P-R

Relaunch of the website https://stop-defeating.org/

The website stop-defeating.org offers cross sector information and tools both for manufacturers and users of machinery to prevent the defeating of safeguards. The content of the webpage is developed by the working group “defeating of safeguards” which consists of representatives of German social accident insurance institutions and is chaired by the institute for occupational safety and health. The content is made available in German and English alike.

Instruction material in Ukrainian

BG RCI publications overcome language barriers in occupational safety and health

Thousands of men and women from Ukraine have fled to Germany to escape the war in their country - and many of them have gained a foothold in the local labour market. To enable them to work safely and healthily despite language barriers, the German Social Accident Insurance Institution for the raw materials and chemical industry (BG RCI) has translated ten “short safety talks” into Ukrainian.

Let's do it! "Risk factor load handling - prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders"

The focus of the event is on load handling. Despite increasing automation, lifting, carrying, pushing and pulling heavy loads is still one of the greatest risk factors for the development of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). National and international experts will give an insight into the current state of studies, discuss suitable measures for the prevention of MSDs and show how one can participate in working life with already existing physical limitations. Examples of good practice will show which measures can be taken to "lighten the load".

Smoking, alcohol and drugs – COVID-19 Prevention and Information

The available scientific data clearly indicate that alcohol abuse, smoking and drugs can make worse the consequences of corona virus infection. With this short booklet we aim to increase in the workplace managers’ and workers ‘awareness about the need to control or eliminate these risk factors, now that the corona virus pandemic threatens so seriously everyone’s health.

We added an abridged English version to the Italian text.

Poster: First aid measures

In 2018, there were approximately 100.000 accidents at work in Austria. The right emergency procedure decide on the prospective health condition of the person. First aiders are the first and most important link in the rescue chain.

First aid is a field of knowledge in which measures, actions, rules of procedure or legal regulations may change from time to time. It is therefore necessary to refresh the knowledge regularly in order to stay up to date.

Fungal contamination in indoor environments: risks for occupational health

This Fact sheet deals with the risk of exposure to fungi (for instance molds), a group of biological agents commonly available in indoor working environments.

Prevention of respiratory and skin diseases in the hairdressing sector

In the hairdressing salons numerous products are used: shampoo, colorants … They can cause occupational diseases of the skin and the respiratory tract: eczema, asthma… These diseases can be the reason for important social, human and financial costs.

Risk Check: “Take a clever decision and win!”

People detect and evaluate risks in different ways. It is not possibly to prevent each and every dangerous situation when it comes to traffic – but every participant in traffic has a large influence on the level of his or her own risk. With the main focus campaign in 2016, the Unfallkassen (accident insurances), Berufsgenossenschaften (German Social Accident Insurance Institutions) and the German Road Safety Council want to inspire a stronger awareness of risks and offer solutions for responsible handling of dangerous situations in traffic. For this purpose ‘Risk Check’ tries to get to the bottom of typical behaviors and provides possible decisions.

Prevention…belongs to this world

This booklet, which includes both written text and a visualization of the message in comic form, aims to focus the reader’s attention on dangerous situations and behaviours that may cause serious injuries and on the importance of prevention. The comic form makes it particularly suited for the instruction of young people, both students and workers. The strips refer to two working sectors which are particularly risky: construction and agriculture.

Project "Mental Health in the World of Work" (Taking the Stress out of Stress)

The project "Mental Health in the World of Work" (psyGA - Psychische Gesundheit in der Arbeitswelt) is promoted by the German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. The Federal Association of Company Health Insurance Funds (BKK Bundesverband) is responsible for the project management. The project aims to reduce mental stress and to promote mental health in the workplace.

Sorry, this article is only available in the original german version.

Click here for an abstract in English.

The Digest grid

Sorry, this article is only available in the original french version.

Click here for an abstract in English.

Clean Workplace Project to support SMEs

Small and medium-sized enterprises tend to have poor working conditions and therefore have relatively higher risks of occupational diseases than large enterprises. Against this backdrop, KOSHA provides consulting services towards these SMEs for workplace hazards and gives partial financial funds for necessary improvements through "Clean Workplace Project", in efforts to prevent accidents in workplaces. KOSHA is focusing its financial support toward SMEs with less than 50 employees as they account for over 80% of workplaces in the manufacturing industry.

PARI-Maintenance

PARI Maintenance is a risk assessment software, based on the risk assessment standard EN ISO 14121-1. The tool allows maintenance workers to perform risk studies by analysing hazardous situations occurring in maintenance and repair operations.

Put the T-Rex into the tank

Cleaning tank installations is a difficult subject in occupational safety. Up to now employees are exposed for example to high strain by hydrocarbon vapors and benzol causing cancer. Therefore respiratory protection is necessary. At the same time the hazards caused by working in narrow rooms have to be detected and prevented and in particular safety measures have to be taken in the gas-ex-zone 0. As in this area occurs a dangerous, explosive atmosphere as mixture of air and flammable gases, vapors and fogs.

Prevention Through Pictures

The brochure is based on twelve chapters with a total of forty-three scenarios on risk situations.

43 videos in English, French and Dutch, based on the scenarios of the brochure «prevention through pictures» are available on the Youtube channel of Constructiv.

Mental Stress in the enterprise-New guideline for small enterprises

A risk assessment is a legal duty. It makes sense to add an evaluation of mental strains at the workplace and to provide a detailed insight into concrete strain situations.

BGN now offers guidelines for the evaluation of psychological hazards, especially for the hospitality sector, the bakery and the meat processing industry.

Training for work on vehicles with high voltage systems

The growing use of voltages above 30 V AC and 60 V DC in automotive technology owing to fuel cells, hybrid technology and electric vehicles gives rise to an electrical hazard in the form of electric shock and arcing during work on vehicles. This in turn results in a responsibility for the employer to train his employees further such that they are able to assess pending electrical work, identify possible hazards, and define suitable protective measures.

Risk factors and safety measures

This leaflet is about risk factors and safety measures that have to be considered and implemented in the brewery industry, especially when it comes to getting stuck in the gears of a machine, suffocating or falling. The cartoon shows an example in the hope of preventing future accidents of this kind.