Health, Safety and Environment

European Week for Safety and Health at Work 2005

The European Week for Safety and Health at Work takes place on the 24th - 28th October 2005.

European Week for Safety and Health at Work 2005 This year the European Week of Safety and Health at Work will focus on noise in the workplace. The Health and Safety Executive web pages www.hse.gov.uk/campaigns/euroweek/ give you information on the campaign.

The CWU has been a leading union in fighting for awareness and solutions to Acoustic Shock and is calling on employers to use this week to highlight this issue.

Damage to hearing from exposure to loud noise at work is a significant and yet preventable problem. Research estimates that 170,000 people in the UK suffer deafness, tinnitus or other ear conditions as a result of excessive noise at work. The problem occurs in many workplaces, but particularly in the manufacturing and construction industries, as well as farms, transport operations, mines and quarries. It is also a major cause of problems to our members who work in Call Centres, Controls and Offices. This year's campaign seeks to draw attention to the practical issues and ways of controlling noise in different working environments.

European Week for Safety and Health at Work 2005 European Week 2005 provides a good opportunity to raise awareness of the new Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, which are due to come into force on 15 February 2006 and are the result of an EU-led initiative - the Physical Agents (Noise) Directive. These new regulations will help to prevent occupational noise-induced hearing loss and the supporting guidance will contain simple practical measures that employers can take to reduce exposure to noise at work.

The Wednesday of European Health and Safety Week has been designated "National Inspection Day" when all safety representatives are asked to inspect their workplace. In 2005 this will be on the 26 October.

More information on noise in the workplace at the Health and Safety Executive Noise Web Page http://www.hse.gov.uk/noise/index.htm

European Agency for Safety and Health at Work: http://ew2005.osha.eu.int/