Net Info

Colloquium of the ISSA International
Section for Research on Prevention

Research on the effectiveness of prevention
measures at the workplace
PROCEEDINGS
15 and 16 October
2009
Institute Work and
Health (BGAG),
Dresden, Germany

Colloquium of the ISSA International Section for

Research on Prevention
Research on the effectiveness of prevention measures at the workplace
15 and 16 October 2009 | Institute Work and Health (BGAG), Dresden,

Germany
This conference focuses on the research to optimize the process for the transfer of clas-
sical risk oriented research into service oriented prevention provided to support the
companies.
According to current knowledge OSH research must be supplemented by the aspect of

process analysis and process optimization of all prevention services. First results of this
extended research approach will be presented.
Imprint
Publisher
Walter Eichendorf
Deputy Director General
German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV)
Mittelstrasse 51 | D-10117 Berlin-Mitte
Phone: +49 (0) 30 288763800

Telefax: +49 (0) 30 288763808
Email: info@dguv.de
Internet: www.dguv.de
Editor
Institute Work and Health of the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV)
Jenny Hook
Koenigsbruecker Landstrasse 2 | D-01109 Dresden
Internet: www.dguv.de/bgag
Layout
Division: Graphics/Layout
Koenigsbruecker Landstrasse 2 | D-01109 Dresden
Pictures
Frontpage: fotolia.com (2), TFH Bochum (1)
Print
Druckhaus Dresden
ISBN
978-3-88383-818-2
INDEX
PROGRAMME 9
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COLLOQUIUM 25
INTRODUCTION
Introduction into the Proceedings of the ISSA Conference 29
KEYNOTES
Indicators on the Effectiveness of Prevention Services 37
Quality in Prevention: Outcomes of a Research Project by
the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) 53
How Can Companies Improve OS&H Performance
Through Adoption of Leading Practices? 77
Evaluation of OSH Research Institutes and OSH Service Providers
– Aims, Strategies, Indicators 89
Strategic Agility – An Oxymoron or a Necessity for OSH Organizations? 95
Research for Prevention in the US 97
SESSION 1
Development of a Performance Measurement Report for the
Prevention System in a Canadian Province 101
New Challenges in the Field of Prevention in Small Enterprises 105
Preventative Activities – Strategic Planning and Evaluation 111
Research, Assistance, Training and Consultancy in Practice:
A Virtuous Circle 113
Networking of Competencies: Reciprocal Action Between Prevention Services 119
SESSION 2
OHS Management Audits: The Importance of their Measurement Properties 125
Key Figures for Occupational Health and Safety
– Making Occupational Health and Safety Measurable and Presentable 129
OSH Monitoring: A Review of Current Research 133
Research on the Safety Climate at ERGOSE’s Worksites 137
Process Observation at Machine Tools – Preventive Approach and Reality 141
SESSION 3
OSH Research – Improvement of Research and Development:
Quality Indicators and Criteria for Research and Development in
the Field of Occupational Safety and Health 147
Application of a Hazard and Operability Study to Hazard
Evaluation of a Chemical Unit of the Power Station 151
Colloquium of the ISSA

Protection Systems Against Fire and Explosion Hazards at

Machine Tools when Using Flammable Metal Working Fluids 153
Interventions for Preventing Exposure to Chemical Substances Known
to Cause Health Hazards in Workers: A Cochrane Systematic Review Protocol 157
Development of the Construction Safety Audit Scoring System (ConSASS)
in Singapore 161
Biological or Airborne Al Monitoring in the Aluminium Industry? 167
Requirements of Funding Procedures to Support Knowledge Transfer
to OSH Practice 171
SESSION 4
The Investigation Prevention Service 177
Product Testing and Certification:
An Efficient Means to Exert Influence on the Safety of Products 181
Development of Test Methods for PPE as Stimulation for
Innovative Preventive Solutions 187
The Prevention Network “Inspection”, “Testing/Certification”
and “Standardisation” 191
Research on Biomechanic Stress Factors of Workplaces with Collaborating Robots 195
SESSION 5
General Strategy for Training 201
Quality Cooperation Qualification 207
How to Ensure Transfer in Qualification Measures in the Field of
Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) 211
Standard of Competence for Instructors and Trainers in Health
and Safety in Europe: A Research-Based Requirements Profile 217
Work, Risk Evaluation, Professional Training
– Between Prescriptions, Activities Performed and Activities Prevented 221
Long-Term Study of the Effectiveness of the Work of Safety Specialists 225
Development of a Training Program in Manual Material Handling 233
Impact of Occupational Health and Safety Training at School on
the Occurrence of Work Injuries in Young People Starting their
Occupational Life (Study Ongoing) 237
SESSION 6
Information and Communication: Do our Messages Get Through? 243
The Enterprise, Ultimate Link and Essential Actor in the Long Chain
of Preventive Communication 247
Improvement of the Quality of OSH Information and Communication 251
Measuring the Effectiveness of Prevention Campaigns 255
Using Case Studies to Raise Awareness and Disseminate Solutions 259
Health and Stress at Work: Different Actions of Communication Used
by a Manager’s Trade Union 263
Hear no evil: Encouraging Construction Workers to Reduce their Noise Exposure 267

SESSION 7
Exchange of Economic Incentives Good Practice at European Level 273
Use of Health and Safety Awards for External Marketing 277
Cost Benefit Analysis of an Economic Incentive Model 281
Research into the Feasibility of Using Economic Instruments to
Internalise the Costs of Health and Safety 285
The BGW Health Prize – An Award for the Image 289
Behavioural Economics in the Context of Workplace Health and Safety 293
INQA – Making Good Prevention Visible to Customers
– Two Approaches in the Construction and Healthcare Sector 299
The Award “Work – Safety – Health”: An Open Marketplace for New Ideas 303
SESSION 8
Accounting for Costs and Benefits of Prevention Work: Is it Worth for
Companies to Invest in Occupational Safety and Health? 307
Using Financial Metrics such as ROHSEI to Make HSE Decisions 313
The Costs of Work-Related Diseases for Economies and Companies
– A Rational for Investment 317
An Economic Evaluation Methods Initiative for Occupational Health and Safety 321
Strategic Steering of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH)
– Examples on Different Organisational Levels 327
Cost Effectiveness of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Comparing
Worksite and Community-Based Programmes – A Systematic Review 335
Preventing the Manual Handling Risk for Healthcare Workers:
A Cost-Benefit Analysis 339
Reducing Sickness Presenteeism:
The Neglected Source of Productivity Increase? 341
POSTERS
Special Sector Construction Industry – Integrative Approaches and
Activities for Effective OSH in the Construction Industry 347
Occupational Health and Safety in Nursing and Care
– Presenting “Best Practice Examples” for Healthier Workplaces for Nurses 348
Prevention Services for the Construction Industry Provided by
the Berufsgenossenschaft 349
Metalworking Fluids and Microbial Contamination in
Engineering Industry in Umbria (Central Italy) 350
EUROSHNET – Supporting the Transfer of Research Results into Practice 351
Assessment of Chemical Protective Coveralls with Regards to Permeation Tests 352
Use of PIMEX for Risk Assessment and for Motivating Both
Workers and Employers 353
Development of a Prevention Index for a Prospective
Assessment of Accident Risks 354
Occupational Safety and Health Risk Control Strategy Through MSE 355

PROGRAMME
PROGRAMME
PROGRAMME
14th October 2009 – Day of arrival
Conference check-in
Poster presentations, continuing during all coffee breaks
Get-together of the participants and dinner in the BGAG restaurant
15th October 2009

Introduction
Conference check-in
Welcome by the President of the Research Section, Jean-Luc Marié
The relevance of research for prevention worldwide

Address by Hans-Horst Konkolewsky, Secretary General of ISSA
1st plenary lecture

Risk-oriented research and its preventing effects – A critical review
Jean-Luc Marié, INRS, France
OSH research is only effective, if its results improve the quality of

workplaces and working procedures. The transfer of these results into
prevention services is therefore one of the essential criteria of OSH
research. Indicators show today that the effectiveness and efficiency of
this transfer could be improved.
This lecture will include case studies from industry, demonstrating

the successful transfer of research results.
Colloquium of the ISSA 11

PROGRAMME
Part A Research on the effectiveness of prevention services
2nd plenary lecture

Indicators on the effectiveness of prevention services
Nilton Freitas, Sindicato dos Quimicos do ABC, Brazil
If the transfer of OSH research into prevention services is to be syste-

matically improved, ways have to be found to assess or even measure
the effectiveness and efficiency of these prevention services. As a con-
sequence we also need research to improve these services. Indicators
serve as a substitute yardstick of information and phenomena that
cannot be directly measured. The lecture describes suitable indicators
for the most important OSH prevention services and for the improve-
ment of the OSH transfer.
Coffee break
Parallel sessions on the different prevention services

▶ Up to 8 lectures per session (10 minutes each)
Session 1 Interaction between different OSH services

Chair: Hanna Zieschang, DGUV, Germany
Rapporteur: Rolf Marter, DGUV, Germany
The interaction between different OSH services will be reported on.

These can include inspection, consultations, information, commu-
nication, investigations e.g. in the event of occupational accidents or
diseases, testing and certification of work equipment, training (quali-
fication) and OSH research. This session will also include reports on
the effectiveness of combined services.
Cameron Mustard, IWH, Canada

Development of a performance measurement report for the preventi-
on system in a Canadian province
Stefan Drodofsky/Jens Jühling, BGETE, Germany

New challenges in the field of prevention in small enterprises
Pawel Rozowski, GIP, Poland

Preventative activities – Strategic planning and evaluation
Catherine Montagnon, INRS, France

Research, assistance, training and consultancy in practice:
A virtuous circle
12 Colloquium of the ISSA

PROGRAMME
Hanna Zieschang, DGUV, Germany
Networking of competencies: Reciprocal action between prevention
services
Session 2 OSH consultation and inspection

Chair: Ho Siong Hin, Ministry of Manpower, Singapore
Rapporteur: Ruth Krausse, DGUV, Germany
These prevention services include consulting for employer and the

employees/insured for the prevention of occupational accidents, oc-
cupational diseases and work-related health hazards. Consulting can
be carried out upon request, in the course of targeted prevention stra-
tegies, in connection with plant tours and as collective consultations,
e.g. in the context of national and international standardisation pro-
cedures. The consultations are backed up by monitoring the measures
taken within the companies to prevent occupational accidents, occu-
pational diseases and work-related health hazards plus the provision
of first aid. Monitoring covers:
■ inspections,
■ instructions to eliminate deficiencies,
■ monitoring of deficiency elimination.
With reference to individual examples, this session will show how

prevention within the companies can be improved by research on
more efficient monitoring and consulting procedures in industry.
Lynda S. Robson, IWH, Canada

OHS management audits: The importance of their measurement pro-
perties
Martin Goder, VDSI, Germany

Key figures for occupational health and safety – Making occupational
health and safety measurable and presentable
Edwin SW Yap, ESIS Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, Australia

Yang Miang Goh, Curtin University, Australia
OSH monitoring: A review of current research
Eleni Douvi, ERGOSE S.A., Greece

Research on the safety climate in ERGOSE’s worksites
Christoph Preusse, BGM, Germany

Process observation at machine tools – Preventive approach and
reality

PROGRAMME
Session 3 OSH research

Chair: Dietmar Reinert, DGUV, Germany
Rapporteur: Annekatrin Wetzstein, DGUV, Germany
OSH research aims to identify causal relations between working con-

ditions and their effects on safety and health and to ensure participa-
tion in the development, testing and validation of effective prevention
strategies and measures. OSH research is one of the strongest initia-
tors for the improvement of other prevention services and therefore
has to undergo continuous improvement itself. How this can be suc-
cessfully performed is discussed in this session.
Eva Flaspöler, DGUV, Germany

OSH research – Improvement of research and development
Ehsan Habibi, University of Esfahan, Iran

Application of a hazard and operability study to hazard evaluation of
a chemical unit of the power station
Harald Sefrin, BGM, Germany

Protection systems against fire and explosion hazards at machine
tools when using flammable metal working fluids
Marika Lehtola, FIOH, Finland

Interventions for preventing exposure to chemical substances known
to cause health hazards in workers: A Cochrane systematic review
protocol
Alvian Tan, Ministry of Manpower, Singapore

Development of the Construction Safety Audit Scoring System
(ConSASS) in Singapore
Francis Pierre, INRS, France

Biological or airborne Al monitoring in the aluminium industry?
Joachim Herrmann, DGUV, Germany

Requirements for funding procedures to support knowledge transfer
to OSH practice

PROGRAMME
Session 4 Investigations, testing and certification
Chair: Daniel Podgórski, CIOP, Poland
Rapporteur: Volker Didier, DGUV, Germany
Investigations are carried out as a means of ascertaining the causes of

and circumstances accompanying occupational accidents, occupatio-
nal diseases and work-related health hazards. By learning from past
mistakes, prevention approaches for the future can be systematically
improved. Whereas investigations are performed in the companies
themselves, testing and certification on the manufacturers’ site are
considered to be an effective means to exert an influence on the de-
velopment of safe products. This session shows how investigation,
testing and certification can lead to safe workplaces with safe working
equipment and processes and how these services aid to transfer OSH
research into safe products.
Roger Stamm/Markus Kohn, DGUV, Germany

The investigation prevention service
Rüdiger Reitz, DGUV, Germany

Product testing and certification: An efficient means to exert influ-
ence on the safety of products
Dariusz Pleban, CIOP, Poland

Development of test methods for PPE as a stimulation for innovative
preventive solutions
Albrecht H. Glöckle/Ralf Renninghoff, BGDP, Germany

The prevention network “inspection”, “testing/certification” and “stan-
dardisation”
Matthias Umbreit, BGM, Germany

Hans-Jürgen Ottersbach, DGUV, Germany
Research on biomechanic stress factors of workplaces with collabora-
ting robots
Lunch
Plenary session
Reports on sessions 1 to 4

PROGRAMME
Part B Prevention as an effective and efficient service for the companies
3rd plenary lecture

Quality in Prevention: Outcomes of a research project by the
German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV)
Bodo Pfeiffer, DGUV, Germany
For the implementation of their statutory prevention assignments, the

statutory accident insurance institutions in Germany provide a variety
of prevention services.
These services are substantially driven by the results of applied re-

search in the field of OSH. The most important services are:
■ monitoring and consultation,

■ provision of information and information material, communi-
cation,
■ investigations, testing and certification,
■ training and further training in OSH,
■ research and development.
The goal of all these services is to preserve, protect, improve and, if

necessary, restore the health, quality of life, mobility and performance
of employees by exercising influence on the companies. All parties
responsible, and thus the statutory accident insurance institutions,
are called upon to carry out prevention work on the basis of the best
available scientific and technical knowledge and at a high level of
quality. This demands regular analysis, assessment and, if necessary,
improvement of the effectiveness and efficiency of prevention serv-
ices. Against this background, the statutory accident insurance insti-
tutions of the industrial sector have carried out a research project on
the evaluation of prevention services. This plenary lecture reports on
the available findings of the project.
Coffee break

PROGRAMME
Research into the following subject: How can we facilitate and promote
Part C
the implementation of OSH activities in the companies?
4th plenary lecture

How can companies improve OS&H performance through adoption
of leading practices?
Sietse van der Woude, South African Chamber of Mines, South Africa
Companies are often not aware of the results of OSH research. In

some cases they do not use prevention services to improve safety and
health. What new strategies do we have to encourage companies to
invest in OSH?
Appropriate tools will be presented and discussed in the following

parallel sessions. The plenary lecture will provide an introduction on
how the acceptance of OSH measures can be enhanced.
Social event: Elbe riverboat cruise to Pillnitz Castle, dinner on the

boat

PROGRAMME
16th October 2009
Photo show of the first day
Summary of the first day and introduction to the parallel sessions

Walter Eichendorf, DGUV, Germany
4 parallel sessions
▶ Up to 8 lectures per session (10 minutes each)
Session 5 OSH training

Chair: Didier Baptiste, INRS, France
Rapporteur: Güler Kici, DGUV, Germany
Not only prevention service providers themselves, but all persons in

charge at the particular workplaces have to systematically improve
and extend their knowledge and skills on how to identify safety and
health risks. Thus they should be able to assess these risks and convin-
ce the companies to implement effective measures against them. This
session covers research to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of
training and further training in prevention.
Catherine Montagnon, INRS, France

General strategy for training
Hans-Jochem Fuhrmann, BG BAU, Germany

Quality cooperation qualification
Maria Wolff/Kati Masuhr/Annekatrin Wetzstein, DGUV, Germany

How to ensure transfer in qualification measures in the field of occu-
pational health and safety (OHS)
Ulrike Bollmann, DGUV, Germany

Anna Koch, Dresden University of Technology, Germany
Standard of competence for instructors and trainers in health and
safety in Europe: A research-based requirements profile
Max Masse, INTEFP, France

Work, risk evaluation, professional training – Between prescriptions,
activities performed and activities prevented
Ulrich Winterfeld, DGUV, Germany

Rüdiger Trimpop, University of Jena, Germany
Long-term study of the effectiveness of the work of safety specialists

PROGRAMME
André Plamondon/Denys Denis, IRSST, Canada
Development of a training program in manual material handling
Stéphanie Boini, INRS, France

Impact of occupational health and safety training at school on the
occurrence of work injuries in young people starting their occupa-
tional life
Session 6 OSH information and communication

Chair: Marc de Greef, PREVENT, Belgium
Rapporteur: Marlen Kaufmann, DGUV, Germany
This prevention service comprises committee work, the media and

public relations on prevention subjects and the implementation of
prevention campaigns. This session is intended to present the latest
findings on how to measure and improve the quality of information
and communication.
Hiltraut Paridon, DGUV, Germany

Information and communication: Do our messages get through?
Christian Davillerd, INRS, France

The enterprise, ultimate link and essential actor in the long chain of
preventive communication
Katariina Röbbelen-Voigt/Ellen Schmitz-Felten, Kooperationsstelle

Hamburg, Germany
Improvement of the quality of OSH information and communication
Esin Taskan-Karamürsel/Annekatrin Wetzstein, DGUV, Germany

Measuring the effectiveness of prevention campaigns
Tim Tregenza/Zinta Podniece, EU-OSHA, Spain

Using case studies to raise awareness and disseminate solutions
Bernard Salengro, CFE-CGC, France

Health and stress at work: Different actions of communication used
by a manager’s trade union
Megan Gilliver, NAL, Australia

Hear no evil: Encouraging construction workers to reduce their noise
exposure

PROGRAMME
Session 7 Incentive systems

Chair: Christian Trontin, INRS, France
Thomas Kohstall, DGUV, Germany
Rapporteur: Katrin Boege, DGUV, Germany
In addition to rules and regulations incentive systems are to motiva-

te the companies for particular prevention efforts. In this course of
lectures important incentive systems such as bonuses for prevention
measures or safety and best practice competitions will be presented by
means of concrete examples.
Dietmar Elsler, EU-OSHA, Spain

Exchange of economic incentives good practice at European level
Deborah Walker, Loughborough University, United Kingdom

Use of health and safety awards for internal and external marketing
Norbert Schulz, FBG, Germany

Cost benefit analysis of an economic incentive model
Maria Ottati, HSE, United Kingdom

Research into the feasibility of using economic instruments to inter-
nalise the costs of health and safety
Sandra Dohm, BGW, Germany

The BGW health prize – An award for the image
Anna Richardson-Owen, HSE, United Kingdom

Behavioural economics in the context of workplace health and safety
Stephan Schwarzwälder, BAuA, Germany

INQA – Making good prevention visible to customers
Holger Imhoff, StBG, Germany

The award “Work – Safety – Health”: An open marketplace for new
ideas
Session 8 The economic benefit of prevention

Chair: John Mendeloff, RAND, USA
Cameron Mustard, IWH, Canada
Rapporteur: Frauke Jahn, DGUV, Germany
Preventing disruption of all internal and external processes is one

economic benefit of OSH activities. “Return on prevention” (in accor-
dance with ROI) is a good and convincing argument for investment

PROGRAMME
in OSH. Based on new research findings the economic benefit of OSH
activities will be presented.
Dietmar Bräunig/Katrin Mehnert, University of Giessen, Germany

Thomas Kohstall, DGUV, Germany
Accounting for costs and benefits of prevention work: Is it worth for
companies to invest in occupational safety and health?
Norman Tan, ORC Worldwide, Singapore

Using financial metrics such as ROHSEI to make HSE decisions
Ina Sockoll/Wolfgang Bödeker/Ina Kramer, BKK-BV, Germany

The costs of work-related diseases for economies and companies –
A rational for investment
Emile Tompa, IWH, Canada

An economic evaluation methods initiative for occupational health
and safety
Birgit Köper, BAuA, Germany

Strategic steering of occupational safety and health (OSH) – Examples
on different organisational levels
Frank Thalau, BAuA, Germany

Cost effectiveness of cardiovascular disease prevention comparing
worksite and community-based programmes – A systematic review
Christian Trontin, INRS, France

Preventing the manual handling risk for healthcare workers: A cost-
benefit analysis
Claudia Oldenburg, BAuA, Germany

Reducing sickness presenteeism: The neglected source of productivity
increase?
Coffee break
Plenary session
Reports on sessions 5 to 8

PROGRAMME
Part D Evaluation of OSH Research Institutes and their services
5th plenary lecture

Evaluation of OSH research institutes and OSH service providers –
Aims, strategies, indicators
Park Doo Yong, Hansung University, South Korea
This lecture outlines approaches for the evaluation of private or public

OSH service providers on the basis of appropriate case studies.
Lunch
6th plenary lecture

Strategic agility – An oxymoron or a necessity for OSH organizations?
Harri Vainio, FIOH, Finland
Maintaining and developing sustainable cultures of work in future

will require two things: Firstly, the productivity of their workplaces
must be raised to levels in which the organizations are able to ope-
rate profitably even if the global competitive pressures will increase
significantly in comparison to the present situation. Secondly, the
promotion of sustainable economic growth and the creation of more
sustainable forms of work must be done simultaneously. These two
preconditions require strategic agility also from OSH organizations.
But if they are met, the citizens may have good reasons to believe that
work can have a future and that this future is something that is worth
striving for.

PROGRAMME
Part E Research on the effectiveness of prevention measures at the workplace
7th plenary lecture

Research for prevention in the US
John L. Henshaw, Former Assistant Secretary of Labour of the US
government, USA
The lecture focuses on general research issues and development

around the prevention of workplace accidents and disease originating
in the United States. In this regard, the balance between research and
regulation in the US and efforts of the new NIOSH initiative
“Research to Practice (r2p)” will be discussed.
Summary, outlook, closure

Olaf Petermann, Chairman of ISSA’s special commission on
prevention, Germany
Coffee break

RESPONSIBILITY
Responsible for the colloquium
Board of the ISSA International Research Section
President
Jean-Luc Marié (Director General, INRS, France)
Secretary General
Marie-Thérèse Brondeau (INRS, France)
Vice Presidents
Walter Eichendorf (Deputy Director General, DGUV, Germany)
Cameron Mustard (President, IWH, Canada)
Peter Vavken (Director General, AUVA, Austria)
Members of the scientific committee
Didier Baptiste, INRS, France

Marie-Thérèse Brondeau, ISSA Research Section, France
Walter Eichendorf, DGUV, Germany (Chair)
Nilton Freitas, Sindicato dos Quimicos do ABC, Brazil
Ho Siong Hin, Ministry of Manpower, Singapore
John McEndoo, Anglo-Gold Ashanti Ltd., South Africa
Cameron Mustard, IWH Toronto, Canada
Bodo Pfeiffer, DGUV, Germany (local organizer)
Dietmar Reinert, DGUV, Germany
Local organizer of the colloquium in Dresden
Koenigsbruecker Landstrasse 2 | D-01109 Dresden | Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 351 457-0
Fax: +49 (0) 351 457-1015
Email: bgag@dguv.de
Internet: www.dguv.de/bgag

INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Introduction into the Proceedings of the ISSA Conference

15th and 16th October 2009 in Dresden, Germany
Prevention in the field of Occupational national company or a SME – as illustrat-

Safety and Health complemented by ed in fig. 2. Results of R&D are in most
measures of health promotion in the cases transmitted to the enterprise via all
working environment (OSH) is organized other prevention services.
by different national bodies. Most of
these organizations supply their services Each enterprise has internal processes
via different service products, i.e. a range influencing Occupational Safety and
of prevention services. In Germany the Health. Quality control processes are es-
Social Accident Insurance Institutions pecially interesting in the context of pre-
have defined a set of ten prevention serv- vention. External prevention services are
ices they offer (fig. 1). Similar definitions supposed to encourage prevention activi-
(with slight variations depending on the ties within the enterprise. Conventional
legal framework) exist in many countries. OSH research related to risks (Research
I in fig. 3) feeds external and internal
Except “Research and Development” all prevention processes with new input only
prevention services can be directly of- if the research results are comprehensible
fered to the enterprise – be it a multi- and transferable to the company.
1. Incentive schemes
2. Consulting (on request)
3. Company medical support and guidance on safety technology
4. Investigation
5. Research and development, model projects
6. Information and communication; information material
7. Testing and certification
8. Prevention regulations
9. Training and qualification
10. Inspection including consultation
Fig. 1: Different products (Prevention services) are offered by OHS services worldwide; the sets of
products will slightly differ depending on the national legal frameworks. In Germany 10
different services are distinguished.

INTRODUCTION
Fig. 2: OSH R&D results are hardly ever directly applicable to a particular company. Structure quality
and process quality will determine the degree of Occupational Safety and Health in a specific
workplace.
OSH research needs information input and of the combined prevention services
from prevention and enterprise processes. 1..n. This kind of prevention research can
Therefore OSH research can only be suc- be summarized as process optimization.
cessfully performed with feedback loops
from the internal processes in the enter-
prise and additionally from the preven-
tion service supplier.
In fact external prevention services are

supplied as a combination of different
services adapted to the needs of the serv-
ice customer. In this respect prevention
services are combined services which
transfer knowledge and research in differ-
ent ways resulting in strong synergies.
An additional new aspect of prevention

research (Research II in fig. 4) helps to
measure and increase the efficiency of Fig. 3: Results from OSH research transferred via
prevention research (transfer orientation) other prevention services 1, 2, 3, …

INTRODUCTION
Fig. 4: OSH research may be risk-oriented (Re- Fig. 5: OSH research III helps to accelerate and
search I) or process-oriented (Research II). support the prevention processes in the
enterprise.
The Research III aspect looks at the ac- ure the effectiveness and efficiency of
celeration or support of prevention proc- prevention services or their “quality”
esses by optimization of the business we need “indicators”. So we have to
environment and incentives. This kind ■ clarify the terms “quality” and “indica-
of prevention research will for example tors” in the context of OSH
investigate legislation or regulations with institutions’ prevention work.
respect to their applicability and efficien- ■ develop a methodological framework
cy or the potential for the optimization of to enable a systematic presentation of
incentive systems. comparable quality characteristics in
Any external framework conditions that prevention 1.
support the OSH efforts in the enterprise ■ identify indicators 2 showing the
may be subject of Research III in fig. 5. effectiveness and efficiency of preven-
tion.
This Colloquium “Research on the ef- ■ evaluate indicators and establish a
fectiveness of prevention measures at quality score.
the workplace” of the ISSA International ■ identify measuring tools for the indi-
Section for Research on Prevention is cators of all the prevention services
the first international conference that provided.
concentrates mainly on Research II and
Research III. Insofar this congress is dedi- As learned from different projects to be
cated to quality research as regards all presented at this international conference
different prevention services. To meas- we have to state that OSH research can no
1 The model developed by Donabedian (1966) has become the established model for describing the
structure of the term “quality”. He breaks quality down into three dimensions: structure quality,
process quality and outcome quality. Structure quality describes the supply side whereas process
quality describes the quality of the performance of a prevention service compared with the provider.
Outcome quality, on the other hand, is compared with the service customer or at the workplace
rather than with the service provider.
2 An indicator serves as a substitute measure for gathering information on or measurement of
phenomena that cannot be measured directly.

INTRODUCTION
longer be restricted to providing methods 4. To make the positive result of prac-

for risk assessment or risk reduction or tice testing available for all wood-
to effective management systems. OSH working enterprises and to use
research must also be targeted towards them for new products, appropriate
optimization of all prevention services information brochures and
applied nationally, but in a first step to- documentation must be designed.
wards those that are offered worldwide: Consulting concepts should be
presumably inspection, consultation and optimized particularly in terms of
qualification. economic aspects; training measures
The following example is to illustrate the must be developed and tested.
necessary new research approaches: Research II will then examine which
result representations in Research I
1. In a research project noise-reduced can facilitate and accelerate all the
saw blades are to be developed. This is necessary developments. Research II
classical risk-oriented Research I. will also help determine their most
successful presentation and the best
2. To achieve a fast availability of the new argumentation.
saw blades (or generally the improved
products) in the market, the following 5. Research II is also performed when
aspects have to be examined additio- investigating the best order and/or
nally: With which cooperation part- combination of the different
ners should this research (step 1) be prevention services to facilitate a
accomplished? In which technical comprehensive introduction of the
periodicals should the results be new saw blades in the industry con -
published in order to arouse interest cerned (in order to achieve the goal
in the market? In which technical with the lowest possible expenditures).
language are the results to be
presented in order to achieve their 6. Research III finally examines which
introduction on the market? Research incentives the industrial safety organi-
II requires the ability to provide zations should provide in order to
answers to such questions in generally promote a fast introduction of safe
valid terms. products. Research III also examines
the legislation and rule setting for how
3. When the product is finally available, they can support the penetration of
the results must be verified by practi- the improved products.
cal tests; testing and certification
procedures are to be developed if
required (Research I).

INTRODUCTION
We wish this International Colloquium search outcomes into operational practice

all the best of success. May our guests may become faster and more effective in
be able to take a lot back home from the the future.
lively discussions we hope for. The col- We would like to thank all participants,
loquium wishes to provide strong and especially the speakers, for their contri-
lasting stimulus to the OSH research butions which are to be understood as the
community so that the transfer of re- first steps to explore terra incognita.
Dresden 2009-10-15
Walter Eichendorf Bodo Pfeiffer

KEYNOTES
Keynotes
Indicators on the Effectiveness of Prevention Services
Nilton Freitas
Sindicato dos Químicos do ABC, Brazil
Abatract development of indicators for measuring

At the context of conceptual and meth- the effectiveness and efficiency of all the
odological evolution of occupational Social accident insurance institutions’
safety and health management (OSH) prevention in Germany, a relevant contri-
worldwide, it’s important to stand out the bution for the improvement of the effec-
development and application of indica- tiveness in prevention services.
tors which assist the continuous improve-
ment of measures and prevention services Introduction
due to the policies, programmes and The development of indicators makes
systems of OSH management in public up a fundamental element for the most
scope and internally at the organizations. effective management of occupational
The choice of indicator and the range health and safety systems, whether at the
of its coverage are part of its process of policy scope or for the implementation of
selection, followed by quality and spe- programs in public scope or internally at
cificity of surveillance in occupational private organizations.
health criteria, such as: reliability, validity, Historically, there is an effort concen-
sensibility, practicability and comparabil- trated on public and private organizations
ity. In the occupational health and safety which act in the prevention field, in order
field, some categories of indicators of to develop and adopt indicators which
health surveillance, working conditions, assist the assessment of the impact and
process safety, legislation application, effectiveness of their actions.
services infrastructure quality and oth- Traditionally, the most used indicators
ers, have been developed and applied at are those which measure the impact of
specific scopes in some countries and/or preventive actions and which show, most
public and private organizations. At this of the time, rates of accident, death, dis-
field, it is noteworthy the effort of the eases and health injury, caused exactly by
World Health Organization (WHO), the the ‘failure’ in prevention services.
International Labour Organization (ILO), Based on this information, it is supposed
the National Institute on Occupational that safety or health protection meas-
Safety and Health (NIOSH) from the ures would be taken to strengthen the
United States of America, the Finnish effectiveness of policies and preventive
Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH), actions.
the European Commission, Worksafe However, a more recent approach, has
Australia, the German Institute Work and tried to ‘anticipate’ the development and
Health (BGAG) and others. Concerning practical application of indicators capable
the latter, this presentation describes the of measuring, in advance, the occurrence

Keynotes
of failure, the efficiency and effectiveness and mental health.

of services and protection measures. Without prejudice to the responsibility of
This presentation aims to show the most each employer for the health and safety
recent studies and development of pre- of the workers in his employment, and
vention indicators attempts, from the with due regard to the necessity for the
recognition of its historical evolution and workers to participate in matters of oc-
from the practical difficulties found by cupational health and safety, occupational
those who have strived on this subject. health services shall have such of the
Therefore, several extracts from studies following functions as are adequate and
and related publications have been used appropriate to the occupational risks of
as a reference. the company:
(a) identification and assessment of
Background the risks from health hazards in the
Some international instruments – notedly workplace;
the Conventions, the Recommendation (b) surveillance of the factors in the
and the OIT Protocol following described working environment and working
– define and establish the minimum pa- practices which may affect workers‘
rameters undertaken by the State-mem- health;
bers by ratifying and/or implementing (c) advice on planning and organization
them in their national legal system. of work, including the design of
Among the parameters of interest in this workplaces, on the choice, mainte -
presentation, are the prevention services nance and condition of machinery
and the production of statistic data of ac- and other equipment and on sub-
cidents and occupational diseases which stances used in work;
shall take part in the structure of a policy, (d) participation in the development of
a system and a national program on oc- programmes for the improvement of
cupational health and safety. working practices as well as testing
and evaluation of health aspects of
ILO 161 Occupational Health Services new equipment;
Convention (e) advice on occupational health, safety
The International Labour Organization – and hygiene and on ergonomics and
ILO Convention 161, concerning Occu- individual and collective protective
pational Health Services was adopted in equipment;
1985 and came into force in 1988. (f) surveillance of workers’ health in
For the purpose of this Convention, the relation to work;
term occupational health services means (g) promoting the adaptation of work to
services entrusted with essentially pre- the worker;
ventive functions and responsible for (h) contribution to measures of
advising the employer, the workers and vocational rehabilitation;
their representatives on the requirements (i) collaboration in providing informa-
for establishing and maintaining a safe tion, training and education in the
and healthy working environment which fields of occupational health and hy-
will facilitate optimal physical and mental giene and ergonomics;
health in relation to work; and, the adap- (j) organization of first aid and
tation of work to the capabilities of work- emergency treatment;
ers in the light of their state of physical (k) participation in analysis of occupa-

Keynotes
tional accidents and occupational Recommendation, 1959, both include
diseases. among its recommendations the function
As expected conditions of operation, in of compilation and periodic review of
accordance with national law and prac- statistics concerning health conditions in
tice, occupational health services should the undertaking; and, the research in oc-
be multidisciplinary. This is due to the cupational health or participation in such
fact that OSH is a complex subject involv- research in association with specialized
ing a large number of specific disciplines services or institutions.
and requiring consideration of a wide Occupational health services should also
range of workplace and environmental maintain relations with external services
hazards. The composition of the person- and bodies dealing with questions of the
nel shall be determined by the nature of health, safety, retraining, rehabilitation,
the duties to be performed. reassignment and welfare of the workers.
Occupational health services shall carry
out their functions in co-operation with ILO 155 Occupational Safety and
the other services in the company. It Health Convention
means, maintaining close contact with This advice is reinforced by the ILO 155
the other departments and bodies in the Occupational Safety and Health Conven-
company concerned with questions of tion, 1981, concerning Occupational
the workers’ health, safety or welfare, and Safety and Health and the Working Envi-
particularly the welfare department, the ronment, which came into force in 1983,
safety department, the personnel depart- two years before the adoption of the Con-
ment, the trade union organs in the un- vention 161.
dertaking, safety and health committees Each Member shall, in the light of na-
and any other committee or any person tional conditions and practice, and in
in the undertaking dealing with health or consultation with the most representative
welfare questions. organizations of employers and workers,
formulate, implement and periodically
The personnel providing occupational review a coherent national policy on oc-
health services shall enjoy full profession- cupational safety, occupational health and
al independence from employers, work- the working environment.
ers, and their representatives, in relation
to the functions mentioned before. The aim of the policy shall be to prevent
The competent authority shall determine accidents and injury to health arising out
the qualifications required for the person- of, linked with or occurring in the course
nel providing occupational health serv- of work, by minimizing, so far as is rea-
ices, according to the nature of the duties sonably practicable, the causes of hazards
to be performed and in accordance with inherent in the working environment.
national law and practice.
All workers shall be informed of health The formulation of this policy shall indi-
hazards involved in their work, what re- cate the respective functions and respon-
quires effective communication expertise. sibilities in respect of occupational safety
and health and the working environment
ILO 112 Occupational Health Services of public authorities, employers, workers
Recommendation and others, taking account both of the
The R112 Occupational Health Services complementary character of such respon-

Keynotes
sibilities and of national conditions and regulated separately in the Occupational

practice. Health Services Convention, 1985 (No.
The situation regarding occupational 161).
safety and health and the working envi-
ronment shall be reviewed at appropriate Protocol to the Occupational Safety and
intervals, either over-all or in respect of Health Convention
particular areas, with a view to identify- As a result, many countries still do not
ing major problems, evolving effective have effective systems for the recording
methods for dealing with them and pri- and notification of work-related accidents
orities of action, and evaluating results. and diseases. The recent adoption of a
Protocol to the Occupational Safety and
The enforcement of laws and regula- Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155), on
tions concerning occupational safety and the recording and notification of occu-
health and the working environment shall pational accidents and diseases, and of a
be secured by an adequate and appropri- revised ILO list of occupational diseases,
ate system of inspection. underlines the serious need for more reli-
To give effect to the policy referred be- able and comprehensive statistics in this
fore, the competent authority or authori- area.
ties shall ensure that the following func-
tions are progressively carried out: Each Member which ratifies this Protocol
(a) the establishment and application of shall, based on the notifications and other
procedures for the notification of available information, publish annual
occupational accidents and diseases, statistics that are compiled in such a way
by employers and, when appropriate, as to be representative of the country as
insurance institutions and others a whole, concerning occupational ac-
directly concerned, and the produc- cidents, occupational diseases and, as
tion of annual statistics on occupa - appropriate, dangerous occurrences and
tional accidents and diseases; commuting accidents, as well as their
(b) the holding of inquiries, where cases analysis.
of occupational accidents, occupa- These statistics are usually used to iden-
tional diseases or any other injuries to tify trends within industrial sectors and
health which arise in the course of or regions, devise coherent enforcement
in connection with work appear to strategies and develop effective preventive
reflect situations which are serious; campaigns at national level or directed at
(c) the publication, annually, of informa- sectors and specific enterprises. The accu-
tion on measures taken in pursuance mulation of statistics enables the author-
of the policy referred in this Conven- ity to gauge the success of its preventive
tion and on occupational accidents, programmes.
occupational diseases and other inju-
ries to health which arise in the However, there are serious disparities
course of or in connection with work. between countries in the capacity to col-
Convention 155 does not provide any lect and analyze vital statistics pertaining
further details regarding the provision of to OSH, more particularly occupational
occupational health services, OSH train- accident and disease statistics. While a
ing and education systems or a nation- number of countries have provisions for
wide network of OSH services, which are the notification of occupational accidents

Keynotes
and diseases to national authorities, few 2. No mention and consequently no indi-
countries provide for recording at the cators about the quality of the preven-
level of the enterprise. tion services.
Estimates of occupational accidents and Convention on Promotional Frame-

diseases are by necessity extrapolated work for OSH, 187
from statistics that are often heterogene- According to some points of view, it was
ous in terms of definitions, data collec- supposed that the factors aforementioned
tion methodologies and quality. As such, were the reason for the Convention con-
they provide more of an approximation of cerning the Promotional Framework for
the burden of work-related accidents and Occupational Safety and Health, 2006
diseases than an accurate assessment. (No. 187) to include some innovative and
auspicious concepts and compromises
Many countries still lack the expertise such as:
and the resources to collect statistics that ■ the assessment of progress for the
would allow a sufficiently reliable evalu- achievement of objectives and priori-
ation of the magnitude of work-related ties;
accidents and diseases. There is a strong ■ the principle of prevention as the
need in these countries to improve re- highest priority;
cording and notification, as well as data ■ the principle of the continuous im-
analysis systems, and to harmonize lists provement of occupational safety and
of occupational diseases. Improvements health;
in these areas would provide countries ■ the development of a national preven-
with more reliable indicators of the ef- tative safety and health culture that
fectiveness of national OSH systems and includes information, consultation and
help them in prioritizing OSH issues and training.
focusing scarce resources to resolve them.
Based on this Conventions, it is also clear
It means, focus on the prevention meas- the need for a National System for oc-
ures, and focus on the effectiveness of the cupational safety and health which shall
prevention services. And just to finish include, among others, a mechanism for
this topic concerning ILO instruments the collection and analysis of data on oc-
related to OSH preventive measures and cupational injuries and diseases.
preventive services, some points should
be underlined, such as: And finally, for a National Programme
1. Low level of ratification which shall include objectives, targets and
(updated to September 2009): indicators of progress.
▶ 54 ratifications – Occupational This kind of approach seems to be begin-
Safety and Health Convention, 1981 ning to change from the time of collect-
(No. 155); ing rates of failures to the era of taking
▶ 28 ratifications – Occupational previous actions in terms of priority,
Health Services, 1985 (No. 161); planning, budget, expertise, assessment,
▶ 6 ratifications – Protocol to the Oc- reviewing and improving all the time. It
cupational Safety and Health Con- seems to be the real practice of something
vention, 1981(No. 155), adopted in we have heard from OSH management
2002. system.

