by insisting on stimulating the exchange of information and good practices among all parties involved.

The opening ceremony was concluded by MEP Mr. CARLOS JOSÉ ITURGAIZ ANGULO, who spoke about the impact of the destruction of jobs in a situation of institutional fragility of labour disaster due to the pandemic. Our work has been to sensitise the European institutions to recover the dynamism of companies, stop unemployment and offer workers the possibility of recycling for new jobs. Our support for C.E.A.T. and I wish you all kinds of success with this seminar in favour of the safety and health of workers.

FRAME PRESENTATION

FIRST PRESENTATION: “EZA's activities on the subject of health and safety at work. Latest trends and perspectives for the future "

The Moderator was Mr. DAVID CERVERA, President of C.E.A.T. who introduced Mr. ANTONIO BANDAO GUEDES from CFTL/BASE-FUT (PORTUGAL). His presentation was made by video conference.

He made his presentation reviewing the seminars held by the EZA Organisations and Working groups during the period 2005-2019 on Safety and Health at Work. His presentation was divided into two parts:

In the first part, he recalled the stages and topics that EZA organisations have addressed in their seminars from 2005 to 2019. Among the issues that the different seminars developed and that affect Occupational Safety and Health, he highlighted: accidents at work, health and hygiene at work, physical risks, prevention strategies, poor workplace conditions, stress and workplace harassment, incorporation of gender perspectives and psycho-social risks.

In conclusion, all these issues have been incorporated into Collective Bargaining, some as occupational hazards, others as fundamental rights and others as safety and health measures at work through pressure from union leaders.

In a second part, he discussed the perspectives for after the Covid 19 Pandemic. He stated that safety and health at work must be considered as a fundamental right of the Worker. For the future, when it comes to occupational risk prevention, the following should be considered: the different levels of safety at work and the application of the standards established and negotiated in the agreements for small or medium-sized companies, occupational diseases in agriculture, digitalisation and telework that generate stress problems and musculoskeletal disorders, as well as biological actions and the effects of Covid 19 on health professionals, especially in their clothing protection.

OTHER PRESENTATIONS:

D. JUANTXO MARTIN, Founding Partner of (Gogoa Mobility Robots): "Occupational exo-skeletons in prevention of occupational risks".

He began his presentation by defining what are occupational exo-skeletons, which are support devices that can reduce physical stress in the workplace. They offer solutions to facilitate work and avoid accidents. DOGOA company is made up of 25 people, all of them engineers, doctors and technicians, who develop robotic devices to enhance work, clinical material, active motors, textile materials that strengthen muscles and military equipment.

It also offered data on the company, as an innovative company among Spanish companies dedicated to the health sector and No. 1 in technological and competitiveness programs.

He presented the company market forecast in different areas: Industry, Medicine and military equipment. The reality of exo-skeletons is that they can accelerate and reduce Rehabilitation costs, decrease effort and fatigue, and prevent sick leave.

The exo-skeleton models are aimed at solving the problems of the lower limbs, the knee through robot and the arms and muscles through industrial products. He made it clear that there is no universal robot, it is not a PPE and they are not machines to cure diseases, they are ergonomic designs that offer a solution when other technical measures are not enough.

He concluded by saying that these models do not have a regulatory framework and medical equipment is devices that enable and help improve physical activity through mechanical interaction with the body, so workers must know the language of machines to master them and not let the machines dominate the workers.

He was asked all kinds of questions about the operation of exo-skeleton models and the differentiation between robotic and physical prototypes. After completing the questions, he offered those present the possibility to visit the company to learn about the ergonomic prototypes.

D. MARTINIANO BLÁZQUEZ Professor of Law at the UNED: "To promote a culture of effective prevention as a means to reduce workplace accidents and improve the competitiveness of the company"

He began his presentation by defining what the term Preventive Culture means in the workplace. It is a term widely used by the prevention directors of companies, which implies a commitment to safety, the promotion of the health and well-being of workers.

Fostering a preventive culture is to educate to create awareness, adopt new behaviour and a responsible attitude and respect for the protection of lives for the new generations of workers. A culture of prevention implies a collective attitude that can only be built through a long social process.

He stated that the preventive, proactive and generative culture offers companies up to 15% profitability, so its application is estimated at a profit of € 550 per worker.

He spoke of preventive leadership. Leadership has to integrate prevention into a management system, such as: Responsible for Human Resources, Prevention and Prevention Services. Prevention leaders will be responsible for educating, maintaining and controlling the preventive culture in their organizations.

He also spoke about how to choose the ideal person to lead the preventive culture. He ended with a quote, which says: "if you want to go fast, walk alone and if you want to go far, walk as a team."

