Workplace design

Ergonomics: Less physical stress – more productivity

Suva's website "Physical stress and ergonomics" focuses on the prevention of risks arising from physical stress in the workplace.

It points out the importance of ergonomics in preventing injuries and occupational illnesses.

It offers practical recommendations for improving working conditions: Design of the workplace, training of employees in ergonomic best practices (postures, ...), use of aids for handling loads and work organisation.

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Fact Sheet No. 4: "Carry out updates safely - Indispensable even in small businesses!"

The toolmaker „Hammer and Chisel“ is a medium-sized enterprise with 20 employees at two production sites. In two-shift operation, they produce prototype and series tools, among other things. Its machinery includes various machines, mostly connected to the company‘s own network. The machines can even be monitored across locations via the internet.

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Carcinogenic substances

Occupational cancers are the leading cause of death at work in the EU. For more on carcinogenic substances and how to handle them safely see the explainer video of the Austrian Workers' Compensation Board AUVA (www.auva.at/youtube).

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Hygiene and hazardous substances

Hygiene in the workplace is important. Especially when working with hazardous or carcinogenic substances. This is because these substances can be deposited and then absorbed unnoticed. For more on hygiene see this video from the Austrian Workers' Compensation Board AUVA (www.auva.at/youtube).

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Ergonomics – Basics for workplace design

The leaflet is aimed at prevention specialists and employers. It contains all the basics necessary for the ergonomic design of work and workplaces. Human-centred work design involves more than just buying high-quality furniture and lamps. The organisation of work, the working atmosphere and personal design options should also be appropriate.

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Fact Sheet No. 3: Shut the Door - against Cyber Attacks on Small Businesses

The small historical restaurant named „Zum Lamm” with 20 employees is located at the centre of Bonn. It has been a popular destination for decades as this is the third generation of owners in the family. However, over the last 10 days, the restaurant remains closed, as its online booking system, computers and POs devices have become inaccessible. A few days earlier the owner had received a convincing email with an invoice attached supposedly from their trusted wine supplier. 

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7 Golden Rules for Small Businesses

This Guide is based on the ISSA Guide “VISION ZERO: 7 Golden Rules for Zero Accidents and Healthy Work”. It is a special offer for small businesses, where the employer herself / himself is the only leading person, being responsible to manage alone the safety, health and well-being of her / his employees. In order to meet this ambitious challenge, it is important for the employer to care for her / his own safety, health and well-being thus offering a pro-active role model behaviour to her / his workers.

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Fact Sheet No. 2 „Safe Passwords in Small Enterprises”

The Fact Sheet No. 2 in our series describes again a real-life example: A confectionery manufacturer discovers that the chocolate bars produced contain too much salt. 

Investigations reveal that the company has become a victim of a hacker and the recipe has been manipulated via the internet. The hackers succeeded to use the „remote maintenance“ access which was not deactivated after the machine was installed.

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Ventilation against Corona: BGN guidelines

With the recent Corona outbreaks, the transmission of the viruses through the air in the form of aerosols has become a particular focus of discussion.

It can be assumed that, in addition to the consistent adherence to the known measures such as keeping distance and wearing a mouth and nose covering, the risk of transmission is significantly minimised by adequate ventilation.

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Working from home? 6 tips for setting up your workstation

Many of us have recently received the direction to work from home. In some cases, the news was a simple “grab and go” situation, grabbing your laptop and heading home. Some people may be lucky enough to have equipment that can help with a temporary home office set-up, such as a mouse, external keyboard, or monitor.

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Fact Sheet No. 1: Cyber Security in Small Enterprises

Also small enterprises become victims of hacker attacks! Devices and machines with an Internet connection still have many security gaps. And more than 350,000 new malware programs are detected every day.

A malfunction or a failure of IT systems can very quickly lead to a loss of image, loss of production or major damage - reasonable IT protection, however, can be achieved with relatively simple means.

In order to reduce the risk of something like this happening to you, take the measures described in the Fact Sheet!

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Formidable Formaldehyde

A HUMAN CARCINOGEN: Formaldehyde — a colourless, highly toxic and flammable gas at room temperature — is a toxic substance widely used in many industries. According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health in Washington, D.C, formaldehyde is used in glues and resins, dyes, textiles, disinfectants, building materials, automobile parts, embalming and laboratories.

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AUVA app: Computer workstation

The new generations of smartphones and tablets are increasingly being used for a wide variety of purposes. The Austrian Worker´s Compensation Board (AUVA) wants this trend to continue and has begun developing a number of different apps following extensive preparatory work.