Keynotes
Searching for the improvement of their involves taking precautions and protect-
prevention services, in recent years, gov- ing against events that could pose a dan-
ernments, enterprises and international ger or existential threat to an individual
organizations have all been giving greater or community.
attention to the need to adopt systematic What is indicator? An indicator is a de-
models for managing OSH. The so-called vice which indicates some quality, change
OSH management systems approach pro- etc., of a situation or system, and draws
vides a promising strategy for augment- attention or gives warning. Something
ing traditional command-and-control ap- which serves to give an indication, sug-
proaches with performance improvement gestion or something else which can be
tools, more effective health and safety used in a scientific experiment to indicate
auditing concepts, and schemes for man- some quality, change, etc. (see Oxford
agement systems. Current management 1993).
science theories suggest that performance
is better in all areas of business, including If the aim of the programme is to train a
OSH, if it is measured and continuous number of workers annually, the number
improvement sought in an organized of workers trained each year is a direct
fashion. – or output – indicator. If the aim is to
improve child health, several indicators
Because they reflect the effects of socio- could be used, such as nutritional status,
economic and technological changes on psychosocial development, the immuni-
working conditions and environment, zation rate, or the morbidity and mortal-
national and enterprises OSH systems ity rates. While efforts are normally made
are dynamic and need to be built through to quantify indicators, this is not always
an ongoing cycle of review, performance possible. Moreover, evaluations cannot
and evaluation of its contents, which always be made by aggregating numeral
may consider among others, the OSH values alone. Qualitative indicators are
information and advisory services; oc- therefore often used, for example, to as-
cupational health services; and research sess people’s involvement and their per-
on OSH. ception of their health status.
Effectiveness of the prevention services Indicators constitute an organized set of

Connected with this trend, several coun- information presented in a way that ena-
tries, insurance systems, and private bles information steering and utilization
organizations have been attempting to of otherwise unorganized information.
set up a range of predictive indicators The relation between the indicator system
to replace the usual availability of some and policy programming and implemen-
kind of “failure” indicators, as we can tation is presented in fig. 1.
nominate the traditional indicators of ac-
cidents and diseases rates.
To look into this issue, the bibliography
made available by the German Social Ac-
cident Insurance (DGUV) was used as a
reference.
What is prevention? The term “preven-
tion” means “coming before”. Prevention

Keynotes
Fig. 1: Use of indicators in policy making and implementation
Source: Rantanen et. al. 2001
Indicators may be used for several pur- ■ Consulting

poses, for example: ■ Inspection
■ to describe the current state of the ■ Investigation
organization, environment or activities ■ Accident prevention regulations
■ to provide signals for the need for ■ Incentive schemes
special actions ■ Information and communication
■ to follow-up and monitor progress ■ Training
towards the pre-set objectives ■ Certification
■ to provide evidence on achievement of ■ Research and development
the subjective Some of them are conducted by public
■ to compare the state of comparable bodies and others by private entities at
systems, country, region, enterprise, the enterprise level or broader as well.
etc. The World Health Organization – WHO
has produced a document for indicators
Indicators are useful devices to assess on Good Practices in Health, Environ-
OSH services at all different levels: ment and Safety Management in Enter-
■ At global level prises (HESME) intended to satisfy the
■ At national level information needs at the company and
■ At regional and provincial level the workplace levels, while the Work
■ At local level and Health Indicator Profile (WHIP) ap-
■ And at the enterprise level proach covers national and regional/pro-
vincial levels.
For each different level of possible pre-
ventive actions we have particular and
specific preventive services such as:

Keynotes
Fig. 2: Relationship between different indicator systems
These two documents are intended to be When selecting indicators, full account
complementary, helping to cover all the has to be taken of the extent to which
levels of societal structures with appropri- they are valid, objective, sensitive and
ate indication systems. specific:
How to select indicators? 1 Validity implies that the indicator actual-

Indicators have to be selected carefully ly measures what is supposed to measure.
to make sure that they are responsive to
current trends of development and that Objectivity implies that even if the in-
they are useable for the analysis of ongo- dicator is used by different people at dif-
ing activities. ferent times and under different circum-
The comparability of data requires the stances, the results will be the same.
harmonization of concepts, definitions
and methods for data compilation. This Sensitivity means that the indicator
is a difficult task due to many differences, should be sensitive to changes in the situ-
for example, in the legal systems of differ- ation or phenomenon concerned. How-
ent countries. ever, indicators should be sensitive to
Therefore, the construction of profiles re- more than one situation or phenomenon.
quires not only the mechanical compila-
tion of registered data, but full knowledge Specificity means that the indicator
and understanding of the principles on reflects changes only in the situation or
which the data are collected and how they phenomenon concerned.
should be interpreted.
1 Source: see World Health Organization. Development of health programme evaluation: Report by
the Director-General. Geneva, WHO, 1978 (document A31/10).

Keynotes
Another important attribute of an indi- lead us to take feasibility (i.e. availability
cator is its availability, namely, that it of data) as the starting point for choosing
should be possible to obtain the data re- indicators in order to measure and/or to
quired without undue difficulty. compare some issues. However, such an
As we have been seeing the indicator sys- approach might result in a set of indica-
tems may address different geographical tors which are not the most relevant and
levels spanning from global to enterprise scientifically most valid.
levels. However, we have to take care An alternative to data-driven indicators
while comparing indicator systems from is to adopt a concept-driven approach.
different countries or regions. Even in- Concept-driven indicators are developed
dicators at the enterprise level have to be on the basis of a conceptual framework
considered carefully when in comparison, irrespective of the availability of data.
as it is often reasonable to compare the Concept-driven indicators are primarily
situation in an enterprise only with that science-based and valid, whereas data-
of enterprises in the same sector. driven are primarily feasible.
Quality criteria of indicators 2 WHO relevant indicators criteria 3

Since indicators are used for making well- Choosing an indicator involves also dis-
informed decisions the quality criteria for cussing the policy/normative aims and
indicators are critical. Whatever the use priorities of OSH. Indicators should ad-
of indicators may be they should meet a dress relevant phenomena in OSH.
number of universal quality criteria: World Health Organization – WHO has
a. reliability – to provide valid informa- published a list of criteria for checking
tion in different conditions and in the relevance of environmental health
hands of different users; indicators:
b. validity – to indicate what they are ■ directly related to a specific question
expected to indicate; of concern;
c. sensibility – to detect weak enough ■ related to conditions which are
signals to enable appropriate conclu- amenable to action;
sions and actions; ■ easily understood and applicable by
d. feasibility – possible to be produced in potential users;
standard procedures and to work well ■ available soon after the event or period
in everyday practices; to which it relates;
e. comparability – to allow comparisons ■ based on data that are available at an
with other subjects or reference values acceptable cost-benefit ratio;
or standards. ■ selective, so that they help to prioritize
key issues in need of action;
The need for wide applicability might ■ acceptable to the stakeholders.
2 Source: see Proceedings of the Workshop on National and Local OH&S Profiles and Indicators,
Helsinki, Finland 18 October 2001 – People and Work – Research Reports 55 Finnish Institute of
Occupational Health – Helsinki, 2002.
3 Source: see Corvalan C, Briggs D, Kjelltröm T. The need for information: environmental health
indicators. In: Decision-making in environmental health, Eds. Corvalan et al. World Health
Organization, Geneva 1998: 25-55.

Keynotes
Occupational Health Indicators 4 The indicators are a subset of the larger

The Indicators are not a data system but number of conditions that were recom-
a series of surveillance measures that mended for surveillance. The indicators
describe adverse work-related outcomes. are intended to be used in conjunction
An occupational health indicator is a with other guidelines for the state-based
specific measure of a work-related dis- surveillance of occupational injuries and
ease or injury, or a factor associated with illnesses.
occupational health, such as workplace
exposures, hazards, or interventions, in World Health Organization has proposed
a specified population. These indicators four categories of indicators:
can be generated by states to track trends 1. Health policy indicators
in the occupational health status of the 2. Social and economic indicators
working population. 3. Indicators of health care delivery, and
4. Indicators of health status, including
Occupational health indicators can pro- quality of life.
vide information about a population’s
health status with respect to workplace Conceptual model for OSH
injuries and illnesses or to factors that can Indicators
influence health. The indicators represent In this Figure there is a very simplified
a core set of data that, if collected at the model which describes the domains of
state level, would assist in the develop- the indicators adopted by the Finnish In-
ment of programs to prevent workplace stitute of Occupational Health – FIOH.
injuries and illnesses. The Finnish Institute includes in the OSH
Fig. 3: Conceptual model for OH&S indicators
4 Source: see Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists – CSTE. In collaboration with
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Putting Data to Work: Occupational Health Indicators from Thirteen Pilot States for 2000. October
2005.

Keynotes
indicators both indicators for known haz- ■ Registers
ardous working conditions and indicators ■ Administrative sources
for their known health effects. The third ■ Questionnaire-based surveys
group of indicators consists of measures ■ Expert assessment systems etc
of the state of OSH legislation and oc- The data are usually computerized, ana-
cupational safety and health management lyzed statistically and displayed in tabular
systems. or graphical forms providing distribu-
They call indicators that describe working tions, trends, means or other statistics.
conditions, exposure indicators. The data analysis is often followed by
Indicators that describe health outcomes interpretation and evaluation.
are called as effect indicators. The process should continue by decision
The Finnish Institute calls indicators that making on direct prevention, dissemina-
describe OSH policy and infrastructure tion of information, training, research or
prerequisite indicators as they describe other relevant activities. The approaches
the state of the most important factors and methods applied should therefore be
required for successful performance of regularly assessed and modified before
national OSH systems. the next data collection. (See Tüchsen,
They concern, i.e. the quality of legisla- 1998).
tion, coverage of OSH, characteristics
of the occupational health services and Targets and indicators 5
labour inspection system etc. The state of The targets and indicators must be tailor-
OSH policy and infrastructure also has made for each country, organization and
an effect on the availability and quality of purpose. The indicators could be achieve-
exposure indicators and effect indicators. ment indicators if specific objectives are
set and may include:
Surveillance process on OSH ■ Indicators of capacity and capability
Indicators are an essential tool in oc- – such as number of inspectors health
cupational health surveillance which professionals dealing with occupatio-
includes worker’s health surveillance and nal safety and health;
work environment surveillance. It is the ■ Indicators of activities – such as trai-
ongoing systematic collection, analysis, nee day, numbers of inspections;
interpretation, and dissemination of data ■ Indicators of outcome – such as num-
for the purpose of prevention, improving ber of diseases and accidents and mor-
the health, work ability and well being of tality rates.
the labour force. In 1999 the former Director of ILO Safe-
The surveillance system includes the work Programme Jükka Takala stressed
capacity for data collection, analysis and a number of Targets and Indicators on
dissemination linked to occupational OSH which could be measured by fairly
health programs. simple indicators:
The surveillance process starts with data 1- Improved policies and legislation to
collection from various sources: cover OSH – that result in better
5 Source: see Takala J. Indicators of death, disability and disease at work. SafeWork. The Global
Programme on Safety, Health and the Environment. African Newsletter on Occupational Health and
Safety 1999; 9:60-65.

Keynotes
coverage of enforcement (inspection) ■ Rates of accidents and diseases coll-

and compensation in case of accidents ected through reporting systems and
and diseases. specific surveys.
Indicators: percentage of labour force Other sources of information and other
covered by inspection and compensa- experiences of positive performance in-
tion. dicators could be described indefinitely,
2- Occupational Health Services but, an experience recently developed
Available by the German BG-Institute Work and
Indicators: percentage of labour force Health (BGAG), entitled “Quality in
covered. Prevention”, was designed to evaluate the
3- Improved Infrastructure and prevention services.
Manpower
Indicators: number of inspectors, The German Social Accident Insurance
specialists, safety officers, safety repre- (DGUV) has carried out the research
sentatives, information centres, re- project in order to investigate all the
search specialists in relation to the prevention services provided to business
labour force. and organizations by its members (e.g.
4- Better recording and Notification consulting, training, or information and
Systems communication). A number of indicators
Indicators: fatal injuries/100,000; and measuring tools were developed to
fatal occupational diseases/100,000; meet the project’s goals. This means that
disabling injuries and disease rates by in the future will be possible to ensure
sector and occupation; costs of acci- sustained monitoring of the effectiveness
dents and diseases in relation to the and efficiency of the prevention services,
gross domestic product of the country. with a view to further improving qual-
5- Advisory bodies and Voluntary ity through a continuous improvement
Mechanisms established process.
Indicators: number of tripartite advi-
sory bodies, number of safety com- Quality in Prevention
mittees, safety representatives, number In the German Accident Insurance Sys-
of management systems, number and tem the task of prevention is based upon
quality of codes of conduct, in relation the following considerations: the accident
to the labour force. insurance system, which bears the costs
The IPO’s SafeWork Programme indica- of work-related accidents and occupa-
tors included several of these indicators tional diseases within the framework of
and, in particular: rehabilitation and compensation, should
■ The number of ratifications of ILO first of all have the ability to prevent the
conventions on OSH; occurrence of injuries insofar as possible.
■ The number of governments and/or Employers should be aware that they re-
enterprises that have adopted new main responsible for health and safety in
policies and programmes consistent the workplace, even though their direct
with ILO principles and policies; liability to the employees has been re-
■ Coverage of legislation, enforcement placed by the accident insurance system.
and compensation systems, and re-
cording and notification systems, and The connection between accident insur-
occupational services; ance and accident prevention should

Keynotes
make clear to the parties involved – par- In the interests of the employers as well
ticularly the employers – that capital as the employees, all the accident preven-
investment in workplace safety pays off, tion work of the carriers aims to organize
primarily in the humanitarian sense, by workplace safety and health measures as
preventing human suffering, but also in efficiently and economically as possible.
an economic sense, through the reduc- Implementation strategies must also be
tion of accident insurance premiums and practical. The effectiveness of preventive
company costs resulting from injuries. work is also monitored.
Structuring the industrial accident in- In order to comply with the duty of pre-
surance system by branches and involv- vention, the social accident insurance
ing the concerned parties within the institutions provide a range of prevention
framework of self-administration results services. The services are given the fol-
in a high degree of practical preventive lowing names by these institutions:
experience, as well as acceptance and 1. Consulting
motivation by those affected. This close 2. Inspection
connection between accident insurance 3. Investigation
and prevention distinguishes the German 4. Company medical support and
system from the systems of most other guidance on safety technology
nations, which generally provide for the 5. Training
inspection of workplace safety by govern- 6. Information and Communication and
ment officials. Information Material
7. Accident Prevention Regulations
Such workplace safety authorities also 8. Certification
exist in Germany in addition to the tech- 9. Research and Development
nical monitoring service of the accident 10. Incentive Schemes
insurance carriers. The two institutions
complement and cooperate with one The goal and intended benefits of these
another. The responsibilities of the gov- services are to maintain, protect, promote
ernment supervisory authorities (factory and, where necessary, restore the health,
inspection) go beyond those of the tech- quality of life, mobility and productivity
nical monitoring service of the accident of employees. The aim is to guarantee
insurance carriers (regulation of work safety and health at work, and to achieve
hours, protection of especially high-risk further reduction in the level of expendi-
groups such as juveniles and pregnant ture.
women, environmental protection).
With the purpose of measuring the effec-
The accident insurance system’s preven- tiveness and efficiency of all the previous
tion mandate stipulates only the basic listed prevention services, some appropri-
premises, allowing the self-administra- ate “indicators” were identified, step-by-
tion of the carriers considerable latitude step as following:
in the particulars-especially with respect ■ Clarification of the terms “quality” and
to special features within specific branch- “indicator” in the context of the social
es that are applied to the individual plants accident insurance institutions’ pre-
or to the entire facility and by general vention work;
regulations. ■ Development of a methodological

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framework to enable systematic pre- each indicator met the four criteria.
sentation of comparable quality cha-
racteristics in prevention; The overview of all the indicators that
■ Identification of indicators for sho- met the required quality standard allowed
wing the effectiveness and efficiency of those indicators to be identified that are
prevention (literature review); used across all services to measure pre-
■ Evaluation of indicators and establish- vention service quality. These indicators
ment of a quality score; are as follow:
■ Identification of measuring tools for
the indicators of all the prevention ser- ■ Target group orientation;
vices provided by the social accident ■ Prevention service evaluation;
insurance institutions. ■ Customer satisfaction;
■ Acceptance of requested measures;
The term “quality” was broken down into ■ Publications;
three dimensions: ■ Knowledge gain;
a) structure quality – describes the ■ Change in behaviour.
supply side;
b) process quality – quality describes the An evaluation system and measuring
quality of the performance of a pre- toolkit with goals and indicators was
vention service, measured at the developed for each prevention service.
accident insurance provider point; and Furthermore, the prevention evaluation
c) outcome quality – is measured in the systems need to be adapted by each indi-
workplace rather than at the accident vidual user to their specific situation.
insurance provider. The Project’s Report declares that it was
not possible to develop a standard system
Each prevention services were assessed for all accident insurance providers that
in terms of three quality dimensions, use the same indicators and target values.
meaning that indicators for these quality Rather, the prevention evaluation sys-
dimensions were also need. tems should be understood as a resource
from which the different accident insur-
Literature review and expert interviews ance providers can select the indicators
were then conducted with a view to as- that are relevant to them, as a basis for
sessing the indicators identified in the developing their own target values and
earlier evaluation studies which engaged measuring tools in accordance with their
the entire subproject conducted by all the particular circumstances.
social accident insurance institutions.
Conclusions
An indicator checklist tool was employed Based all the research I have done to ad-
to ensure that indicators met theoretical, dress to this Colloquium and taking into
methodological, practical and political re- account my professional experience the
quirements. Of the 234 indicators initially main points to be considered concerning
identified, 90 (ten per prevention service) the development of OSH Indicator are:
were selected for assessment. The indica- all the concepts and criteria presented
tor checklist allowed the potential quality should be followed in order to get effec-
of each indicator to be assessed, and pro- tiveness in prevention services; there is
vided a clear idea of the extent to which no standard system of OSH indicators to

Keynotes
be followed; each country or organization files and national surveillance indicators
should select and develop its own meas- in occupational health and safety. People
uring tools, assuring quality. and Work Research Reports 44. Finnish
Institute of Occupational Health. Helsinki
List of sources 2001.
Council of State and Territorial Epidemi-
ologists – CSTE In collaboration with Takala J. Indicators of death, disability
National Institute for Occupational Safety and disease at work. SafeWork. The Glo-
and Health-Centres for Disease Control bal Programme on Safety, Health and
and Prevention. Putting Data to Work: the Environment. African Newsletter on
Occupational Health Indicators from Occupational Health and Safety 1999;
Thirteen Pilot States for 2000. October 9:60-65.
2005.
Atambo H. Occupational Health and
World Health Organization. Develop- Safety Indicators in Kenya. African News-
ment of health programme evaluation: letter on Occupational Health and Safety
Report by the Director-General. Geneva, 1999; 9:66-67.
WHO, 1978 (document A31/10).
Bennett J. and Foster P.. Predicting
World Health Organization, International progress: the use of leading indicators
Statistical Classification of Diseases and in occupational safety and health. Policy
Related Health Problems, Tenth Revi- and Practice in Health and Safety. 03.2
sion. Geneva, Switzerland. 1992. Updated 2005.
and Corrected by the National Centre of
Health Statistics, October 1998. Galli E. and Wennersten R. Understand-
ing Safety – Concepts, theories, models
World Health Organization. International and indicators. National Institute for
Classification of Diseases for Oncology. Working Life – International Develop-
Geneva Switzerland. Last updated 2000. ment Cooperation. Internal report IDC
2003:2.
World Health Organization. International
Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revi- The New Shorter Oxford English Diction-
sion, Clinical Modification. Last Updated ary. Volumes 1-2. Brown, L. (ed.). Claren-
2003. don Press, Oxford 1993, p. 3801.
Rantanen J., Fedotov I. Standards, prin- Proceedings of the Workshop on National

ciples and approaches in occupational and Local OH&S Profiles and Indica-
health services. In: Encyclopaedia of tors, Helsinki, Finland 18 October 2001
Occupational Health and Safety. Fourth – People and Work – Research Reports
Edition. Volume I. Ed. Jeanne Magger 55 Finnish Institute of Occupational
Stellman. International Labour Office, Health – Helsinki, 2002.
Geneva, 1998: 16.2-16.18.
Corvalan C, Briggs D, Kjelltröm T. The
Rantanen J., Kauppinen T., Toikkanen J., need for information: environmental
Kurppa K., Lehtinen S., Timo L. Work health indicators. In: Decision-making in
and health country profiles. Country pro- environmental health, Eds. Corvalan at

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al. World Health Organization, Geneva

1998: 25-55.
Tüchsen F (Ed.). Surveillance of the

Working Environment and Health:
Concepts and Sources of Information.
TemaNord 1998: 527. Nordic Council of
Ministers, Copenhagen 1998.
BGAG – Institute Work and Health of the

German Social Accident Insurance. Qual-
ity in Prevention – Effectiveness and Ef-
ficiency of the Prevention Services of the
Social Accident Insurance in Germany
(as of 2008-09-01). Final Report.
Worksafe Australia – National Occupa-

tional Health & Safety Commission. OHS
Positive Performance Indicators – Be-
yond Lost Time Injuries. Part 1 – Issues:
1994: 1-48.

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Quality in Prevention: Outcomes of a Research Project by the German
Social Accident Insurance (DGUV)
Bodo Pfeiffer and Thomas Kohstall
Institute Work and Health of the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV),
Germany
1 Introduction accident insurance institutions, which is

All companies have a duty to take com- supplemented by services offered by pri-
prehensive measures to ensure their vate providers.
employees’ safety at work. To meet this
requirement, they have to use the services As mentioned in the introduction to
of various experts. The experts can either these proceedings, it is the companies
be people who work for the company or that ensure health and safety and health
external service providers. Examples of promotion at the workplace. Inspection
their activities are: bodies and advisors can only support the
OSH processes at the workplace and set
■ building maintenance standards.
■ maintenance of the vehicle fleet
■ security The aim of the DGUV’s “Quality in Pre-
■ advice provided by health insurance vention” project was to define individual
funds prevention services as products, describe
■ inspections of lifts the actual services, define quality indica-
■ fire protection tors for them and thus to enable OSH
■ advice on work processes and invest- researchers to assess the service processes
ment planning and, ultimately, to optimise them.
■ insurance against occupational acci-
dents and diseases Although the project has officially ended,
■ measurement services its findings are being followed up on and
■ company medical support and processes are being optimised. This paper
guidance on safety technology endeavours to give the ISSA colloquium
■ advice on occupational safety and an overview of this extensive project.
health (OSH)
■ health management The project was structured in 14 sub-
■ OSH audits projects according to the results of sub-
■ inspections project 1 “List of Prevention Services”, ad-
ditionally the interactions of prevention
In most countries, the field of occupa- services were investigated and examples
tional safety and health is monitored by of economically successful prevention
the state, whilst OSH prevention services collected.
are organised in a number of different
ways. In Germany, we have a dual OSH
system, involving the state and statutory

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Table 1: Project structure of “Quality in Prevention”, overall project leader was Thomas Kohstall,
BGAG Dresden.
No. Subject Research Institutions

1 List of Prevention Services DGUV – BGAG
2 Interactions of Prevention Services DGUV – BGAG
3 Indicators DGUV – BGAG
4 Examples of Successful Prevention DGUV – BGAG
5 Prevention Costs and Benefits University of Giessen, chair of manage-
(awaiting completion) ment of personal utility companies
6 Accident prevention regulations DGUV – SiGe
7 Consulting/Inspection DGUV – SiGe

8 Investigation DGUV – BGIA
9 Company medical support and guid- DGUV – BGAG, Technical University
ance on safety technology (awaiting of Dresden, Institut und Poliklinik für
completion) Arbeits- und Sozialmedizin (Institute
and Outpatient Clinic for Occupational
Health and Social Medicine)
10 Training DGUV – BGAG, University of Regens-
burg, Institut für Pädagogik (Institute
of Pedagogy)
11 Certification DGUV – SiGe
12 Research and Development DGUV – BGIA
13 Information and Communication DGUV – BGAG
14 Incentive Schemes DGUV – BGAG, Dresden Interna-
tional University (DIU), University of
Giessen, Professur für Risikomanage-
ment und Versicherungswirtschaft
(chair in risk management and insur-
ance industry)

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2 The ten prevention services of the to be found regarding prevention service
German Social Accident Insurance 1 “Incentive Systems” and prevention
institutions service 3 “Company medical support and
As a result of the DGUV-project “Qual- guidance on safety technology”.
ity in Prevention” the “List of Prevention
Services” offered by the German Social This service catalogue is to create an
Accident Insurance institutions has been uniform basis for controlling costs and
modified and 10 different services have efficiency of the processes. On the basis
been defined. These ten services are the of the project “Quality in Prevention” also
basis for the cost and results accounting the appropriate indicators are going to be
of these institutions. harmonized at present.
Only services are listed, that are directly

offered to the member-enterprises of
Berufsgenossenschaften or Unfallkassen.
Not all the insurance bodies do offer all
the ten services, different portfolios are
Table 2: List of prevention services, offered by the Statutory Accident Insurance institutes
– a result of the project “Quality in Prevention“
Prevention service 1: ■ Award financial and non-monetary rewards in recogni-

Incentive schemes tion of implementation of specific prevention measures
and/or achievement of specific safety standards.
■ Actively motivate and inform companies re opportuni-
ties to participate in reward schemes.
Prevention service 2: ■ On-request consultancy service for employers and in-

Consulting (on re- sured parties regarding prevention of work-related ac-
quest) cidents, occupational diseases, and work-related health
hazards, and to ensure provision of efficient first aid.
■ Written, telephone and face-to-face information and
motivation to help with implementation and integration
of health and safety measures at member companies, on
demand and on an individual basis.
■ Investigation services in association with consulting
services.
Prevention service 3: ■ Implementation in the workplace of German Occupatio-

Company medical nal Safety Act (ASiG).
support and guidance ■ Provision of resources to aid implementation of profes-
on safety technology sional support and guidance.

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Prevention service 4: ■ Investigation of possible causes and attendant circum-

Investigation stances of suspected or actual cases of work-related
accidents, occupational diseases or work-related health
hazards.
■ Carry out investigations based on interviews, site inspec-
tions, examination of documents and performance of
measurements.
■ Report on investigation findings.
■ Process investigation findings to provide new data for
prevention purposes.
■ Investigation of work-related health hazards in the work-
place.
■ Written and face-to-face analysis/evaluation of accidents
and technical arrangements for reported occupational
diseases.
Prevention service 5: ■ (Industry-specific) research and development in the field

Research, devel- of health and safety.
opment and pilot ■ Testing of prevention measures.
schemes
Prevention service 6: ■ Presentation of prevention programmes at events

Information and com- (e.g. symposia, conferences, trade fairs).
munication ■ Systematic needs-based production, updating and
dissemination of thematic, job-related, industry-specific
or company-specific health and safety information mate-
rial designed to serve as a practical guide.
Prevention service 7: ■ Verify that equipment, materials and systems comply

Testing/certification with health and safety requirements.
■ Carry out product testing and certification for member
companies and other customers.
■ Audit and certify management systems.
■ Certification of individuals.
Prevention service 8: ■ Establishment of independent legal standards for the

Regulations prevention of work-related accidents, occupational di-
seases and work-related health hazards.
■ Development, checking, introduction/withdrawal, up-
dating and dissemination of the independent rules and
regulations.
■ Development of rules for approving technical regulati-
ons.

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Prevention service 9: ■ Provision of continuing professional development for
Training people within companies who deal with health and safe-
ty activities or do jobs that are relevant to safety.
■ Systematic teaching of knowledge and skills to help
people recognise and assess health and safety risks, and
to motivate them to implement measures in a targeted
fashion.
Prevention service 10: ■ Inspection of on-site measures to prevent work-related

Inspection includ- accidents, occupational diseases and work-related health
ing consulting in hazards and to ensure provision of first aid.
response to specific ■ Production of inspection reports.
problems ■ Provision of instructions for shortcomings to be resol-
ved.
■ Follow-up measures taken to resolve shortcomings, and
introduce relevant management procedures where
necessary.
■ Provision of systematic written or on-site reviews and
active consultancy to companies in order to ensure legal
compliance with technical, organisational and personal
requirements for health and safety in the workplace and
working environment. The focus of the reviews should
always be on advising the customer on how to imple-
ment health and safety measures.
■ Investigation services in association with inspection
services.
3 Scope versus depth of impact in statutory accident insurance institutions’

prevention services prevention services – an analysis of depth
In order to gain a better understanding of of impact in relation to scope of impact
the interrelationships between scope and in individual services” (Leipzig 2007). In
depth of impact in prevention services summary, the findings of the study are as
and, where relevant, to obtain ideas for follows:
improving the statutory accident insur-
ance institutions’ prevention activities, Complementary effects of individual
the BGAG commissioned the Marketing communication measures:
Management Department of the Leipzig Different communication measures have
Graduate School of Management (Han- different marketing goals which, depend-
delshochschule Leipzig - HHL) to under- ing on the terms of reference, may be
take a literature review led by Professor mutually complementary or exclusive.
Manfred Kirchgeorg (assisted by Dr. Thus, in order to impart practical skills,
Christiane Springer). The following is a use should primarily be made of didactic
summary of the findings of the literature methods that actually offer the learner
review “Managing the effectiveness of the the opportunity to practise the activity

Keynotes
they are learning. their social systems. “Media do not sim-

ply convey messages, they also have their
Relevance of learning types: own impact that can shape and alter ways
As far as information intake is concerned, of thinking, perceiving, experiencing,
it is important to take into account indi- behaving and communicating” (Engel,
vidual sensory preferences for knowledge F. (2004), p. 504.). How to choose the
acquisition. Every individual favours correct medium is a complex matter, par-
particular teaching and learning methods ticularly when considering effectiveness
associated with positive experiences that and efficiency. It may therefore be helpful,
they have had. Conversely, negative expe- as a first step, to undertake a comparison
riences can lead to certain methods being of the characteristics of different media
rejected. Consequently, improved recall types, in order to identify the strengths
performance is achieved mainly by seeing and weaknesses of different communica-
and reading for visual learners, hearing tion channels.
and speaking for auditory learners, and The traditional media types of print,
touching and experimenting for tactile radio and TV, that pursue their goals
learners. through the transmission and dissemina-
tion of information in the public com-
Congruence of information media communication sphere by occupying time
binations: and space in advertising media with the
TV, radio and cinema tend to be associ- relevant advertising material, are mainly
ated with entertainment, while print and characterised by the high level of cover-
online media are more usually associated age that they achieve. In this context,
with information. The marketing me- coverage is defined as the proportion of
dium therefore has a clear influence on the target audience that is reached by a
the perception, processing and evaluation particular advertising medium or com-
of the campaign message. bination of advertising media. In recent
years, however, coverage figures have
Need to take into account target group flattened out for radio and TV, and have
characteristics: actually undergone a constant decline
In order to meet the high expectations in the print media. While it is true that
of well-educated people, it is necessary coverage figures for the traditional media
to offer them a comprehensive range of types remain significantly higher than for
information and a two-way dialogue. online media, current media trends will
Likewise, the extent to which the recipi- ensure that online media experience the
ent of a piece of information is involved highest growth rates over the next few
in health and safety matters will have a years. The internet is a platform that is
significant influence on which informa- not constrained by time and space, and
tion is processed and which media are is therefore able to focus on providing a
preferred. communication process guided by the
individual needs of the target group us-
Summary and implications for the ing a computer-assisted, interactive and
“Quality in Prevention” project multimodal approach. The multiple op-
The impact measurement studies illus- tions available via the internet make it
trate that different media can have very an unprecedentedly malleable medium
specific impacts on the recipients and that is consequently hard to define.

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Notwithstanding the above, face-to-face by predisposing variables such as how the
communication, where there is direct content of the message is arranged (fol-
personal contact and the target group ac- lowing a thorough problem analysis), the
tively experiences the accident insurance media usage behaviour of the message’s
provider and their prevention services, recipient, and the recipient’s socio-demo-
remains one of the highest-impact infor- graphic and other personal characteristics
mation sources, since it can make a major (e.g. the degree to which each individual
contribution to the creation of unique is motivated to search for, assimilate,
and lasting memories. It is clear from this process and store information). Good
that a blended learning approach offers coverage is therefore a necessary condi-
several advantages, and this approach is tion for prevention services to be effec-
in fact becoming increasingly popular tive, but it is not enough on its own. It is
with accident insurance providers. especially important to check whether the
target groups identified at the planning
Table 3: Characterisation of different media types. (Source: based on Grosser, C. (1987), p. 31 and
Behrens, P. F. (1981), p. 32.)
Criteria Print/(Radio/TV) Face-to-Face Online
Coverage +++ + ++
Geographical limitations O +++ +
Time limitations O +++ O
Intensity of contact + +++ +
Personal contact O +++ +
Networking of recipients O ++ ++
Control over recipient’s environment O ++ O
Contact costs ++ +++ +
Interaction O +++ +++
Tangibility of experience + ++ +
Emotionality ++ +++ +
Multisensoriality O +++ +
o not present; + weak; ++ strong; +++ very strong
However, the decision to choose a par- stage actually receive and actively use the
ticular prevention service is not solely relevant prevention service. Activation
dependent on how good its coverage is of the target groups is most successfully
(scope of impact). It also depends on achieved by addressing them in an emo-
the target groups the service is aimed tional and motivating fashion. In order
at and the goal of the service. Recall for the service’s goal to be achieved, it is
(depth of impact) among the relevant therefore important to remember that
target groups is once again influenced the attitudes that prevention services

Keynotes
seek to influence have both a cognitive side, while process quality describes the
and an emotional dimension. The cogni- quality of the performance of a preven-
tive processes that lead to the creation of tion service, measured at the accident
knowledge structures and thus result in insurance provider point. Outcome qual-
changes in behaviour cannot occur with- ity, on the other hand, is measured in
out activation of emotions, motivation the workplace rather than at the accident
and attitudes. insurance provider. The interactions of
Fig. 1: Scope and depth of impact of media types

(Source: Kohstall; based on Kirchgeorg/Springer, HHL)
A hypothesis has been withdrawn from structure, process and outcome quality
this investigation of HHL “The useful ef- between accident insurance providers
fect of a prevention service is function of and companies have been illustrated in
the scope of impact and depth of impact the introduction of these proceedings.
variables”. To prove this hypothesis and to In the “Indicators” sub-project, the indi-
identify an optimum of scope and depth vidual prevention service was treated as
of impact further research is needed. the unit where quality measurement was
to be facilitated. Each prevention service
4 Quality-measurements was assessed in terms of the three quality
The model developed by Donabedian dimensions, meaning that indicators for
(1966) has become the established model these quality dimensions were also need-
for describing the structure of the term ed. An indicator serves as a substitute
“quality”. He breaks quality down into measure for gathering information on or
three dimensions: structure quality, measurement of phenomena that cannot
process quality and outcome quality. be measured directly themselves.
Structure quality describes the supply
Structure quality Process quality Outcome quality
Fig. 2: Structure of the term “quality”

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4.1 Example: prevention service has achieved the intended effects and
“Training” thus fulfilled the requirements originally
According to section 14.1 of German placed upon it. Participation in training
Social Security Code Book (SGB) VII, the can therefore only be considered to have
statutory accident insurance institutions been successful if the people receiving the
are required to use all appropriate means training have increased their knowledge,
to prevent work-related accidents, occu- have a greater awareness of the problems,
pational diseases and work-related health and are able to improve health and safety
risks. This general duty of prevention also in the workplace or maintain it at a high
includes the provision of training meas- level.
ures alongside other preventive measures The value of training measures only be-
such as information material, law and comes apparent if they bring practical
rule-making, and company medical sup- benefits. Conditions outside the working
port and guidance on safety technology. environment have a major influence on
Continuing professional development on the extent to which training measures
health and safety in the workplace is one can contribute to changing working
of the main focuses of the statutory ac- conditions, or whether indeed they can
cident insurance institutions’ prevention change them at all. Furthermore, the
work. It is becoming increasingly impor- field of education controlling tells us that
tant to ensure that the people responsible an education service can typically have
for health and safety within companies several customers. At the very least, the
are well trained, in order to prevent acci- “Training” prevention service’s custom-
dents and diseases, but also to ensure that ers include the participants in training
companies are legally compliant. The goal measures, i.e. the people who are actually
of the “Training” sub-project is to check being trained, and the organisations that
whether the initial and further training they belong to, where the knowledge and
provided to in-house health and safety skills they acquire are expected to have
experts, multipliers and insured parties an impact. The evaluation system should
meets the goals established by statute in a also demonstrate whether the intended
targeted and effective manner. interactions of preventive training meas-
ures with other prevention measures have
Evaluation system actually come about. It is therefore neces-
In order for continuous professional de- sary to investigate the synergies arising
velopment to be successful, it is essential from the strategy of having a single pre-
that the statutory accident insurance vention service provider.
institutions’ education measures should The evaluation findings of the “Training”
be of high quality. According to the terms sub-project are intended to serve as the
of the “Quality in Prevention” project, basis for optimising preventive training
it is not enough for the stakeholders to measures.
be satisfied. The insurance premiums As a rule, prevention actions do not have
paid by companies are invested in pre- a direct effect on outcomes, as they form
ventive education measures in order to part of a chain of complex cause and ef-
achieve concrete impacts. Consequently, fect relationships. It is important for the
it is crucial to evaluate the effectiveness different intended effects of preventive
of preventive training measures, and training measures to be systematically re-
more specifically whether the training lated to the analysis levels where a benefit

Keynotes
for the different customer levels can oc- Project methodology

cur. The following phase model is based The “Training” sub-project focused on
on measures to achieve the statutory pre- the phase model described above and an-
vention goal of “preventing work-related alysed it systematically from the bottom
health risks”. up, identifying the phases shown in
Table 4: Phases of training and appropriate evaluation strategies

(see for details paper Wolff, M. at al., session 5)
Phase Concerning Quality Quality

measurable as measurable in
1 Trainings offered Structure quality Supplier
(product range),
Training Process quality
2 Training, Transfer Participant
Implementation, motivation,
Impact Satisfaction and
learning success,
Process quality
3 Impact: Achievement of Enterprise, Com-
improvement of prevention target pany
OSH measures
Table 4 shows the different stages of the table 4. However, this report can only
presumed impact of the “Training” pre- go as far as the end of phase 2, and a fol-
vention service. During the training, both low-up project would thus be required in
the process and implementation quality order to study phase 3.
can be assessed. Once the training has The first phase looked at the range of
been completed, data can be gathered on training measures available, analysing the
learning success, allowing a first glimpse extent, goals and topics of the measures
of the outcome quality for the partici- being provided. The question of who the
pants. Thereafter, if the training has been training measures are aimed at was an-
successful, the learning outcomes will swered by building up a comprehensive
begin to be transferred into practice in list of the training activities undertaken
the workplace, and the quality of this by the statutory accident insurance insti-
learning transfer can also be assessed tutions.
(phase 2). Finally, the extent to which the The second phase of the project took an
prevention target was achieved can be in-depth look at the effectiveness of as
evaluated (phase 3). Specific (measurable) representative as possible a sample of
quality indicators can be identified for the the types of training listed in the first
individual links in the chain. phase, by way of examples. The “transfer
success” study carried out in conjunc-
tion with the University of Regensburg
measures the extent to which the desired
competences and attitudes have been ac-

Keynotes
quired both before and after the training activities at other groups, in accordance
seminars, as well as in the participants’ with section 23 of German Social Secu-
workplace three months after they at- rity Code Book VII.
tended the training. The goal and intended benefit of train-
It is proposed that a potential, although as ing measures is to maintain, protect and
yet unattempted, follow-up project could promote the health, quality of life and
continue with the third phase of the productivity of employees. This in turn
transfer study by carrying out a further should lead to a partial reduction in the
evaluation two years after participants at- current level of spending, particularly on
tended the training. This study could also occupational diseases, work-related ac-
investigate the interaction in the work- cidents and the associated rehabilitation
place between the “Training” prevention and pension benefit costs.
service and other measures and services, The strategy is to influence working
and its qualitative contribution to achiev- methods within companies so as to
ing the prevention targets. promote safe and ergonomic tools and
machinery, a safe workflow, a safe and
Goals and target groups of preventive healthy working environment, well-in-
health and safety training measures formed employers and a well-trained
Section 23 of German Social Security workforce. Ultimately, training measures
Code Book VII stipulates that the acci- that focus on these issues will serve to
dent insurance providers should take ac- promote prevention measures affecting
tive steps to ensure that the stakeholders conditions in the workplace.
within companies receive training, and
details the costs that the statutory acci- Supply of and demand for the statutory
dent insurance institutions shall cover in accident insurance institutions’ training
this regard. The training seminars provide measures
technical information, background on Every year, the statutory accident insur-
legal matters, and information on indus- ance institutions hold more than 18,000
try-specific health and safety procedures. continuous professional development
Awareness-raising, motivation and train- seminars on health and safety. This makes
ing of participants with regard to health them the main training providers in the
and safety issues is carried out with the field of health and safety. In 2005, 339,253
focus on a practical and industry-specific people from the BGs took part in training
approach. Participants include employers, provided by the statutory accident insur-
management, company doctors, health ance institutions. The range of products
and safety experts, safety officers, staff on offer includes one-day information
council and works council members, and and motivation events in companies on
other specific target groups within com- very specific topics, seminars lasting
panies. several days, and continuous professional
In addition to those people who are tra- development of company health and
ditionally responsible for dealing with safety experts.
health and safety in the workplace and In order to show who is using the
are explicitly mentioned in the relevant statutory accident insurance institutions’
health and safety legislation and regula- training products and to what extent,
tions, the statutory accident insurance the (industry-specific) “training volume”
institutions also target their training for 2005 of 3,926,000 teaching units was

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analysed. Fig. 3 shows a breakdown of Are the topics appropriate?

the training volume by target group. When designing their training products,
(The training volume of a given training the statutory accident insurance institu-
course is the actual number of partici- tions take account of accident rates, com-
pants multiplied by the number of teach- pany requirements, key prevention issues,
ing lessons). changes in the world of work, and legal
Employers/Managers 2.013.105
1.03.975
Health and safety experts 1.909.651

99.062
Experts/officers/qualified persons 1.337.151 Participants x

66.304 teaching units
Safety officers 1.335.805
66.220 Participants
Other specific target groups 1.224.261

56.109
Works council/staff council 1.196.362
members 53.640
Company physicians 39.693

17.839
0 500.000 1.000.000 1.500.000 2.000.000 2.500.000
Fig. 3: Statutory accident insurance institutions’ (BGs) training volume 2005
In-depth training and company-spe- developments. The topics dealt with in

cific seminars are often provided to a the training can be divided into the fol-
range of target groups at the same time. lowing four categories:
This means that the relevant stakehold- ■ reduction of risks and stressors,
ers within the company not only learn ■ health and safety organisation,
a common language, but also have the ■ health promotion and
opportunity to analyse and discuss the ■ methodological and social compe-
training content from their different prac- tence.
tical perspectives. Consequently, this type The majority of seminars deal with at
of seminar was assigned to multiple tar- least two if not three or all four of these
get groups. The statutory accident insur- topics. The amount of attention paid to
ance institutions discuss the nature and the different topic categories will vary de-
scope of the training to be provided with pending on the goals of the seminar.
employer and employee representatives
on an annual basis. This regular review Effectiveness of the seminars in the
process results in training products that study
go a long way towards meeting the spe- In order to study the impact of the train-
cific needs of different industries while ing seminars right across the impact
remaining financially viable. chain on participants’ knowledge, atti-
tudes and behaviour with regard to health
and safety, a study entitled “transfer suc-

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cess” was carried out in conjunction with calculated for each aspect. At the same
the University of Regensburg (Hans Gru- time, participants’ prior knowledge, the
ber, Dagmar Festner). The findings point level of health and safety measures in the
to the conclusion that the main purpose company, and people’s respective attitudes
of the training is to teach knowledge and were all evaluated before the seminar.
know-how. A comparison of mean values
shows that significant attitude change was These correlations suggest that:
achieved both during the training and ■ the work environment has the stron-
up to three months after its conclusion. gest influence on health and safety
This indicates that the training was able actions (by support available, transfer
to contribute to a sustainable increase in and OSH climate).
desired attitudes to health and safety. ■ if “reported transfer” is used as an
Based on the transfer model developed indicator for “transfer quality”, then
by Baldwin and Ford (1988), the “trans- an initial indication of transfer qua-
fer success” study assumed that transfer lity can be obtained at the end of the
success is influenced by factors on three training by measuring satisfaction and
different levels: transfer motivation at this point.
■ an improvement in attitudes to health
1. participant level and safety during the training can
2. training level make a significant contribution to
3. company level achieving an increase in health and
safety actions.
The aspects identified in this regard are ■ the higher the transfer orientation of
shown in fig. 4. A partial correlation to the training the higher the reported
the two aspects of transfer success was transfer.
Fig. 4: Identified influences on transfer success (difference in thickness of arrows reflects observed
correlation)

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It was also apparent that the use of other 3.2 Example: prevention service
prevention services was perceived to “Consulting/Inspection”
support the implementation of training The legal basis for the consulting and
content. Half of the respondents said that inspection activities of the statutory ac-
consulting regulations and reading ad- cident insurance institutions is contained
ditional information material from the in section 17.1 of German Social Secu-
statutory accident insurance providers rity Code Book (SGB) VII, according to
helped them to implement content. 29% which: “The accident insurance provid-
felt supported by company medical sup- ers shall monitor the implementation of
port and guidance on safety technology. measures to prevent work-related acci-
The transfer success study asked par- dents, occupational diseases and work-re-
ticipants and their superiors to rate the lated health risks, and to ensure effective
practical usefulness of training for health first aid in the workplace, and shall advise
and safety in the workplace. 71.4% of companies and insured parties on these
participants in the training and as many matters. In individual cases, they may
as 82.9% of their superiors rated its use- instruct companies or insured parties to
fulness as high or very high, although five take certain measures
of the superiors gave no response because 1. in order to comply with their duties
they felt unable to rate the training’s use- arising from the accident prevention
fulness. The value of participating in the regulations in accordance with section
transfer study seminars therefore received 15,
a high rating. 2. in order to avert specific accident and
health risks.”
Fig. 5: Practical usefulness of training in the workplace: participants sub-sample: N = 126; valid cases:
N = 126, superiors sub-sample: N = 47; valid cases: N = 41, time of data collection three months
after the training

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In addition, in the case of imminent to the life and health of the insured par-
danger, section 19.2 of SGB VII entitles ties. Consulting and inspection are two
inspectors to issue orders that must be separate services that usually involve per-
complied with immediately, in order to sonal contact between the inspector and
avert work-related risks that pose a threat the company.
Table 5: Description of prevention service “Consulting (on request)”, here the OSH-initiative is with
the company
Prevention service: Consulting (on request)

Description of ■ On-request consultancy service for employers and insured
prevention service: parties regarding prevention of work-related accidents,
occupational diseases, and work-related health hazards,
and to ensure provision of efficient first aid.
■ Written, telephone and face-to-face information and mo-
tivation to help with implementation and integration of
health and safety measures at member companies, on de-
mand and on an individual basis.
■ Investigation services in association with consulting ser-
vices.
Product groups: ■ on site

■ by telephone
■ written
Goals: ■ Prevention of work-related accidents and occupational

diseases.
■ Prevention of work-related health hazards.
■ Recognition as competent consultant on health and safety
issues.
■ Targeted motivation and information to encourage peop-
le to act on their own initiative in the field of health and
safety.
Legal basis: ■ Section 17.1 German Social Security Code Book (SGB)
VII
Typical example: ■ Consultancy on organisation of health and safety.

