Background/Objectives

Risk assessment is a systematic examination of all aspects of the work undertaken to consider what can cause injury or harm,
whether the hazards can be eliminated, and if not what preventive or protective measures are, or should be, in place to control the risks.

Objectives

The campaign seeks to demystify the risk assessment process to show that risk assessment is not necessarily complicated, bureaucratic or a task only for experts.

The awards aim to demonstrate, by example, the bene ts of following good safety and health practices to all European employers and workers, and to intermediaries including the social partners, OSH professionals and practitioners, and others providing assistance and information at workplace level.

What types of good practice can be entered?

The European campaign 2008/09 aims to promote an integrated management approach to risk assessment.

Good practice examples are implemented solutions - not theoretical or hypothetical - to promote the e ective management of occupational safety and health risks in the workplace. So, applicants should provide clear evidence of what was done in practice to achieve effective, pragmatic risk management.

The intervention should therefore show good management practice to: 

• improve working conditions in general, 
• be effective in promoting health, safety and effciency, 
• focus on eliminating or preventing risks at source,
• achieve an identifiable and permanent benefit,
• meet the relevant legislative requirements of the Member State in which it has been implemented and preferably go beyond those minimum standards,
• include a participatory approach between employers and workers,
• have the full support of senior management, and 
• be clearly identifiable as the action that caused the reduction in risk.

What should the examples demonstrate?

The good practice examples should be recent or not widely publicised and demonstrate, where appropriate:

• relevance to the theme of risk assessment,
• interventions aimed at the workplace,
• risks eliminated or tackled at source,
• risk assessment carried out in-house by the employer, or by an employee designated by the employer,
• effective, pragmatic risk management,
• successful implementation, 
• real improvements,
• effective participation and involvement of the workforce, and their representatives,
• account taken of the diversity of the workforce,
• sustainability over time,
• going beyond simple compliance with all relevant legislative requirements, and
• possibility of transfer to other workplaces, including those in other Member States and to SMEs.

Who can take part?

Good practice examples will be accepted from enterprises or organisations in EU-27 Member States plus Croatia and Turkey, including:

• enterprises and organisations, SMEs are particularly welcome,
• training providers and the education community,
• employer organisations, trade associations, trade unions, and non-governmental organisations, and
• regional or local occupational health and safety prevention services, insurance services, and other intermediary organisations.

How to enter

The first phase of the awards scheme is held at the national level. A national jury, on which all of the key OSH players are represented, picks the national winners. The two best entries in each national round are forwarded to the Agency in Bilbao to be included in the European round. They then compete with entries from all of the other EU member states.

Please send your entry to your national Focal Point by 22 August 2008.

Annex B contains a sample form which the entrants use to submit their entries to the FOP. Notes on how to complete the form are provided on the following page: Application form: Notes on Annex B.

It is imperative that the submission deadlines be adhered to because the Agency also has to translate the entries into English.

What are the awards?

The awards aim to demonstrate, by example, the benefits of following good safety and health practices to all European employers and workers, and to intermediaries including the social partners, OSH professionals and practitioners, and others providing assistance and information at workplace level.

Those selected will be recognised for their role in improving working conditions in Europe. In addition:

• Representatives of the selected enterprises / organisations will be invited to the European Week for Safety and Health at Work 2009 closing event and award ceremony in Bilbao.
• The examples will be presented in an Agency booklet to be widely distributed across Europe and presented on the Agency's website.