Mr. JOSÉ IGNACIO ARGOTE, Secretary of C.E.A.T.: "ESENER 2019 Survey: The third European company survey on new and emerging risks"

He pointed out that the risk factors of greatest concern in workplaces are: the level of participation of workers in the measures adopted and the reasons why workplaces manage safety or health or not. He also spoke about some indicators of the European survey, such as:

- The aging of the European working society, which is filling positions that create difficulties each year.

- Work at home, which is done without regulation, without control and without safety at work and without sanitary measures.

- Digital risks

- Language, consequence of migration.

Therefore, the survey offers reasons to address safety and health at work and measures to be taken by works councils, as well as more effective and efficient administrative actions of Labour Inspections.

Mr. JOSÉ LUIS FERNÁNDEZ SANTILLANA, Director of the USO Studies Office: "Health and safety committee in the company preventive actions"

In a first speech, he spoke about how Spanish legislation on occupational safety and risks is corseted and aimed at rewarding and favouring trade union organisations, which have given them the perks and considered as more representative by the government and the business leadership. Then he continued on occupational risk plans, which every company must have with an identification, a structure, an organisation and a procedure. He also spoke of the Health and Safety Committee, as a joint body made up of the Prevention Delegates and its composition, which must be quarterly. He also referred to the actions of the Public Administrations, especially those of the Labour Inspectorate, which must address all the preventive measures established on safety and health in the company during its visits to companies. Lastly, he spoke of the execution of preventive action, which should be considered, as the rights of workers to participate through trade union representatives.

ROUND TABLE: How to generate a culture of prevention of occupational hazards?

The following spoke: Ms Silviu Traian Ispas from IFES (Romania), Ms Lubinca Cerná from NKOS (Slovak Republic), Ms Aneta Szczykutowicz from Fundacja Nowy Staw (Poland), Ms María Reina Martín Vice President of EZA (Portugal), Mr Tomás Pérez Valdivielso from LSB-USO (Spain) (all by videoconference), and Mr. Benito Cadenas Noreña from Rey Juan Carlos University (Spain)

All spoke of the set of positive attitudes and formulations that were shared in their respective countries with companies and administrations to avoid health risks, accidents or diseases, and stated that the culture of prevention implies a collective attitude that can only be built through a long social process and an involvement of companies, families, trade union organisations, training organisations and political institutions.

Ms. Aneta Szczykutowicz, commented on the data of a report from the Institute of Psychology of the University of Warsaw on depression and anxiety among Poles during a COVID pandemic, during the months of May to December 2020 with a total sample of more than 3,500 people. A relevant fact is that during the closing of spring (at the beginning of May 2020), the highest levels of depression symptoms and generalised anxiety were manifested by young people between 18 and 24 years old, while in December the highest levels of symptoms of depression were manifested by people between 35 and 44 years old; High levels of depression symptoms and generalized anxiety were also manifested in those who were in quarantine and/or in home isolation, those who had lost their salary continuity, those who valued their economic situation worse and those who suspected that they had suffered the infection by COVID-19 but were not tested.

Mr. Silviu Traian Ispas, commented on some data and ideas from Romania on how to generate a preventive culture of occupational risks. Related to the COVID-19 pandemic, "Coronavirus".

I point out that despite the pandemic, many companies had to maintain their activity, taking preventive measures (more or less effective). The real problem is public transportation to and from the workplace. In addition, there are no reports from the labour inspectorate on occupational diseases in the field of IT and/or telework, the general impression is that telework shifts the responsibility for health and safety in the workplace "outside" the companies towards employees. On the other hand, coronavirus infection is not considered an occupational disease, not even by doctors. He finely outlined some ideas about prevention in Romania such as starting at school considering health and safety as a cross-competence.

Dª Ľubica Černá commented that the coronavirus pandemic paralysed Slovakia's economic life overnight in March, and companies had to cope with the new situation. They increased the protection of the safety and health of their employees, cancelled in-person meetings and went online. The home office has become the new normal for those with jobs that can be done outside the office and in this situation the labour inspectorate should carry out regular or planned inspections of teleworkers' workplaces. She also noted that the role of trade unions in health and safety at work is very important, and that having trade union representation leads to better compliance with regulations, lower accidents and fewer work-related health problems.

CLOSURE

The closing ceremony ended with an intervention by videoconference from Mr. JESÚS CASADO GONZALO, Honorary President of C.E.A.T., who was unable to attend the seminar. He congratulated C.E.A.T. for the work carried out in this seminar, which has marked a new path of worker protection, through the application of support devices to reduce physical stress in the workplace.

 Mr. JAVIER MORILLAS, who made a summary - synthesis of the seminar as well as some conclusions, which will be collected as recommendations and the President of C.E.A.T. D. DAVID CERVERA, thanking all their participation, their interventions and recommendations that will be collected by C.E.A.T.