■ Consultancy for companies acquiring new machinery or
introducing new working materials or procedures.
■ Consultancy on return-to-work strategies for employees
who have been on sick leave for more than six weeks.
Delimitation: ■ Consultancy services in association with investigation and

inspection services.

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Table 6: Description of prevention service “Inspection including consulting in response
to specific problems”, here the OSH-initiative is generally with the inspectors
Prevention service: Inspection including consulting in response to specific
problems
Description of ■ Inspection of on-site measures to prevent work-related

prevention service: accidents, occupational diseases and work-related health
hazards and to ensure provision of first aid.
■ Production of inspection reports.
■ Provision of instructions for shortcomings to be resolved.
■ Follow-up measures taken to resolve shortcomings, and
introduce relevant management procedures where neces-
sary.
■ Provision of systematic written or on-site reviews and
active consultancy to companies in order to ensure legal
compliance with technical, organisational and personal
requirements for health and safety in the workplace and
working environment. The focus of the reviews should
always be on advising the customer on how to implement
health and safety measures.
■ Investigation services in association with inspection ser-
vices.
Goals: ■ Prevention of work-related accidents and occupational

diseases.
■ Prevention of work-related health hazards.
■ Ensuring that employers meet their responsibilities in the
field of health and safety.
■ Checking and ensuring that employers and insured parties
are fulfilling their duties in the field of health and safety.
■ Achieving target for minimum health and safety standards
across all companies.
■ Ensuring all serious hazards are dealt with.
■ Targeted motivation to encourage people to act on their
own initiative and ensure that they meet their responsibili-
ties in the field of health and safety.
Legal basis: ■ Section 17 German Social Security Code Book (SGB) VII
■ Section 19 German Social Security Code Book (SGB) VII
Typical example: ■ Monitoring compliance with health and safety regulations

in workplaces where there is a risk of workers suffering
falls.
Delimitation: ■ Top-down inspection and consulting in response to spe-

cific problems at head offices of companies with branch
offices.
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Some structure quality parameters for in- ■ technical measurements of e.g. noise,
spection and consulting are listed in table hazardous substances, dust, vibrations
7. The numbers demonstrate that “orders” ■ ...
are very seldom and consulting is the ma-
jor part of this prevention service. In inspectors’ day-to-day work, the con-
The competence and quality of the advice sulting and inspection services naturally
provided by the inspectors is largely at- complement each other during site in-
tributable to support from the statutory spections. Inspectors decide on-site on
accident insurance institutions’ own tech- the extent and relative importance of
nical committees and research institutes, consulting versus inspection activities,
as well as those of the German Social depending on the specific characteristics
Accident Insurance (DGUV). However, of the industry and the specific circum-
consultancy services provided to compa- stances at the site in question. The bal-
nies, manufacturers or standards organi- ance between the two services can vary
sations by the technical committees or depending on the industry and on-site
research institutes of the statutory acci- conditions. While consulting is often the
dent insurance institutions or the DGUV main activity at permanent sites, inspec-
Table 7: Structure and outcome date for preventions services consulting and inspection
Data, facts 2003 2004 2005

BG-employees in prevention depart- 4,395 4,394 4,297
ments
Inspectors 2,319 2,301 2,240
Number of site inspections 671,055 660,156 645,951
Number of consultations 181,864 189,560 178,138
Orders acc. section 17 SGB VII (prob- 32,111 28,885 24,897
lems that must be solved)
Orders acc. section 19.2 of SGB VII 5,514 4,452 3,344
(imminent danger)
fall outside the scope of the “Consulting/ tion generally plays a greater role at non-
Inspection” sub-project. permanent sites such as building sites,
Some of the most common consultancy owing to the rapidly changing working
enquiries made to the statutory accident conditions.
insurance institutions are with regard to:
■ plans to acquire personal protective Infrastructure – institutions supporting
equipment or technical manufacturing consultancy
equipment The particularly high quality of the non-
■ planned construction work personal and personal prevention serv-
■ risk assessment ices provided by the statutory accident
■ how to deal with psycho-social stress insurance institutions can be attributed
■ support with maintenance and mo- especially to their in-depth knowledge of
nitoring of technical manufacturing different industries and the infrastructure
equipment that was developed in the past to sup-

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port the prevention services. The main standardisation work, or the institutes’
components of this infrastructure are technical discussions.
the technical committees, the testing and The full extent of the network of experts
certification system, the co-operation can be seen particularly in the number
activities in the field of standardisation, and expertise of the experts involved.
and last but not least the activities of the 582 employees of the statutory accident
DGUV institutes. At the core of the infra- insurance institutions (equivalent to ap-
structure lies a highly qualified network proximately 187 person-years) work in
of experts on all manner of issues relating the technical committees, with 300 also
to health and safety in the workplace. The being involved in standardisation work,
statutory accident insurance institutions’ meaning that they are able to bring ad-
network of experts is actively used by all ditional knowledge and experience to the
the personal and non-personal preven- prevention services. 400 employees work
tion services, and is unrivalled in Europe in the fields of research, consultancy and
in terms of its qualitative and quantitative training at the three DGUV institutes. In
competence and facilities. addition, there are the numerous employ-
The network of experts can be used in ees of the individual statutory accident
different ways, for example: insurance institutions’ own research
1. it can be brought in directly to help institutes, such as the BGN Central Labo-
with on-site consulting and inspec- ratory (BGN-Zentrallabor – ZL) that is
tion, setting up new workplaces or in a department of the prevention section
troducing new equipment, inspection of the statutory accident insurance in-
and approval of machines and equip- stitution for the foodstuffs industry and
ment, or introduction of new sub- catering trade (Berufsgenossenschaft
stances; Nahrungsmittel und Gaststätten – BGN),
2. it can be involved in the development or the statutory accident insurance insti-
of regulations, testing equipment, or tution for the mining industry’s central
writing information publications and mine rescue station in Hohenpeißenberg.
procedure manuals; The prevention infrastructure also has ex-
3. it can be used indirectly by the tech- tensive information systems at its dispos-
nical committees or DGUV institutes al that can be used by inspectors particu-
for topics where the relevant statutory larly for consulting and inspection work.
accident insurance institution believes The information systems, databases and
that it does not have all the necessary software are constantly kept up to date by
competences, or by the DGUV insti- IT experts at considerable expense.
tutes for specific topics where the stat-
utory accident insurance institutions Quality criteria for consulting
have requested detailed technical ex- It was agreed with representatives of al-
pertise; most all the statutory accident insurance
4. it can participate by sharing experi - institutions that the “Consulting/Inspec-
ences in initial and further training tion” sub-project would describe quality
activities or through active involve- criteria for the following three products:
ment in the work of the technical ■ consultancy on demand,
committees, the statutory accident ■ targeted consultancy, and
insurance institutions’ testing and ■ inspection including active consul-
certification system (BG-PRÜFZERT), tancy.

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Fig. 6: Database hit trend for BG-Institute for Occupational Health and Safety’s GESTIS hazardous
substances database
Indicators approved by all the statu- Impact of consulting and inspection

tory accident insurance institutions for Prevention experts consider the consult-
measuring the quality of these services ing and inspection prevention services
have not yet been developed or used. The to be relatively effective. However, owing
report for this sub-project details possible to the interactions with other prevention
approaches to defining the relevant qual- services, it is difficult to calculate the
ity indicators, so as to enable assessment overall contribution made by consulting
of the quality of prevention measures and and inspection to the effectiveness of all
calculation of the staffing requirements. the statutory accident insurance institu-
These are based on studies and experienc- tions’ prevention measures. Nevertheless,
es provided by the former Central Fed- the effectiveness of consulting and in-
eration of Public Sector Accident Insurers spection is demonstrated by some of the
(BUK) and the Berufsgenossenschaft for specific prevention activities undertaken
the meat processing industry. An appro- by the statutory accident insurance insti-
priate follow-up project is needed to test tutions. The same can also be said of the
the usability of the indicators in practice, statutory accident insurance institutions’
in order to confirm that they are transfer- joint campaigns.
able to the other statutory accident insur-
ance institutions.

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Table 8: Proposed indicators for consulting and inspection prevention services

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5 Interaction of different prevention 3. The most important driver for the

services overall statutory accident insurance
This sub-project is reported on by Hanna institution prevention work system is
Zieschang, session 1. In conclusion the the research and development
findings can be summarised as follows: outcomes service.
1. The interactions between the statutory 4. All services need to be tested, opti-
accident insurance institutions’ serv- mised or modified for the next pre-
ices are particularly significant when vention service in the service chain
one person is responsible for provid- that will use them.
ing several services. These combined
functions occur particularly within All prevention services should be seen
two sub-networks: the prevention as distinct but interconnected sub-proc-
service, and the members of the esses. Only if we know our customers (in-
technical committees or testing and cluding our internal customers) and their
certification agencies. requirements, will these processes con-
2. The key drivers for the overall preven- tribute to increased customer satisfaction
tion service network are mostly found among the different services’ recipients.
in the technical committee and testing This sub-project is also a plea for future
and certification agency sub-network. research:
The “recipients” are the services in the ■ Which combination of services has the
prevention service sub-network. highest impact?
Fig. 7: Prevention activities in enterprises are stimulated by combined elements of quality controlled
prevention services (example: R&D serves consultation, the aim is an enterprise without
disturbances having satisfied customers)

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■ Which combination of services should tinuous improvement processes can only
be carried out by the same personnel be implemented if the necessary tools are
to achieve high synergies? available: product definitions, indicators
■ In which sequence should we apply and measuring instruments.
our different services? This ISSA colloquium is the first step
■ In what way have branches and enter- towards being able to compare the proc-
prise sizes an impact on these questi- esses with those of other countries and
ons? thus to learn from optimisation carried
out in other OSH systems.
6 Purpose of the “Quality in
Prevention” project 7 References
With the high rate of new innovations, For references, see “Quality in Preven-
resources for improving working condition” final report in English
tions and preventing work-related health http://www.dguv.de/bgag/de/forschung/
risks are scarce in all economies and forschungsprojekte_archiv/qdp/qdp_ab-
companies. schluss/_dokumente/qdp_komplett_
As a result, the available resources have to en.pdf
be used in as effective and cost-efficient a For more detailed information and all
manner as possible. Given this need, the references see the reports on the 14 sub-
four-year “Quality in Prevention” project projects in German:
was conducted with the aim of determin- http://www.dguv.de/bgag/de/forschung/
ing the situation in Germany and laying forschungsprojekte_archiv/qdp/qdp_ab-
the foundations for process optimisation. schluss/index.jsp
Benchmarking, process control and con-

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How Can Companies Improve OS&H Performance Through Adoption of
Leading Practices?
Sietse van der Woude
South African Chamber of Mines, South Africa

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Evaluation of OSH Research Institutes and OSH Service Providers
– Aims, Strategies, Indicators
Park Doo Yong
Hansung University, South Korea
Background This conflict resulted in necessity of criti-

As far as I know, there is no universal cal evaluation of performance of OSH
evaluation protocol and method for research and services.
evaluation of OSH research institutes and
service providers. However, recently it The second reason was due to the changes
has been found increased need for evalu- of characteristics of OSH problems. In the
ation of OSH research institutes and serv- past, the OSH problems were relatively
ice providers as well as research projects simple and clear in both causes and con-
and service performance in both public sequences. Therefore, control measures
and private sectors in Korea. There were were based on problems and symptoms.
several reasons of increased demand for However, most of current OSH problems
these evaluations. show multiple, complex and vague in
causal relationship. In these situations,
The first reason was the increased de- proactive, comprehensive, management
mand of fund for OSH research and serv- system approaches are preferred as con-
ices. On the contrary, pressure of cutting trol measures (fig. 1).
off the budget has also been increased.
Due to specific
Past
▷ 21C
Due to non-specific
▶ localized ▶ wide area
▶ over-exposure ▶ very low concentration
▶ specific agents ▶ multi-components
▶ for a certain group ▶ for non specific group
Problem-/Symptom-based System-based
▶ post-control (reactive) ▶ pre-control (proactive)
▶ direct to problem ▶ orient to management
▶ individual control ▶ comprehensive control
Fig. 1: Changes of characteristics of OSH problems and management approaches

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Risk factors
Past
▷ Risk factors
21C
▶ physical agents ▶ ergonomic factors

▶ chemical agents ▶ psychological factors
▶ biological agents
Problem of Problem of
▶ scientific ▶ relative
▶ technical ▶ relational
▶ objective ▶ subjective
Fig. 2: Changes of characteristics of OSH problems
Emerging OSH issues in 21C have shown always believed to achieve a sort of high
different characteristics from those of performance regardless research area/
past as shown in fig. 2. Typical risk factors subjects and type of service. It might be
of physical agents such as noise and vi- true that any kind of research and OSH
bration and chemical agents such as gases services was directly effective to reduce
and vapours have been considered to occupational injury and illness in the
be able to identify, measure and control past. No significant attention was paid to
scientifically, technically and objectively. evaluation of appropriateness and per-
However emerging risk factors such as formance for OSH research and services
ergonomic and psychogenic problems both in effectiveness and efficient in this
are hardly defined with scientific, techni- era.
cal and objective measures since they are
quite relative, relational and subjective Economic growth, technologic advances
problems. and industrial diversity in recent years
have changed the characteristics of OSH
In the past, it might be unnecessary to problems. Sharp decrease of occupa-
evaluate the OSH research and services tional injury and illness rate has been
because their objects and targets were changed to be staggering. It did not take
simple and clear. For example, research a long time to perceive that traditional
subjects are very clearly defined to test a approaches played a limited role. OSH
specific hypothesis, to monitor workplace research and services have been partly
for a certain hazards, and to develop a responsible for this limitation. It was
certain methodology e.g., sampling and criticized that OSH research and services
analytical method. A target of train- were ineffective and inefficient with the
ing program on employees by a service fact of no reduction of injury and illness
provider set as a number of employees rates. Slow or no reduction of injury and
to be trained. In this circumstance, most illness rate could not be an evidence of
research and OSH services were almost ineffectiveness and inefficiency of them,

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it was enough to press government and An Existing Evaluation Protocol for
society to evaluate OSH institutes and Service Provider: SHARP
service providers. There are a number of programs to di-
rectly and indirectly assist industries to
However, it is inappropriate to simply improve workplace safety and health
evaluate OSH research and services based from the Korean government. Some of
on the injury and illness rate since final them are direct financial supports to in-
outcome in terms of injury and illness dustries, but most of assistant program
rate cannot be understood in isolation. are designed to provide technical services
No protocol and method was available and education which are run by OSH
to apply in this evaluation. Therefore, a service providers.
number of evaluation protocols for OSH
research and services have been devel- Small-business health assistance program
oped under the pressure in last decade is one of the typical assistant program
in Korea. Although these efforts affect to developed by Korean government late
the OSH institutions and service provid- in 1990s. Comprehensive occupational
ers, the result was unsatisfactory and health consultation services are provided
ineffective since the evaluation protocols to the small-sized industries by the oc-
and methods were mainly focused on cupational health service organizations.
procedure check-up rather than the per- To participate this program, the occu-
formance. pational health service organization has
to apply for the program with business
Due to controversies of fairness and ap- plan and certification of qualification for
propriateness of evaluation, most evalua- manpower and facilities and equipment
tion protocols and tools relied on quanti- required. Based on their business plan,
tative measures. Although quality evalua- resources, location and accessibility, total
tions have been introduced especially for number of industries to be serviced are
OSH research area, it could not resolve allocated to each organization if they are
its’ limitation since quality evaluation was passed to minimum required qualifica-
limited to appropriateness of research tion. They have to visit industries more
methodology, interpretation of data and than 4 times a year and have to provide
conclusion derived from the research. essential consultations such as hazard and
risk identification, appropriate control
To overcome this limitation, I have measures and training.
developed and proposed new ways for
evaluation of OSH services and research Small-business Health Assistance Rating
respectively. One is the Pre-Expectation Program (SHARP) was developed and
of Performance Index System (PEPIS) for applied to evaluate these health service
evaluation of OSH service provider and providers early in 2000s. SHARP Index
the other one is Value Evaluation System has been developed to evaluate the par-
(VES) for OSH research. ticipant service providers as shown in Ta-
ble 1. It has been modified almost every
year to accommodate appeals from the
participants by the committee. However,
it is still in debate.

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But the real problem is that it is very In this system, it is possible to evaluate
limited to evaluate real performance of the appropriateness of service plans at the
services. This limitation is not only for stage of budget allocation and to screen
the SHARP but also almost every evalua- the service plans based on pre-defined
tion schemes for OSH service providers. performance index. Performance evalu-
In addition, these pre-defined evaluation ation after the service implemented can
tools does not help service providers to also be easily conducted following the
develop and implement better services. tools that were proposed by service pro-
Even it often interferes to provide better vider when they proposed the service. It
services which are inherently flexible and is possible to apply PDPES for individual
diverse to fit and consider customers’ service as well as service provider.
need and demands.
Table 1: Evaluation category of SHARP and scoring tablet
Category Score
Operation/management Operational system 50
for organization
Training and Education system for staffs 50
Operation/management Appropriateness of technical reports 225
system for Technical
services Development and supply of additional 50
services
Appropriateness of implementation of 125
services
Performance of services Ratio of completeness of services among 175
planned industry
Ratio of Implementation of control measures 125
Satisfaction index of industry 200
Total 1,000
Pre-Defined Performance Evaluation Traditional Evaluation System for

System (PDPES) Research
To resolve these shortcomings, a Pre- Evaluation of research projects is one of
Defined Performance Evaluation System the most difficult subjects. Relative com-
(PDPES) for OSH service providers was parison cannot be applicable for different
proposed. In the PDPES, service provid- disciplines. Outcomes or performances
ers have to define the performance evalu- are hardly measured directly when re-
ation index and tools when they submit a searches are completed. Generally, injury
proposal. Therefore, it must be precisely and illness data do not considered as a
defined the objects of services and target performance index for research. Thus, it
performance during planning the may be only evaluated individual basis
services. for research projects.

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Traditionally, there have been three steps Evaluation of Value System for Research
for research project evaluation; at the Evaluation of Value System (EVS) for re-
proposal stage, in the middle of con- search projects and institutions was pro-
ducting the research project and after posed to supplement these problems. In
submitting the final report. Generally, the EVS, a survey is made for the research
these evaluation made by experts for the projects to a large number of person-
research subject. nel including OSH professionals, policy
decision-makers, OSH inspectors, OSH
It has been found that it was very dif- practitioners, employers and employees
ficult to set priority of research projects, to evaluate ‘their perceived value’ of the
and to appropriately allocate the research research projects. Surveys for evaluation
funds in this system because evaluations of value are made at stage of the proposal
among the various disciplines have been as well as final report submission.
made successfully. Experts on the spe-
cific subject are good enough to evaluate Conclusion
the specific research plan, progress and As PDPES and EVS have been intro-
out-come. However, they are not good duced, a lot of controversies were faced.
at set priorities among various research Most of stake-holders were reluctant to
subjects. Usually, they tend to keep the adopt these systems. It is still under dis-
research funds to their discipline and cussion although the results of pilot scale
reluctant to yield the resources to other trials have shown very positive signs.
subject even though it is more significant Although they are not completely applied
and required in the view point of OSH in- yet, it was successful to change ‘a mind-
jury and illness in the workplaces. Often set’ of service providers and researches
they are interested in the specific subject from the supplier-oriented to the cus-
that they preferred rather than those that tomer-oriented.
are required by society.

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Strategic Agility – An Oxymoron or a Necessity for OSH Organizations?
Harri Vainio
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH), Finland
Few challenges are more complex than The roots of strategic agility lie in com-
understanding and managing the hazards petitive business organizations. The
and health risks in workplaces. Investiga- concept of strategic agility was created
tors and managers need to learn from when US car manufacturers realized in
past human experience, from experi- the 1980s that they had fallen behind
ments in laboratories and other fields, their Asian counterparts in some fields of
and to apply this knowledge to the cur- production. It meant anticipating change,
rent day work situation. This also con- a new way of reacting and leading.
cerns uncertainties; OSH experts must
make predictive causal inferences and Strategic agility revolves around under-
recommend protective measures based standing one’s core-business and markets,
on a less than ideal knowledge base. and being in a position to take advantage
of change as it happens. This is important
The occupational safety and health (OSH) in today’s global world, and the concept
community has traditionally focused on has great potential. Technology will al-
collecting information relevant for im- low countries to move forward to create
proving working conditions and human goods and services. However, the rate of
health, and on transforming this informa- change in workplaces sometimes makes
tion into meaningful knowledge and use- it difficult to make extensive, long-term
ful practical tools which can be applied to strategic plans that could still be in place
improve health and safety at work. five or more years from now.
As absolute certainty is rarely an option, Is strategic agility an oxymoron: a con-

action programmes would not be effec- tradiction of terms? If you are highly
tive if such proof were required. Govern- strategic, you do not need to be agile, and
ment officials and advisors in OSH or- vice versa: if you are highly agile, there
ganizations have to use the best available is no need to be strategic. So ideally, the
evidence to determine safety and to set term strategic agility is an oxymoron,
limits and guidelines for harmful agents but in practice, you are never so strategic
and practices at work. that there is no need to be agile; neither
can you be so agile that you do not need
Today’s OSH institutions need to build to be strategic. This at least is the case in
flexibility around their OSH core compe- the institutes of occupational safety and
tencies. Expenses are an important issue, health, as far as I know them.
and therefore organizations should be
lean, quick to react, agile. Strategic agility is thus also needed in

Keynotes
OSH organizations. It is not only a chal- References:

lenge for institutions but also a major Yves Doz and Mikko Kosonen: Fast Strat-
opportunity for smart, quick, committed egy. Wharton School Publishing, 2008,
actors. We need to cultivate a capacity to pp. 1-253.
adjust to changes and developments as Mikko Kosonen: “Finland as a lead mar-
they come along. OSH institutions also ket for next generation well-being serv-
face a real challenge of speed and com- ices”, a speech at CKIR Workshop,
plexity: the nature of emergent changes August 27, 2009.
becomes more and more complex, and
the speed of change is increasingly faster.
Doz and Kosonen (2008) have invento-
ried a myriad of problems that are preva-
lent in large companies, and prescribed
tools to move them toward more strategic
agility. Many of those tools are also very
useful in OSH institutes, which need to
take quicker action and lower costs in or-
der to move from rigidity to agility.
The implementation of the strategic agil-

ity concept in institutions would be facili-
tated by a new leadership approach. Mik-
ko Kosonen has suggested that the con-
cepts of leadership and management be
replaced with something what could be
called ‘communityship’(Kosonen 2009).
Communityship makes use of leadership,
but in Kosonen’s words, “not the ego-
centric, heroic king that has become so
prevalent in the business world. We make
a great fuss these days about the evils of
micromanagement but far more seri-
ous is macroleading: the exercise of top
down authority by out of touch leaders.
Communityship requires a more modest
form of leadership that might be called
engaged or distributed management. A
community leader is personally engaged
in order to engage others, so that anyone
and everyone can exercise initiative”.
Thus OSH organizations today need stra-

tegic agility, and this could be delivered
through a participatory communityship
style.

Keynotes
Research for Prevention in the US
John L. Henshaw
Former Assistant Secretary of Labour of the US government,
United States of Anmerica
Traditionally, safety and health profes- government funded efforts are effectively
sionals have focused on worker safety developing and evaluating such concepts,
and health in the course of project exe- design features and methods which pro-
cution, operations and maintenance and vide for more inherently safe workplaces.
not enough attention, until recently, have In the United States, the National Insti-
been given to worker health and safety tute for Occupational Safety and Health
in the per-operational or construction (NIOSH) and the Occupational Safety
phases such as building or product de- and Health Administration (OSHA) are
sign, material selection and procurement. helping to promote these concepts, and
In the 1970s and 1980s the chemical and developing and fostering further research
petroleum industries enhanced their fo- to enhance safety design and operational
cus on process design in additional to op- performance.
erational and maintenance safety to mini-
mize process interruptions, catastrophic In the beginning of this decade, NIOSH
releases, fires and explosions. While select under the direction of Dr. John Howard
enterprises in other industries have ap- initiated a program entitled “Research to
proached the concept of “building in” Practice (r2p)”. The initiative is character-
worker safety and health in the design ized as a collaborative process between
and subsequent phases, more opportuni- NIOSH and interested parties for the ex-
ties exist which could significantly im- pressed purpose of generating knowledge
prove worker safety and health outcomes, and then reducing that knowledge to real
lower operational and maintenance costs world practice in order to reduce work-
and improve productivity and quality place injuries and illnesses. In essence,
performance. the agency sets priorities regarding the
most important occupational health and
At the end of the last century, many safety issues in the United States, engages
Governmental bodies devoted more re- partners from both the private and public
sources to encouraging organizations to sectors to develop and apply research
consider worker safety and health as early findings for the purpose of establishing
as possible into the conceptual design or prevention practices and procedures
design phases of a workplace, project or which significantly improve safety and
piece of equipment to assure that cost ef- health outcomes. Since its inception,
fective safety and health risk reductions the “Research to Practice (r2p)” has
are realized in the construction and fostered many successful projects which
operational phases of an activity. As a have helped bring safety and health in-
result, industry sponsored research and novations into specific workplaces and

Keynotes
resulted in real reductions in workplace cases. This discussion will address some
injuries, illnesses and fatalities. of those best practices developed through
this initiative and analysis some of the ap-
Some of the success stories are: proaches used to overcome the problems
■ Developing a MBA Class on the associated with focusing on cost and
Business Value of Safety and Health benefit on a short term basis rather than
■ Engineering Noise Controls for Roof cost, productivity, quality and workplace
Bolters risks reductions on a long term basis.
■ Handwipe Method for Removal of
Toxic Metals In addition to governmental activities,
■ Preventing Injuries Related to Motor this discussion will focus on PtD
Vehicle Equipment initiatives organized by educational in-
■ Handwipe Method for Detecting Lead stitution like the Harvard University and
■ Ambulance Crash Survivability for-profit organizations including equip-
Improvement Project ment manufacturers.
The concept of building in safety and

health features into the design phase of
a construction project was introduced in
the United States as early as 1955 in the
National Safety Council publication
“Accident Prevention Manual”. The con-
cept now call “Prevention through
Design (PtD)” was significantly revital-
ized through the Construction Industry
Institute’s sponsored research of Profes-
sors Jimmie Hinze and John Gambatese
in the 1990s. Industry interest in PtD
increased dramatically after a 2003 sym-
posium on the topic at the University of
Oregon and subsequent publications of
the symposium proceedings.
Through an Alliance with OSHA, a more

formal relationship with labor, industry
and educational institutions was estab-
lished for the purpose of promoting
occupational safety and health in the
construction industry through PtD. By
leveraging vital resources, best practices
and technologies in PtD can be more
effectively developed and disseminated
throughout the range of stakeholders
and the process of selling the value and
benefit of PtD can be more appropriately
demonstrated through relevant business

SESSION 1
Interaction between different OSH services
SESSION 1
Development of a Performance Measurement Report for the Prevention
System in a Canadian Province
Lynda Robson 1, Cameron Mustard 1,2 and John Speers 3
1 Institute for Work & Health (IWH), Canada
2 University of Toronto, Canada
3 Industrial Accident Prevention Association (IAPA), Canada
Introduction The prevention system in Ontario over-

The objective was to develop a perform- sees – to some extent – approximately
ance measurement report on the “preven- 93% of Ontario workers.
tion system” in the Canadian province of
Ontario. The prevention system consists Senior decision-makers from all the
of public and not-for-profit sector or- prevention system organizations com-
ganizations in the province concerned prise the Occupational Health and Safety
with primary prevention in occupational Council of Ontario (OHSCO). The Coun-
health and safety: cil was established in 1998 as a forum
■ Ontario Ministry of Labour (MOL) for dialogue and coordinating actions
■ Workplace Safety & Insurance Board to improve alignment in the prevention
of Ontario (WSIB), Prevention system. Several sub-committees related to
Division OHSCO strategic priorities were formed,
■ 14 not-for-profit health and safety including one tasked with developing a
associations (HSAs) set of performance indicators for the pre-
■ Institute for Work & Health (IWH), a vention system.
research institute One of the early tasks of the system per-
Fig. 1: Program logic model of the Ontario prevention system

SESSION 1
formance measurement sub-committee concepts, determined through a sur-

was to develop and seek approval for a vey
program logic model for the prevention ■ Whether data of adequate quality
system (see fig. 1). It depicts the major ac- were readily available to measure the
tivities of the prevention system, their im- concept
pacts in the workplace and on workplace ■ Performance measurement principles
parties (Reactions), and the longer term of balance and representation of stra-
worker outcomes of ultimate interest. tegy
Fig. 2: Summary of methodological steps
Methods Indicator data were then developed for

Potential performance concepts were each of the ten concepts by the following
generated by applying four theoretical means: collecting and integrating existing
principles and common practices of or- administrative data, collecting primary
ganizational performance measurement, data from OHSCO members, and using
while considering the strategy and activi- publicly available documents. Whenever
ties of the prevention system. The four possible, data were selected and trans-
approaches include the following: public formed to make year-to-year compari-
sector practice (including program logic sons valid.
model development); business models
and practice (balanced scorecard); in- Feedback on the report was sought by
tegrative models based on the organi- the inclusion of an open-ended question
zational effectiveness literature; and the in the annual data collection instrument,
principle underlying multiple constitu- which is directed to key informants in
ency models (different stakeholders have each of the OHSCO member organiza-
varied, sometimes conflicting viewpoints tions; and through individual interviews
on performance, but all are valid and with OHSCO members.
can be included in the same framework).
Twenty-one potential performance meas- Results
urement concepts were generated using A final set of ten performance measure-
these means. ment concepts were decided upon and
The initial set of 21 performance concepts indicators were developed for nine of
was considered too large in number by these. The most important of the indica-
OHSCO members and was subsequently tors were designated “key performance
reduced to ten, by considering the follow- indicators” and are summarized in Table
ing criteria: 1. A report of indicators measuring these
■ OHSCO members’ preferences for concepts has been produced annually

SESSION 1
from 2003 to 2007; and the preparation of be a unique source of high level informa-
the report on 2008 is in progress. tion about the prevention system. We
note that the report has served as a refer-
Feedback from OHSCO members ence when OHSCO organizations have
showed that 94% thought the perform- modified the type of data included in
ance measurement report was at least their management information systems.
“somewhat useful.” They found the pro-
gram logic model and the report to be
useful conceptual tools; and the report to
Table 1: Performance measurement framework for 2007

SESSION 1
Conclusion receives core funding from the Workplace

This project demonstrates how a per- Safety & Insurance Board. Fig. 1 and a ta-
formance measurement report on an ble similar to Table 1 have been published
occupational health and safety preven- previously in Robson LS, Speers JC,
tion system can be developed through Kusiak RA, Burns BB. Development of a
the application of current performance performance measurement report for the
measurement theory and practice. Ontario prevention system. Policy and
Practice in Health and Safety 2007;5(1):
Acknowledgements 3-18. Permission to reproduce them here
Others from prevention system organi- has been given by Institution of Occupa-
zations have made contributions to the tional Safety and Health (IOSH).
performance measurement report. IWH

SESSION 1
New Challenges in the Field of Prevention in Small Enterprises
Stefan Drodofsky and Jens Jühling

BG Energie Textil Elektro (“Institution for Statutory Accident Insurance and Preven-
tion in the Energy, Textile and Electrical Industries”), Germany
Supervision of small enterprises by means safety and health preservation of

inspection authorities (OSH) the employees.
Every year the trading supervision de- The model is designed to preserve the
partments record more than 500,000 health and thus the employees’ capacity
new businesses in Germany. In 2005 the to work. Especially small enterprises are
Federal Statistical Office reported the es- strongly affected by staff absence and lost
tablishment of 258,000 new small enter- production due to accidents or disease
prises (with 10 to 49 employees). In the of the employees; absent employees can
manufacturing industry 62,000 new small hardly be substituted.
enterprises were recorded. In most industrialised countries the em-
The supervision and advisory service for ployer is responsible for safety and health
so many enterprises is a special challenge protection of his staff. Due to a highly
to the OSH advisors. In Germany the technical work environment safety and
advisors are federal public authorities for health protection – in short: occupational
occupational safety, institutions for statu- safety at work – requires expert knowl-
tory accident insurance and prevention in edge. In all countries of the European
the different industries and guilds. Union the employer is obliged to seek
In addition to many activities on a re- advice from safety experts. These experts
gional basis the employer’s model (which are employees and works doctors quali-
means advice on safety and health-related fied in occupational safety and health
issues for the employers) provides a suc- protection. They are the supervisors for
cessful contribution in common super- the employer in the field of occupational
vision of small enterprises. This model safety. They advise employers on how to
provides the rules and regulations of the assume his responsibility correctly. How-
institutions for statutory accident insur- ever, they are not controllers or actors in
ance and prevention and qualifies the the interest of any authority! They are not
entrepreneur to adopt and implement all allowed to issue instructions neither to
regulations regarding occupational safety the employer nor to the employee.
and health protection due to risk evalu-
ations. In Germany the labour protection law
determines that every employer appoints
What is the objective of the employer’s a safety officer and works doctor, the
model? so-called safety-technical advisory serv-
The most important aspect of the em- ice and occupational medical care. This
ployer’s model is the creation of pre-con- regulation does not depend on a compa-
ditions for a successful enterprise which ny’s size as long as at least one employee

SESSION 1
works in the enterprise. For many years, 5. legal security

works physician services and qualified
safety officers have been recognized by The high numbers of employers who take
large enterprises and they have been in- part in the employer’s model demonstrate
dispensable advisors for management and the positive experiences that most of
employees. them make. In the field of competence
Important: Please note: The appointment of the institutions for statutory accident
of a safety specialist does not mean guid- insurance and prevention in the energy,
ance on safety technology! textile and electrical Industries more
than 40,000 employers have taken part in
Small enterprises – special require- seminars.
ments, special solutions
In small enterprises the starting point The employer’s model assists the employ-
is completely different in comparison er to organise his enterprise in regard to
with large enterprises as the employer is occupational safety and thus meeting the
directly involved in the plant operations legal requirements. Special requirements
and he attends to operations directly. If of the respective industrial branch are
special advice is necessary he has to seek also taken into account.
external advice. This case is dealt with by The model stresses the special role of the
the employer’s model. entrepreneur’s self-responsibility. The
employer often works in his enterprise or
Which enterprises can use the employ- at least takes part in operational processes
er’s model? so that the operational requirements are
The employer’s model is suited for enter- manageable.
prises with at least one to 50 employees.
Employees working part-time are regard- What are the duties of the employer
ed as full-time workers. For enterprises within the employer’s model?
without employees there is no require- The details of the employer’s model can
ment to act. Enterprises with more than be found in appendix 3 of the accident
50 employees have to prove the support. prevention regulations “works physi-
cians and safety officers for occupational
Advantages of the employer’s model safety” (BGV A2).
An enterprise may profit in many ways The employer’s model consists of the fol-
from the employer’s model as it offers: lowing components:
1. specific practice-oriented information ■ One-time participation at special se-
on occupational safety for the minars or at telecourses (see below:
employer courses for enterprises in the indu-
2. free subscription of branch-related strial branches textile, clothing, shoes,
working tools and active assistance laundry and cleaning)
published by the BG for occupational ■ Risk evaluation carried out by the em-
safety in the employer’s enterprise ployer in his own enterprise (if neces-
3. support service for the enterprise on sary also with external advice)
request with company physician and ■ Regular participation of the employer
safety officers according to the con- at training courses (e.g. every three
crete requirements of the enterprise years in group II)
4. improvement of the management ■ Demand-oriented supervision of the

SESSION 1
enterprise by the works physician and Seminars for enterprises from the
safety officer at special occasions branches textile, clothing, shoes, laun-
dry and cleaning
The essential pre-condition to use the Enterprises that formerly (until
employer’s model is that the employer 2007-12-31) belonged to the institution
attends the seminars or telecourses on for statutory accident insurance and
occupational safety determined by the in- prevention in the textile and clothing
stitution for statutory accident insurance industries attend both a telecourse with
and prevention (BGETE). and without periods in which they have
Thus the employer will be qualified to to attend physically.
recognize the need for medial or safety-
related issues and he will be able to seek Enterprises from the following trades
advice in safety questions. shall participate in courses which de-
mand physical presence: preparation,
How can I find the seminar which is spinning company, production of felt and
suitable for my enterprise? huts
The BGETE wants to offer its insured
member enterprises branch-related semi- And/or
nars. Depending on the branch and com-
pany’s size the BG offers: Weaving mills

Either And/or
A one-day basic course followed
by one-day advanced course with Finishing of textiles and fabrics,
subsequent implementation in the tobacco finishing shops.
enterprise
Or The telecourse consists of two presence
A course comprising 5 to 6 hours in phases and one self-tutoring phase. The
which you have to be physically first presence phase with 8 learning units
present followed by a telecourse is designed to explain to the participants
Or how the telecourse is carried out and to
participation in a telecourse for convey the basic knowledge of company
enterprises of the trades textile, organisation and raise the motivation and
clothing, shoes, laundry and interest in the employer’s responsibility
cleaning for safety and health protection and to
motivate him to implement safety meas-
You will find the respective courses of the ures in his enterprise.
employer’s model for the different trades In the subsequent self-tutoring phase
in the table. which consists of studying the employer’s
The exact name of the trade and the risk handbook and additional literature the
category will be found on the last pay- participants receive basic knowledge on
ments of the enterprise to the BG or on issues relating to safety technology and
the total staff wages and salaries of the occupational medicine. The participants
company. can test their knowledge with question-
naires which they send to the BG. The
questionnaires are the pre-condition to

SESSION 1
attend the second presence phase. In advice which allow him to

the next phase the participants receive
knowledge in the form of discussions ■ Integrate safety and health protection
which enables them to get actual knowl- as indispensable elements of the busi-
edge and they have the opportunity to ness,
clarify the questions which arose during ■ Ensure safety and health of the em-
the telecourse. ployees during work on the highest
possible level,
A telecourse without presence phase may ■ Recognize problems of occupational
be completed by employers who do not safety in the company and to react
belong to the branches stated above or by accordingly,
employers who belong to these branches ■ To claim qualified advice on occu-
but who completed studies or training as pational safety and health protection
engineer or technician in the last 5 years according to the requirements of the
(technical university or University of Ap- company and systematically integrate
plied Sciences ) or employers who have the results into the decisions of the
already knowledge on occupational safety company.
and health and who can give evidence to
the BG that they have undergone a train- The employer’s guideline is provided free
ing in the last 5 years which included of charge by the BG after registering for
these safety subjects. the telecourse.
In doing so the employer has to update Where will the seminars be held, where
and to enhance his knowledge by study- can you register?
ing the employer’s guideline on his own.
The seminars have to be carried out by
In order to check the efficiency the em- providers authorized by the institution
ployer has to fill in and return forms to for statutory accident insurance and pre-
the BG at the latest 6 months after begin- vention in the energy, textile and electri-
ning the self-study. cal industries.
The employer’s guideline is the basis for In order to save time, these providers
participating in the telecourses and it regularly offer the courses on a regional
provides the employer with practical basis.
Table 1: Content of the seminars
During the seminar the following topics will be dealt with:
Not sector-specific Sector-specific

Responsibility of the employer for Performance of risk evaluation
occupational safety
Economic aspects of occupational safety Sector-specific risks
Organization of safety and health Protective measures to prevent risks
protection
Guidance for employees qualified in Function of the company’s physician
occupational safety
Services of the BG

SESSION 1
The costs of the seminars of the employ-
er’s model will be paid by the BG. For
each seminar the company took part in
the company gets an expense allowance
of 50 € per journey.
Content of the seminars:

The seminars of the employer’s model
cannot be regarded as vocational train-
ing course to become safety engineer or
a company’s physician. The employer
will rather be able to organize the work
protection within his company, to rec-
ognize the risk potentials and to develop
solutions as well as establish the need for
consulting and to claim for this need ac-
cording to his requirements.

