Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups

‘Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups’ was the main theme of a tripartite conference on EU wide occupational health and safety. This conference held in Malta, also in view of the country’s EU Council Presidency, served as the backdrop for the Healthy Work Places Good Practice award ceremony.

Organised by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work ( EU-OSHA), the awards highlight successful interventions by European organisations to make their workplaces safer and healthier for workers of all ages – and therefore more productive. The competition, which is a key element of the 2016-17 ‘Healthy Workplaces for All Ages’ Campaign, aims to recognize innovative examples of organisations taking action to promote sustainable working lives.

Addressing the conference, Minister Helena Dalli said that significant changes in today’s society necessitate, now more than ever, collective yet specific approaches to improve the health and safety of vulnerable workers. These include an ageing workforce, other new and emerging risks, increases in the number of migrant workers, and challenges posed by certain employment conditions.

She emphasised the need for a collective approach to create sustainable employment conditions which embrace the principles of prevention and remarked that the Presidency of the Council of the EU provides a unique platform from which we can promote and raise awareness on the importance of safeguarding vulnerable groups.

The Minister referred to a recent communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the EESC and the Committee of the Regions that stressed the need for risk management measures. The communication said specific risks faced by men and women, young and older workers, migrants and disabled persons necessitates the design of specific preventive and protective measures according to the requirements of those groups of workers.

Dr Christa Sedlatschek, Director of EU-OSHA when commenting on the importance of safe and healthy working conditions throughout working life said, “The European workforce is ageing, and many countries are raising the retirement age. By implementing good practices in age management, employers can protect their workers’ health and safeguard the future of their businesses. With this competition we engage relevant stakeholders, provide examples of successful interventions and create a prevention culture across Europe.’

Dr Deo Debattista, chairman of OHSA Malta, said the need to protect workers, in particular those who are vulnerable cannot be underestimated. “We all have a legal as well as a moral duty to safeguard vulnerable groups”, he said adding that while there is no doubt that a great level of improvement has been experienced and noted throughout Europe, much more needs to be done. The improvements recorded in the level of occupational health and safety was largely the result of a collective effort. “We all have an important role in the fight against workplace accidents and diseases. It is only through a collective effort that we can achieve safer and healthier workplaces,” he said

Entries to the competition came from all over Europe, from a wide range of sectors and from organisations of varying sizes. The awarded and commended examples were demonstrably successful, sustainable and transferable to other workplaces.

The winning organisations include an Austrian lighting manufacturer that established a new department dedicated to ensuring that employees were willing and able to remain in the workforce for longer; a German tyre manufacturer that created a company-wide database of positions and employee requirements to improve reallocation and reintegration of employees with specific needs; a family-owned Finnish construction company taking action to reduce the number of serious occupational accidents to zero by 2020; and a car manufacturer in Spain that introduced measures to tailor work to individuals and assess risks on a person-by-person basis.