The HWI is part of an Agency drive to develop a preventive occupational safety and health (OSH) culture in Europe and is designed to raise awareness of OSH essentials, such as the need to conduct risk assessments and involve the workforce in any prevention plans, as well as to share ‘good practice’ knowledge.

In support of the initiative, the European Agency is launching a practical Guide to risk assessment in business.

The ‘Risk assessment tool’ enables employers and employees to analyse and assess their work environment according to their specific sector needs.

The practical checklist allows for a quick and simple overview of the current situation in the company and provides advice and support for change and improvement of that work environment.

Thirty-six free seminars will also be held in the ten most recent EU Member States and in the two accession countries, Bulgaria and Romania. Employers and employees can register for free at  http://hwi.osha.europa.eu/events.

During these practical seminars tailored to SMEs, high-level professionals will share their knowledge of how to make businesses stronger and more productive through the creation of a healthy workplace.

Speaking at the first HWI seminar in Warsaw, Poland, on 30th June 2006, Hans-Horst Konkolewsky, Director of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, commented: “Small businesses are important drivers of the European economy and they employ almost three-quarters of the workforce. However, unfortunately, they suffer from above-average incidence rates of accidents and work-related health problems. Our message to small businesses in the 12 participating countries to the Healthy Workplace Initiative is clear: placing safety and health at the heart of their business strategy will not only reduce costs due to less injuries and ill health, but will also improve the quality of work and productivity of their business.”

Practical tips on how to do this, including the risk assessment tools for specific hazards and sectors, are available on a dedicated multilingual website at  http://hwi.osha.europa.eu.

The campaign is also being backed up by publications, media relations and advertising.