SESSION 1
Preventative Activities – Strategic Planning and Evaluation
Pawel Rozowski
National Labour Inspectorate (GIP), Poland
In the current economic situation – with values related to work culture have been
a large number of small employing en- internalized. The conviction about the
tities, flexible service and production necessity to secure appropriate working
structures adapted to the present and ever conditions for employees on the one hand
changing needs of the market and the and the need for employees to participate
accompanying massive turnover of the in the implementation of appropriate
workforce, labour inspectorates have to OSH standards including psychosocial
face challenges which require the devel- aspects on the other hand, are the func-
opment of new tools in order to achieve tional basis of an unwritten ethical code
the basic objective of their functioning: in labour relations.
effective protection of labour. Actions undertaken by the National
Broadly understood prevention in the Labour Inspectorate in Poland either
framework of labour protection means support its inspection activity in sectors
development of a safety culture in the marked by the highest intensity of risks
crave for achievement of high work and their consequences (accidents at
standards not only through supervision, work and occupational diseases) or con-
but also through various forms of social stitute individual initiatives implemented
communication and encouraging involve- in the form of special programmes or
ment of employers, employees and social campaigns addressed to employers who
partners in safety and labour protection are concerned with ensuring safe working
issues. In the last few years the Polish La- conditions and adequate health protec-
bour Inspectorate has been enhancing the tion of workers.
preventive aspect of its actions, treating Still, it must be remembered that only
this form of activity as a process: consist- strictly synchronized inspection and pre-
ent and long-term effort based on the vention activities can produce the effect
analysis of available data, planning and of synergy. An important addressee of
followed by an evaluation which allows to NLI’s preventive activity are young people
include its results into further planning – willing to take actions which are diffi-
processes. The argument for inclusion of cult or not fully comprehensible for their
prevention into the mainstream of the parents – a new generation of employees
labour inspectorate’s activity is the pos- and employers which will heighten the
sibility to influence a broader scope of standard of work culture on the labour
entities than by way of traditional super- market.
vision of working conditions, but most of The presentation provides essential infor-
all to achieve sustainable improvement of mation about planning and evaluation of
working conditions in workplaces where selected communication campaigns and

SESSION 1
programmes of prevention which all have

a common denominator – craving for de-
velopment of such work relations which
ensure high work safety standards.

SESSION 1
Research, Assistance, Training and Consultancy in Practice:
A Virtuous Circle
Catherine Montagnon
National Research and Safety Institute (INRS), France
Experts and researchers build new meth- First example: Implement, teach and
odologies and concepts. But to reach test the researchers’ results in compa-
companies and make these results ef- nies and towards workers and confirm,
ficient and usable, there is a real need for adapt or reverse these results
other skills, publishers, writers, mediatiz- – Physiological constraints of push and
ers, web ergonomists, press mediators, pull efforts on beds, trolleys and pallet
consultants, documentalists, etc. movers
Training, communication, technical as- In 2000, laboratory measurement results
sistance, legal advice, technical measures allowed the definition of pulling and
and consulting for companies are all pushing force limits for the initial phases
good means of getting to know experts’, and the maintenance of effort. During
companies’ and workers’ needs. They are this period, INRS was asked for assist-
also very helpful for obtaining figures, ance in three different areas in order to
alerts and statistics on risks and emerging compare these acceptable forces with the
problems. Indeed, to achieve efficient pre- reality of a task. These studies were car-
vention, it is necessary to be constantly ried out in the laboratory with 30 subjects
mindful of anticipation, in order to study (15 men and 15 women) from whom
hazards, prevent occupational risks and were collected subjective indices, cardiac
promote well-being in the workplace. Be- constraint, and the electrical activities
sides its practical knowledge of the com- of the muscles of the dominant leg and
panies, the interdependence of its modes shoulders. The results of the measure-
of action establishes a strong specificity of ments allowed the relationships between
INRS today. the forces applied to the mobile units and
I will use three examples to show how re- the loads shifted to be defined. The dis-
search and applications can interfere with tribution of the orthogonal components
and enhance each other. I will explain and the force resulting from pushing or
why researchers must work with special- pulling show that the “parasite” forces
ists who will transform the messages, are much higher with the bed than with
translate them and make them attractive, the pallet truck. This could explain why,
usable and efficient. It would be a big despite the much lower loads, the bed
mistake to think that researchers CAN causes subjective, cardiac and muscular
explain, write, teach and communicate constraints that are not statistically differ-
towards all different audiences. This is the ent from those of the pallet truck. The re-
paper’s topic. sults have permitted to better work on the
new standards that were being drawn up.
The results of laboratory measurements

SESSION 1
allowed a better definition of pulling and European campaign “Lighten the load”
pushing force limits. on musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) is
launched just after the Bilbao conference.
Conclusion Last but not least, a special newsletter
This assistance work and research study is sent by INRS to 10,000 preventive
reinforced each other. services, safety representatives and prac-
titioners. According to the figures and the
Second example: Communicate on re- number of direct clicks from the newslet-
sults and evaluate the impact towards ter to the web site, we could conclude that
public targets this newsletter is very important for com-
Looking at three different topics we will municating to specialists. We could also
discuss the influence of different actions conclude that this is a lot more efficient
on our audience and the effect of coordi- when it occurs while important com-
nation between them. munication actions are conducted. From
May 11 to 15, 2008 the Government
MSD launched a major campaign (radio, televi-
This graph represents the number of visits sion, posters, etc.). We can see that there
to the website, along with the number of is no direct effect, as we could have seen
brochures that have been downloaded. in October 2007. But the newsletter
We can see three different peaks, in in June 2007 with a direct link on the
October 2007, July 2008, May and June Government and INRS websites, each
2009. Now, we need to understand the of them providing a direct link to our
reasons for these peaks. October 4, 2007, brochures, is quite significant. The direct
a ministerial conference takes place and link to ED 957 is clearly visible. Finally,
Government decides to work specifically the Government launched the second
on MSD and PSR. At the same time the MSD campaign in May 2009 with a direct

SESSION 1
link to ED 957 and INRS sent a letter to ary 2008. After this, the level drops again
25,000 people concerning MSD. Dur- until end of March – April and stays at
ing the same period the Government a higher level than before. Let us now
launched its website “workbetter.gouv”. look at actions on this topic. February
This site emphasizes manual handling 2007 Fourth European Working Condi-
more than MSD and provides a direct tions Survey – Dublin report. The press
link to ED 862. talk about this report. August, Nicolas
Sarkozy entrusts a mission statement to
Conclusion Xavier Bertrand, Minister of Industry
When coordination exists and when ac- who sets up a working group. October, a
tions are mutually supportive, messages press conference is held in which XAVI-
better reach the correct target audience, ER BERTRAND insists on the impor-
are better understood and are more likely tance of PSR. He indicates having asked
to give results. Another conclusion: man- for a report on that risk. Meanwhile,
ual handling should not have been the suicides are committed at Renault and
first brochure to be examined. This was PSA factories. Many newspapers cover
not the goal. But, not being well “guided”, it. March 2008, the report is submitted
the public came to this part of the site. to the Minister. The report insists on the
A question still arises: Does this action need for a national indicator of stress at
have a one-off effect or will there be a work. Just after this report, INRS com-
real enhancement of prevention for this municates on a new brochure on indica-
disease? tors. This is very well relayed by the press.
September 2008, a national agreement
Take a similar look at PSR is signed with social partners. National
This graph shows one first interest in No- conference conducted by Anact in June,
vember 2007 and then a big one in Janu- relayed on the government website that

SESSION 1
also provides many links to INRS. The Influence of European rules on imple-
very good synchronisation of actions in mentation of noise prevention
January 2008 and the well-adapted bro- Relative to a globally stable assistance
chures also achieved a good impact on activity, the evolution curve shows a
requests for help. The average requests are number of peaks that may be considered
in progression: 18% in 2008 compared to as jumps faced with the global evolution
2007 (January not included), 45% in 2009 of interest paid to noise 1.
compared to 2008, and a total of 137% in The first, small peak, occurred in 1998,
2009 compared to 2007. while the second, much more pro-
nounced, occurred in 2003. INRS con-
What conclusion can be drawn? ducted a number of noise-related com-
On this topic, the government actions, munication actions, the main ones being
when well relayed by the press, are quite in 1987, 1997, 2001, and 2006.
efficient. What is highly significant is the
impact of the brochure answering quite There is no correlation between these
well the questions about indicators. When peaks of interest and these publications.
the messages are well accompanied, In order to be able to draw any conclu-
easy to understand and accompanied by sions, however, the evolution of brochure
“tools” that can be used immediately, the distribution should also be studied. Fur-
impact is major. That means that mes- thermore, we checked that there was no
sages must be accessible to get the results correlation between the evolution in the
we want, concretize and perenize them; number of occupational diseases and the
and that skills are required to translate noise-related requests curve. It can be
and mediatize research results and again, noted, however, that the dates concerned
coordination of actions is necessary. are those of the two central European di-
rectives on the subject: We can infer that
1 Short P CANETTO study Etat des lieux sur la pratique industrielle de réduction du bruit.

SESSION 1
it was most likely the regulations that at- others, want to reach every employee and
tracted companies’ interest on the subject. touch also the very small companies (less
than 50 employees). This is why INRS has
Conclusion conducted two studies in 2005 and 2009
The impact of regulations attracts compa- on the website.
nies’ interest and is efficient when govern- They indicated that users can’t find the
ment does not communicate too much. information they need or look for, have
Anticipation is necessary to be able to some difficulty to build up an interpreta-
offer brochures, updated website with us- tion of what is explained, think docu-
able explanations, and ad hoc training. ments are too long and give too many
details.
Third example: conduct a study on the Conclusion

website to answer the visitors’ wishes To reach our target audience we need to
and reach our target audience enhance ergonomics and usability and
The number of available books, reviews give concrete, illustrated, pragmatic in-
and brochures is constantly increasing. formation. Besides the need for search
After a period of increasing web access, engine and document download time
it seems that this figure is quite stable enhancement, the real target is to provide
now. Moreover, INRS, as the other players improved data visibility: a more
in the world of prevention has changed pragmatic, organized and ranked in-
its target audience. These are not only formation. This is why a virtuous circle
experts who need to know about preven- between research and applications is ab-
tion and not only big companies. We, as solutely necessary.

SESSION 1
Networking of Competencies: Reciprocal Action Between Prevention
Services
Hanna Zieschang
Germany
Any OSH institution or accident insur- ence is indirect, e.g. via other services or
ance employs a range of different serv- products or other intermediate processes;
ices in order to achieve their prevention (II) one service influences the content of
targets: training of the OSH experts in another, however, this does not result in
the enterprises, consultation, applied any change in the structure or course of
research, regulations, etc. The Social Ac- the second service; and (III) the influenc-
cident Insurance Institutions in Germany ing service influences the second service
(UVTs) carried out a research project in its structure. The quantitative influenc-
entitled “Quality in Prevention” and ines were rated on a scale of 1 (very small
vestigated whether their services reach influence) to 4 (very large influence).
the companies and are performed in an An additional aspect of reciprocal action
effective way. is whether steps are taken in the influ-
One sub-project studied the reciprocal encing service specifically to produce a
effects of the UVTs’ prevention services change in the other service. Finally, the
in greater detail. An examination of these reciprocal action between UVTs’ services
services reveals that changes to one pre- and “external factors” was also consid-
vention service frequently have ramifica- ered. The UVT prevention network is not
tions for the others. They act reciprocally working in isolation but in conjunction
upon each other, and at the same time with the prevention activities of minis-
have a joint impact upon the company. tries, legislation, labour inspectorates,
The objective was to identify the actual associations, etc.
effects, the services generating the great- Initial assessments of the qualitative and
est effects, and those most influenced by quantitative influences were carried out
them. in workshops with BG prevention ex-
perts. A summary of the workshop results
1. Qualitative and quantitative produces the web shown in fig. 1.
assessment A similar web can be produced for the
In order to systemise the interrelations quantitative assessment 1. It shows:
between prevention services, a distinction 1. The services “consulting”, “occupa-
was made between qualitative and quan- tional medical care and safety guid-
titative influences. The qualitative influ- ance”, “inspection”, “training” and
ences were differentiated in: (I) The influ- “information and communication”
1
Zieschang, H. (2007). Reciprocal action between BG prevention services. Sub-project 2 of the
“Quality in Prevention” project (in German only). Published by Deutsche Gesetzliche Unfall-
versicherung

SESSION 1
Fig. 1: Prevention experts’ qualitative assessment of the relationships between prevention services.
OMC&S – Occupational medical care and safety, R&D – Research and development. The chart
was generated using the GAMMA software package produced by TERTIA Edusoft GmbH,
Tübingen.
are influenced more than they influ- 2. Influence analysis using an

ence other services. In fig. 1, most of influence matrix
the arrows point to these services. In an influence analysis, the services
2. Both, starting and ending arrows can that characterise the overall system
be seen at the services “Research and most were identified. Influence analy-
development findings (R&D find- ses are based on a matrix, the rows and
ings)”, “investigation”, “inspection”, columns of which are used to classify
and “certificates”: Influencing and the qualitative and quantitative influ-
being influenced are in balance for ences. The row and column totals pro-
these services. duce values indicating the total overall
3. “R&D findings” are in strong interac- influence on the other services and
tion with the other services, many indicating the total degree to which a
arrows and thick arrows start and end service is influenced by the others 2.
here. Additionally, the red arrows For each service these values are plot-
indicate that “R&D findings” are ted in fig. 2. Four different categories of
often specifically initiated by other services can be distinguished:
services and vice versa.
2 Geschka, H., Schwarz-Geschka, M. (2006). Systemanalyse in der Szenariotechnik

(System analysis in scenario planning) (unpublished). URL: www.geschka.de

SESSION 1
Active influence areas: services located 3. Driving forces within the network of
here influence other areas more and more UVTs’ prevention services
strongly than they are influenced them- For each service a “stimulus index” can
selves. They drive the system but they be created by calculating the quotient of
themselves are hardly influenced at all, the values for the total overall influence
e.g. “external factors” and “certificates”. on the other services and the total degree
Passive influence areas: services are in- to which this service is influenced by the
fluenced more strongly than they influ- others. The index indicates the extent to
ence others. Here we find “training” and which a given service provides stimuli for
“occupational medical care and safety the overall system. Fig. 3 shows the order
guidance”. of the UVTs’ services based on the stimu-
Critical influence areas: the services lo- lus indices. The services that have more of
cated here have many effects but are also an influence on others are the “R&D find-
strongly influenced themselves. In this ings” and “external factors” services.
context, the term “critical” is used as in
“critical mass”, i.e. a reaction or chain of
reactions is triggered and the direction
of its overall effect is difficult to estimate.
The “consulting” and “inspection” serv-
ices appear to have the strongest critical
influence tendencies.
Buffer influence areas: the services in this
area have little effect on other areas but
they are also only influenced to a small
extent themselves.

SESSION 1
Fig. 3: Stimulus indices of UVTs’ prevention services based on the qualitative and quantitative
assessments
Conclusion of the services, however, have a more

The findings of the present study docu- generic influence but it is not as intensive
ment the current reciprocal action be- or far-reaching as other services’. Other
tween the UVTs’ prevention services. A services have specific target groups that
range of measures has been developed are not particularly large. However, they
in order to study individual influences can have a much further-reaching effect
precisely and to estimate future trends. on those groups.
These measures provide a tool to identify On this basis, a strategy should be de-
the most relevant drivers and seem to be veloped to determine which services can
well suitable and transferable to similar systematically be used in what way in
networks or systems. order to increase the effectiveness and
It goes without saying that changes to sustainability of OSH measures in enter-
individual paths of influence affect the prises.
entire system of the UVTs’ services. Some

SESSION 2
OSH consultation and inspection
SESSION 2
OHS Management Audits: The Importance of their Measurement
Properties
Lynda Robson *)
Introduction dated recently. 2 The second was a mixed-

Auditing is a means of monitoring the method exploration of the audit methods
implementation and effectiveness of a used by the prevention authorities of the
firm’s occupational health and safety province of Ontario in Canada. 3
(OHS) management system. The audit-
ing process typically involves gathering Study One – Objective
evidence about the management system The objective of the first study was to re-
through interviews, documentation review the research evidence on the meas-
views and work site observations, guided urement properties of OHS management
by an audit instrument. The evidence is audits.
then evaluated against criteria and a sum-
mary of the findings is produced as an Study One – Methods
audit report. Six bibliographic databases representing a
variety of disciplines were searched using
Ideally, an audit method would yield reli- a common set of terms. Titles and ab-
able and valid data; i.e., the audit report stracts were reviewed to identify research
would consistently and correctly identify publications that had any information on
weaknesses in OHS management that validity, reliability, or responsiveness.
pose risk of injury or illness to work-
ers. Responsiveness could be important Study One – Results
too; e.g., one would want audit scores to ■ Seventeen distinct audit methods were
reflect improvement efforts in a firm. To identified, including some well-known
the extent that the data provided by an methods (e.g. International Safety
audit are not reliable, valid, or responsive, Rating System, CHASE)
organizational actions might be misdi- ■ Inter-rater reliability had been formal-
rected. These measurement properties are ly tested with only three audit methods
therefore important, especially when au- ■ Construct validity was formally tested
dit results are being used as a measure of with only one audit method
firm performance: e.g. when tracking the ■ There were no studies of test-retest
performance of a firm over time, making reliability or responsiveness
comparisons between firms, or deter- ■ The investigations of inter-rater relia-
mining whether a firm reached a certain bility showed that it was often unac-
target. We describe below two projects ceptably low, even when auditors were
concerned with the measurement prop- experts
erties of audit methods. The first was a
literature review, 1 which has been up-

SESSION 2
Study One – Conclusion and Implica- the audit data (deep case analysis). An-
tions for Practice other set of five cases were selected for a
Research data on the measurement quantitative analysis of content. The pres-
properties of OHS management audit ence of particular content elements was
methods is sparse. However, available determined with reference to a national
data show that the consistency between OHS management standard released
auditors is sometimes low. We therefore by the Canadian Standards Association
recommend that, in the absence of infor- (CSA Z1000).
mation about the measurement proper-
ties of an audit method, it should be used Study Two – Results
with caution as a performance measure- Seventeen different audit methods, be-
ment tool. longing to 10 different organizations,
were found eligible for inclusion in the
Study Two – Objectives study.
The objectives of the second study in-
cluded the following: Cross-case analysis
■ Describe the audit methods of the Nine of the audit methods had been de-
Ontario Prevention System veloped with an aim of being comprehen-
■ Examine their content validity sive with respect to best OHS manage-
ment practices. These methods tended
Study Two – Methods to be used with firms that had already
The seventeen organizations of the On- striven to develop their OHS manage-
tario Prevention System (i.e. Workplace ment structures and processes. The other
Safety & Insurance Board, Ministry of eight methods were simpler audits, typi-
Labour, Health and Safety Associations, cally used with small businesses or with
Institute for Work & Health) were ap- firms starting to develop their OHS man-
proached to determine whether they agement system. Eight of the seventeen
administered audit methods meeting the methods were considered by researchers
study’s eligibility criteria. The methods to be used in a performance measure-
needed to have a substantial focus on a ment application. The median amount of
firm’s management of OHS and involve personnel-time required for the typical
an auditor. For each of the eligible meth- application of the audit methods was two
ods, data were collected through key days. The cost to firms of having an audit
informant interviews, a review of docu- conducted ranged from nothing to thou-
mentation, and where possible, observa- sands of dollars. The volume of activity
tions of the audit process. per auditing program varied widely, with
several audit methods being applied in
Qualitative cross-case analysis was car- hundreds of firms per year; a few with
ried out on all 17 audit methods (cases). tens of firms per year; and several were
Five cases were purposively selected for used with fewer than 10 firms.
more intensive qualitative comparison
in the following areas: the context of the Deep-case analysis
auditing activities, auditing program fea- The five audit methods included in this
tures, auditor qualities, steps and meth- particular analysis were chosen because
ods of the auditing process, nature of the they were used by their respective au-
audit instrument, and transformation of diting organizations in a performance

SESSION 2
measurement application (implying that programs. Secondly, the content of some
measurement properties were relatively audit instrumentation showed weak re-
more important to these methods). In presentation of fundamental elements of
this paper, we focus on one key finding, organizational self-regulation and con-
which was that there was little mention tinuous improvement (e.g. management
of the determination of inter-auditor review, internal audits). We recommend
consistency as a means of monitoring or the following:
evaluating auditing programs. ■ Those who manage auditing programs
consider measuring inter-auditor con-
Content validity analysis sistency during auditor training and as
The five audit instruments included in a means of program monitoring, since
this particular analysis were chosen be- research has shown the consistency
cause their organizations had indicated can be surprisingly low.
that the instruments were comprehensive ■ Those who use audit methods or their
with respect to best OHS practices. We results compare the content of their
found that on average 74% of the content audit instrument against a recent OHS
of the instruments represented the con- management standard.
tent of CSA Z1000 either partially (40%)
or fully (34%). The mostly weakly re- References
presented major element of the standard 1. Bigelow PL, Robson LS. Occupational
was “Management Review and Continual Health and Safety Management Audit
Improvement,” with 56% (partially or Instruments: A Literature Review.
fully) for the group average; and there Toronto: Institute for Work & Health,
was wide variation among the five meth- 2005.
ods. At the level of minor CSA Z1000 2. Robson LS, Bigelow PL. Measurement
elements, there was a striking result: on properties of occupational health and
average, only 26% of the “Internal Audits” safety management audits: a system-
element was represented either partially atic literature search and traditional
or fully; and the representation of this literature synthesis. Can J Public
CSA Z1000 element was markedly lower Health (submitted).
than that of any other minor element. The 3. Robson LS, Macdonald S, Van Eerd
“Internal Audits” element specifies that D, Gray G, Bigelow P. Prevention Sys-
routine and systematic in-house evalua- tem OHS Management Audit
tion of the OHS management program be Methods: Description, Content
performed. Validation and an Assessment of the
Feasibility of Measurement Research.
Study Two: Conclusions and Implica- Final Report to WSIB RAC on Project
tions for Practice: #06112. Toronto: IWH, 2008.
An examination of the OHS manage-
ment audit methods used in prevention Acknowledgements
organizations in the broader public sec- The Institute for Work & Health receives
tor of the province of Ontario showed core funding from the Workplace Safety
large variation. However, common to & Insurance Board of Ontario (WSIB).
their respective programs was a lack of Study 1 was also supported by the Work-
the measurement of inter-auditor con- place Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB)
sistency to monitor or evaluate auditing Prevention Reviews initiative and the

SESSION 2
authors appreciate the key support of the

library staff. Study 2 was supported by a
Bridging the Gap research grant from the
WSIB Research Advisory Council. This
support does not imply WSIB support for
the research findings.
*)
Lynda Robson 1, Sara Macdonald 1, Philip Bigelow 1,2, Dwayne Van Eerd 1,3
and Garry Gray 1,4

2 University of Waterloo, Canada
3 University of Toronto, Canada
4 McMaster University, Canada

SESSION 2
Key Figures for Occupational Health and Safety – Making Occupational
Health and Safety Measurable and Presentable
Martin Goder
Association of German Safety Engineers (VDSI), Germany
Initial Situation is rather limited.

For a long time the measurability of oc- Up to now parameters other than ac-
cupational health and safety has been a cident figures have hardly been used in
matter of interest. However, the signifi- practice, and if so, they are often time-
cance of the accident figures usually used consuming or difficult to determine and
is only limited. very often without any preventive infor-
Among other things, comparing the dif- mation in retrospect.
ferent sectors or businesses and company In the meantime the need for manage-
sites respectively is possible only to a able preventive key figures/parameters
limited extent. Occupational health and has significantly increased. Many compa-
safety deficiencies as the cause of occu- nies seek to break new ground and search
pational injuries and occupational illness for applicable parameters for internal and
are rarely pointed out. external comparison (benchmarking).
From an impartial point of view, using
accident figures is not expedient in many Developing New Methods
sectors and companies, though there is In 2006 the VDSI founded the working
also a focus on issues pertinent to health group “Kennzahlen” (key figures) with
and safety, such as in call centres, admin- the objective of finding figures which are
istrations, IT sectors and modern manu- practically applicable and easily gener-
facturing. In the case of small businesses ated and also scientifically tenable. The
there is no statistical significance, e.g. the first meeting took place in January 2007;
projection of a small business compared after the first six months promising re-
to a rate of 1,000 employees does not sults were presented. The first test series
give a reliable result. One occupational conducted in different companies will
accident in a business with 10 employees be completed in the middle of 2009. In
already brings about an accident rate of autumn 2009 a first interpretation will be
100 per 1,000 employees. presented.
Moreover, bodily injuries often happen
accidentally and are merely the tip of the The Usefulness of Applicable Key
proverbial iceberg. Figures for Health and Safety
Also, accident figures do not constitute a The purpose of key figures/parameters is
quality measure for specialists, company to support the “Health and Safety Man-
medical officers or the department for ager” (expert, safety engineer, company
occupational health and safety. The in- medical officer) and to demonstrate his/
formative value of these figures concern- her performance and quality.
ing the preventive effort of the company At the same time they are to demonstrate

SESSION 2
the advantage of occupational health and ■ different company structures

safety and support an impartial discus-
sion with the entrepreneur and manage- Basis for Suitable Parameters
ment on developments and the need for During the search for figures/parameters
action as regards occupational health and the important question was put up for
safety. discussion as to how to determine pre-
ventive parameters, which ought to be
Tasks of Key Figures as independent of the kind of company
■ to convince management and employ- as possible. The working group decided
ees and to constitute trust to consider the value-added process of a
■ to show improvements and to moti- company, as it is always identical in every
vate company and constitutes the total work
■ to present achievements performance of a company irrespective of
■ to support the work of leadership the use of a management system.
■ to make hazards traceable and trans-
parent Determination of Preventive Indicators
■ to be applied to external companies, For the value-added process illustrated
temporary workers and freelancers above, firstly, indicators were searched
■ to enable an objective evaluation for each process. It is essential that the
and presentation of the quality of a indicators be oriented towards preven-
company’s occupational health and tion. Some examples for processes and
safety indicators:
■ to provide comparability: ■ information/communication
▶ internally with regard to the briefing performed
company’s history effectiveness of briefings
▶ internally with regard to prevention holding meetings with the committee
▶ company-spanning or between of occupational health and safety
other sites/parts/units of the ■ controlling
company recording accident rates and accident
■ to demonstrate the quality of health costs
and safety actors, specialists, company identifying loss occurrences
medical officers and other specialised determining uninterrupted working
staff and to present their performance. hours
■ offer/contract
Application of Key Figures considering occupational health and
■ different sectors safety when providing a cost estimate
■ different company sizes for orders
Go Per
al Ma
Org s/Stra nag ma sonne
ani tegy nag
sati /
em
ent em l-
on ent
Interested Offer/ Production/ Satisfied

Marketing Planning Provision Marketing
party Contract Performance customer
n/ y-
atio n enc n ling
rm atio erg o trol
Info munic Em nisati
org
a Con
Com

SESSION 2
occupational health and safety inclu- Evaluation
ded in tenders The evaluation of an answer or a circum-
■ provision stance is effected by assigning marks from
releasing financial means and working 1 to 4.
materials by EHS From 3 answer sheets you get 3 arithmeti-
appraising external companies under cally averaged figures of each target group
EHS aspects and each individual process. Additionally,
■ production/rendering of services it is possible to perform an evaluation of
methods implemented to identify the sum for every process and the whole
faulty products or services value-added process, i.e. the company as
methods available for identifying po- a whole can be evaluated.
tentially disruptive factors in the fields By this method it is possible to determine
of production or rendering of services the requirements for safe and healthy
The example for “Controlling” does not working and to show improvements. It
aim at determining the accident rate, but also allows a comparison between differ-
is to state the availability of a business-ap- ent undertakings, sites or companies as
propriate recording system. well as considering the company’s history.
As the focus is not on the occupational
Developing the Questions health and safety deficiencies but on the
When determining these indicators it mentioned requirements of a particular
became apparent that the appropriate process, this method also permits to com-
method of inquiry would be to interview/ pare different companies and sectors.
collect the data by questionnaire, audit or
self-audit. The target groups for this in- Practical Tests
quiry would be employees, managers and Having performed several preliminary
the entrepreneur. tests, this method is currently tested in
In the second step, precise questions were several companies. Subsequently, after a
formulated for each indicator. Question- reassessment and if necessary, there will
naires for employees and also for the be a revaluation of the method and the
entrepreneurs were worked out. This questions. Tangible results are expected
included questions for the managers’ self- in autumn 2009.
audit or preferentially the audit by actors
in occupational health and safety together
with the management.
Thereby, at least two questions for every
target group concerning each process
were developed, wherever applicable and
expedient. An imperative condition for
the audit/self-audit was that it had to
cover all processes.

SESSION 2
OSH Monitoring: A Review of Current Research
Yang Miang Goh 1 and Edwin Yap Seng Wee 2

1 School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Western
Australia
2 ESIS Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, Singapore
Introduction for OSH monitoring practices and possi-

Occupational safety and health (OSH) ble research agenda are proposed.
monitoring is a critical process in OSH
management. Major accidents, such Lessons from Major Accidents
as Texas BP fire and explosion (Baker, In Texas BP, failure of key safety and
2007), Singapore’s Nicoll Highway tunnel monitoring devices (including level indi-
construction collapse (Magnus, 2005), cators and safety valves) caused a raffinate
and Australia’s Moura coal mine explo- splitter tower to be overfilled and resulted
sion (Hopkins, 1999) have taught us that in a flammable liquid geyser from a
failures in OSH monitoring can be disas- blowdown stack (Chemical Safety Board,
trous. However, OSH monitoring is not a 2007). The release of flammable sub-
clearly defined process. Based on current stances led to a major fire and explosion
OSH management system standards (for killing 15 people and injured another 180.
e.g. Standards Australia and Standards Among a range of issues, the independ-
New Zealand, 2001), OSH monitoring ent safety review panel for the BP Texas
encompasses a broad range of activities accident (Baker, 2007) identified that BP
including workplace inspection, expo- had over-relied on occupational illness
sure monitoring, tracking of accident and injury rates and this distorted their
statistics, and management system audits. perception of the risk of major accidents.
These processes appear to serve overlap- BP Texas highlighted the importance
ping but different purposes. Furthermore, of reliable operational hazard monitor-
monitoring activities can be conducted at ing and use of appropriate performance
different levels of an OSH management indicators to monitor the effectiveness of
system, for e.g. activity, functional and OSH management.
management system levels. To complicate For the 2004 Nicoll Highway tunnel col-
the matter further, current research also lapse in Singapore one of the key reasons
indicated the confusion between lead- for the accident was a lack of careful
ing and lagging performance monitoring monitoring of warning signs of a fail-
indicators (Hopkins, 2009). The current ing support structure (Magnus, 2005).
lack of clarity can confuse organisations The collapse resulted in four fatalities
and impede efficient and effective OSH and significant economic and social im-
monitoring. pacts. Even though the contractor was
monitoring the inclination of tunnel
This paper reviews relevant literature to walls as an indicator of the risk of col-
derive important lessons on OSH moni- lapse, the monitoring was inconsistent
toring. Accordingly, recommendations and the back analyses of the monitoring

SESSION 2
data were abused to facilitate production. had had a gas monitoring system to alert
The contract also failed to implement the mine operator when the level of car-
necessary actions, for e.g. strengthening bon monoxide exceeds certain level of
the supporting structure, whenever the concentration, the mine did not have a
inclination exceeded the pre-determined set of pre-determined actions when the
threshold. In addition, the inquiry high- level of concentration was exceeded. The
lighted the lack of incorporation of OSH lack of response to the monitoring system
performance indicators in the appraisal of (and other factors) led to the explosion.
management and workers performance. As in the case of Texas BP, Moura was
This inadequacy contributed to the low using the lost time injury frequency rate
level of safety culture at the Nicoll High- as an indication of the overall OSH per-
way worksite. formance (Hopkins, 1999). Again the use
of such frequency rates distorted manage-
The same theme of poor hazard monitor- ment’s perception of OSH performance.
ing and ineffective OSH performance
monitoring can be found in the Moura OSH Management System Standards
mine disaster in Queensland, Australia, Another rich source of information on
which killed 11 men. The Moura coal OSH monitoring is OSH management
mine explosion in 1994 was a result of system standards. Table 1 lists the types
spontaneous combustion of coal which of OSH monitoring activities identified
ignited methane gas trapped in the mine in the Australian/New Zealand Oc-
(Hopkins, 1999). Even though the mine cupational Health and Safety standard
Clause Monitoring activities mentioned/implied Remarks

in AS/NZS 4801:2001
4.3.4 OSH management plans that contain time- Implementation monitoring
frame for achievement of objectives and
targets
4.4.3.3 Reporting/Monitoring of incidents and Incident/failure monitoring; usually a
system failures form of performance monitoring
4.4.3.3 Reporting/Monitoring of hazards and risk Hazard monitoring
4.4.3.3 Reporting/Monitoring of preventive and Implementation monitoring
corrective action
4.5.1.1 Monitoring of “key characteristics of … Hazard monitoring
operations and activities that can cause ill-
ness and injury”
4.5.1.1 Monitoring of “performance, effectiveness Implementation monitoring
of relevant operational controls and con- Performance monitoring
formance with the organisation’s objectives
and targets”
4.5.1.1 Monitoring of “compliance with OSH Implementation monitoring
legislation”
4.5.1.1 Health surveillance Hazard monitoring (to facilitate treat-
ment and reduce of risk of hazard to
other workers)
4.5.4 and OSH management system audit and review Implementation monitoring
4.6 Performance monitoring

SESSION 2
AS/NZS 4801:2001 (Standards Australia uncertainty is contributed by the inher-
and Standards New Zealand, 2001). Note ent randomness of hazards and human
that AS/NZS 4801:2001 has a “plan-do- activities, and the lack of information
check-act” structure like many other on the hazards (including the errors
international OSH management system in monitoring tools). The uncertainty
standards (for e.g. American Industrial reduces the credibility of monitoring
Hygiene Association, 2005; British Stand- systems and together with the production
ards Institute, 2007). As can be observed pressure there is tendency for companies
from Table 1, in AS/NZS 4801:2001 OSH to reduce their emphasis on hazard moni-
monitoring can be broadly categorised toring and the data obtained from hazard
into: hazard monitoring, incident/failure monitoring. Understanding the tendency
monitoring, implementation monitor- to discredit monitoring systems is critical
ing, and performance monitoring. This in accident prevention because it empha-
categorisation will be used to facilitate sises the need to continuously ensure the
discussion herein. credibility of hazard monitoring systems
even before operation begins. Credibility
Discussion and Recommendations is based on the technical validation of the
Hazard Monitoring monitoring system and companies will
All three major accidents highlighted have to invest significant effort and re-
earlier had the common problem of inad- sources in improving the reliability of the
equate hazard monitoring. In the case of system. If the hazard monitoring system
Texas BP, the devices used to monitor the is credible, it will be easier for companies
level of flammable liquid were defective, to ensure compliance to required actions
causing the operators to be ignorant of at different threshold levels of the moni-
the impending dangers. In Nicoll High- toring data.
way, the instrumentation data were not
monitored consistently and interpretation OSH Performance Monitoring
of the data nullified the warnings that Besides hazard monitoring, the major ac-
the data could have conveyed. In Moura, cidents discussed in this paper highlight-
the gas monitoring identified high level ed the importance of using appropriate
of carbon monoxide concentration, but indicators to monitor OSH performance.
there was no policy on the necessary ac- As compared to other types of monitor-
tions for such warning signs. Based on ing, OSH performance monitoring covers
these three cases it can be seen that there a broad range of indicators and is not as
are usually ample opportunities for com- well-defined. The overall purpose of OSH
panies to avert major accidents, but these performance monitoring is to monitor
opportunities were lost due to failure the effectiveness of the OSH management
to ensure effective monitoring of major system in preventing OSH incidents and
hazards. it can include different combinations of
From hindsight the lack of emphasis on hazard monitoring, incident/failure mon-
effective monitoring of major hazards itoring and implementation monitoring.
may appear counterintuitive, but during Hopkins (2009) highlighted two funda-
the unfolding of events leading to the ac- mental dimensions of OSH performance
cident, management and workers were monitoring: (1) leading vs. lagging and
in a very different context. Accidents are (2) personal safety vs. process safety.
events that are inherently uncertain. The Hopkins’ (2009) evaluation of the Baker’s

SESSION 2
report (2007) and the guide by Health conducted on methods to integrate expert
and Safety Executive (2006) revealed the opinion and OSH performance indicators
current lack of clarity of leading and lag- to provide a more reliable indicator of
ging indicators, but concluded that the OSH performance.
distinction between leading and lagging
indicators is ultimately of little conse- References
quence. According to Hopkins, the key American Industrial Hygiene Associa-
is to ensure that the indicators provide a tion. (2005). Occupational health and
reliable representation of the effectiveness safety management systems (ANSI/AIHA
of the OSH management system. Such Z10-2005). Fairfax.
assertion does not facilitate selection of Baker, J.A., Erwin, G., Priest, S., Tebo,
OSH performance indicators. However, P.V., Rosenthal, I., Bowman, F.L., Hend-
Hopkins’ remarks did surface the need ershot, D., Leveson, N., Wilson, D., Gor-
for further research into OSH perform- ton, S., Wiegmann, D.A. (2007). THE
ance indicators. REPORT OF THE BP U.S. REFINERIES
OSH performance indicators should INDEPENDENT SAFETY REVIEW
ultimately indicate the actual level of PANEL: The B.P. U.S. Refineries Inde-
OSH risk that the organisation faces. pendent Safety Review Panel. Retrieved
To achieve this, a range of indicators Nov. 2008.
should be used. Despite the inadequacy British Standards Institute. (2007). Oc-
of incident rates, they are an indispen- cupational health and safety management
sable indicator. It is recommended that systems – Requirements (BS OHSAS
incident rates should be used to alert 18001:2007). London: British Standards
management of poor OSH performance, Institute.
but it should not be used to indicate good Chemical Safety Board (2007). Investiga-
performance. Good performance would tion Report – Refinery Explosion and
be better reflected by implementation of Fire (BP Texas). Retrieved December,
OSH management system requirements 2008, from www.csb.gov.
and plans, which include procedures Hopkins, A. (1999). Managing major
for hazard monitoring. Implementation hazards – the lessons of the Moura mine
monitoring data should also be coupled disaster. Nest: Allen & Unwin.
with expert assessment of the OSH man- Hopkins, A. (2009). Thinking about
agement system. The expert assessment process safety indicators. Safety Science,
is particularly important in assessing the 47(4), 460-465. Article.
effectiveness of the OSH management Magnus, R., Teh, C.I., Lau, J.M. (2005).
system because measurement of OSH Report of the Committee of Inquiry
performance is very complex. A direct into the Incident at the MRT Circle Line
correlation between OSH performance Worksite that Led to the Collapse of the
indicators and actual risk is unlikely to Nicoll Highway on 20 April 2004 Singa-
be established with confidence. Hence, pore: Subordinate Courts.
this is where expert opinion coupled with Standards Australia and Standards New
indicators of implementation, incident/ Zealand. (2001). Occupational health
failure rates and results of hazard moni- and safety management systems – Speci-
toring would form a richer picture of the fication with guidance for use (AS/NZS
effectiveness of OSH performance. It is 4801:2001). Standards Australia Online.
recommended that further research be Retrieved October 21, 2008.