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kommmitmensch – Eine Kampagne zum Mitmachen

The campaign aims to inspire people to consider safety and health as central values for their decisions and activities. Therefore this is one of the focus points of “kommmitmensch”. The campaign counts on actions which connect people and motivate them to join:

kommmitmensch – Safe. Healthy. Together.

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Microclimate and workplaces

The Legislative Decree n° 81/2008 classifies microclimate as a physical agent, for which risk assessment is mandatory. The term “microclimate” stands for a set of four parameters (air temperature, average radiant temperature, air speed and relative humidity), characterizing an environment from a thermal point of view. This Factsheet shows how to assess the risks related to microclimate in moderate work environments and in hot or cold severe ones.

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Dust control!

Ben and Becky work together in a bakery and find themselves in a flour dust-competition. Flour dust arises when working in the bakery. It strains the airways and can at worst cause respiratory diseases and skin problems. Health hazards due to flour dust can be significantly reduced by preventive action. Therefore in this flour dust-competition points are earned for the right, low-dust working methods.

Ben and Becky show you how it works!

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Laser equipment in the workplace: safe usage

Lasers are sources of optical monochromatic and coherent radiation: this equipment has a high degree of technological diversification and many applications that are related on the wavelength used and the power emission; besides lasers emit continuous or pulsed radiation and can propagate in free or guided modality.

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Occupational Exposure Limits

Occupational exposure limits (OELs) are important evaluation criteria for determining possible exposure of dangerous chemical substances and the appropriate technical, organisational, and, in certain cases, personal protective measures at the workplace. Depending on the hazard potential of substances or on the possible exposure route, different states and communities have developed different procedures for determining limit values and additional notations.

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Working with Visual Display Units (VDUs)

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

Click here for an abstract in English.

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Prevention in the office goes online with the FCOS Box

The FCOS Box (https://www.ekas-box.ch/en/#!/home) provides a virtual tour of various office situations that deal with the following areas: “Working ergonomically”, “Accident prevention”, “Setting up the office” and “Office planning”. With a generous dash of humour, the two characters Sophie and Alex show how health and safety in the office can be improved with relatively little effort.

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Fit and healthy in small enterprises

Heat

How can an enterprise quickly and simply evaluate if a work activity causes heat stress? The brochure offers a short and practice-oriented observation procedure for hazard evaluation and measures for the protection of the staff against heat stress.

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Fit and healthy in small enterprises

Daylight at the workplace

Why is daylight important for our health? How may daylight be beneficially used at the workplace? These questions and others are answered in the new information leaflet which puts into effect the Arbeitsstättenverordnung (German Workplace Ordinance) as far as daylight is concerned.

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

Click here for an abstract in English.

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Fit and healthy in small enterprises

Climate in the office

Why is it just in winter that the air in the office is dry? What is the possible benefit of ventilation and air-conditioning systems? What is the "sickbuilding syndrome"? These questions and others are answered in the information leaflet „Klima im Büro – Antworten auf die häufigsten Fragen“ (climate in the office - answers to the most frequently asked questions).

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

Click here for an abstract in English.

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Fit and healthy in small enterprises

Climate in the vehicle

With increasing heat strain in the interior of a vehicle, the number of road accidents increases. This paper provides enterprises with easily comprehensible and practical advice on climate, advantegous air quality and air-conditioning in commercially used vehicles.

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

Click here for an abstract in English.

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Fit and healthy in small enterprises

Evaluation of the room climate

The brochure offers practical help in the evaluation of the room climate and possible solutions for the removal or reduction of problems arising from the room climate.

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

Click here for an abstract in English.

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Fit and healthy in small enterprises

Welding fumes

The richly illustrated brochure that is presented here offers answers to the most frequently asked questions on the safe and economic avoidance of welding fumes at the workplace.

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Electomagnetic fields and implants

Generation, distribution and use of electrical energy and wireless communication equipment give rise to electromagnetic fields - in private as well as in professional life. A poster and a flyer inform in a clear and brief way on hazards and preventive measures in connection with implants.

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

Click here for an abstract in English.

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Wie sich Milben aus dem Staub machen!

Ein Erklärvideo für Hausstaubmilbenallergiker


Bakers with respiratory diseases, participating in the prevention program for baker’s asthma, are – besides the occupational allergens such as flours – often also sensitized against house dust mites(German: HSM).