SESSION 2
Research on the Safety Climate at ERGOSE’s Worksites
Eleni Douvi and Vasilios Spyrakos

ERGOSE S.A., Greece
Scope of the Study Questionnaire A referred to the higher

The purpose of the study was to assess, level of Supervising Engineers
evaluate and improve the Safety Climate [hereinafter Group A].
within the Company’s worksites. The Questionnaire B referred to the lower
Health & Safety [H&S] Department be- level of ERGOSE’s Supervising Engineers
gan the survey by investigating the Safety [hereinafter Group B].
Climate among ERGOSE’s Supervising
Engineers, because they can influence the Presentation of Group A & Group B
Safety Climate of the Contractors. Group A encompasses the higher level
of Supervising Engineers, i.e. Project
Organization Directors and Contract Managers. They
The first step of the survey was to record monitor the construction progress at the
all factors that create a Climate of Safety worksites under their responsibility.
among ERGOSE’s Supervising Engineers.
Then it was necessary to issue a Ques- Group B encompasses ERGOSE’s Super-
tionnaire with which ERGOSE’s Super- vising Engineers. In each one of
vising Engineers would assess the above- ERGOSE’s worksites there is a group (3-8
mentioned factors, i.e.: employees) responsible for monitoring
■ ERGOSE’s Top Management commit- construction activities according to the
ment to H&S issues. specifications of the design. Since their
■ ERGOSE’s procedures for managing duties also include monitoring safety is-
H&S issues at the worksites. sues, one employee from the group is as-
■ Knowledge of the Contractors’ Safety signed to this task.
Procedures by ERGOSE’s Supervising
Engineers. According to the corporate Organiza-
■ ERGOSE’s procedure for the commu- tional Chart, Group A personnel are in
nication of H&S information among charge of Group B personnel.
ERGOSE’s engineers.
Presentation of the Results
For the purpose of the study, ERGOSE’s Only a small number of employees from
Supervising Engineers were divided into Group A answered Questionnaire A (3
two groups, according to their responsi- out of a total of 15 employees who be-
bilities. As a result, two Questionnaires long to Group A), while 77 employees
needed to be issued: answered Questionnaire B (out of a total
of 121 employees who belong to Group
B, which corresponds to 63%). Due to the

SESSION 2
low response rate of Group A, the results sites.

of Questionnaire A are not considered ■ Only 30% of Group B personnel use
representative. For this reason only the Personal Protective Equipment [PPE]
results of Questionnaire B are presented on a permanent basis.
here below: ■ Only 30% of Group B personnel be-
■ 80% of Group B personnel feel that it lieve that they can influence the Safety
is very probable that a serious accident Climate within their worksite at a
will occur at their workplaces. “very high” degree. They claim that if
■ 80% of Group B believes in the im- they had more authority they would
portance of implementing remedial accomplish it.
actions after the occurrence of an ■ Younger employees [up to 30 years of
incident. age] and older employees [over 50]
■ 80% of Group B believes in the im- seem to be less afraid of an impending
portance of implementing remedial serious accident. In the case of the first
actions pursuant to the recommenda- age group, this is attributed to insuf-
tions made by the H&S Department ficient experience, whereas the second
during the Department’s monthly age group is used to working without
audits at the worksites. safety measures. The latter may be
■ All of the respondents within Group attributed to the fact that H&S legisla-
B (100%) stated that it is very impor- tion in Greece is quite new.
tant to implement preventive actions ■ Employees at the age of 41-50 seem to
during all construction activities and be more sensitive to H&S issues. This
not only when performing “dangerous is attributed to the emphasis that has
activities”. been given in recent years in Greece to
■ At a percentage of 70%, Group B Occupational H&S.
personnel believe that they are encou- ■ Irrespective of the above mentioned
raged (by Group A) to report unsafe results, older employees seem to:
conditions in the worksite under their ▶ be more sensitive and follow Safety
responsibility. Procedures at a higher degree,
■ 80% of Group B believes that the in- ▶ claim that they can influence the
clusion of H&S issues in the agenda of Safety Climate in the Contractors’
the meetings held between ERGOSE’s worksites at a higher degree,
Supervising Team and the Contractors ▶ believe strongly in ERGOSE’s Top
is highly important. Management commitment to H&S,
■ Only 70% of Group B personnel said ▶ feel that they are more encouraged
that they have been sufficiently infor- (by Group A) to report unsafe
med as to the dangers of their working conditions.
environment.
■ At a percentage of 80%, Group B per- Presentation of Remedial Actions
sonnel are aware of their Contractor Taking into consideration the above-
Safety Procedures, although only a mentioned results, remedial actions were
small number (27%) knows these Pro- introduced in order to improve the Safety
cedures in depth and complies with Climate in Group B:
them. This 27% consists of employees ■ The organization of training programs
who are or used to be responsible for concerning the use of PPE and the
monitoring safety issues in the work- importance of implementing remedial

SESSION 2
actions after an incident. Through this investigation several pa-
■ The Top Management needs to compel rameters will be assessed, such as human
Group B personnel to attend future behaviour, personnel’s competences, the
training programs organized by the support of the worksite’s environment
H&S Department. concerning H&S and the degree of influ-
■ The Top Management of ERGOSE ence of ERGOSE’s Supervising Engineers
needs to show more clearly that H&S on the implementation of safety precau-
issues are considered equally impor- tions at the worksites. Remedial actions
tant to the progress of the worksites’ will be recommended, according to the
activities. For this reason, in future results.
visits to the worksites a presentation Finally, all the measured parameters will
will be made by the Contractors’ Sa- be further assessed in order to obtain an
fety Engineers concerning the imple- overall evaluation and be able to improve
mented safety precautions. the Safety Climate in all ERGOSE’s activi-
■ Within the framework of the H&S ties.
Department’s future audits, presen-
tations will be made to the members Abstract
of ERGOSE’s Supervising Team (in ERGOSE S.A., a subsidiary of the Hel-
cooperation with the respective lenic Railways Organization (OSE), was
Contractor’s Safety Engineer), concer- established in 1996 to undertake the
ning the Contractor’s Safety Procedu- management of the Organization’s In-
res (which must be followed). vestment Programme which aims at the
■ Additional authority has to be given modernization of the Greek Railways.
to Group B personnel to enable them ERGOSE has committed itself to imple-
to deal more effectively with Contrac- ment its Investment Programme under
tors’ unsafe working conditions in the the safest working conditions. For this
future. Until then, Group A needs to reason a Safety Management System has
encourage Group B personnel more been developed and implemented since
clearly to report unsafe conditions in 2003. The corporate Safety Management
the worksite under their responsibility. System was first certified according to
■ A new procedure needs to be added the OHSAS 18001:1999 standard and
in ERGOSE’s Procedures, which will lately according to the amended OHSAS
stipulate that employees monitoring 18001:2007 standard.
H&S issues in ERGOSE’s worksites In 2009, for the first time, a survey was
shall change on a yearly basis. This will organized by the Health & Safety Depart-
allow more employees from Group B ment in order to assess the Safety Climate
to gain awareness on H&S within the among ERGOSE’s worksites. The first
life cycle of each worksite. part of the survey focused on ERGOSE’s
Supervising Engineers who supervise the
Future Plans Contractors’ worksites.
A second phase will follow, during The study presents the results of the
which further investigation will take survey and proposals that could be im-
place among the entire workforce of the plemented in order to improve the Safety
Contractors: Workers, Foremen, Super- Climate of ERGOSE’s Supervising Team.
visors, Engineers, Management, Safety
Engineers, and Occupational Doctors.

SESSION 2
Process Observation at Machine Tools – Preventive Approach and Reality
Christoph Preusse
Expert Committee for Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Systems, Steel
Construction of BG Metall Nord Süd, Germany
Approach consider process observation as a manu-

Process observation is caused by the tasks facturer.
of related standardisation, in Europe es-
pecially the Machinery Directive. It is one Implementing process observation in
of the interfaces between human and ma- industry
chinery which can be problematic. With- Several manufactures of machine centres
out the possibility of process observation got negative response from the users of
sometimes safeguards are defeated. these machines. Standardization helps
manufactures to manage these problems
The machinery directive 2006/42/EC, by addressing possible measures for ob-
clause 1.1.2 of Annex I “principles of safe- serving processes. This happened e.g. in
ty integration” states that machinery must EN ISO 11161 “Integrated Manufactur-
be supplied with all the special equipment ing Systems” or in an amendment to EN
and accessories essential to enable it to be 12417 “Machine Centres”. To implement
adjusted, maintained and used safely. This the measures into this standards, in 2002
includes the process observation. the team of machinery experts at the
Seen from another, but rather similar per- Berufsgenossenschaft Metall Nord Sued
spective, ergonomics shall also be taken elaborated an informal abstract named
into account. Here, discomfort, fatigue “Fachausschuss – Informationsblatt” (in-
and physical and psychological stress formation leaflet published by the tech-
faced by the operator must be reduced to nical committee), where problems and
the minimum possible, under the foresee- necessary measures were determined.
able intended conditions of use. 2006/42/ Process observation normally acts be-
EC takes into account ergonomic prin- tween automatic and manual tasks. In
ciples such as allowing for the variability particular for automatic machines, there
of the operator’s physical dimensions, is a higher risk of hazards than for manu-
strength and stamina, providing enough ally controlled machines due to the com-
space for movements of the parts of the plex manufacturing process. The require-
operator’s body, avoiding a machine-de- ments in guidelines and standards take
termined work rate, avoiding monitoring this fact into account by providing guards
that requires lengthy concentration, or for automatic machines separating the
adapting the man/machinery interface working areas of machines and operators.
to the foreseeable characteristics of the
operators. There are only a few exceptions, such as
set-up operations or manual operations
These statements on prevention suffice to where the operator is allowed to observe

SESSION 2
the process while guards are open by a considerable damage of the material/or
applying alternative safeguards, e. g. an the machine. Therefore, it is necessary to
enabling switch. Observing an automatic provide a further mode of operation.
process is not permitted in most of the
standards. The principles for the realisation of such
a further mode of operation are described
This way of action is well-tried and suf- in a flowchart and by means of nine crite-
ficient for most machines since a high ria (see fig.).
level of safety for the operator is achieved.
However, for certain manufacturing proc- The additional mode of operation is to be
esses practice showed that it is sometimes understood as a combination of technical
not sufficient to observe the set-up or the safety measures and requirements for safe
manual operation processes only. Some- behaviour that offers maximum possible
times the temporary observation of an protection for the operator, according to
automatic process is also necessary. This the state of the art. However, prior to its
is required in particular if workpieces and application, that specific mode of opera-
materials shall be worked in the single tion must prove to be “unavoidable”. The
part manufacture. Deviations from the technical safety measures shall be carried
predetermined process may be identified out in such a way that even foreseeable
and the process can be optimised by spe- misuse will be prevented.
cific input at the control device.
Limiting the velocities and transverse
The single part manufacture at machining paths and the disconnection of move-
centres represents a working condition ments which are not required for the ad-
where the operator may be required to ditional mode of operation, such as those
observe processes, such as e.g. a covered of the tool changer’s rotary axis, would
(hidden) cut at the workpiece or to find represent a suitable measure to avoid per-
the zero reference point at geometrical manent operation whilst doors are open.
complex workpieces from a very close
position without any protective effect of For the scope of this article, it is not pos-
the safety devices. sible to mention the measures for the
additional mode of operation “Process
In such a case, the specified modes of observation” in a detailed and complete
operation “Setting” (mode of operation 2) manner due to the large variety of situa-
and “Manual Intervention” (mode of options requiring such a mode of operation.
eration 3) with the corresponding veloc-
ity data and safety devices are applied in The features indicated in the flowchart
accordance with standard DIN EN 12417, and the nine criteria represent sugges-
as far as applicable. However, it may be tions for responsible action if the manu-
possible that for certain processes, e.g. the facturer realises (after carrying out the
velocity data provided by the standard, hazard analysis in accordance with EN
are insufficient or that the use of the ena- ISO 12100 and EN ISO 14121) that the
bling switch over a longer period is not measures by design, specified for the in-
feasible due to ergonomic reasons. tended use in guidelines and standards,
and measures by guards cannot be fully
Releasing the enabling switch may lead to applied to reduce the risk.

SESSION 2
Fig.: Flowchart for additional mode of operation “Process observation”

SESSION 2
This way of action shall be subject of tasks of the process he wants to have. Out
intense contact with the future user in or- of this information, the manufacturer of
der to be able to analyse the requirements the machine centre does not offer a proc-
for the behaviour of the operating per- ess observation – a simulated system of
sonnel and translate them into action. On the related tasks in the electronic system
no account, a bridging of the safeguards of the machine and programming the
without additional safety measures shall workflow in a proper way makes proc-
be carried out, even not with hidden fas- ess observation unnecessary. The expert
tened key switches. committee of the BGs provides personal
Particular working processes, such as e.g. assistance to the user.
working of hidden (covered) contours
or a process observation for workpieces Another example is that a user of produc-
of complex geometry in metal working tion machinery implemented a special
machines, possibly require an additional mode of operation. He named it “mode
mode of operation in addition to those 5”, it describes measures to avoid harm
defined in the European standards which by asking for internal technical measures
permit the temporary observation of an inside the machinery. This approach was
automatic process while guards are open defined in EN ISO 11161, the user spe-
by applying additional safety measures. cialised it for his needs in collaboration
Manufacturers are quite often surprised with the expert committee of the BG.
of this possibility; they are sometimes
even surprised that they have to imple- Nevertheless: Prevention in this field has
ment extra measures for the machine. to continue and has to be supported by
expert teams. They have to elaborate the
Reality field of standardization as a basis for their
The reality we are facing shows that a lot work, assist manufacturers and users by
of safeguards are circumvented to get an reflecting on and answering their ques-
“easy” process observation mode. tions and teaching all persons the user
The best solution is sometimes the most in managing the duties enshrined in the
expensive one. Sometimes manufacturers machinery directive as well as the occu-
try to circumvent that problem by shift- pational health and safety directives.
ing responsibility. The expert committee
of the BGs provides information as well
as personal assistance. As we have seen
before, responsibility lies with the manu-
facturer of a machine in accordance with
the machinery directive.
But the best solution is not necessarily
the most expensive one – the keyword
here is to communicate first and then to
start building the machine! This sounds
very easy; it can be only easy, when it is
worked out in an appropriate way.
Example: A user of huge machine-centres
communicates with his supplier long be-
fore the machine is built and tells him the

SESSION 3
OSH research
SESSION 3
OSH Research – Improvement of Research and Development: Quality In-
dicators and Criteria for Research and Development in the Field of
Occupational Safety and Health
Eva Flaspöler and Dietmar Reinert
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of the German Social Accident Insurance
(DGUV), Germany
Description and identify areas which lend themselves

The sub-project 12 “Research and Devel- for improvements. The experience gained
opment” was carried out in the project from the pilot survey was used as a basis
“Quality in Prevention” from 2004 to for the following surveys: For assessing
2008. the quality of research and development,
the expectations regarding the quality of
Goals research and development projects (target
The “Quality in Prevention” project’s value) and the quality of research and
“Research and Development” sub-project development (actual value) were to be
had several goals: assessed with the help of two question-
■ The quality assessment of research naires. The expectations of the prevention
and development was used to identify managers of the 25 German statutory
where action was potentially needed accident insurers for the industrial sec-
in order to improve the quality of tor (N=23) were captured to design the
research and development. research and development projects. In
■ The qualitative results of this assess- addition, the research and development
ment were used to adapt the quality projects (N=161) conducted by the
criteria for the research and develop- statutory accident insurance institutions
ment prevention service and to opti- between 1999 and 2002 were assessed by
mise them for the accident insurance their project initiators. In order to iden-
providers’ specific requirements. tify where action was potentially needed,
■ The interactions between the research the target value was compared with the
and development prevention service actual value. Additionally, the free-text
and other prevention services were answers regarding the evaluation of in-
analysed in order to understand the dividual criteria and suggested improve-
relations between the prevention ments were analysed to adapt the quality
services. criteria in research and development pre-
vention service and to optimise them for
Methodology the accident insurance providers’ specific
First of all, a literature survey was carried requirements. The final step was to iden-
out to get to know relevant quality crite- tify the interactions between the research
ria for the area of research and develop- and development prevention service and
ment. An initial structured interview was other prevention services.
used to interview several project manag-
ers about the quality of their projects Quality assessment
(N=30). During the interviews, they were The prevention managers’ expectations of
asked to give reasons for their assessment research and development are especially
SESSION 3
high with regard to time management, General quality criteria

co-operation, and practical relevance,
while their expectations in connec- ■ To what extent are the research and
tion with publications are significantly development outcomes a result of
lower than for any of the other aspects. good scientific practice (research in
The project initiators’ assessment of the advance, objectivity, reliability, vali-
research and development findings was dity and transparency?
uniformly positive, with all the evalu- (“Technical expertise”)
ation criteria achieving a clear positive
score. Four of the five quality indicators
achieved a score of four on a five-point ■ To what extent are procedures and
Likert scale. The highest scores were ob- findings made public, e.g. in discus-
tained by technical expertise (M=4.50) sions, lectures and publications so
and cooperation (M=4.29). A compari- that they are subject to critical peer
son of the expectations of research and review? (“Publications”)
development with the actual evaluations
of completed projects reveals that when
it comes to technical expertise, publica- ■ To what extent do research and de-
tions, and co-operation, there is no or velopment projects have plans that
very little action required to bring actual include a description of the different
quality in line with expected quality. It is phases and milestones, schedules,
only in the area of time management that ideas for implementing the findings
weaknesses in research and development and an evaluation of the outcomes;
were ascertained. to what extent is the project mana-
geable in terms of both its timing
Quality criteria and its content? (“Time manage-
An analysis of the free-text answers ment” and “Practical relevance”)
regarding the evaluation of individual
criteria and improvement recommenda-
tions derived thereof suggest ten basic ■ To what extent is the project initia-
questions that may be used to measure tor involved in project management,
the quality of research and development e.g. through regular discussions
and help to systematically bring about with a project working group?
improvements. (“Co-operation”)
While the general quality criteria can be
used to evaluate research and develop-
ment in its entirety, the specific quality ■ To what extent is the target group
criteria are applicable to many but not involved in the research and deve-
every aspect of research and develop- lopment project, e.g. through site
ment. visits by the project leader, inter-
views, etc. and to what extent are
the target group’s suggestions taken
on board? (“Practical relevance”)

SESSION 3
Interactions
■ To what extent are research and The research and development prevention
development findings incorporated service interacted particularly strongly
into other prevention services or with the following prevention services:
practical services/products; to what “Consulting”, “Information, Communica-
extent does the use of research tion and Information Material”, “Com-
and development findings in other pany medical support and guidance on
areas occur promptly? (“Practical safety technology” and “Investigation”.
relevance” and “Time manage- Furthermore, the “Quality in Prevention”
ment”) project’s “Interactions” sub-project found
that the research and development pre-
vention service has a very strong influ-
ence on other prevention services, but is
Specific quality criteria itself only moderately influenced by other
services (Zieschang, 2007). These find-
■ To what extent does the research ings suggest that the research and devel-
and development project incorpora- opment prevention service is a key driver
te new and contemporary scientific of all the other prevention services.
thinking? (“Technical expertise”)
Conclusion
The research and development preven-
■ To what extent is the research and tion service is (to be) evaluated and is (to
development project conducted in be) systematically improved by taking
an integrated, interdisciplinary and into account the quality criteria listed be-
international manner? (“Practical fore. Due to its diverse interactions with
relevance”, “Technical expertise”, and other prevention services the increase in
“Co-operation”) quality for the research and development
prevention service will surely pay off.
■ To what extent can the outcomes Reference list

of the research and development Kohstall, T.. Final Report. Quality in
project be used for methodology Prevention – Effectiveness and Efficiency
development, thereby forming the of the Prevention Services of the Social
basis of other projects? Accident Insurance in Germany. 2009.
(“Publications”) Available at: http://www.dguv.de/bgag/
de/forschung/forschungsprojekte_archiv/
qdp/qdp_abschluss/_dokumente/qdp_
■ To what extent are the research and komplett_en.pdf
development projects externally Kohstall, T.. Abschlussbericht. Wirksam-
funded? (“Co-operation”) keit und Wirtschaftlichkeit der Präven-
tionsdienstleistungen der gewerblichen
Berufsgenossenschaften. Qualität in der
Prävention. 2009. Available at: http://
www.dguv.de/bgag/de/forschung/forsch-
ungsprojekte_archiv/qdp/qdp_abschluss
/_dokumente/qdp_komplett_de.pdf

SESSION 3
Reinert, D. & Flaspöler, E.. Forschungs-

und Entwicklungsergebnisse. Qualität
in der Prävention. 2008. Available at:
http://www.dguv.de/bgag/de/forschung/
forschungsprojekte_archiv/qdp/qdp_ab-
schluss/_dokumente/qdp_ab12.pdf
Zieschang, H.. Wechselwirkungen der
berufsgenossenschaftlichen Prävention.
Qualität in der Prävention. 2007. Avail-
able at: http://www.dguv.de/bgag/de/for-
schung/forschungsprojekte_archiv/qdp/
qdp_abschluss/_dokumente/qdp_ab02.
pdf

SESSION 3
Application of a Hazard and Operability Study to Hazard Evaluation of a
Chemical Unit of the Power Station
Ehsan Habibi, Mohsen Zare and Abolfazl Barkhordari
University of Esfahan, Iran
Introduction Conclusion
Today, Hazard and Operability Study In conclusion, HAZOP can be considered
(HAZOP) is recognized as one of the as an effective method for the recogni-
most accurate multi specialist team ap- tion and prediction of hazards in chemi-
proaches to determine risks and hazards. cal unit of power plants. This technique,
It is applied in various industries includ- therefore, may increase the safety levels,
ing refineries, petrochemical, and metal- prevent accidents and increase the reli-
lurgical, pharmaceutical and chemical ability of systems via the reduction of
industries. operational problems.
Material & Methods This investigation was sponsored by Esfa-

This technique was used to recognize the han University of medical sciences.
hazards and problems of operations in
the chemical section at power stations
and then evaluate important risk fac-
tors. In this study, 126 deviations were
recognized with various causes and con-
sequences.
Results
Ranking and evaluation of identified risks
indicate that the majority of deviations
were categorized as “acceptable” and less
than half were “unacceptable”. The high-
est calculated risk level (1B) related to
both the interruption of acid entry to the
discharge pumps and an increased den-
sity of the acid. About 27% of the devia-
tions had the lowest risk level (4B).

SESSION 3
Protection Systems Against Fire and Explosion Hazards at Machine Tools
when Using Flammable Metal Working Fluids
Harald Sefrin
Expert Committee for Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Systems, Steel Con-
struction of BG Metall Nord Süd, Germany
Non water-soluble, flammable metal- with the aim to investigate specifically

working fluids are increasingly used in the impact of such fire and explosion
the metalworking industry to imple- hazards.
ment efficient and economic production. For this purpose, ignition tests were car-
This trend brings the topic of fire and ried out in a machine tool during turning
explosion protection and prevention for and grinding operations of workpieces by
machine tools to the fore. Depending on using non water-soluble metalworking
the type of machining, violent reactions fluids (MWF) at IBExU, Freiberg (Ger-
of the oil/air mixture may occur in the many).
interior of the machine tool, which can It was determined what kind of pressure
be followed by a fire and severe accidents effects and flame propagations may result
with burns and high material damages from ignitions in the machining area dur-
due to fire propagation. ing turning and grinding of workpieces.
In order to protect the machine operator At the ignition of explosive partial vol-
against such fire and explosion hazards, umes in the machining area, strong
the VDW (German Machine Tool Build- flames escaped within the operating area
ers’ Association) and the BG (Statutory of the machine in case of unfavorable
Accident Insurance Institution) in coop- labyrinth geometry.
eration with the companies INDEX/ Furthermore, it could be determined that
Traub and others carried out a project a flame ejection in the extraction must
Fig. 1: Flame ejection in the door area during Fig. 2: Flame propagation in the extraction
deflagration in case of an unfavorable Source: Fire and explosion tests at IBExU
labyrinth geometry
Source: BGI 719

SESSION 3
be expected if no suitable measures are during the tests at points of flame ejec-
taken. tions, e. g. by attaching angled sheet
Initial provisional measures, such as fix- metal strips at the chip removal box. Fur-
ing a baffle plate in front of the extraction thermore, several flame arresters of dif-
opening, installation of a pre-separator ferent design were tested with regard to
and the sealing of the door areas with their resistance against flame ejection.
sheet metal strips showed initial successes
in the fight against flame ejection.
Fig. 3: Flame arrester of INDEX-Büchel Fig. 4: Flame arrester, concept sketch

Source: Company INDEX Source: Company INDEX
In a further test series, FWF, BGM, In the field tests with different application
INDEX/Traub in cooperation with other conditions, one single design turned out
companies joined again in order to de- to be flame resistant.
velop efficient protection systems against With the flame arrester of INDEX-Büchel
flame ejections in the work zone of the (see fig. 3) a flame resistant device for
operator and the extraction circuit. For the installation in extraction systems was
this purpose, a reworked machine tool developed which is suitable to prevent
was provided by the company INDEX by flame ejections from single machines into
means of which different designs of door the central extraction.
labyrinths could be tested. In addition, In addition, sealing measures at the ma-
further sealing measures were carried out chine and further sealing plates during
Fig. 5: Improved labyrinth sealings Fig. 6: Improved labyrinth sealings: concept

Source: Company INDEX sketch
Source: Company INDEX

SESSION 3
the test restricted flame ejections in the
operating area to an extent that no hazard
by flames could be detected any longer.
The tests showed that it is possible to

prevent flame ejections at the machine
tool in the operating area to a large extent
by means of improved sealing at housing
gaps and reworked door labyrinths.

SESSION 3
Interventions for Preventing Exposure to Chemical Substances Known to
Cause Health Hazards in Workers:
A Cochrane Systematic Review Protocol
Marika Lehtola *)
Background reviewed and accepted by the CRG. After

In Europe, 19.1% of all workers are ex- this, the final review is published online
posed to chemicals by inhaling smoke, in the Cochrane Library. Often Cochrane
fumes, powders or dusts and 11.2% to reviews are also rewritten in a shorter for-
vapours such as solvents and thinners mat and published in a paper journal.
(Parent-Thirion et al., 2007). Chemical
substances are known to cause different At the second step of protocol develop-
types of health hazards (asthma, skin ment, the following methods are used as
irritation, mesothelioma, cancer etc). prescribed by the Cochrane Handbook
Many exposure studies have been done (Higgins & Green, 2008). The research
before, but the effectiveness of different question is defined according to the
prevention methods in real life situations PICO concept: population (P), interven-
often remains to be studied and is thus tion (I), comparison (C) and outcome
unknown. Therefore we will undertake (O). This, together with included study
a Cochrane systematic review to synthe- designs, is used to define clear study in-
size all relevant evidence with sufficient clusion and exclusion criteria. These are
quality about interventions preventing then translated into a comprehensive lit-
or reducing the exposure to chemical erature search strategy. How study quality
substances that are known to cause health will be assessed also has to be clearly pre-
hazards in workers. specified at this stage. The protocol con-
cludes with a description of the methods
Methods that will be used for pooling the results.
A systematic review is an overview of
literature that is prepared by using a sys- Results
tematic approach to minimise bias and The protocol for this review will be ready
random error. The Cochrane Collabora- to be sent to the CRG after the challeng-
tion has elaborated its own approach for ing search strategy is finalized. The PICO
making high-quality systematic reviews. definitions are the following:
Cochrane reviews entail three steps start-
ing with registration of a review title with P = healthy or unhealthy workers or
a Cochrane Collaboration Review Group workplaces where exposure to hazardous
(CRG) to avoid duplication. The second chemical substances exists. Workers that
step is writing a protocol and having it are exposed to pesticides will be excluded
peer-reviewed and accepted by the CRG. from this review since they will be in-
The third step is carrying out the proto- cluded in a another Cochrane review;
col, writing the review, having it peer-

SESSION 3
I = interventions deliberately applied to Acceptable high quality study types are

decrease the level of exposure that will randomised controlled trials (RCTs), con-
reduce in real life situations the rate or trolled before-after studies (CBAs) and
severity of injuries and health problems interrupted time-series (ITS) studies.
caused by chemical substances. Meas- Studies will be searched from electronic
urements performed to study to which reference databases (MEDLINE,
chemical substances or to what exposure EMBASE, OSH UPDATE, Cochrane
levels the worker is exposed to are not Central Register for Controlled Trials
considered as interventions. Interven- (CENTRAL), The Cochrane Occupation-
tions will be categorized into three levels: al Health Field Database) and conference
the first level such as legislation and regu- proceedings.
lations, the second level which includes Studies will be assessed in terms of their
interventions that have been implement- risk of bias.
ed at the company level and at the third High quality study results are then pooled
level interventions are aimed at workers in a meta-analysis. If no sufficiently ho-
or workplaces e.g. personal protective mogenous high quality studies are avail-
equipment (PPE); able, studies will be categorised according
to the type of intervention and the expo-
C = preferably a randomised no-treat- sure route, and summarized narratively.
ment control group;
Conclusions
O = changes in exposure level or time The protocol will result in a review of the
and health effects. Studies that measure evidence on measures to prevent occupa-
the outcome by self-reported question- tional chemical exposure including impli-
naires will be excluded. The following cations for both research and practice.
definitions for the outcome measures will
be used: References
a) Exposure: studies in which either en- Parent-Thirion A., Macías E. F., Hurley, J.,
vironmental or biomonitoring (biological Vermeylen, G. (2007). Fourth European
monitoring) measurements have been Working Conditions Survey (Rep. No.
done, minimum of two-hour measure- TJ-76-06-497-EN-C). European Founda-
ments have to have been carried out in tion for the Improvement of Living and
the study, short measurement times Working Conditions. Available from
(< 2 h) are accepted for studying acute http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/pub-
or short time exposure or in case of sam- docs/2006/98/en/2/ef0698en.pdf
plers that work only for one hour,
b) Health Effects: all kinds of immediate Higgins JPT, Green S (editors). (2008)
or long term health effects that are objec- Cochrane Handbook for Systematic
tively measured including reproductive Reviews of Interventions Version 5.0.1
health effects (e.g. incidence of sponta- [updated September 2008]. The Cochrane
neous abortions, malformations, sperm Collaboration. Available from http://
count and hormonal disorders), fatal and www.cochrane-handbook.org/
non-fatal injuries are also considered
to belong to the category of immediate
health effects though here self-reporting
will be accepted.

*)
Marika Lehtola 1, Juha Laitinen 1, Eero Priha 1, Dick Heederik 2, Rick Niemeier 3
and Jos Verbeek 1
1 Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH), Finland
2 Institute of Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Netherlands
3 The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), United States of
America

SESSION 3
Development of the Construction Safety Audit Scoring System (ConSASS)
in Singapore
Alvian Tan and Heng Huat Go
OSH Specialist Department, Occupational Safety and Health Division, Ministry of
Manpower (MOM), Singapore
Abstract ConSASS was also provided to auditors.

The Construction Safety Audit Scoring
System (ConSASS) is an audit tool that With a standardised audit checklist and a
provides an assessment of the occupa- common audit scoring system, ConSASS
tional safety and health management would enhance the consistency in the au-
system (OSHMS) at a construction site. It diting process. By providing a clear over-
is the first attempt by the construction in- view of the strengths and weaknesses of
dustry in Singapore to formulate a more their OSHMS, this allows for cross com-
universal audit tool that may be applica- parison across worksites in terms of the
ble to most worksites. capabilities in managing safety and health
risks. It would also help in promoting and
Central to ConSASS is the audit checklist raising OSH standards in Singapore by
and scorecard that are used for the evalu- enabling stakeholders to create a profile
ation of the effectiveness and develop- of OSH performance for the construction
ment status of the worksite’s OSHMS industry.
being audited. These were developed in
partnerships with academic institutions Development of the ConSASS in
and various stakeholders such as the Singapore
Building and Construction Authority,
Nanyang Technological University, the Introduction
then Workplace Safety and Health Con- 1. In Singapore, construction worksites
struction Advisory Sub-committee, and with contract sums higher or equal to
various auditing companies. The check- S$30 million are required to appoint an
list, containing approximately 300 ques- independent external auditing organiza-
tions, was referenced after local OSHMS tion to audit the OSHMS of the worksite
standards and the Universal Assessment at least once every 6 months. Approved
Instrument (UAI) tool developed by the safety auditing organizations are required
University of Michigan and published to adhere to an established audit protocol
by the American Industrial Hygiene As- when conducting an audit of the OSHMS
sociation (AIHA). Dr Charles Redinger, in a worksite. However, the existing au-
the co-author of the UAI was also invited diting checklists, which vary among the
to provide consultancy services to this audit organization, do not provide a good
project. During the final phase of devel- and consistent indication of the level of
opment, trials were carried out with over safety maturity of the contractors. There-
24 worksites with the assistance rendered fore, the capability of the contractors to
by private auditors. Training on the use of manage occupational safety and health

SESSION 3
effectively remains unclear. As approved For auditors: an objective assessment

auditing organizations use their own method to remove the inconsistencies in
scoring system to grade the perform- the existing audit process due to varying
ance of the implementation of OSHMS audit standards adopted by different audit
at different worksites, developers are also companies; (iii) For contractors: a clear
unable to identify the better contractors overview of the strengths and weaknesses
during the tendering process. As a result, of their OSHMS so that improvements in
there is a lack of strong business impera- the weaker areas could be made; (iv) For
tives for contractors to take a serious view the legislator: monitor the OSH perform-
towards safety audits. ance of the construction industry based
on the profiles generated.
2. Although there are various rating
systems available in the industry, there
was variability in the quality of the audits Methodology
submitted. The use of different checklists 4. The project, divided over 3 phases,
and a lack of a standardised scoring sys- was completed over 2 years. Phase 1 in-
tems pose challenges when differentiating volved the development of a quantitative
worksites in term of their effectiveness checklist to assist auditors in auditing
and implementation of OSHMS. In ad- the contractors’ OSHMS while much of
dition, the construction sector remained Phase 2 was devoted towards the develop-
one of the riskier sectors in Singapore. ment of a rating system that makes use of
Over the past three years, the industry the results from the checklist to measure
accounted for more than one third of all contractors’ performance appropriately.
workplace fatalities, with a fatality rate of Key stages of the each developmental
6.9 per 100,000 workers in 2008. The ap- phase include (i) literature review and
parent lack of sustained improvements in comparative analysis, (ii) survey, (iii)
OSH performance coupled with a weak visits to worksites and auditing organiza-
OSH culture in the industry has made it tions. The last phase, Phase 3, involved
more important to increase our efforts extensive consultation through focused
to improve the OSH performance of the group discussions and dialogues and pilot
industry. This has brought on impetus for testing with the stakeholders.
the development of a robust and compre-
hensive rating system to raise standards Development of auditing checklist
of the construction sector. 5. The initial work involved comparing
questions from existing SS506: Singapore
Research objectives Standards for OSHMS and CP 79 audit
3. In order to address these challenges, checklists. Duplicate questions were
this has prompted us to embark on the removed. These were used as a basis so
development of a safety rating system as to contextualize the final product to
for contractors which would bring about local standards. It also provided the con-
the following benefits to key stakehold- venience to auditors who could use this
ers in the construction industry: (i) For checklist to rate the contractor’s OSHMS
developers: a simple and clear indication as well as to audit for OHSAS 18001’s cer-
of the effectiveness of the contractor’s tification.
OSHMS which can be used for consid-
eration during the project tendering; (ii) 6. Although there has been much

SESSION 3
emphasis on OSHMS, little attention is the other team consisted of members
given to assessing the effectiveness of of a Construction Subcommittee Work
implementing the OSHMS. The Universal Group under the Workplace Safety and
Assessment Instrument (UAI) developed Health Advisory Committee who were
by Charles F. Redinger and Steven P. professionals from the private and public
Levine is one of the few published OS- sector. The questions were rated 1 to 8;
HMS assessment or rating tools aimed at 1 being totally irrelevant to 8 being very
providing organizations with the means relevant. Questions that were rated less
to measure the effectiveness of their spe- than 5 were discarded with reasons pro-
cific OSHMS. The UAI principles have vided. This exercise yielded about 450
been adopted in the ILO Guidelines for questions. 2 Thereafter, the development
OSHMS. The checklist questions were team devised audit instructions for each
developed based on UAI as the UAI pre- of the questions. The instructions are
sented auditable clauses and associated highlighted in red below every question
measurement criteria that cover the re- in the checklist. Auditors are expected to
quirements of the commonly used man- follow the instructions provided so as to
agement systems found throughout the achieve greater consistency in their audit
world. 1 Comparisons between the UAI methods. [1]
with the OHSAS 18001 and SS 506 re-
vealed that both were in very good agree- 8. The structure of the questions and
ment. We have also compared MOM’s elements follow that of SS506 3 due to 2
existing guidelines on OSHMS for other main reasons, (i) the current construction
sectors with UAI and found that the UAI industry has already gained much famili-
covered practically all the requirements arity with it and (ii) the SS506 adopts
of the OSHMS apart from a few detailed Deming’s PDCA cycle which is the basis
requirements which were not explicitly for successful management systems and
mentioned in the UAI. includes reliance on the documentation
pyramid as key to both the business proc-
7. The next step involved comparing ess and value-added auditing.
questions from the UAI to see if they
are relevant to the construction indus- 9. In line with industry practices,
try in Singapore. Two teams studied the the audit protocol comprises three key
questions simultaneously. One was the components: (i) document review, (ii)
System Development Team (compris- personnel interview and (iii) physical in-
ing three MSc students from the Hu- spection. To keep the sampling size small
man Factors Engineering course in the yet credible, a sampling size of three was
Nanyang Technological University) while recommended where appropriate. In
1 During the initial stage of development of UAI, 13 publicly available systems were reviewed, seven
of which were OSHMSs. In the end, four models were selected as input models because they
provided the most comprehensive management system approaches and encompassed the key
elements of all the models reviewed. The four models were Voluntary Protection Programme (VPP)
from OSHA, BS 8800:1996, AIHA’s OHSMS, ISO 14001:1996
2 This was subsequently reduced to about 300 questions after the 2nd pilot test.
3 The key elements in SS506 are (i) OSH Policy, (ii) Planning, (iii) Implementation and operation, (iv)
Checking and corrective action and (v) Management review.

SESSION 3
any item, if at least two out of the three tractors and auditors. MOM-approved
sampled met the criteria, it is considered auditing organizations also participated
a “pass”. A similar sampling size approach in a pilot test to assess if ConSASS was
has been largely adopted by various local usable, reliable and valid for over 24
auditors. The questions are banded from I worksites. The major players included
to IV to reflect the increasing level of ma- Singapore Contractors Association Limit-
turity of the element. The checklist has an ed (SCAL) and the Building & Construc-
inherent “show stopper” feature. To move tion Authority (BCA).
from one band to the next higher band,
the contractor needs to satisfy at least 13. During the one-month test period,
70% of the questions within that band. 4 briefing was provided to all test partici-
pants on the use of the toolkit. Feedback
Development of rating system from the pilot exercise was subsequently
10. A rating system provides a platform gathered to improve the checklist and the
for ease of comparison of OSHMS per- grading criteria in the scorecard.
formance among companies and provides A second and final pilot trial was con-
easy reference to identify the strengths ducted in early 2007.
and weaknesses in the OSHMS. For sim-
plicity, we have adopted a banding system 14. Subsequently, a user guide was also
to reflect the audit results rather than a published to provide clear instructions on
quantitative score. The banding approach the use of the audit tool. More than 156
will also not give the misimpression approved auditors have been trained on
that the assessment is an exact science. the use of the system since 2007. [3]
Another advantage to such a stepped ap-
proach is that this allows for quick and Discussion
easy visualization of the maturity of the 15. ConSASS is a key tool to use in
different elements in the OSHMS, thereby working towards the achievement of
providing the management a clear over- sustainable WSH improvements. It has
view of resource allocation requirements achieved its initial aim of providing a
when strengthening weaker areas or ele- unified assessment method in terms of
ments in the system. [2] standardisation of audit checklists and
adoption of a common audit scoring
11. Before the final product was com- system. It allows contractors to systemati-
pleted, we also invited Dr Charles cally identify areas of weakness in safety
Redinger, the co-author of the UAI tool management and take practical meas-
to provide consultancy services to the de- ures to improve their scores. It provides
velopment of this toolkit. consistency to the auditing process and
allows easy cross comparison of worksites
Pilot testing and validation in terms of capabilities in managing safe-
12. An array of stakeholders from the ty and health risk. Although ConSASS is
construction industry was actively en- a voluntary system, it already has the sup-
gaged in the development and testing of port of many industry stakeholders. Prior
ConSASS. This includes developers, con- to its launch, major developers such as
4 This is based on ANSI/ASQ Z1.4 Sampling Procedures and Tables for Inspection by Attributes.

SESSION 3
City Development Limited and contrac- References
tors like Foster Wheeler, Straits Construc- [1] ConSASS checklist, http://app.wshc.
tion and Gammon Construction have gov.sg/cms/Portals/0/WSHC/downloads/
pledged their support. Government agen- ConSASS/ConSASS%20Audit%20Checkl
cies like Land Transport Authority (LTA) ist.pdf Retrieved 1 Sep 2009.
and Housing Development Board (HDB) [2] ConSASS scorecard,
have also committed to getting their http://app.wshc.gov.sg/cms/Por-
contractors on board. Since its launch in tals/0/WSHC/downloads/ConSASS/
November 2007, many other stakeholders ConSASS%20Score%20Card.pdf Re-
amongst property developers, auditors trieved 1 Sep 2009.
as well as building contractors voiced [3] A guide to the Construction Safety
support for the system and expressed Audit Scoring System (ConSASS),
that they would adopt ConSASS at their http://app.wshc.gov.sg/cms/Por-
worksites. During its first year of imple- tals/0/WSHC/downloads/ConSASS/
mentation, a total of 37 audits have been ConSASS%20Guide-2007.pdf
conducted using ConSASS.
16. However, owing to its comprehen-

siveness, it may take a longer time for au-
dits to be completed 5. Moving forward,
we would continue to raise awareness by
promoting the benefits of ConSASS and
may consider further enhancements to
the system to improve its user-friendli-
ness. In addition, to further enhance the
effectiveness of ConSASS, we would look
into studying the possible correlation
between the results of ConSASS and the
actual OSH performance of contractors at
various worksites.
5 For an established and mature OSHMS, it could take up to 5 man-days to audit whereas a young
system may only require 2 to 3 man-days.

SESSION 3
Biological or Airborne Al Monitoring in the Aluminium Industry?
Francis Pierre 1, François Diebold 1, Gilbert Laffitte-Rigaud 2, Bruno Buclez 2

and Marie-Thérèse Brondeau 1
1 National Research and Safety Institute (INRS), France
2 Alcan Rio-Tinto, France
The aluminium (Al) industry is facing the 2002) showed the impact of the nature of
presence of pollutants in the atmosphere the Al compound on the toxico-kinetic
of the workplace, principally two ele- characteristics of Al excretion.
ments, Al in various forms and fluoride
gas or particles. Monitoring the safety The aim of the study was therefore to
of workshops uses biological monitor- define a strategy to monitor employee
ing based on urine analysis in exposed exposure using an airborne or biological
workers. This is a preventive medicine ap- exposure indicator taking into account
proach. It is complementary to technical the diversity of the occupational exposure
prevention. In the workshop atmosphere situations. The originality lies in aban-
where Al is produced by electrolysis, the doning a systematic approach using an
potroom, the major pollutant is airborne airborne indicator alone by envisaging a
fluoride. The biological monitoring of ex- choice of indicator according to sector as
posure is ensured by the determination of a function of the nature of the Al com-
fluoride in urine. The analyses are done at pound present.
the beginning and at the end of the shift.
The Al employee exposure in the other The study was conducted in two industri-
areas of plants was monitored only on the al plants of the same company. The choice
basis of air sample analyses. was made to consider the exposure of all
the plants workforce.
The question of the neurotoxicity of Al
during occupational exposure to alu- The two plants included diverse primary
minium compounds is still the subject of aluminium production and downstream
studies. At international level limit values activities. For the metal production site
of occupational exposure to Al have been (640 people): a potroom workshop, a
laid down for the atmosphere of work- casthouse, the maintenance departments,
places. and the administrative departments. For
the transformation site (1,420 people):
In occupational medicine the German two casthouses, two rolling mills, the fin-
BAT limit value of 60 µg of Al/g creati- ishing sectors, which include strap cutters
nine at the end of shift (DFG 2008) re- generating Al particles, the maintenance
place 200 µg/L (DFG 2006) and the Finn- sectors of the production sectors and the
ish BAL Al value is about 160µg/L before general departments.
the shift (FIOH 2004).
The urinary Al concentration was meas-
Three previous studies (Pierre 1995, 1998, ured at end of the shift on two consecu-

SESSION 3
tive days, and during a second phase one the general departments.
year later. This was done to verify the
temporal stability of the measurement. For airborne Al there is a statistically sig-
The plasmatic Al concentrations were nificant difference between the medians.
also determined on samples during the The group of potroom operators is dis-
first phase. tinguished with the highest median value
(229 µg/m3) from the casthouse operators
The airborne Al was determined on per- (116 µg/m3), the rolling mill operators
sonal aerosol samples. Among workers (51 µg/m3), the strap cutters (43 µg/m3)
taking part from sites 1 and 2 comprised and the maintenance staff (107 µg/m3).
375 and 196 for phase 1 and 341 and 175 Due to the low number of usable meas-
for phase 2, 203 and 147 airborne samples urements, the general departments group
respectively were taken on volunteers. was not taken into account. The exposure
of the operators on the automatic strap
The aluminium was in two different cutters is the most heterogeneous; they
chemical forms. Most of the Al com- are exposed to an aerosol of metal Al
pounds present in the atmosphere of generated by high-speed cutting of strip
the workshops had been encountered sheet edges. This exposure is charac-
in previous studies (Pierre 1995). These terised by high but selective individual
were: cryolite, Al fluoride and the sec- values (7.2; 2.1; 6.2 µg/m3) in a set of low
ondary compounds of electrolytic vats, values (25 measurements between 30 and
aluminium oxide (Al2O3), foundry dust 70 µg/m3).
of undetermined composition, and metal For urinary Al, using the average of four
Al particles. Most were insoluble in water. measurements as the individual value,
A soluble fraction of Al was found in the there is a statistically significant differ-
potroom sector. The fraction of soluble Al ence between the medians with a 95%
in the personal air samples taken in the confidence level. The group of potroom
potroom sector was 23%. operators has the highest values in µg/g
creatinine (median of 17.2 as opposed to
Several threshold limit values have been 8.1 for the casthouse operators and be-
adopted by the ACGIH; the TWA for tween 5 and 6 for the other groups). For
metal Al dust and compounds was 10 µg/ plasmatic Al, there is a statistically sig-
m3, for soluble salts 2 µg/m3, and 10 µg/ nificant difference between the medians
m3 for aluminium oxide (ACGIH 2007), with a 95% confidence level. The potroom
but in 2008 the ACGIH adopted a new operators group is distinguished by the
TWA value for Al, compounds and Al ox- highest values in µg/L (median 12.7 as
ide (metal Al and insoluble compounds: opposed to 7.8 for the casthouse opera-
1 µg/m3). tors and between 6 and 7 for the other
groups).
Examination of the results allows it to
be considered that only five groups of The search for a relationship between
exposed workers with characteristic func- the biological parameters and the air-
tions, the casthouse operators, the rolling borne measurement, the only currently
mill operators, the strap cutters, the pot- recognised indicator, was conducted by
room workers, the maintenance staff and calculating the correlations that may ex-
one group not exposed, the employees of ist between the measurements for all the

SESSION 3
participants and for each function group. tenance department(s1-2), and the gener-
On account of the type of results distri- al departments (s1 and 2). In these cases
bution, the calculations were done using the ACGIH limit value for airborne Al
data logarithmic transformation. (metal and insoluble compounds) is ap-
plied to Al exposure and for example the
Only the potroom operators have a good strap cutters exposure must not exceed
significant relationship. For the potroom 1 µg/m3 (ACGIH 2008). In the potroom
operators [r = 0.41, R2 = 17%, p = 0.0089, the comparison with the limit values
ddl = 39]. The relationship takes the raises the problem of choosing the refer-
form: logAl.U potroom = 0,371+0,324. ence, with a value applied to the presence
logAl air.potroom of soluble salts. At this time, there is no
ACGIH limit value adopted for airborne
The potroom workers are exposed to Al soluble compounds. The French value
partly soluble Al compounds (Alsol); this is 2 µg/m3 (Al soluble compounds). Only
particularity was examined in the analysis the urinary measurement has application
of the relationships between the indica- conditions limited to situations where the
tors. [r = 0.61, R2 = 37%, p = 0.0015, ddl presence of soluble Al apply.
= 23] . This relationship takes the form :
logAl.U potroom =-0.003+0.661.logAl. Measurement of the aluminium concen-
sol. potroom. tration in an end-of-shift urine collection
Within the limits of the study, two situa- over the course of the week can be used
tions were identified: an urinary equiva- as a biological indicator of exposure to
lence with an airborne concentration of soluble aluminium salts. A difference
1 µg/m3 of soluble Al can be proposed exists between these results and the jus-
equal to 95 µg/g.crea., although the tification of the German BAT because all
equivalence with 22 µg/g.crea. corre- studies taken into account were realized
sponds to an airborne concentration of 1 on exposure to Al welding fumes. These
µg/m3 of Al including a soluble fraction results are specific of Al exposure in Al
of 23% (situation of the study site). For primary industry.
the potroom workers only the urinary
measurement has application conditions. Following these studies, the company
Measurement of the aluminium concen- responsible for hygiene at work changed
tration in an end-of-shift urine collection the type of respiratory protective equip-
over the course of the week can be used ment, replacing simple masks. Two types
as a biological indicator of exposure to of equipment are available to workers in
soluble aluminium salts. different sectors. To replace disposable
masks, it is proposed either “half mask
The Al airborne measurement can be respirators with filters adapted” or “pow-
used for the other sectors: casthouses ered and supplied air respirators with
(associated maintenance activity) of the positive air pressure (battery operated)”,
two sites, rolling mill (site (s)1), carbon the latter being mandatory for people
workshop (s2), rodding workshop (s2), with beards. Measures of biological in-
recycling activity of Al recovered (s1), dicators of exposure (urinary fluoride)
varnishing workshops (s1), finishing conducted since then, show a significant
workshop of (s1), hot rolling mills (s1) reduction (40 to 50%) of end-of-shift
and cold rolling mills (s1), central main- measures.

SESSION 3
References Pierre F, Diebold F, Baruthio F (1998)

American Conference of Governmen- Biomonitoring of aluminium in produc-
tal Industrial Hygienists (2007, 2008) tion workers. In Health in the aluminium
Threshold limit values for chemical sub- industry, managing health in the alumini-
stances and physical agents and biological um industry, 68-69. Priest ND, O’Donnell
exposure indices ACGIH Cincinnati TV ed. Middlesex Univ. Press. London
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. Pierre F, Diebold F, Baruthio F (2002)

(2008) List of MAK and BAT values 2008 Biological monitoring of occupational ex-
Commission for the Investigation of posure to aluminium Proceedings XVIth
Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds ISSA Congress Vienna (Austria)
in the Work Area Report: DFG.
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health.

Työterveyslaitos, Kemikaali-altistumisen
Biomonitorointi 2004, U-Al p.15
Pierre F, Baruthio F, Diebold F, Biette P

(1995) Effect of different exposure com-
pounds on urinary kinetics of aluminium
and fluoride in industrially exposed
workers Occup Environ Med 52:396-403

SESSION 3
Requirements of Funding Procedures to Support Knowledge Transfer
to OSH Practice
Joachim Herrmann
Research Funding of the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV), Germany
Abstract
The three core services of the German According to their legal mandate accident
institutions for statutory accident insur- insurers are obliged to
ance and prevention are the prevention ■ prevent occupational accidents,
of occupational accidents and of work- occupational diseases, and
related diseases, compensation for them, work-related health risks
and rehabilitation. Prevention is the most ■ investigate their causes
important of these services, and it is pow- ■ provide effective First Aid
ered to a great extend by research. ■ ease the effects of occupational
Research funding with inherent require- accidents and occupational diseases
ments concerning transfer orientation is by all suitable means.
an effective tool to achieve research out-
comes already adopted to be applied to In order to promote occupational safety
other prevention services. and health the accident insurers devel-
Some good-practice examples are pre- oped a full range of prevention measures
sented to show the practical orientation such as consulting and inspection serv-
and the practical implementation of ices, training, medical check-ups and
research funded by DGUV. The success research. Recently DGUV evaluated all
of this approach depends on a number of these measures, and it turned out that re-
factors such as strong involvement of the search is the service which interacts most
social partners, of the companies and of strongly with the other services: Chal-
prevention service departments. lenges detected in other fields initiated
This paper will outline the DGUV re- many research projects and the project
search funding procedure and the inher- results were used for all prevention serv-
ent transfer requirements. ices (cf. contribution of Hanna Zieschang
to Session 1 of this Colloquium).
The German Social Accident Insurance
(DGUV) is the umbrella organisation of It can easily be concluded that OSH re-
22 accident insurers of the industrial sec- search and its funding are not an end in
tor, called “Berufsgenossenschaften”, and themselves for social accident insurance
of 27 accident insurers of the public sec- but that they have to meet the objectives
tor, called “Unfallkassen”. These insurers of occupational safety and health. DGUV
are responsible for a total of 74 million research is generated in the field, for use
people – mainly employees but also chil- in the field. The goals of the research
dren in day care centres, pupils, students are defined by the requirements within
and voluntary workers. companies, and the results of the research

SESSION 3
must in turn be transferred into company a call for projects is prepared. In some
practice. cases these parties themselves initiate
the project. At the latest, DGUV in-
In 2008, DGUV funded 26 OSH research cludes them in the assessment of the
projects spending 1.8 million € in total funding applications. The decision on
(about 2.6 million US$) on the basis of funding is taken by the social partners
the following general principals: in the DGUV Management Board.
■ knowledge transfer to prevention Intensive consulting offered by the
practice must be probable DGUV research funding unit enables
■ research topics have to be of common the applicants to benefit from the ex-
interest for different industrial and perience of former assessments and
public sectors funding decisions.
■ the focus lies on the demands of the
accident insurers ■ Implementation
■ scientific excellence is required As a general rule, DGUV sets up mo-
■ in general basic research is not sup- nitoring groups for funded projects.
ported These committees are made up of
■ the social partners decide on funding. experts of the insurers, and if possible
also of the internal company OSH
From DGUV’s point of view, a success- services. It is important that this group
ful project needs close collaboration of supervises the project in a committed
different players: researchers, prevention and critical manner. At the same time,
services of the insurers, social partners, the research partners must prepare
and the occupational safety and health and present their results in such a way
services of the companies. that their relevance to the company
and to occupational safety is clear.
In such a team play two basic rules seem Many projects are carried out in colla-
to be important: Researchers must be boration with DGUV’s own research
sensitive to and informed about the needs institutes.
of both the companies and the accident
insurers. These in return must be open ■ Dissemination, transfer, and
to new – in some cases uncomfortable evaluation
– questions and solutions. The knowledge transfer to OSH prac-
tice is very much supported by the fact
Experience shows that the chances of that the accident insurers have many
transferring research to OSH depend very well-established prevention services at
much on how target groups, their their disposal, such as measurements
priorities, and existing prevention at the workplace or the set up of rules
instruments can be taken into account and regulations. The project results
during each stage of a project: can be published in a number of in-
formation media or databases which
■ Scoping, planning, and initiating are acknowledged by insurers and
The main target groups – prevention companies.
services of the insurers and of compa-
nies – are involved as early as possible DGUV is very active in NEW OSH ERA
when the project is conceived or when – a consortium of 18 leading public

SESSION 3
agencies, ministries and research organi-
sations which aims to promote OSH re-
search in Europe (cf. www.newoshera.eu).
One of its activities was the publication of
a trans-national call for research projects
focused on psychosocial risks at work.

SESSION 4
Investigations, testing and certification
SESSION 4
The Investigation Prevention Service
Roger Stamm 1 and Markus Kohn 2
1 Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of the German Social Accident
Insurance (DGUV), Germany
2 German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV), Department Safety and Health,
Germany
Introduction hazard assessment purposes are generally

The aim of the prevention services offered conducted in multiple plants; their focus
by the social accident insurance institu- is the prevention of future undesirable
tions (“UVT”) is to investigate accidents events, a fundamental assessment of the
at companies in suspected cases of oc- hazards involved and the presentation of
cupational disease (“BK”) and during recommendations for preventive meas-
prevention activities. ures. In this case, the employees and the
The systematic analysis of the processes companies would be the direct customers
and evaluation of the results of investiga- of the service.
tions into accidents and occupational Both internal and external customers of
diseases are of major significance for the accident investigation and prevention
the ongoing development of prevention service have an interest in prompt and
activities and the acquisition of new find- professional investigations.
ings. The accident insurance institutions have
The accident insurance institutions’ meas- established well structured and docu-
urement system for hazard investigation mented internal procedures for the de-
(“BGMG”) and the tools developed by livery of such an “investigation” service.
BGIA to assist such investigations are The employees’ representatives and the
presented as examples of systematic, employers on the boards of the accident
quality-assured approaches. insurance institutions have a substantial
interest in investigations being conducted
Quality of the investigation service: swiftly in the event of accidents and oc-
definition by internal and external cupational diseases. It is also important
customers to note that the results of such investiga-
In the case of accidents and suspected tions may be used as evidence in cases of
occupational diseases, the direct and litigation.
internal customers are the claims depart-
ments of the UVT who are responsible Methods for assurance and evaluation
for recognizing claims and paying com- of quality
pensation. Indirect external customers Well-structured and measurable proc-
are the employees and the employers esses are an essential principle of quality
involved, who may be affected by respec- assurance. Four different processes may
tive in-plant prevention activities as a re- be defined for the accident investigation
sult of the accident that has happened or and prevention service:
the employee’s occupational disease that ■ Investigations into accidents
may have developed. Investigations for ■ Investigations into reported cases of

SESSION 4 Session 4
occupational disease The process can be monitored and opti-
■ Investigations into hazards mized by the measurement of parameters,
■ Systematic processing of the results of for example the time required for the
investigations (into accidents and oc- completion of the investigations. Employ-
cupational diseases) in order to yield ees who have reported an occupational
new findings for prevention disease have a right to swift clarification
By way of example, fig. 1 shows the in- of their cases.
vestigation into reported cases of occu- Possible quality parameters for the proc-
pational disease. As a prevention service, ess as a whole are:
this would only encompass the clarifica- A. Expenditure parameters:
tion of the work-related conditions (e.g. ■ Duration of an investigation (in hours)
exposure to noise or chemicals); it is no ■ Number of investigations performed
medical diagnosis. The medical consult- in period x
ant combines the results from the two ■ Hours of investigation in period x
studies. ■ Average duration of an investigation
The investigation begins with a request by ■ Proportion of total prevention
the insurance department to the preven- resources
tion department. As a first step the pre-
vention department determines whether B. Result parameters:
the existing documentation is sufficient ■ Number of investigations exceeding
for the assessment of the patient’s work- the target duration
ing conditions. In the majority of cases, ■ Proportion of investigations exceeding
the workplace(s) must be inspected; the target duration
measurements and analyses or evalua- ■ Number and proportion of the ana-
tions from databases may also be neces- lysed investigation results
sary.
The assurance of quality also comprises The objective to measure and improve the
monitoring the process and quality assur- quality may be supported by the use of
ance of the current studies of the work. the “six-sigma” quality management cri-
teria, especially of the metrics to control
the investigation activity:
Define the service and the quality which shall be achieved
Measure the actual quality

Optimize
Analyze the delta between actual quality and target quality
Improve or redesign the process
Control the improved process


SESSION 4
Request from the occupational disease case department: assessment of the working
conditions in a case of suspected occupational disease
Start
Occupational disease file forwarded to occupational disease investigator
Assessment of the available information
Obtaining information:
Plant inspection
Information
sufficient No Consultation of insurer,
employer, occupational
for a comment on the
physician
working
Literature survey,
conditions?
involvement of
specialist body
Yes
Documentation of the findings
Comments: Criteria relating to working conditions met: yes/no/open
Report to case-handling department
Documentation for prevention
Completion of investigation
End
Fig. 1: Process of “investigations into reported cases of occupational disease”

SESSION 4
During investigations relating to occupa- employees, social courts, the research

tional diseases in particular, the assess- community)
ment of employee exposure (to hazardous ■ The most important quality criterion
substances, noise, heavy loads, etc.) is of is whether something is beneficial in
decisive importance: did exposure occur, practice, i.e. whether investigations
and if so at what level? into occupational accidents and di-
The most important QA measure for this seases result in new findings of use to
purpose is the standardization of the pro- plants.
cedures for investigation and analysis.
Measurements of exposure to hazardous For this purpose, suitable parameters
substances and noise are conducted by must be defined, not only for the direct
the accident insurance institutions by process characteristics, but also for the
means of their BGMG hazardous sub- impact of the individual investigation
stances measurement system, which is processes. The resulting values can then
subject to comprehensive quality assur- be used for the continuous assessment
ance. Exposure data has been measured and improvement of processes in line
systematically within the BGMG for with the DMAIC and the Six Sigma
decades. This data is used for both the methods.
investigation of individual cases of oc-
cupational disease and for occupational
disease reports documenting representa-
tive exposure data.
BGIA provides the accident insurance
institutions with a software to search for
and calculate exposure dose values ac-
cording to uniform criteria.
Descriptions of all tools referred to can
be found in the BGIA “work history ring
binder”.
These measures have contributed to a
greater transparency and thus a greater
acceptance of the recognition or rejection
of a case of occupational disease by ex-
ternal customers (employees, employers,
social courts).
Evaluation of quality: an immanent

process
The evaluation of the investigation qual-
ity is organized as an immanent process
which continuously measures and exam-
ines both internal and external quality
requirements. Its elements are:
■ Internal process parameters for
measurement and controlling
■ Feedback from the public (employers,

SESSION 4
Product Testing and Certification: An Efficient Means to Exert Influence
on the Safety of Products
Rüdiger Reitz
German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV), Department Safety and Health, Germany
1. Testing and certification as a To answer this question, we will look at

prevention service research conducted by the testing and
The “BG” institutions for statutory ac- certification bodies. 1 We will also con-
cident insurance and prevention have sider their relevance for the market, i.e.
been involved in product testing and cer- how much supply and demand is there
tification for many decades. It is known for certified products and why? What are
that some BGs offered certification of the the consequences for the market? When
safety of tested work machinery as far examining these points, however, a dis-
back as the 1920s. tinction has to be drawn between com-
Together, the 18 BG testing and certifica- pulsory testing and voluntary testing.
tion bodies form the BG-PRÜFZERT
network. They now issue more than 3,000 2.1 Compulsory testing and voluntary
certificates for safe and healthy products testing
per year, with over 100,000 certificates Some EC single market directives stipu-
awarded since 1965. Their work focuses late that, for certain products, manufac-
on machinery, personal protective equip- turers must seek the services of a testing
ment and other work equipment. and certification body certified for these
What makes the BG-PRÜFZERT testing products.
and certification bodies special in com- However, the overwhelming majority (70
parison to other testing and certification per cent) of BG-PRÜFZERT certificates
bodies is their sector-specific approach, are issued on the basis of tests that are
geared to real industry practice. In addi- voluntary for manufacturers. A large
tion, their work is closely linked to other
prevention services, such as research
and development, involvement in stand-
ardisation, provision of information and
consulting.
2. Product improvement as a result of

testing and certification
Do product testing and certification re- Fig. 1: Certification marks awarded by
ally result in safer and healthier products? BG-PRÜFZERT
1 A fundamental study has been carried out by BG-PRÜFZERT as a sub-project in the framework of
the project “Quality in Prevention” (Reitz 2006).

SESSION 4
number of the manufacturers choose a (Wickert and Paquet 2007). According

certificate that also entitles them to affix to the study’s findings and in the period
a certification mark to the product. This under review, 49 per cent of the machin-
mainly concerns the GS mark but also ery had serious defects. BG-PRÜFZERT
our own BG-PRÜFZERT mark now plans to collect statistics about all
(fig. 1). products applying for a certificate. A pilot
study from the first half of 2009 showed
2.2 Detection of product defects by that 62% of the products had defects, 22%
means of testing and certification of them had serious defects. During the
Product testing starts by meticulously type testing, all of the products had their
examining the types presented for testing. defects remedied and were thus awarded
It aims to establish whether the products a certificate.
really meet the safety and health require- This result generally corresponds to the
ments applicable to them and whether information given by the certificate hold-
they can be said to be safe and non-harm- ers. In 2007, 94 per cent of the certificate
ful to health. Our employees contribute a holders stated in a periodic customer
large amount of experience-based exper- survey conducted by BG-PRÜFZERT
tise to this process. The BG-PRÜFZERT that defect detection by means of test-
testing and certification bodies then ing and certification was very important
prepare detailed reports, which describe or important to them. According to the
the defects identified. These reports and certificate holders, BG-PRÜFZERT can
the talks with the manufacturer give the meet these expectations well: 95 per cent
latter considerable support for their risk of certificate holders rate the BG-PRÜF-
assessment. ZERT testing and certification bodies
In a study conducted by the BG for the as very good or good with regard to this
foodstuffs industry and the catering trade aspect. The manufacturers also consider
(“BGN”), the defects identified in ma- it very important that testing and certifi-
chinery tests were evaluated and classified cation of their products enables them to
Table 1: Benefits of testing and certification for certificate holders. Results of the BG-PRÜFZERT 2007
customer survey
In your opinion, how impor- And how would you rate us
tant are the following aspects of with regard to these aspects?
our services?
“Very important” and “Important”/“Very good” and “Good”
answers (as a percentage of all answers)
Testing and certification body 91% 95%
serves as source of informa-
tion on how to design products
which are safe and not harmful
to health
Identification of safety and 94% 95%
health problems with product
Work with testing and certi- 91% 91%
fication body helps improve
level of occupational safety and
health provided by product

SESSION 4
improve occupational safety and health certification mark can help the buyer to
aspects and provides them with informa- choose a product by acting “to transform
tion on how to design safe and healthy unobservable credence attributes into ob-
products (see Table 1). servable search attributes”. Thus, manu-
Testing and certification thus makes a facturers can use certification marks as a
sizable contribution to ensuring that symbol of the quality of their products in
product defects are eliminated before the terms of safety. This can help ensure fairer
products are placed on the market, and competition. Certification marks are
that the products that reach the market therefore a free-market tool for improv-
are safe and not harmful to health. Con- ing product safety.
sequently, product testing and certifica-
tion can be described as “advance market 3. Transfer to standardization
surveillance”. The majority of the employees at BG-
PRÜFZERT’s testing and certification
2.3 Supply and demand for certified bodies do not only work in testing and
products certification. In many cases, they also
Obviously the market is not good at work as inspectors, in training, consult-
guaranteeing safe and healthy products. ing, research and development and, above
Repeatedly there are cases of products all, standardisation. This fact reflects
that do not meet the essential safety and the mandate given to BG-PRÜFZERT
health requirements. This can be caused when it was founded, i.e. to ensure that
by manufacturers’ lack of knowledge or the knowledge gained during testing and
negligence and, in extreme cases, even certification be incorporated into other
fraud. prevention work, particularly standardi-
Often, buyers of products are not able sation. Lessons learned from accidents
to judge the safety of these products and users’ experience, e.g. concerning the
themselves, at least not with a reasonable fitness for purpose of work equipment,
amount of effort. They have to rely on flow back into testing and certification.
the vendor’s assurances. This is true both The employees of the testing and cer-
with regard to consumers and in the busi- tification bodies consider the resultant
ness-to-business (b2b) area. Economists reciprocal action very positive. The
refer to such products as having “cre- managers of the testing and certification
dence attributes”. bodies approved these finding in expert
As explained above, manufacturers use interviews.
testing and certification to ensure that This interaction between the various pre-
defects in their products are detected and vention services plays a particularly im-
that they can eliminate them before they portant role in supporting innovation.
are placed on the market. For this inter- In the case of novel products, not only the
nal purpose, test reports and certificates buyers but also the manufacturers often
are sufficient. have difficulties judging product safety.
However, in Germany and elsewhere, Thanks to their sector-specific approach,
certification marks, e.g. the GS mark or geared to real industry practice, the BG-
BG-PRÜFZERT’s BG mark are frequently PRÜFZERT testing and certification bod-
used in addition to certificates. The ben- ies very often test and certify innovative
efits they offer are indicated by Auriol products for which there are no testing
and Schilizzi (2003), who observed that a requirements as yet. The findings of such

SESSION 4
tests are incorporated into standardisa- contribution to prevention in Germany.

tion work and can thus promote positive A key reason for this is the close link to
developments in the area of product other prevention services.
safety. The methods of proof are still very new.
An examination of the reciprocal action Generally recognised methods and indi-
shows that testing and certification not cators would be helpful in order to draw
only have a direct effect through direct even better conclusions concerning the
product improvement but also an indirect (cost) efficiency of testing and certifica-
effect. So the influence on the product tion. Such indicators should not only
can extend far beyond the certified prod- cover the direct effects of the prevention
ucts. The chains of effect of testing and services, but also the indirect influence
certification therefore also include the on product design and the effect on pur-
indirect influence on product design as chases. Special attention should be paid
well as the effects on purchasing/product to promotion of innovation.
selection.
The close links between testing and certi- References
fication work, standardisation, inspection Auriol, E. und Schilizzi, S. (2003). Quality
services and research and development Signaling through Certification. Theory
create a control loop, in which the BG- and an Application to Agricultural Seed
PRÜFZERT testing and certification bod- Market. IDEI Working Papers 165
ies are embedded, that promotes products Reitz, R. (2006). Zertifikate. Teilprojekt
that are safe and not harmful to health 11 im Gesamtprojekt „Qualität in der
(fig. 2). Prävention“. Hrsg. Deutsche Gesetzliche
Unfallversicherung – DGUV.
4. Conclusion URL: http://www.dguv.de/webcode.
The analyses demonstrated that product jsp?q=d13811
testing and certification make a successful
Fig. 2: Control loop for products that are safe and non-harmful to health

Wickert, K, Paquet, L. (2007). Nach der

Baumusterprüfung mängelfrei! ... Und
vorher? In: Die BG 04/2007, Seite
155 – 157
english translation: No defects after the
type test but what about beforehand?
URL: http://www.dguv.de/webcode.
jsp?q=d32807

SESSION 4
Development of Test Methods for PPE as Stimulation for Innovative
Preventive Solutions
Dariusz Pleban and Katarzyna Majchrzycka
Central Institute for Labour Protection – National Research Institute (CIOP-PIB),
Poland
Introduction rials placed in the tight grip. The samples

The development of chemical and mate- of materials are placed in the sterile Petri
rial engineering as well as electronics and dish with a constant temperature of 37°C
information and communication tech- for 2, 4, 6 and 8 hours from the moment
nologies makes it possible to improve the of spray application. The obtained results,
safety and comfort of workers by means presented as an average number of mi-
of PPE using advanced technologies and croorganisms for one sample, allow for
materials as well as embedded “intel- the calculation of bioactivity expressed
ligent” systems of risk monitoring in the with two values as biostatic effect and
work processes. It requires at the same biocidal effect.
time the development of the system of Another assembly of filters is used to test
testing and certification – development of filtration efficiency: the tested assembly
new test methods which are not included of filtration materials and microbiological
in harmonised standards of the Directive gelatinous filter, retaining all the bacteria
89/686/EEC and will enable the testing that penetrated trough the material. After
and certification of PPE for the con- having sprayed the bacteria onto the as-
formity with essential health and safety sembly of materials, the microbiological
requirements of the above-mentioned filter is taken off, placed on the surface
directive. of TSA and grown for 24 hours at a tem-
perature of 37°C. After that the colonies
Test method for the efficiency of filtra- are counted. The efficiency of filtration is
tion and bioactivity against biological calculated by comparing the number of
aerosols bacteria retained in the assembly and on
EN standards lack methods enabling the the microbiological filter.
assessment of filtration efficiency and The test method has allowed for the de-
bioactivity against biological aerosols. In velopment of model filtration systems
the developed test method, the tests are with bioactive modifier, with different
carried out for E.coli and S.aureus bac- filtration properties and at the same time
teria sprayed onto the filtration bioma- retaining and destroying microorganisms
terials and control samples. The tests are from the stream of air. The systems are
carried out in the chamber with laminar based on two technologies: classic non-
air flow, equipped with HEPA filters and woven with tribo-electric effect and melt-
UV lamp. Bacterial aerosol is dynamically blown technology.
created through the atomizer and mixed
with dry air flow. Bacteria are then di-
rected to the assembly of filtration mate-

SESSION 4
Test method for the efficiency of re- rate and motion/motionless are examined
tractable fall arresters protecting first under laboratory conditions in order
against falls from a height installed in to verify their complex scope of meas-
anchoring subsystems urement. Field tests are then carried out
Research carried out in the Institute has in order to confirm the reliability of the
shown the phenomenon of intermittent whole module in real-use conditions. The
performance of retractable type fall ar- reliability of radio communication, used
resters protecting against falls from a for the transmission of data from the
height, which can constitute a serious sensors embedded in the clothing, is also
hazard due to the prolongation of the assessed (propagation tests). These meth-
braking distance. It can be caused by ods were implemented in the process of
installing anchoring subsystems that are development of clothing for fire-fighters
not flexible enough. Therefore a test stand in which the module of electronic mi-
was constructed with a flexible anchoring crosystems were embedded, enabling the
subsystem of experimentally adapted fre- monitoring of selected physiological and
quency of self-vibration and decrement. environmental parameters.
A test method for retractable type fall ar-
resters based on the measurement of the Test method of chargeability
fall arrest distance was also developed as A test stand to examine the tribocharging
well as the assessment criterion compar- of materials and clothing was developed
ing the average value of the fall arrest by the Central Institute for Labour Pro-
distance of the test mass for a device tection – National Research Institute. Its
installed in a rigid anchoring subsystem main elements are a mannequin to test
with the distance value for the device whether an electrostatic charge can oc-
installed in a flexible (testing) anchoring cur in the clothing and Faraday cage. The
subsystem. stands allows for the measurements of:
The test method and the stand are used ■ electric potential of the charge on the
for the assessment of retractable fall ar- mannequin surface while rubbing the
resters which, according to the manufac- outer surface of the clothing material,
turers, can be installed in flexible anchor- ■ electric potential of the charge on
ing subsystems, e.g. flexible horizontal mannequin surface while taking off
lines. clothing and the charged produced on
the clothing with the use of Faraday
Test method for the efficiency and reli- Cage.
ability of electronic systems embedded
in protective clothing Triboelectric effect of clothing is obtained
In case of protective clothing with em- by rubbing, which is the most adequate
bedded electronic systems it is indispen- among the methods developed so far to
sable to test the efficiency and reliability test materials for antielectrostatic cloth-
of these systems. Therefore detailed ing, because it corresponds best to real
methods allowing for verification of the conditions in which the charges are gen-
scope and accuracy of measurements in erated in the working environment. It is
real-use conditions for protective cloth- the only method that enables the simula-
ing have been developed. The systems for tion of real-use conditions of the clothing
measurement of skin underneath cloth- exposed to triboelectric effect, regardless
ing and environment temperature, heart of material design.

SESSION 4
Test method for transfer of heat and wa- sity measurements inside the shielding
ter vapour through “active” materials of chamber, referring to the result of meas-
variable thermal insulation urement carried out without material test
The developed method allows for testing sample. The method, as well as the stand
of active materials in the following scope: have been used for the development of
■ heat resistance of materials, to assess protective clothing against electromag-
their thermal insulation to ensure netic fields.
the appropriate selection for real-use
conditions (environment temperature, Summary
exposure time, users’ metabolism), New test methods for personal protec-
■ water vapour resistance, to assess the tive equipment developed by the Central
materials in order to ensure thermal Institute for Labour Protection – National
comfort of the user. Research Institute have allowed for the
The tests are carried out in a climatic development of innovative, more efficient
chamber on a special stand of modular PPE solutions. These methods are used
design. The basic elements of the stand in the Institute within the framework
are 2 exchangeable measuring plates (wet of PPE conformity assessment. Some of
and dry) – thin-layer heaters with inte- them have been presented and discussed
grated temperature measurements, on during the meeting of vertical groups
which the tested material is placed. The of notified bodies (e.g. test method for
stand, together with the test method, has the efficiency of retractable fall arrest-
allowed for the development of clothing ers protecting against falls from a height
equipped with heating systems with ac- installed in anchoring subsystems) or
tive thermoregulation for work carried standard committees (e.g. test method of
out in cold environments, which ensures chargeability presented during the meet-
the thermal comfort of the user in changing of the technical committee IEC TC
ing conditions of exterior temperature 101 Electrostatics).
and with changing energy expenditure.
The assembly of materials with heating
inserts placed in the selected parts of the
clothing has been used.
Test method for electromagnetic shield-

ing efficiency of materials
A test stand was designed to assess the
shielding efficiency of materials designed
for the protection against electromagnetic
fields. It comprises a source of magnetic
or electric field (system of coils, air ca-
pacitors, or open TEM lines) and the
equipment for the generation and control
of field parameters. The tests are carried
out with 3 shielding chambers, in which
one of the walls is covered with the tested
material. The shielding efficiency of mate-
rial is defined on the basis of field inten-

SESSION 4
The Prevention Network “Inspection“, “Testing/Certification“ and
“Standardisation“
Albrecht H. Glöckle and Ralf Renninghoff
BG Druck und Papierverarbeitung (“Institution for Statutory Accident Insurance and
Prevention in the Printing and Paper Processing Industry”), Germany
In 1994, the BG in the Printing and Paper has been implemented. The underlying
Converting industry carried out an ex- idea is that all information available on a
tensive analysis of machine accidents. It certain working technique is collected by
appeared that by far the greatest number experts of the institution for statutory ac-
of accidents occurred on sheet-fed offset cident insurance and prevention who are
printing presses. This was due to the high assigned to a specific area of application.
risk potential implied in these machines,
but also to the fact that a great number of This information is accumulated by the
these machines are used in member com- Expert Committee Printing and Paper
panies. The results were similar as far as Converting. In addition to the classical
the notification of occupational diseases technical aspects, information is gathered
is concerned. It was evident that our pre- on other issues affecting health and safety
vention efforts had to be strongly directed in the workplace such as the handling of
towards sheet-fed offset printing. In the substances, noise, ergonomic require-
following, we report on the prevention ments (for example manual lifting and
successes we have achieved. carrying of loads), work organisation,
hygiene and others aspects.
For prevention work to be efficient, the
inspection of member companies and in- Where shortcomings are detected, we
sured parties is not enough. Effectiveness take it as part of our consultancy to try
can be considerably improved by multi- and work out a solution in cooperation
pliers exerting a direct influence on the with the manufacturer of the respective
persons concerned. In order to achieve product, which is adopted on a voluntary
this, a well-functioning prevention net- basis. Subsequent certification of the
work is a prerequisite. improved work system is an incentive
to motivate manufacturers to accept the
An important pillar supporting this personal and financial investment re-
network is the service provided by the quired for improvements on health and
Technical Inspectors whose task it is to safety. Certification is not only a means
visit member companies and provide to motivate manufacturers, but it also
on-site consulting and inspection. This relieves Technical Inspectorates and user
allows influencing users directly, but it companies. Inspection of the certified
also gives the chance of acquiring exten- product on the user premises is required
sive expertise which can be used for the only in exceptional cases, and retrofit-
benefit of subsequent prevention work. ting machines by user companies due to
To this effect, a so-called “expert system” shortcomings is not needed.

SESSION 4
Inspection activities, consulting manu- The work done by the notified body is in
facturers and certification require a set turn an important precondition for effec-
of standardised rules and regulations. tive contributions in the field of stand-
In former times, we used to apply the ardisation. On the one hand, testing helps
national rules and regulations of accident to influence manufacturers with a view
prevention for the design and construc- to building safe machinery. Awarding
tion of machinery in Germany. Nowa- premium certificates is also a possibility
days, this is covered by European and to introduce higher standards, and this
international standards. It is therefore again influences the “state-of-the-art”
increasingly important that institutions definition which is the benchmark for all
concerned with Occupational Health standardising work. On the other hand,
and Safety take part in these standardis- testing activities are a good basis for
ing activities in order to introduce their establishing close contacts with manufac-
research findings in the field of accident turers and for keeping abreast with the
prevention. Institutions concerned with technologies applied to that respective
Occupational Health and Safety, however, industry. Both aspects are an important
only rarely attend international standard- asset when fighting for a high acceptance
ising committees which often makes it of the position of Occupational Health
difficult to highlight the issues of occupa- and Safety in standardising committees.
tional health and safety in these areas.
Without being able to make successful
It is only by closely combining “Inspec- contributions in European and inter-
tion” and “Testing/Certification” with national standardising committees we
“Standardisation” that prevention objec- run the risk that the standards do not
tives can be successfully achieved. The adequately reflect the requirements of
knowledge about accidents and work- Occupational Health and Safety in the
ing conditions in the field including the workplace. Where manufacturers refer
procedural interferences to be expected to such harmonised standards, it is in the
allows developing safety measures which first instance difficult for inspectorates to
are tailored to the needs of the individual intervene in cases of hazardous machin-
user and will therefore find acceptance. ery or working practices.
This is what clearly makes the big differ-
ence between the test bodies established Not taking part in standardising work
by the institutions for statutory accident would also adversely affect the acceptance
insurance and prevention and those other of the testing and certification body. They
notified bodies who judge without being would have to interpret standards in the
aware of the field situation and without conception of which the manufacturer
feedback from the side of the Technical was involved but not the testing and cer-
Inspectorate about the measures taken. It tification body.
also appears to be an advantage that test-
ing by the notified body of the BG in the The successful implementation of this
Printing and Paper Converting industry prevention strategy can be proved easily.
is carried out by the same staff who work Thanks to our contributions, the level of
as Technical Inspectors. They are familiar protection hitherto laid down in the na-
with the machines from their individual tional rules and regulations for accident
member companies. prevention could be demonstrated and

SESSION 4
partly even be extended to the inter- to the accident prevention regulations.
national level. This effect together with These values no longer apply as the EC
testing and consulting provided for the directive on noise and vibration has been
major manufacturers of this industry transformed into national law. But we
finally resulted in a significant reduction have been successful in implementing
of accidents which can be proved by the international guideline values for noise
over-proportionately decreased number emission in the ISO standard mentioned
of occurrences and also the considerably above. These guide values are 2 dB (A)
reduced degree of severity of accidents. below the former German limit values.
Consequently, it was possible not only to
The situation of the workforce could be maintain the level of safety on the inter-
substantially improved even beyond the national scale, but even to achieve sub-
classical safety issues. One aspect is the stantial improvements in some areas.
reduction of exposure to the emission
of hazardous substances. By granting Conclusion
premium certificates such as the “emis- The BG in the Printing and Paper Con-
sion tested” award, major manufactur- verting industry effort aims at promot-
ers were provided with an incentive to ing health and safety in the workplace
reduce emissions to well below the legally in member companies on a nationwide
required limit values. This resulted, for basis with the help of external multipliers.
example, in reduced emission of hy- In addition to offering classical methods
drocarbon mixtures, ozone, dust or UV such as training courses and media, the
radiation. By using the premium certifi- main focus is put on influencing external
cate approach we were able to sensitise parties involved in the respective indus-
machine manufacturers to the issues of try such as suppliers of machines and
“emission of substances”, and the final work substances. The idea is to place on
result was that the ISO standard on safety the market mainly such machines, work
requirements for graphic technology substances and methods that have been
equipment and systems published in 2007 certified before. This makes it possible to
introduced revised guideline values for achieve a high level of health and safety
the emission of hazardous substances. at relatively low prevention cost. After all,
These emission values are clearly below this is to the advantage of the member
the internationally stipulated limit values companies they benefit from reduced
for exposure in the workplace. By includ- risks for their workforce and at the same
ing these values in international stand- time from reduced financial burdens.
ards, there is a binding commitment for
all manufacturers worldwide to develop
and supply products to international
markets with a focus on low-emission
technology.
Another example is the noise emitted

by machinery. Up to now, noise emis-
sion limit values for the most important
printing and paper converting machines
were laid down in Germany in an annex

SESSION 4
Research on Biomechanic Stress Factors of Workplaces with
Collaborating Robots
Hans Jürgen Ottersbach and Matthias Umbreit *)
Safe human – robot cooperation the robot’s working range could be safely
Collaborative industrial robots are com- protected against the mechanical effects
plex machines that work hand in hand of fast-moving robot parts. When the
with people. In a joint working process, industrial robot standards were revised
robots support and take the load off and updated, the new application field of
workers when for example, a robot lifts collaborative robots was added as a sup-
and positions a heavy workpiece while plement.
a person welds lightweight iron hooks.
During this work activity, the person is Background
very close to several robotic elements When collaborative robots are used,
– for example, robot arm or tool – so ro- guards are no longer installed in certain
bot and person may touch one another. A working or collaboration rooms, so a
similar situation takes place with mobile robot-human collision risk cannot be
Fig. 1: Schematic diagram of the collision process between upper arm and impacting robot part.
Source: BGIA
service surroundings in close proximity entirely ruled out. Thus, technical protec-
to people. tive measures other than guards must be
Until now, guards were needed when us- taken to continuously determine the col-
ing robots so the persons that were within lision risk and minimize it as part of the

SESSION 4
robot control system – but an element of workplaces. They supplement and specify
risk remains. the requirements of the standards and
were summarized in BG/BGIA recom-
When a workplace that includes a col- mendations.
laborative robot is planned, the user must Since a collaborative work process dur-
carry out a risk assessment based on a ing intended use carries a collision risk
legal framework such as the machinery between a robot and a person, the task
directive and industrial robot standards consisted in limiting the straining effects
that should also include an evaluation caused by collisions so only small and tol-
of injury risks caused by robot-human erable injury severity or injury risk could
collisions. In the standards that apply to occur. According to this, tolerable severe
industrial robots, however, there are not injuries are only skin and underlying tis-
enough occupational safety requirements sue strains that do not penetrate the skin
for evaluating these injury risks. and tissue deeply and do not cause bleed-
Acting on an initiative of the Expert ing wounds. Fractures or other injuries of
Committee for Machine Construction, the musculoskeletal system must be ruled
Production Systems and Steel Construc- out (see fig. 1).
tion, the Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health (BGIA) compiled in a devel- Injury severity can be depicted by limit
opment project the technological, medi- values of related injury criteria. Limit
cal/biomechanical, ergonomic and work values for the injury criteria of “impact
schedule requirements made to such force”, “clamping/squeezing force” and
Fig. 2: Dashboard assembly, Source: Daimler AG

SESSION 4
“pressure/surface pressing” for all regions Thanks to the BG/BGIA recommenda-
of a simple body model were established, tions, workplaces with collaborative
based on injury data from external me- robots can be set up so that the potential
chanical strains that the BGIA compiled mechanical effects on persons as a result
from bibliographical references and data- of a collision do not exceed a tolerable
bases. Guiding limit values were obtained level. These workplaces can be designed
on that basis for the maximum permis- in a way to ensure the required occupa-
sible injury severities according to body tional safety for the person in question.
model and selectively verified by various The BG/BGIA recommendations can be
laboratory control tests. downloaded at: http://www.dguv.de/bgia/
en/pra/kollaborierende_roboter/index.
The results of the project were summa- jsp.
rized in BG/BGIA recommendations for
arranging workplaces with collaborative
robots. It contains extensive aids for ap-
plying occupational safety measures in
practice, as part of risk assessments. A
team of experts with robot manufacturers
and users collaborated in the develop-
ment of the content.
*)
Hans Jürgen Ottersbach 1 and Matthias Umbreit 2
1 Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of the German Social Accident
Insurance (DGUV), Germany
2 Expert Committee for Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Systems, Steel
Construction of BG Metall Nord Süd, Germany

SESSION 5
OSH training
SESSION 5
General Strategy for Training
Catherine Montagnon
Training in occupational safety and ences and how we measure efficiency and
health has several particularities. For a effectiveness of each action.
long time it has been the field of experts.
Experts were teaching other experts. Young people – Actions – Results
Nowadays, the problem of occupational – Evaluation
safety and health is everybody’s problem. In September 2006, several ISSA member
And everybody must be aware of the states have shared a report and declared:
risks and what is to be done and what “Young workers constitute a high-risk
EACH OF US CAN DO. Nevertheless, population with respect to occupational
the knowledge of experts must still be health and safety, because they are ex-
continually updated. posed to significantly more physical and
more organizational constraints. They
The type of training required varies ac- also sustain more accidents than older
cording to target and objectives. More- workers.”
over, training efficiency indicators have
to be adapted to different cases and their So, what have we done?
specific conditions. This is why we pro- In France, teaching occupational safety
pose to distinguish between three types and health in general education is the
of training where we consider in each result of a partnership between the Min-
case: the target audience, objectives and istry of Education and CNAMTS. They
indicators, concerns we may have and the have set up a national council to define a
type of evaluation we are conducting: strategy. Based on this agreement, INRS
Initial Training to fully integrate occupa- has participated in work on diplomas and
tional health and safety into the curricula, to date, 80% of the degrees have been re-
technical vocational training for experts viewed in the industrial and construction
(CRAM officers, company health and sectors. 50% have been changed in the
safety professionals), service sector, but only a few in commer-
Important systems developed for teach- cial and administrative activities.
ing employees through national programs For engineers, we have built a common
and processes. frame of reference for training which
is based on the “BES&ST” prevention
In the following we will propose a meth- scheme. This action is supported by two
odology for developing knowledge in ministries: the Ministry of Education and
OSH. We will discuss the three different the Ministry of Industry.
target audiences, the reasons why we have But statistics do not seem to show what
decided to train these particular audi- we were hoping for.

SESSION 5
Incidence of occupational accidents in relation to the total number of employees
As you can see, the frequency of accidents that the only reason for this finding is
globally decreases with age. In 2006, youth!
36.4% of the accidents involved people It is conceivable that one of the reasons is
under 30 years of age. Considering the the number of temporary workers within
number of young workers the frequency the youth group but there are many other
of accidents for this age group is 63.1 for factors that could affect these figures.
1,000 people. But we are not really sure

SESSION 5
Another problem is the evolution of ac- ■ there is no, or inadequate, support for
cidents. The frequency of accidents has workers entering the company
dropped slowly from 118 in 1955 to 39.4 ■ young workers are assigned more
in 2007. So we are actually talking about frequently to tasks which expose them
approx. 40 accidents for 1,000 workers; to hazards (e.g. manual handling ope-
this rate is about 100 for 1,000 for people rations)
under 25, and there is bad trend. ■ a first employment contract offers little
job security (precarious jobs)
Would age and/or seniority (or any ■ other reasons?
other factors) have a bearing on the
occurrence of accidents?
Age 16 - 29 years old > 29 years old All ages
Seniority in the com-

pany
< 1 year seniority 117.9 99.2 108.8
≥ 1 year seniority 44.3 26.4 29.4
Every seniority 61.2 32.7 39.0
Statistics 2007, CNAMTS, INSEE
If we consider the total population we This is why INRS is conducting a five

realize that there is a factor of 2.79 be- years study that has begun in 2008 1:
tween junior and senior employees, what- Assessment of the impact of initial occu-
ever their age (108.8/39.0). This is to be pational safety and health training on the
compared to the factor of age which is 2.7 occurrence of accidents at work among
as shown before. the under 30-year-olds. The main aim of
this study is to determine the impact of
Some studies have been conducted show- initial OSH training on the occurrence of
ing that the conditions in which accidents occupational accidents among subjects
involving young people are different to under 30 years of age in their first job.
those accidents involving older workers.
Several causes have been suggested: What about engineers?
Irregularity of working hours, high pro- In 10 years working with high schools
portion of temporary work, night work and universities, we have tried different
and repetitive handling work. ways of teaching.
■ Compulsory training during the stu-
We can give some possible reasons: dents’ first year.
■ initial training does not correspond to ■ Active classes and work on OSH du-
workers’ first jobs ring their practical work placements.
1 Stéphanie Boini, INRS, France – Impact of occupational health and safety training at school on the
occurrence of work injuries in young people starting their occupational life

SESSION 5
We have concluded that 18 hours is the junior engineers to estimate the depth of
optimum time for teaching and have de- the OSH knowledge they have acquired
veloped a common repository for train- during their studies. Finally, they give
ing material offered to each engineering answers to free-text questions in a specifi-
school in France. This material has been cally designed quiz.
approved by the commission des titres According to the results, and with the
d’ingenieurs, a commission that is re- support of the two ministries, we decided
sponsible for uniform standards in engi- to continue and reinforce actions within
neering schools. We nevertheless wanted a compulsory frame of reference, and to
to know the impact of OSH education role them out to business schools.
in these schools to be able to propose a
strategy to Ministerial Departments. So Technical vocational training for
we have conducted a large quantitative experts: Study – conclusions – actions
study aimed at schools and at future and Technical vocational training is neces-
junior engineers, in the course of which sary to ensure a common language and
their knowledge in OSH is also verified. approach in OSH to see to it that new
We investigated all of the 226 engineering concepts, new approaches and new solu-
schools. In the first investigation, high tions are taught and shared, and that ap-
schools evaluated the level of occupa- propriate skills are developed. Doctors’
High Schools Students

▶ 14% claim teaching OSH is at very ▶ 3% think their knowledge is good
good level
▶ 36% have begun awareness programs ▶ 48% think they have a basic but
insufficient knowledge
▶ 33% teach OSH at a basic level ▶ 31% are aware and want to progress
▶ 16% claim that OSH is not taught ▶ 18% claim never to have heard of it
Correlation
▶ Schools with whom INRS and CRAMs have worked obtain much better results.
▶ High level of correlation between frequency and intensity of program and
results in the quiz.
▶ Auto-evaluation by schools correlates well with students’ own opinions
tional safety and health training in their and specialists’ work has changed. This
courses. The cover rate of this area of is why we conducted a qualitative study
study was more than 85%, and the on their needs in 2006. 9 groups of actors
answers were given by general managers (58 people) participated in 3 different
or department heads. meetings conducted by 10 people. The
All school sizes are represented from 9 meeting outcomes have been subjected to
to 4,250 students. Then, we interviewed an in-depth analysis and have then been
6,000 students and junior engineers and documented. So what are their NEW
visited 22 schools for more detailed quali- needs?
tative information. The purpose of the ■ Understanding a company
second investigation is for students and (management, organization)

SESSION 5
■ Cross-functional skills The purpose is to reach everybody. Now
(project management, team work, etc.) that we have established a system to man-
■ Communication age OSH training, we wish to know how
■ Better knowledge of psychological and many students that participated in the
social risks initial training continue their training
■ Cross-disciplinary work once they work on the job, and how often
To meet their needs we have developed they are able to participate in refresher
a distance learning concept, we adapted courses.
the contents, opened classical classes up
to different types of experts, and began to Conclusion
build a two-level training system. We have to work according to which au-
dience we want to train with what objec-
Vocational training for everybody: tives. For this purpose we have to study
Act – verify – change indicators the needs of the target audiences and use
It enables workers to relate and commit them to provide tailor-made contents.
themselves to the relevant methods and Afterwards the impact has to be evalu-
tools, to make a meaningful and lasting ated which might lead to modification
impact on their environment, and to act requirements.
in a continuous improvement approach.
PRAP First aiders
TRAINER TRAIN TRAIN

▶ OF TRAINER THE THE
TRAINERS TRAINERS
COMMUNICATE,
TRAINER LEAD PROJECT, TRAIN
TRAIN
COMMON BASIS
WORKER ACT, CHECK RESCUE

SESSION 5
Quality Cooperation Qualification
Hans-Jochem Fuhrmann
BG BAU (“Institution for Statutory Accident Insurance and Prevention in the
Construction Industry”), Germany
The statutory mission to provide health and safety as well as expertise in

qualification methodology and social skills through
In Germany, it is one of the roles of the the professional training offered by ac-
institutions for statutory accident insur- cident insurers.
ance and prevention to support their
member companies by helping them to The complex field of “occupational health
avoid or reduce accidents and occupa- and safety” and the various target groups
tional health hazards through preventive within companies demand an extensive
measures. range of courses and seminars reflecting
aspects specific to the sector in question.
An important aspect of this support lies
in providing qualifications for company Qualification activities are considered
experts and disseminators of information successful if the qualified parties in oc-
on occupational health and safety. cupational health and safety improve
the standard of occupational health and
Each year, accident insurers organise ap- safety in the particular company.
prox. 20,000 seminars attended by over
400,000 participants. They are therefore The quality framework model
the largest providers in this sector. “Qualification”
In 2008, accident insurers decided to
The measures are financed by the con- develop a quality framework model for
tributions from the insurer’s associated the area of “qualification”. This was done
companies. to establish a common understanding of
what is meant by quality.
Qualifying the key parties involved in oc-
cupational health and safety in the work- The quality framework model is intended
place, e.g. employers, safety engineers or to help accident insurers to adapt and
safety officers, is becoming increasingly reflect on all the various aspects of their
important. One of the reasons for this is educational and organisational activities
that changes in the law and a reduction in in the area of qualification when design-
the number of binding regulations issued ing their standards. The accident insurers
by the state and accident insurers offer can and should breathe life into these
companies more room for manoeuvre. standards in a variety of ways depending
Ensuring that this freedom is used to the on the typical requirements of the sector.
best effect requires the further develop-
ment of competences in occupational

SESSION 5
Quality standards for core processes were qualifications required for teachers/
established within the framework of the instructors/trainers.
project as well as management and ■ the qualification courses are developed
service processes for a quality manage- using knowledge and insights from
ment system for controlling and organis- associated areas of science.
ing the qualification activities. ■ the results of the development are
documented (e.g. learning objectives,
The quality framework model is a foun- content, methods, media, participant
dation on which appropriate sector-spe- documentation, qualifications re-
cific procedures can be built for the indi- quired for trainers, transfer goals).
vidual accident insurers.
They also provide examples of how the
The quality framework model can be di- quality standards are to be achieved in
vided into the following core processes: practice by accident insurers:
■ the objectives must be oriented strictly
■ course planning towards sector, company and target
■ course development groups (activity profiles).
■ marketing ■ the responsibilities for the developers
■ organisation of specific activities/products must be
■ implementation clearly defined.
■ further development ■ the requirements relating to the results
of the development process must be
For example, the requirements for the described using various criteria. The
concepts and production of concepts in development process must follow a
the core process “Course development” series of defined stages.
describe the following quality standards: ■ the focus must be on what the partici-
pant can implement in practice in the
The requirements ensure that workplace.
■ the qualification courses are developed ■ the integration of practical elements in
systematically based on the need the qualification courses, e.g. training
determined. hall/practical training rooms, must
■ they are developed using a standar- be documented in the trainer guide-
dised and systematic procedure. lines. Specific work group structures
■ specific targets are defined for every with defined roles and organisational
qualification course and the concept structure for coordination and quality
adapted to meet the special characte- assurance must be established.
ristics and learning needs of the target ■ we always integrate the latest insights
group. from occupational science, occupatio-
■ the learning concepts are activity- nal medicine and adult education as
based and focus on practical applica- well as the sector and target group in
tion. question by ensuring that courses are
■ it is possible to integrate practical developed by interdisciplinary deve-
exercises wherever these are necessary lopment teams.
to meet the objectives of specific quali- ■ trainer guidelines must be produced
fication courses. for every qualification offer.
■ the concepts state the expertise and

SESSION 5
The accident insurers implementing the shops. Tools are developed in projects
quality framework model have under- and made available to all members. For
taken to document its implementation, example, this year sees the development
have it inspected through audits and fur- of a model audit plan and a model audit
ther develop its quality through an inter- checklist especially for the quality frame-
nal process of continuous improvement. work model “Qualification”.
The quality association “Qualification” Quality officers and auditors are being
In December 2008, accident insurers trained in the BGAG on the instigation
founded the quality association “Qualifi- of the QVQ. These seminars make it pos-
cation” (QVQ). sible to qualify representatives of accident
insurers specifically for the tasks resulting
“Qualification” is a voluntary association from the quality framework model.
of 35 institutions for statutory accident
insurance and prevention and the DGUV Two projects are currently underway to
(German Social Accident Insurance), produce a checklist for entry into a QM
represented by BGAG (Institute Work process and guidelines for implementing
and Health), which implements the qual- a QM system according to the quality
ity framework model “Qualification”. Its framework model in the form of an im-
objective is to network members with plementation plan.
the aim of ensuring and improving their
qualification activities. The quality association is setting up a
It is pleasing to note that virtually all ac- communication platform, which all QVQ
cident insurers have joined the quality members can use to access information
association. from other members and the results of
the work conducted by the QVQ.
Members are required to provide regular
proof that the quality framework model It is also worth mentioning that there are
“Qualification” is being observed. plans for a voluntary scheme to perform
cross-audits between QVQ members.
The members of the quality association The QVQ is also expected to provide a
are very diverse. They differ in terms of forum for the presentation and discus-
size and naturally sectors in which their sion of new developments and research
various member companies operate, e.g. results.
banks and insurance companies, con-
struction industry or public administra- Conclusion
tion. With the quality framework model, ac-
Furthermore, the association members cident insurers have created a foundation
are not all at the same stage of the devel- which can be used to make a common
opment and implementation of a qual- understanding of quality part of its mem-
ity management system in the area of bers’ daily lives.
“Qualification”.
A common understanding of quality and
One of the QVQ’s most important roles is the willingness to work together in the
therefore to promote the exchange of ex- QVQ ensure that qualifications will con-
perience through joint events, e.g. work- tinue to be relevant and of a high

SESSION 5
standard going forward into the future.
The objective must be to help the parties

involved in the companies to achieve and
maintain a high standard of occupational
health and safety using the resources
available and taking account of the com-
mercial considerations.

SESSION 5
How to Ensure Transfer in Qualification Measures in the Field of
Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)
Maria Wolff 1, Kati Masuhr 2 and Annekatrin Wetzstein 1
1 Institute Work and Health of the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV),
Germany
2 German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV), Germany
One key prevention service offered by ing courses in the field of occupational
the German Social Accident Insurance safety and health (OSH) are effective
(DGUV) is a qualification scheme in and whether they fulfil the legal require-
order to decrease risks in safety and ments. Participation in training courses/
health. Such schemes are successful if seminars is considered “effective” when,
participants learn how to implement the afterwards, the attendee shows a higher
learning matters in their working envi- level of awareness and appreciation of
ronment. This topic has been analysed OSH problems, when he/she displays a
in many research projects conducted by greater willingness to take action and has
BGAG (Institute Work and Health of the strengthened his/her abilities in the field
DGUV). of OSH. It is a fact that many companies
have room for improvement in this re-
1. Subproject “Qualification” in the gard. Prevention does not normally have
Project “Quality in Prevention” a direct effect on the economic results of
(QdP) a company but is an element of a complex
The goal of the subproject “Qualification” cause-effect chain.
(Gallenberger, 2007) was to prove wheth-
er or not the basic and advanced train-
Fig. 1: Cause-effect chain

SESSION 5
speaker (N = 72) was also interviewed

Donabedian (1966) proposed a quality after the seminar (t2). The waiting group
model comprising three key elements: (N = 64) and the managers of the partici-
■ Quality of the structure: prerequisites pants (N = 47) were interviewed before
for example as regards personnel, ma- the seminar (t1) and three months later
terial, organizational resources etc.; (t3).
■ Quality of the process: actual provi-
sion of resources and The experimental and the waiting group
■ Quality of the outcome: the results, are comparable in terms of company-re-
for example achievement of OSH ob- lated data (position, duration of employ-
jectives. ment, etc.). The effect of the seminars is
represented by learning success, attitude
Fig. 1 illustrates the assumed impact of change and transfer achievements. A
the prevention service “training”. The significant increase in the participants’
time is plotted on the x-axis; quality ele- knowledge was observed after three
ments and addressees are shown on the months (t3) compared to the waiting
y-axis (on the right side).
Fig. 2: Design
group (F (1,188) = 5.56, p < .05). In terms

The structure, process and outcome of of attitude towards OSH activities no sig-
OSH seminars were observed on the basis nificant training effect could be observed
of a pre-post control group design. 126 (F (1,188) = 1.29, n.s.) in the experimen-
participants had to fill in questionnaires tal group. Both groups had displayed
before (t1) and after (t2) their OSH semi- positive attitudes towards OSH before but
nar and then three months later (t3). The they became even more aware of OSH

SESSION 5
aspects after the course. After 3 months the seminar and also organization-related
the participants showed greater OSH ac- structures. To achieve the best possible
tivity. A significant difference compared results participants should already have
to the waiting group was found (F (1,187) some ideas about their OSH challenges
= 6.14, p < .05). Therefore it can be stated at work, so that they can discuss them at
that the seminars were effective. the seminar (transfer relevance). Speakers
should try to design their seminars with
In a second step coherences between the greatest degree of practical relevance
the variables and transfer were analysed. possible and work on participants’ at-
Transfer was operationalized by the re- titudes, satisfaction and transfer motiva-
ported transfer achievement at time point tion. Last but not least, companies should
t3 and the difference in OSH activity try to offer participants a supportive
from time point t3 and t1. The method of environment when they return from an
partial correlation was used thus control- OSH seminar.
ling certain variables such as knowledge,
degree of OSH activity and the partici- 2. Evaluation instrument for OSH
pant’s attitude towards OSH at time point seminars
t1. Many significant correlations were As already stated offering occupational
found. safety and health training courses is one
of the key prevention services of the
Correlations with reported transfer accident insurance institutions. Train-
achievement at time point t3: ing needs to be of high quality, which is
■ transfer motivation after the seminar why a standard to measure quality was
at t2 (.32**), required. The main question was: Which
■ support in the organization in terms of components of a seminar have to be ob-
implementation at t1 (.31**) and served in order to guarantee best quality,
■ satisfaction with the seminar at t2 and how can they be reflected in a
(.25*) questionnaire?
Correlations with development of OSH 2.1 Literature research

activity at time point t3: Literature research was conducted, and
■ support in the organization in terms of the results of the project: “Quality in
implementation at t1 (.39**) Prevention” were integrated. 37 German
■ transfer atmosphere in the organizati- standardized questionnaires of education
on at t2 (.23*) events were analyzed; subsequently a pool
■ transfer relevance of the contents of of 1024 items was generated.
the seminar (discussion of hands-on
problems and possibilities of imple- 2.2 Criteria-based reduction
mentation) at t2 (.22*) After a criteria based reduction of the
■ participant activity at t2 (-.23*) number of items in the questionnaire, a
■ attitude towards OSH at t1 (.19) preliminary evaluation sheet (ESA –
Evaluationsbogen für Seminare im
The results indicate that the supportive Arbeitsschutz) for OSH seminars was
variables for transfer are located on dif- developed, comprising 58 items. These
ferent levels (as shown in fig. 1): charac- 58 statements were then combined with
teristics of the participants, the design of a six-stage Likert scale and a figural scale

SESSION 5
from ‘strongly agree’ (+++) to ‘strongly sibility to estimate the benefits from such
disagree’ (---). a prevention measure by using a ques-
tionnaire for transfer. All our question-
2.3 Components of the questionnaire naires are created with a special software
The statements concerning the solution for automated data processing.
■ organization of the seminar cover the This cost and time-saving method allows
quality of the structure. data extraction from different formats,
i.e. from paper (via scanning or image-
The assessment of the import) or electronically in HTML and
■ seminar contents, PDF (eForms). Therefore the customers
■ transfer relevance, can also use online surveys to evaluate
■ interaction, their seminars. One only needs the email
■ learning material permits certain addresses of the participants, and they
conclusions about the quality of the can fill in the questionnaire three to six
process. months after the seminar. The underlying
theory is a stage model of transfer with
The areas of different levels. According to Kirkpatrick
■ satisfaction, (1998) the precondition for learning is
■ learning success and the participant’s satisfaction with a train-
■ transfer motivation describe aspects of ing course or seminar. On the next level
the quality of the outcome. the assumed impact on the participants
can be observed, thereafter the impact on
2.4 Analysis of items and subscales the workplace, and finally, on the compa-
An analysis of the item was conducted to ny itself. In the QdP project, 94.4% of the
verify the quality of the questionnaire and 126 participants tried to implement what
reduce the number of items again. Alto- they had learnt. 73.4% initiated OSH
gether 371 people assessed 27 seminars measures and 25% even passed on their
offered by BGAG – Institute Work and learning materials to colleagues.
Health. The analysis of the items included
the determination of the index of popu- This brief overview of the three projects
larity (index of difficulty), discrimination carried out by BGAG (Institute Work and
index and Cronbach’s alpha (internal Health of the German Social Accident
consistency). In addition a factor analy- Insurance) should make it clear that it
sis with orthogonal rotation (varimax) is possible and essential to combine re-
was completed, and a solution with five search and practical work. Incitements
factors was found: 1. Contents of the from practical work can initiate new re-
seminar and learning success; 2. Interac- search projects. On the other hand find-
tion; 3. Quality of the learning material; ings from research projects will imme-
4. Transfer motivation; 5. Organization of diately feed into consulting projects with
the seminar. customers. In this way the methodology
of evaluating the impact of qualification
3. Online questionnaire for measuring schemes will always be state-of-the-art.
transfer
Besides evaluating a seminar immediately
afterwards by using the ESA evaluation
sheet, our customers also have the pos-

SESSION 5
Sources
Donabedian, A. (1966). Evaluating the
Quality of Medical Care. Milbank Memo-
rial Fund Quarterly: Health and Society,
44, 166-203.
Gallenberger, W. (2007). Qualität in der

Prävention – Teilprojekt Qualifizierung.
Kirkpatrick, D. L. (1998). Evaluating

Training Programs. The four level. San
Francisco: Berret-Koehler Publishers.

SESSION 5
Standard of Competence for Instructors and Trainers in Health and
Safety in Europe: A Research-Based Requirements Profile
Ulrike Bollmann 1 and Anna Koch 2
Germany
2 Dresden University of Technology, Germany
In European educational policy, increas- What is a standard? What is compe-

ing teachers’ competency is a priority ob- tence?
jective. This fact can be seen, for example, A standard distinguishes something as
in the latest report by the European Com- being exemplary and specifies it as being
mission on “Progress towards the Lisbon universally binding. In the current debate
objectives in education and training” 1 concerning the quality of education, a key
and the results of a research project car- issue is the specification of competencies
ried out by Cedefop on the “Profession- as minimum, usual or maximum levels to
alisation of VET teachers for the future” be achieved by learners and teachers in
in Europe (PROFF) 2. But there is an certain areas, in our case health and safe-
increasing focus on teachers’ professional ty. It is important to note that competen-
development all over the world, as shown cies cannot be directly observed, nor are
by the OECD 3 studies and the activities they an objective parameter. Competen-
of ISSA’s “Education and Training for cies always depend on the way in which
Prevention” section 4. the individual in question exercises them
Teacher quality is now considered a and can only ever be described based
crucial factor for successful learning and on desired and observable performance.
long-term transfer of knowledge to the Furthermore, what is meant by compe-
workplace. As a result, there is a strong tence is the result of a decision as to what
call for standards for teachers’ training. good and healthy teacher behaviour is
This paper begins by asking what a (legitimisation). 5
“standard of competence” is and how
standards can contribute to teachers’ How can a standard contribute to
quality. The second section then looks at teacher quality?
the example of a standard for instructors The standards merely operationalise the
and trainers in health and safety. purpose of teachers’ activities, they do
1 European Commission (2009) PROGRESS TOWARDS THE LISBON OBJECTIVES IN EDUCA-

TION AND TRAINING Indicators and benchmarks, based on document SEC (2008) 2293,
chapter 2.3
2 Cedefop (2004), PROFF – Professionalisation of VET teachers for the future, Luxembourg
3 OECD (2009) Creating Effective Teaching and Learning Environments: First Results from TALIS,
chapter 3
4 For example: Berlin Declaration for the Development of a Culture of Prevention in Health and
Safety: From School to Work, II, ISSA 27 September 2006
5 Cf. Heid, H. (2007) Was vermag die Standardisierung wünschenswerter Lernoutputs zur Qualitäts-
verbesserung des Bildungswesens beizutragen? In: D. Benner (Hrsg.) Bildungsstandards.
Kontroversen, Beispiele, Perspektiven, Paderborn, pages 29-48

SESSION 5
not guarantee the educational quality standard of competence for teachers in

that has first to be created in each specific occupational safety and health.
situation. Consequently, standardisa- The ENETOSH Standard of Competence
tion runs the risk of making something covers competencies both in educational
look like technology when it isn’t it or of methods and in the fields of occupational
self-reference 6: In such cases, the fact safety and health, health management
that a standard has been met signifies and OSH management. The standard was
just that, i.e. nothing more than that the developed on the basis of two different
standard has been met. 7 There is thus no approaches – an experience-led, intuitive
automatic link between the standard and method (Phase I) and a work-analysis
quality. Standards aim to create “same- and empirical method (Phase II).
ness”, quality is about differences. Conse-
quently, standards pose an inherent risk The ENETOSH 10 EU project (Phase I)
of making things uniform and evening set up four working groups which pre-
them out 8. By contrast, the quality of a pared the first version of the standard.
teacher’s activity could lie in his or her Beforehand, the project group produced
understanding of the special features of two background papers 11. The results of
a specific situation and not in a reflected an empirical requirement analysis were
pattern of action, irrespective of the sci- used for the area of educational methods
entific evidence that support it 9. 12 and developed further on the project.
The field-related competencies were de-
The Standard of Competence for In- veloped on the basis of the experience of
structors and Trainers in Safety and experts from the 10 European countries
Health – an example represented on the project. The devel-
The European Network Education and opment work drew on the categories
Training in Occupational Safety and and descriptors set out in the European
Health (ENETOSH) has developed a Qualifications Framework (EQF) 13. The
6 Reh, S. (2005) Die Begründung von Standards in der Lehrerbildung. Theoretische Perspektiven und
Kritik, in: Zeitschrift für Pädagogik 51, 2, pages 259-265
7 Heid, loc. cit.
8 Ruhloff, J. (2007) Grenzen von Standardisierung im pädagogischen Kontext, in: D. Benner (Ed.)
Bildungsstandards. Kontroversen, Beispiele, Perspektiven, Paderborn, pages 49-59
9 Reh, loc. cit.
10 The transnational network project ENETOSH was funded by the European Commission as part
of the EU’s LEONARDO DA VINCI programme (146,253, 10/2005 – 09/2007). The core network
comprised 13 partners from 10 countries. Today, 41 members from 16 European countries and
South Korea cooperate in the network.
11 Ylikoski, M. (2006). Challenges of the changing world of work for the competencies in OSH,
Factsheet No. 1; Swuste, P. (2006). A new model of accident prevention – how to manage the central
event, Factsheet No. 2 (EN) and Äyräväinen, A.; Bollmann, U.; Ylikoski, M.; Swuste, P. (2006).
Standards for the Qualification of Teachers and Trainers in Safety and Health (DE/EN), Dresden
(working paper)
12 Koch, Anna; Kici, Güler; Strobel, Anja & Karl Westhoff (2006) Anforderungsanalysen nach
DIN 33430: exemplarisch für die Position eines Dozenten im Arbeitsschutz, in: K. Westhoff (Ed.)
Nutzen der DIN 33430. Praxisbeispiele und Checklisten, Lengerich, pages 85-93
13 European Parliament legislative resolution of 24 October 2007 on the proposal for a recommen-
dations Framework for lifelong learning (COM(2006)0479 – C6-0294/2006 – 2006/0163(COD))

SESSION 5
ENETOSH Standard of Competence has happened, what the instructor or trainer
been recognised by 14 institutions from did in the situation and how the situa-
10 European countries and is available in tion ended. They are also asked about
11 languages 14. their prior qualifications and knowledge.
In the second step, the descriptions of
Work on developing the ENETOSH the instructors’/trainers’ response are
Standard of Competence further began in grouped according to their similarity
April 2008 (Phase II). with competence requirements. The third
This development work is being done on step involves the participants evaluat-
the basis of the Critical Incident Tech- ing the behaviour-related competence
nique (CIT) 15, which had already proved requirements, the prior qualifications
successful in the empirical study on and knowledge and answering questions
general trainer competencies. The neces- concerning the completeness and mean-
sary data is being collected with the aid ing of the results. This evaluation is based
of the Task Analysis Tool (TAToo©). The on the criteria of importance, trainability
survey asks participants to cite critical and compensatability 17. In the area of
teaching/learning situations and success- OSH management, for instance, the per-
ful responses displayed by an instructor centage of cases in which the competence
or trainer in these situations. These de- requirements corresponded to an instruc-
scriptions are then used to identify the tor’s or trainer’s activity was 88%.
competencies behind the response in a
three-phase inductive procedure 16. The survey concerning the “occupational
To date, the “Workplace health manage- safety and health” area of competence is
ment” and “OSH management” areas of currently getting underway. The “educa-
competence have been revised. This was tional methods” area is being evolved on
done by surveying a total of 44 experts, the basis of the modular “Train the Train-
again from 10 countries, though some of er” strategy employed by the Institute
the countries were different to those in Work and Health of the German Social
Phase I. The experts are nominated by Accident Insurance (DGUV).
the members of the ENETOSH network.
The survey is carried out using on-line Conclusion
questionnaires and a partially standard- The purpose of the ENETOSH Standard
ised, structured interview. In the first of Competence is to create a common
step, the participants are asked about basis upon which to improve the quality
work situations that they have experi- of teachers in occupational safety and
enced and observed in the past and that health in Europe. The standard is a rec-
were handled successfully by an instruc- ommendation and can be used both for
tor or trainer. They are asked to explain recruitment and for CPD for teachers.
how the situations arose, what precisely It improves teacher quality if it enables
14 The standard can be downloaded from the ENETOSH internet platform: www.enetosh.net
15 Flanagan, J.C. (1954). The critical incident technique, in: Psychological Bulletin, 51, 327-358.
16 Koch, A. (2008) The Task Analysis Tools (TAToo©). An instrument for practitioners. Speech at the
XXIX. International Congress of Psychology, 24 July 2008, Berlin
17 Cf. Koch, A. & Westhoff, K. (2009) Anforderungsanalyse, in: K. Westhoff (Ed.), Das Entscheidungs-
orientierte Gespräch (EOG) als Eignungsinterview, Lengerich, pages. 21-26

SESSION 5
teachers to take a critical look at their

own behaviour in a specific situation and
a reflective approach to their knowledge
of educational methods and of their spe-
cific subject area in occupational safety
and health.

SESSION 5
Work, Risk Evaluation, Professional Training – Between Prescriptions,
Activities Performed and Activities Prevented
Max Masse 1 and Richard Wittorski 2
1 French National Institute of Labour, Employment and Vocational Training
(INTEFP), France
2 University of Rouen, France
Abstract these fields, their social ramifications and

Based on experiments in the field, we the individual and collective ramifica-
wish to show the connections between tions for the subjects, whether prevention
theoretical models and work which might practitioners or learners, who apply them.
provide the keys to understanding and a All the while, the necessary requirement
guarantee of effectiveness for the analysis for optimisation must be upheld, because
of work, risk prevention and training. The where work, prevention and training
aim is to create a dialogue between the are concerned, if thinking is an absolute
prescription and the actual and prevented necessity, should the carrying out of op-
performance of work, prevention and erational scenarios not still be an obvious
training activities, with the objective of thing to do?
formulating theoretical and methodo-
logical hypotheses within research in We aim to show that a dialogue involving
progress. a triple theoretical framework can open
up certain prospects between the analysis
Work, risk prevention and training are of work, risk prevention, and the train-
frequent research topics but are rarely ing of adults, which should more often
examined together. An identical proc- be planned jointly rather than separately
ess linked, amongst other things, to the in order to improve the effectiveness of
French system of subject disciplines each.
leaves little room for cross-disciplinary
university research, despite its well- Through our professional experience in
known heuristic fruitfulness. One of the the civil service (State and Territorial), we
many possible benefits of this colloquium have observed that, even if work prescrip-
would be to leave behind this ‘organ pipe’ tion, risk prevention and training, the
logic and to bring together research, risk common and shared operational refer-
prevention and work and their discipli- ence (‘référentiel opératif commun et par-
nary fields and associated knowledge, tagé’, Leplat, 1997. P. 202) may have been
skills, experiences and practices, as well subject to different design processes de-
as to create a network of people involved pending on the time, the participants, the
in these activities whilst identifying the resources, etc., overall it was viewed as
transferability, workability and effective- an objective to aim for. Whether relative
ness of the products of this research. or absolute, however, this prescription
nonetheless originated solely from repre-
The underlying ambition would be to sentations and speeches by professionals
provide new keys to the understanding of on the practices which are expected from

SESSION 5
a social or political point of view, or their ing risk prevention, or to gain access to
own practices. non-observable behaviours which might
nonetheless generate a risk of accident or
We have always seen a discrepancy be- a threat to health in the workplace.
tween the socially expected activities and
skills and those implemented in situ in Our aim was therefore to build a method
the immediate reality of the action: was that could combine these three perspec-
putting the practices of informed profes- tives based on three approaches, which
sionals into words not sufficient either to can be very broadly referred to as an
convey this reality or to design preven- ‘analysis of work’ through professional
tion or training mechanisms? What about didactics (analysis of work with a view
all the professional actions and decisions to training) and the clinical study of the
made on the spot in the midst of the ac- activity (process of verbalizing, clarifying,
tion versus the specific oppositions of the and training concerning the prevented
moment? activities).
Based on the work of Leplat/Pastré/Clot, From the epistemo-methodological point

and by way of example, we consider that, of view, we adopt a Bachelardian, Trans-
between the risk evaluation prescription versalist and Socio-constructivist ap-
and what happens at a given time in a proach in the context and given the social
particular context, keys to understand- and professional aspects of the produc-
ing (in terms of a method) can be found tion of our work in progress, considering
by making a distinction between the not that everything is relative, but that the
prescription, the expected task, the task relationship between science, technology
performed, and the reality of the activity and society can be extremely productive.
(prevented activities), and by looking for
operational invariants, schemes, and con- To understand the interactions between
ceptual and situational structures. what is prescribed, the activity performed
and the reality of the activity, we assert
This distinction makes it possible to con- that the approaches and models proposed
sider different grain sizes (Jackson. Pettit) by professional didactics and the clini-
when analysing and clarifying prescrip- cal study of the activity are equally valid
tion and work situations. The prescriber in the given context of our work and for
thinks up, defines, and sets the task, and the use we wish to make of them, but we
waits for a completed task (coarse grain), also wish to rely on validity criteria which
the observer (preventer, ergonomist, re- would allow us to contribute new, opera-
searcher) analyses the activity performed tionally applicable knowledge in the field
(medium and/or fine grain) and the per- of prevention and training.
son working carries out the prescribed
task (medium grain) and describes the In conclusion, we wanted to demonstrate
reality of his activity (fine grain). the interest as well as the limitations of
prescription and distinguish the elements
The grain size of the analysis is chosen arising from prescription and from the
according to the objective (the ‘prob- activity performed. We have formulated
lem to be solved’), to give rise to either the hypothesis that there is a link between
standards, instructions, etc. concern- the degree of quality required of the

SESSION 5
work, risk prevention and training, and Partial bibliography
that of the evaluation of the work activity Carré, P., Caspar, P. (dir) (2004). Traité
in its ‘prescription/actual activity/real des sciences et des techniques de la
activity’ triptych to conceptualise, design formation. Paris. Dunod.
and perform a job, an evaluation proce-
dure or a professional training mecha- Clot, Y. (2004). La fonction psy-
nism. chologique du travail. Paris. PUF. Le tra-
vail humain.
In our opinion, the fruitfulness of the
combination of ‘downstream’ prescription Leplat, J. (1997). Regard sur l’activité en
(the social expectations of work, preven- situation de travail. Contribution à la
tion and training) and ‘upstream’ pre- psychologie ergonomique. PUF. Le travail
scription (the expressions of practitioner humain.
and/or learner subjects) can enhance the
effectiveness of risk prevention and train- Pastré, P., Samurçay, R. (dir) (2003). Re-
ing approaches. Their value will depend cherche en didactique professionnelle.
on the ability to mobilise the proposed Toulouse. Octarès.
‘triptych’ more or less precisely in ac-
cordance with the work and situations Wittorski, R. (Book arranged by). (2005).
concerned. Formation travail et professionnalisation.
Paris. L’Harmattan. Action & Savoir.
We consider that the process of oppos-
ing the conceptualisation of a training
mechanism or risk assessment approach
(the reasons why, the intentions, the
principles, etc.) to the pragmatic applica-
tion (the attempt to ‘operationalise’ the
thought) cannot have optimum condi-
tions for success unless the participants
(developer, trainers, preventers, etc.) are
individually and collectively mobilised
and unless the agents (cultures, knowl-
edge, skills, etc.) are identified and called
upon.

SESSION 5
Long-Term Study of the Effectiveness of the Work of Safety Specialists
Ulrich Winterfeld 1 and Rüdiger Trimpop 2

Germany
2 University of Jena, Germany
Safety specialists in Germany contract basis or to avail of external serv-

In Germany, over 80,000 safety specialists ice providers. The “working time”, i.e. the
are currently working in companies, in number of hours a Sifa must be available
the public service and as self-employed to a company per year, is stipulated by
management consultants. Together with the German statutory accident insurance
company physicians, they play an impor- institutions. Here, the number of employ-
tant role in the creation and maintenance ees, the industry and the degree of risk
of safe and healthy working conditions in for the employees is taken into account.
companies. To become a safety specialist in Germany
In 1974, the Arbeitssicherheitsgesetz you must fulfil the following require-
(German Occupational Safety Act) in ments:
the Federal Republic of Germany made ■ You must be a qualified engineer, a
the appointment of safety specialists and technician or a Meister (Master tech-
company physicians binding for industry nician)
and the public service. After German ■ You must have at least two years work
reunification in 1989, this legislation also experience and
took force in the eastern German federal ■ You must have gained the necessary
states. specialist skills in the area of safety
Safety specialists (“Sifas”) provide advice engineering through participation in a
to companies on all matters connected recognised training course.
with occupational safety and health. The
company is responsible for the safety and In Germany, training is carried out by
health of its operations and employees. the accident insurance institutions as well
The four main tasks of a Sifa are: as by independent training companies.
■ To identify and evaluate work-related The training course to gain the requisite
accident and health risks qualification in safety technology takes
■ To prepare and design safe and healthy 12 weeks to complete. Since 2001, in the
working conditions industrial sector, this course has taken the
■ To continuously improve safety and form of six weeks of attendance courses,
health in the workplace combined with an electronic learning
■ To integrate safety and health aspects programme that takes another 6 weeks
into management systems and ma- to complete. In addition, several weeks
nagement processes of practical experience culminating in a
written report are mandatory. In the pub-
In Germany, companies can choose lic service, there are two weeks of attend-
whether to employ Sifas on a permanent- ance courses combined with a remote

SESSION 5
learning course of 10 weeks. Both train- areas?

ing systems are to be merged into one ■ What is the role played by personal
joint training system for all Sifas by 2013. characteristics and competencies in
these areas?
Objectives and design of the study ■ How do general prevailing conditions
There has never been much information of the company impact effectiveness?
and empirical data on Sifas’ activities in ■ How do social and political changes
their day-to-day work after their train- impact the activities of the Sifas?
ing has finished, or on how effective their ■ How do the Sifas themselves judge
work is. However, considering the high their effectiveness and how do they
number of Sifas in Germany as well as see the role of other players in the
the costs of having the accident insurance company?
institutions train and supervise them, this ■ How does the work and effectiveness
question is of high importance. Services of the Sifas change in the first several
in the area of prevention should be sub- years after their training?
ject to evaluations, since those respon-
sible need to know whether the invest- Around N = 2,000 Sifas agreed to take
ments made in this area are worthwhile. part in the study, all of whom had com-
For this reason, the former German pleted their training after the new train-
Federation of the Statutory Accident ing concept had been introduced in 2001.
Insurance Institutions for the Industrial This random sample is representative for
Sector – now renamed the German Social all Sifas trained since 2001. In addition,
Accident Insurance (DGUV) after merg- 300 companies took part in the study. The
ing with the Federal Association of managing directors, works council rep-
Accident Insurers – decided to commis- resentatives and company physicians of
sion a long-term study between 2005 and these companies evaluated the work and
2011 to examine the effectiveness of the effectiveness of the Sifas from their point
work of safety specialists. of view.
After an international invitation to bid, In 2008, N = 300 Sifas from the public
two institutes of the technical university service were added to the random sam-
of Dresden, Jena university and a consult- ple. These Sifas only took part in the
ing company from Cologne were com- second wave of information gathering.
missioned to carry out the study under Here again, company partners of the Sifas
the supervision of Professor Trimpop at the companies/offices selected also
(Jena). A group of decision-makers from provided their answers.
the German Statutory Accident Insurance
Association as well as an expert advisory The overall project is divided into the fol-
board made up of prevention experts lowing individual surveys:
from the accident insurance institutions ■ Basic study: the Sifas are asked about
is monitoring the progress of the project. their work and their assessment of
their effectiveness.
The main questions the project is posing ■ In-depth study: the Sifas are asked
are the following: about their motives for doing their
■ In which areas are Sifas working? work.
■ What effect are they having in these ■ Validation study: the other players in

SESSION 5
the companies (Managing Directors participating Sifas. The study also assesses
etc.) assess the work and effectiveness how the Sifas work with this electronic
of the Sifas. information system.
The long-term Sifa study is the most com-
In all three surveys – which took place prehensive scientific study of the work
at different times – electronic online and effectiveness of occupational safety
questionnaires are used. The respondents and health specialists ever carried out in
remain anonymous as a data protection Europe. There has probably been no com-
concept is in place to ensure that the parable study of this scope carried out for
respondents cannot be identified in spite other occupational groups either.
of the fact that they are completing the
questionnaires electronically. Results
The first basic study was carried out be-
The questionnaires are extensive. The ba- tween January 2005 and December 2006.
sic and in-depth studies include 268 and N = 1,926 Sifas took part in this study.
141 individual questions respectively, the The second basic study ran from mid-
validation study contains 115 individual 2007 to mid-2008. N= 1,003 Sifas took
questions. part in this second study, which still con-
stitutes a representative random sample.
In addition, an internet platform was

set up for the project (Sifa-Commu-
nity) to provide information and a fo-
rum for exchange of experience for the

SESSION 5
What are the main areas of Sifas’ work? ■ Operating and other instructions
27% of all Sifas work full-time, 73% work ■ Risk assessment
part-time, 69% are employed by the com- ■ Use of personal protective equipment
panies, 10% are external service provid- ■ Providing advice to employers
ers, 21% are both internal and external.
Workplace design, participation in invest-
Around 40% of each of these groups ment and HR decisions, restructuring the
have a university degree (engineer) or are workplace are rarely named.
qualified technicians and Meister (master
technicians). Design of work systems based on the
Over one third of all Sifas also have a needs of workers is usually named as
managerial function in their company. being more low priority. In this, the spe-
Around 40% carry out other official func- cialists from the industrial sector do not
tions in addition to their work as occu- differ in their responses to those working
pational safety and health specialist, e.g. in the public service.
as environmental protection officers, fire
protection officers, hazardous substances How do Sifas assess their effectiveness?
officers etc. One third of all Sifas assess their
effectiveness in the company as low, in
The activities of the Sifas are prioritised the second basic survey, this percentage
as follows: dropped to 25%.
■ Review of equipment, work areas, and
workplaces

SESSION 5

SESSION 5
The key personal success factors for Sifas sentatives and company physicians from
are: 309 companies took part. Recruiting par-
■ Their role as a consultant to the com- ticipants for this random sample proved
pany to be very difficult. As we needed em-
■ Identification with the company ployees from companies in which at least
■ Cooperative focus on objectives one Sifa had already taken part in the
■ Personal resources random sample questionnaire, the Sifas
who had filled out the questionnaire were
The following success factors can be iden- asked to persuade their company partners
tified from the analysis of the assessed to participate in the study. However, the
success and the personal and operational Sifas from the random sample were very
conditions. Accordingly, Sifas are success- reluctant to do this even though they had
ful in their company if been assured that data protection regula-
■ they derive measures from an overall tions would guarantee that their answers
concept of the risk assessment, could not be compared with the answers
■ they have a cooperative relationship of their company partners.
with management,
■ there is a good culture of safety and The answers provided in the validation
health in the company. random sample study allow comparison
with the overall random sample of the
The size of the company has no influence Sifas questioned but do not allow a direct
on success, there are highly committed comparison with individual Sifas from
Sifas in small companies, too. The extent the respective companies!
of expertise is also only relevant if it is
combined with the above success factors. The results of this study were surprising:
All company partners questioned pro-
The first in-depth study took place be- vided a more positive assessment of the
tween October 2006 and June 2008. intensity of the Sifas’ work than the Sifas
Around 50% of the participants in the ba- themselves!
sic study took part in the in-depth study.
Due to time pressure, it is not possible This is especially true when it comes to
to report on the results of this motiva- involvement in planning processes and in
tion analysis of the Sifas here. Just one changing existing work processes, but not
comment on the overall result: the main when it comes to taking action in the area
motivating factor for the Sifas is their of mental stress and strain.
conviction that the measures they initiate
are effective in terms of employee safety The same goes for the assessment of the
and health. Sifas “act on conviction”! effectiveness of the Sifas. In the following
areas, the Sifas’ company partners pro-
Validation study vided a more positive assessment than the
The first validation study was carried out Sifas themselves.
between October 2006 and June 2008, i.e. ■ Risk reduction
in the same period as the initial in-depth ■ Organisation of occupational safety
study. and health
■ Benefit to the company
Managing Directors, works council repre-

SESSION 5
There were different assessments only in Practical conclusions
the area of “decent working conditions”. The study results analysed so far provide
Company partners also assessed their important information. The success of the
interaction with the Sifas more positively Sifas in their companies can be improved
than the Sifas themselves. However, both in the following ways:
groups provided a similar assessment of ■ By selecting suitable people and pro-
the safety and health culture in the com- viding them with specific further trai-
pany. ning/HR development
■ By introducing a general concept for
Sifa-Community risk assessment and deriving suitable
An information and communication action from this
platform was set up for the long-term Sifa ■ By involving Sifas more intensively in
study. It has been available to all partici- the company organisation
pants at www.sifa-community.de since ■ By developing general concepts for
2005. This homepage provides partici- safety and health in companies
pants with the following: ■ By supporting Sifas with internet plat-
■ Regularly updated job-related infor- forms for information exchange
mation,
■ Answers to the participants’ questions, Implementing the results gained from the
provided by representatives of the research project will be one of the main
researchers tasks going forward.
■ Opportunities for participants to com-
municate with each other about job- Further reading
related matters. For more information about the project,
go to www.sifa-langszeitstudie.de
This homepage, which was originally de- An initial report on the study is to be
signed to simply complement the study, published this year. It should be available
has since developed into an independent from around mid-year. If you are interest-
part of the study and has been very suc- ed in receiving this report, please contact
cessful. The platform is now made avail- the writer of this paper.
able to all safety specialists once they have
registered.
Today, there are almost 2,000 participants
and over 2,500 contributions to the fo-
rums. New specialist reports continue
to be uploaded, but the communication
between the participants themselves
has increased hugely. In 2008, a total of
590,00 and around 27,000 intensive visits
were registered.
Thus, one of the most important results
of the research is that the Sifas are very
interested in receiving new information
via internet and that they have a strong
wish for electronic communication with
each other.

SESSION 5
Development of a Training Program in Manual Material Handling
André Plamondon and Denys Denis

Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST), Canada
In Canada, in the province of Québec, the therapeutic assistants as well as manual

Commission de la santé et de la sécurité material handlers, with approximately
du travail (CSST, workers’ compensation 16% of the cases each (Duguay and
board) is an organisation to which the Boucher, 2009 1).
Québec government has entrusted the
management of the Québec occupational The Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé
health and safety program. The CSST en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST,
provides an insurance service to Québec occupational health and safety research
companies that allows workers to be institute) is a private non-profit organisa-
compensated following an industrial action. The CSST provides it with most of
cident or an occupational disease (Web its funding from the contributions that
site: www.csst.qc.ca ). The CSST’s statisti- it collects from employers. Its mission is
cal data indicate that musculoskeletal to contribute, through research, to the
disorders (MSDs) account for 37% of the prevention of industrial accidents and oc-
injuries accepted in Québec from 2003 to cupational diseases, as well as to the reha-
2007, or 210,458 cases. Of this number, bilitation of affected workers. Consider-
the proportion of accepted MSDs due to ing the extent of musculoskeletal injuries
manual handling was 50%, or 106,325 in handling, the IRSST has established
cases. For these injuries, the CSST makes a research program specifically dedi-
payments of approximately $600 million cated to MSD prevention in handling,
Canadian (approximately $120 million and more specifically to the training of
annually), with this amount not includ- handlers. The objective of this paper is to
ing the costs over the medium and long present this research program in handling
terms. In addition, 65% of the accepted as shown in fig. 1.
handling-related MSDs involve the back,
for 69,000 cases in 5 years. Of the sec- There are two major steps in this pro-
tors most at risk, health and social serv- gram. The first one is to identify and
ices, food industries, retail businesses, validate principles in manual material
transport, and wood industries are the handling (fig. 1 #1) and thereby develop
sectors most affected. These five sectors new ones. Principles can be seen as the
alone represent 44.1% of the MSDs. The safest and most efficient way for the body
groups of professions with the most cases to move. For example, one of the most
are specialized personnel and nursing or important principles is to keep the load
1 Data available on this Web site: www.irsst.qc.ca/manutention

SESSION 5
Fig. 1: Presentation of the research program on handling

SESSION 5
close to the trunk. In order to validate ing new content will consequently be
these principles, several research projects validated with novice handlers to verify
are in progress. For instance, handlers whether they have applied the principles
and novice workers have been tested taught in the program (fig. 1 #4). At the
in our lab while performing a series of same time, new tools are developed to
box transfers under conditions similar measure physical exposure in order to
to those in big distribution centres. Er- be able to study workers in the field (fig.
gonomic observations and biomechani- 1 #5). It is hypothesized that this novel
cal data allowed the subjects’ handling approach based on the observation of
methods to be observed and quantified. expert handlers and principles will be
This is an original part of this program more effective than the existing programs
where ergonomists and biomechanicians in reducing the rate of injury in the work
work together to better understand the field. Although recent studies have chal-
handlers’ strategies and to define the lenged the effectiveness of technique- and
new principles. While various handling education-based manual handling train-
methods were used, experienced handlers ing, we believe that training content bet-
worked differently from novice ones and ter adapted to the work context and based
followed basic principles. From these on expert handlers’ techniques have more
results, a new training content (fig. 1 #3) chance of being successful.
that will be transferable to the workplace The research program is also accompa-
is documented. This will be the second nied by methods of knowledge dissemi-
step in the current research program. nation (fig. 1 #6) aimed in particular at
First, relevant existing training content occupational health and safety profes-
is reviewed and combined with recent sionals. First, a Web site specifically ad-
information available from the literature dressing handling was opened in the fall
and past research in our lab and other of 2008 (www.irsst.qc.ca/manutention;
parts of the world (fig. 1 #2). The result- fig. 2). Its goal is to help professionals find
Fig. 2: Opening page of the Web site (www.irsst.qc.ca/manutention) on manual material handling.

SESSION 5
relevant information on how to prevent dealing with subjects as varied as, for
MSDs in handling. The content is varied example, women and handling. Finally,
and based for the most part on the infor- a discussion forum (accessed from the
mation available in the scientific litera- IRSST Web site) will soon be introduced
ture. Great emphasis has been put on the to discuss the successes and failures of
identification of the risk factors and the MSD prevention programs in handling.
means of technical prevention (engineer- We believe that this research and knowl-
ing controls), administrative prevention edge translation program will allow oc-
(administrative controls) and behavioural cupational health and safety professionals
prevention through worker training. A to be better informed and thus have real
second means was the introduction of a impacts in the workplace.
semi-annual newsletter (Bulletin du ré-
seau d’échanges sur la manutention) that Acknowledgements
informs the network’s members about all Thanks to research group in MMH: Alain
recent handling-related information. This Delisle, Marie St-Vincent, Denis Gagnon,
newsletter is available to anyone inter- Christian Larivière, Maud Gonella, Érik
ested in the prevention of handling inju- Salazar, Christian Larue, Sophie Belle-
ries; to receive it, you just have to register feuille, Iuliana Nastasia
on the IRSST Web site. This newsletter
is accompanied by semi-annual lectures

SESSION 5
Impact of Occupational Health and Safety Training at School on the
Occurrence of Work Injuries in Young People Starting their Occupational
Life (Study Ongoing)
Stephanie Boini *)
Lots of studies highlighted the fact that health and safety training at school on
the youngest people are proportionally the occurrence of injury in young French
more often injured at work, so that this people who start their occupational life.
situation becomes a concern not only in Secondary objectives focus on the role
France but also in Europe, in the United of other factors influencing injury oc-
States and Canada [1-6]. In France, currence in this same population: the
for fifty years, the injury rate of young effect of the type of contract, type of
workers, although decreasing, has been employment and activity sector (particu-
higher than the overall rate. Young people lar professional status, professional pre-
constitute a priority target for preventive cariousness); the experience, know-how,
measures. seniority in opposition with the age; the
Results of studies focusing on the deter- continuing formation/information; the
minants of work injuries permitted to discrepancy between initial training and
establish a characteristic profile of the employment and the over-exposure to
victim: to be a man, blue-collar worker, certain occupational risk factors (chemi-
young, temporary or recently employed cals, manual handling).
[7-9]. The role of the type of employment,
the branch of industry, the accumulation About 2,500 people aged 18 to 30, leav-
of occupational hazards, the intensity of ing school to work in 2009 or 2010 and
work on the occurrence of work injuries having completed a curriculum involving
seems well established. But other rela- training periods in companies, will be in-
tions must still be studied: the length of cluded in this multiregional cohort study.
service, the work-experience, the work At inclusion, information about their
supervision by a senior, the use of psy- school course and personal character-
cho-active substances [10-12]. istics will be collected. Then, during
Consequently, in Canada, prevention the two years of follow-up, a half-yearly
was centred on occupational health and contact will allow the recording of infor-
safety training for young people [13]. In mation about their occupational life and
the United States, many approaches were the update of some of the inclusion data.
targeted specifically on the occupational During the follow-up, occurrence of oc-
health and safety of young people but also cupational injuries will be identified by
new employees. However, few evaluation matching with the database of compul-
studies of these programs exist [14-17]. sory declarations of work injuries man-
aged by the Regional Health Insurance
Thus the main objective of this study is to Funds. The relationship between injury
determine the impact of the occupational occurrence and professional and personal

SESSION 5
factors will then be studied. [6] McCall B.P., Horwitz I.B. - Occupa-
tional vehicular accident claims: A work-
Results will be helpful for a better com- ers’ compensation analysis of Oregon
prehension of the higher injury rates of truck drivers 1990-1997. Accident Analy-
young workers. The role of the occupa- sis & Prevention, 2005, 37, 4, pp. 767-774.
tional and personal factors will be clari- [7] Direction de l’animation de la re-
fied. In particular, a positive impact of cherche des études et des statistiques
initial safety training program is sought - Accidents, accidentés et organisation
for. The identification of modifiable fac- du travail. Résultats de l‘enquête sur les
tors which influence the occurrence of conditions de travail de 1998. Premières
work injury is a first step to allow for the synthèses, 2002, 20.1.
proposal of adequate prevention strate- [8] Direction de l’animation de la recher-
gies in younger workers. che des études et des statistiques - Ac-
cidents et conditions de travail. Premières
Bibliography synthèses, 2007, 31.2.
[1] Bhattacherjee A., Chau N., Sierra [9] Laflamme L., Menckel E. - Aging and
C.O., Legras B., et al. - Relationships of occupational injuries. A review of the
job and some individual characteristics to literature of the last three decades. Safety
occupational injuries in employed peo- Science, 1995, 21, pp. 145-161.
ple: a community-based study. Journal [10] Salminen S. - Have young work-
of Occupational Health, 2003, 45, 6, pp. ers more injuries than older ones? An
382-391. international literature review. Journal of
[2] Breslin F.C., Smith P. - Age-related Safety research, 2004, 35, 5, pp. 513-521.
differences in work injuries: a multivari- [11] Breslin F.C., Day D., Tompa E., Irvin
ate, population-based study. American E., et al. - Non-agricultural work inju-
Journal of Industrial Medicine, 2005, 48, ries among youth: a systematic review.
1, pp. 50-56. American journal of preventive medicine,
[3] Catteledge G.H., Schneiderman A., 2007, 32, 2, pp. 151-162.
Stanevitch R. - Nonfatal occupational fall [12] Chau N, Wild P, Dehaene D, Benam-
injuries in the West Virginia construction ghar L, et al. Roles of Age, Length of
industry. Accident Analysis & Prevention, Service and Job in Work-related Injury:
1996, 28, 5, pp. 655-663. A Prospective Study of 446,120 Person-
[4] Chau N., Bourgkard E., Bhattacherjee Years in Railway Workers. Occup Environ
A., Ravaud J.F., et al. - Associations of job, Med, 2009, Sep 7. [Epub ahead of print].
living conditions and lifestyle with oc- [13] Breslin F.C., Polzer J., MacEachen E.,
cupational injury in working population: Morrongiello B., et al. - Workplace injury
a population-based study. International or „part of the job“?: Towards a gendered
Archives of Occupational and Environ- understanding of injuries and complaints
mental Health, 2008, 81, 4, pp. 379-389. among young workers. Social Science &
[5] Khlat M., Ravaud J.F., Brouard N., Medicine, 2007, 64, 4, pp. 782-793.
Chau N. - Occupational disparities in ac- [14] Schulte P.A., Stephenson C.M., Okun
cidents and roles of lifestyle factors and A.H., Palassis J., et al. - Integrating oc-
disabilities: a population-based study cupational safety and health information
in north-eastern France. Journal of the into vocational and technical educa-
Royal Institute For Health, 2007, pp. doi: tion and other workforce preparation
10.1016/j.puhe.2007.1009.1012. programs. American Journal of Public

SESSION 5
Health, 2005, 95, 3, pp. 404-411.
[15] Gyekye S.A., Salminen S. - Educa-
tional status and organizational safety
climate: Does educational attainment
influence workers’ perceptions of work-
place safety? Safety Science, 2009, 47, 1,
pp. 20-28.
[16] Elangovan R.K., Mohammed K.P.,
Mohan S. - Effectiveness of the designed
safety education programme modules
by their implementation in selected in-
dustries. Journal of Loss Prevention in
the Process Industries, 2005, 18, 4-6, pp.
553-557.
[17] Hodson M., Lapenta D., Rogers S.,
Nace N. - Hand in Hand: An Interdis-
ciplinary Team Approach to Education
Improves Compliance in an Acute Reha-
bilitation Setting. American Journal of
Infection Control, 2004, 32, 3, pp. E104-
E105.
*)
Stephanie Boini 1, Laurent Theveny 2,3 and Pascal Wild 4
1 National Research and Safety Institute (INRS), Department of Occupational
Epidemiology, France
2 National Research and Safety Institute (INRS), Training Department, France
3 National Council for the Occupational Health and Safety Training, France
4 PW Statistical Consulting, France

SESSION 6
OSH information and communication
SESSION 6
Information and Communication: Do our Messages Get Through?
Hiltraut Paridon
Germany
The aim of the present project was to ies allow a number of recommendations
investigate the quality and effectiveness to be made, e.g. that it is important to ex-
of I & C products of the social accident plain the desired behaviour (through spe-
insurance institutions and to deduce cific instructions on what to do and spe-
recommendations and opportunities for cific information about how to behave)
improvement. It was a sub-project of the and the advantages of the preventive
project “Quality in Prevention – Effec- behaviour. The desired behaviour should
tiveness and Efficiency of the Prevention be derived from a model that is relevant
Services of the Social Accident Insurance to the target group. Furthermore, films
in Germany”. It was divided into the fol- are more effective when shown in a train-
lowing phases: ing context. And the impact of confron-
1. Literature search and review regarding tational devices (negative, threatening or
the effectiveness of I & C products in frightening content) is heavily dependent
the field of health and safety. on the target group (age, gender, knowl-
2. Survey of companies’ satisfaction with edge level) and the specific content. On
the products. the whole it can be stated: When used in
3. Collection of quantitative data from isolation, i.e. a single brochure or poster,
the social accident insurance institu- virtually all media have only a small
tions. impact on attitudes and behaviour with
4. Evaluation of individual products regard to health and safety. Media for the
provided by the social accident insur- promotion of health and safety will only
ance institutions. achieve maximum effect through interac-
5. The social accident insurance institution with other media and other preven-
tions were questioned about any pre- tion services.
vious evaluation studies of I & C The survey of companies’ satisfaction
products. with the products showed that all the par-
ticipants know of and use I & C products
The literature search and review showed produced by the social accident insurance
that there are actually only a few studies institutions. Journals are the most widely
that examined the effectiveness especially used product, but online resources are
of OSH media. Otherwise, an almost also used by the majority of participants,
bewildering number of books and essays although not everyone has an Internet
on good graphic design of media exist. connection (this applies mainly to SME).
It is not certain whether they are based I & C products are regularly sent to
on assumptions, experience or empirical companies by the social accident insur-
findings. Nevertheless, the results of stud- ance institutions, but are also actively

SESSION 6
requested by the companies in the survey. urgently information is required by the

In terms of the future format of I & C insured parties.
products, people continue to want both The evaluations of individual products
paper and electronic versions (CDs, on- provided by the social accident insurance
line). There is still not much demand for institutions revealed that the quality of
products addressing psychological issues. the I & C products considered is gener-
It should be stated, however, that only ally high. For example, the respondents
few products on such topics are currently described them as comprehensible, at-
available. Regarding the interests of the tractive and useful. The survey results
employees, they are mainly interested in also confirm that it is important to pro-
interactive I & C products that encourage vide different products for different target
them to act and show them what to do so groups. For example, small business
they can copy it. owners require in the first instance brief
The collection of quantitative data from information that can be rapidly digested.
the social accident insurance institutions This allows them to seek more detailed
revealed that a huge number of I & C information if necessary. Meanwhile,
products are sent out and ordered. The safety experts and health and safety offic-
high level of interest on the part of the ers need more detailed information. The
insured parties is demonstrated by the survey results also show how important it
high number of website hits and I & C is to combine information material with
product downloads. Fluctuations in the other prevention services such as consult-
number of some I & C products that are ing, in order to ensure that the informa-
sent is due to different reasons. Training tion is actually noticed at all. In the case
courses, for example, are often followed of the introductory publication provided
by a rise in demand for the products rec- by the Berufsgenossenschaft for health
ommended on the course. and welfare services (BGW, a brochure
Unfortunately, individual social accident that provides introductory information
insurance institutions have different for BGW member companies, with ref-
methods for collecting their data. As a erences to more in-depth information)
consequence, it is difficult to obtain an the survey results were differentiated for
accurate overall picture. The possibil- two groups: People who knew less about
ity of introducing a standard recording health and safety before they read the
system should therefore be considered. brochure thought that they were more
This would allow a clearer idea of the likely to change their behaviour and at-
real demand for I & C products to be titudes than those people who knew more
obtained. This, in turn, may provide a about the subject. It is however also true
sounder basis for justifying the resources that people who know less about health
invested. There are almost no records of and safety are less likely to read this type
the number of telephone calls and e-mails of brochure in the first place. So, these
asking questions about prevention. The people are ready to change their attitude
few data that do exist suggest that these but will probably not take a brochure and
are very important information channels. read it. It is thus important for informa-
Once again, the possibility of collecting tion material to be combined with other
this type of data in the future should be prevention services such as consulting,
considered. Telephone and e-mail enquir- so that the material can be handed out
ies are especially useful for showing how directly.

SESSION 6
The social accident insurance institu- product in-depth before its production. It
tions were questioned about any previous seems that “effectiveness” is often implic-
evaluation studies of I & C products. This itly equated with changes in behaviour or
should give some information about the reductions in the number of accidents.
extent to which the insurance institu- In other words, we ask how much safer
tions already analyse the quality of their people’s behaviour is once they studied
products, and to complement the findings the information. But I & C products
of the literature review with previously will rarely if ever prevent an accident or
unpublished results. Up to now, prod- change people’s behaviour in the long
ucts and campaigns are evaluated only term. Their goal is actually to present the
sporadically. Further evaluation studies facts in a comprehensible, appealing and
would be useful to help identify both clearly structured manner, and to spread
the good products and the not-so-good information about health and safety,
products. The better products could then thereby considering the target group.
be used as a model for new product de- How this can be achieved best, should be
velopment. clarified at the beginning, i.e. when we
Regarding the future, the most important start to develop a new I & C product.
advice may be to discuss the goals of a

SESSION 6
The Enterprise, Ultimate Link and Essential Actor in the Long Chain of
Preventive Communication
Christian Davillerd
Introduction a list of efficiency indicators for the dif-

One of the means favoured by INRS for ferent communication and information
diffusing the results of its studies and re- products made available to enterprises
search encompasses making a wide range according to their effective use, the aim
of communication and information prod- being to optimize the diffusion channels
ucts available to enterprises. These differ- of the results of prevention research and
ent products also recommend the respect the concrete applications in enterprises
of safety instructions, and are sometimes stemming from them.
proposed to assist in the development
of other communication products more Results
specific to the context of the enterprise. The context of the enterprise: consider-
Intended for a very broad public, it fol- able heterogeneity
lows that their intrinsic qualities are not ■ Each sector of activity has its own
always sufficient to guarantee their ef- requirements linked to its intrinsic
ficiency in extremely varied and increas- mode of operation; communication
ingly fluctuating working environments. product designers therefore cannot
Moreover, a previous study highlighted integrate every eventuality.
in particular the conviction held by most ■ The person in charge of safety in the
users that optimizing the impact of these enterprise also represents a highly
communication and information tools in heterogeneous category: while being
prevention requires the combined use of clearly designated in over 9 out of 10
several products and adequate manage- enterprises, only 54% of them hold the
ment of the preventive initiative accom- title of safety manager (18% with this
panying them. exclusive title, the others having been
assigned it in addition to other joint
Objectives, Methodology responsibilities such as environment,
To get a clearer view of the actual use of quality, etc.). Moreover, while the ave-
these products in enterprises, a survey rage time set aside for safety by those
was conducted among 300 safety manag- designated is 50%; full-time occupati-
ers of French enterprises with workforces on is observed in only 23% of the en-
ranging from 10 to over 500 employees terprises questioned. This how-ever is
belonging to 10 different sectors of activ- clearly a discriminating factor for the
ity. Each interview, taking the form of a introduction of prevention initiatives
telephone conversation, lasted between and the use of prevention products.
25 and 65 minutes. ■ In addition, only in certain enterprises
The results allowed the establishment of (less than a quarter of our sample) can

SESSION 6
these managers rely on a communica- a different investment in terms of

tion department for back-up, mainly financial, human and temporal resour-
for logistics and diffusion and more ces. The lawful safety panels, of the
rarely for the design of documents. compliant type, was found in 95% of
the enterprises questioned and, along
The prevention communication tools with safety instructions, workstation
used by enterprises safety data sheets and practical safety
The general term “tools” employed in guides (90%), constitute the bedrock
relation to communicating and informing of the presence of information pro-
about different elements of prevention in ducts concerning safety. Safety posters
fact encompasses two broad categories are in use in 86% of the enterprises
that must be very clearly distinguished: questioned despite criticism of their
“physical products or supports” that the incongruity in relation to the specific
enterprise procures from prevention or- activity of the enterprises and their
ganisations like INRS or creates itself in sometimes old-fashioned appearance.
order to approach the specific problems Specialised journals and periodicals,
of the enterprise; prevention actions and brochures and technical documents, as
initiatives that the enterprise decides to is the case with the INRS internet site,
implement that will both integrate and are used by two thirds of the managers
sustain the aforementioned physical sup- within the context of active prepara-
ports, sometimes in a very specific man- tion to extract relevant elements and
ner. thus simplify presentations intended
While in the case of “physical” products for employees (intermediate product).
an a priori intrinsic evaluation is often Less than half the enterprises use
conducted by the issuing organizations, videos, due to a lack of projection
thus ensuring their validity (evaluation equipment, insufficient budget for its
possible at several levels: media experts acquisition, impossibility for managers
used, prevention experts, sample of to view content before acquisition or
users), the same does not apply to the viewing time constraints on the part of
prevention initiatives taken in enterpri- employees. Intranet sites dedicated to
ses. In general, their evaluation is almost safety generally host all the regulatory
always carried out ex post facto, inside documents, safety guides, instructions,
the enterprise itself, and is mainly limited simplified information, reports, acci-
in scope to an overall appraisal of the dent analyses, and anomaly feedback
results obtained without always entering follow-up files. They are sometimes
into an in-depth analysis of the factors of backed up by a safety section in the
success or failure. in-house magazine. Communication
■ The products: these are not all on an on safety by different objects in con-
equal footing, notably as regards their junction with prevention (t-shirts,
objective: awareness raising, informa- first-aid kits, safety waistcoat, …) is
tion, reminder, regulations, etc., even encountered more particularly in large
if they all aim for a longer or shorter enterprises, sometimes as a means to
term change of attitude and even beha- “reward” their employees. Few ma-
viour. Moreover, they may be intended nagers have had the occasion to use
for an entire enterprise or merely part theatrical events, deemed too expen-
of it; besides, each product requires sive, though certain have at least done

SESSION 6
role plays or situation simulations. to their mind, the product must serve
Generally speaking, the absence of a the initiative.
person designated to safety is felt in
the existence of information products Conclusion
in the enterprise, and the more time The aim of this telephone survey-based
this person puts in, the more he or she analysis was to place the question of
uses information products (85% of the the use of information products in the
enterprises not using posters have no context and the environment of the en-
person appointed for safety!). terprise. Safety and prevention in these
■ The actions: among the actions and enterprises are, to say the least, subjects
initiatives taken, training courses are of specific concern, and sometimes even
mostly used (89%). Information sessi- form part of the culture of the enterprise.
ons (68%) and direct communication Means of prevention contribute to creat-
(67%) follow, often used together. ing a favourable climate, advancing the
Safety campaigns (45%) need more enterprise and evolving prevention. They
time and logistics and, as a result, are help reduce occupational accidents or
to be found more in large enterprises. health problems, and behavioural chang-
Followed by audits (45%) and safety es have been observed during targeted
animations (30%), often used in com- actions.
bination. For the majority of those questioned,
■ The choice of approach and products dialogue is vital to ensure that employees
is of course dependent on the objecti- are more directly involved in their own
ves set by managers. In this respect, to safety. Participative management and the
change the behaviour of the employ- unreserved willingness of the directors
ees, they prefer training courses, direct would therefore appear to be necessary
communication or meetings with conditions, as are the continuity and the
audiovisual back-up; to teach employ- follow-up of the policy implemented.
ees new things, training, again backed
up by audiovisual facilities, is favo-
ured. On the other hand, to remind
staff of things already known, they rely
on posters and direct reinforcement
communication. The meeting would
appear more suited to improving sa-
fety results, in this case reducing the
information products to a congruous
portion: encouraging employee parti-
cipation would require further direct
communication, the products then
serving as triggers or supports for
dialogue and exchange. However, it is
interesting to note that to achieve pre-
vention objectives, it is not the infor-
mation products themselves that are
emphasized by the managers questio-
ned, but more the initiative or action:

SESSION 6
Improvement of the Quality of OSH Information and Communication
Ellen Schmitz-Felten and Katarina Röbbelen-Voigt

Kooperationsstelle Hamburg, Germany
Introduction audience. The needs of a worker may dif-

The internet is a valuable tool for collect- fer from that of an employer or an OSH
ing and evaluating good quality OSH data professional acting in the workplace. The
and provides the mechanism by which parallel use of scientific data (research
information for employers and work- results) and practical data (case studies) is
ers, researchers or policy-makers can be the core of OSH communication.
prepared and delivered. The flexibility The main areas for the use of OSH infor-
of the internet means that the informa- mation are the development of expert re-
tion may be statistical data sets, practical ports, the development of OSH informa-
tools, research reports or description of tion at workplace level, the preparation of
good practices. This presentation focuses OSH campaigns and the development of
on the collection of information; select- an EU-wide OSH information data base.
ing, processing and using it in different The main work is based on collection and
kinds of documents and on possibilities evaluation of online information. The
to assure the quality. It shows by means of work may be challenging because not all
two examples the challenges, difficulties EU member states have published their
and benefits of using information from OSH information on the web. In such
the internet. Good practice is defined and cases a good network of partners and
illuminated with examples to achieve a information sources is crucial. To achieve
common understanding on it in order to these benefits, there are several challenges
use the information in an effective and that have to be overcome, particularly
useful way. when working at European or global
level. Working at EU level means try-
Information collection ing to get information from as many EU
Through publication in the internet, member states as possible: in the best case
OSH research can enter into the public from all EU member states. The work also
domain quickly, reducing the delay before includes facilitating the development of a
data have an impact, and allowing rapid common European approach in the prac-
comparison, analysis, and evaluation of tical implementation of legislation in the
the research. Together with existing prac- workplace, sharing of knowledge between
tical examples (case studies), the OSH information providers to achieve a con-
research forms the basis of information sensus, provision of knowledge to policy
for workers and employers. This stage is makers to facilitate decision-making and
challenging as it requires the translation comparison of information and the iden-
of expert knowledge into a form that tification of both differing approaches
meets the needs of the identified target and common success factors.

SESSION 6
Definition of “good practice” information on the internet; not every

Good practice is difficult to define; piece of information called good practice
though there are several features which is covered by the definition given and can
should be met. Good practices are practi- be used as such. Preparing good practice
cal innovative solutions or procedures, information for different target groups
successful in the long term and with the requires a clear and reproducible defini-
overall view of all issues which makes tion of good practice.
them sustainable. They are innovative so-
lutions used in the everyday working life Analysing and presenting OSH infor-
and transportable (as a whole or partly) mation to support OSH communication
to other companies and operational High-quality and up-to-date information
procedures horizontally and vertically is necessary to establish effective OSH
(multiplying effect). Possibly existing communication between stakeholders
(industrial) standards should be met or and to make progress in combating safety
even exceeded. Good practice is not al- and health problems in Europe. To reach
ways best practice, as it is often difficult to different target groups (policy makers,
define the very best solution and in many workers’ representatives, workers, OSH-
cases different solutions can collocate. experts) information has to be prepared
Additionally good practice is in constant and presented aligned to the corres-
development; “best practice” can become pondent audience. Case studies, policies
very quickly the norm and may remain or overall prevention reports are tools/
static. Bringing these general features to instruments to support this aim. Policy
the OSH area, “good practice informa- reports promote the understanding of
tion should provide persons who have existing OSH communication strategies
a role in occupational safety and health and campaigns. Case study reports sup-
with knowledge to allow them to improve port the exchange of good practice solu-
working (and in some situations, living) tions (experiences) with other companies
conditions to reduce the health and safety (among companies and) to improve
risks to workers at workplace/enterprise working conditions within their compa-
level.” 1 nies and prevent occupational hazards all
According to the EU OSHA guideline over Europe.
“the definition of good practice varies Two different kinds of reports were
between the Member States due to the selected to illustrate the benefits (pos-
different occupational safety and health sibilities) and challenges (problems) of
systems and legislation, culture, language, preparing good practice information for
and different experiences. In addition, special needs.
different groups with different interests
and levels of knowledge have different Prevention report cleaning workers: An
points of view related to good practice at example of the challenges and benefits
workplace level.” 2 of preparing good practice information
These paragraphs already show how diffi- and the role of communication
cult it is to search for “real” good practice Following identification in the European
1 http://osha.europa.eu/en/good_practice/EU OSHA “Guideline for good practice data collection”

2 http://osha.europa.eu/en/good_practice/EU OSHA “Guideline for good practice data collection”

SESSION 6
Community Strategy that some worker timeliness of the information.
categories are still overexposed to occu-
pational risks, a report on the prevention Solutions/Recommendations
of harm to cleaning work was commis- OSH workplace level information has
sioned with the primary target group of to be prepared with very detailed back-
OSH professionals and policy makers. ground information, considering the ex-
This report had to consider the complex periences and positions of social partners
interaction between workplace risks (e.g. (workers and employers), and academics.
dangerous substances), work organisa- This requires a good network of inform-
tion (subcontracting), labour policy (il- ants and experts. The core of OSH com-
legal labour), and a particular workplace munication is bringing together the sci-
demographic (typically female and often entific data and the practical experience
immigrant). To achieve a broad overview (good practice). The dialogue with the so-
about actions taken in the EU member cial partners is crucial for the implemen-
states to prevent harm to cleaners it was tation of outcomes. Working at EU level
necessary to gather information from as means trying to get information from as
many EU member states as possible, from many EU member states as possible: in
different approaches as well as identifying the best case from all EU member states.
the success factors. Questions that have Selecting and preparing case studies at
to be analysed and presented are amongst enterprise level often requires the original
others: the aim of the project or cam- language to get in contact with workers,
paign, the scope, the success factors and employers or safety representatives. Often
the transferability. only general information is published in
English and does not allow a quality as-
Policy report on occupational exposure sessment. In depth information for case
limits (OELs): Dealing with rapidly studies can only be retrieved by personal
changing and politically relevant data contacts (to people involved in the good
Many enterprises, workers and OSH spe- practice solution) and knowledge of the
cialists are looking for practical informa- language in question. This also applies to
tion, background information and instru- policies like campaigns: they are mostly
ments to handle dangerous substances. carried out in the national language.
OELs are one of the major control in- General information has to be searched
struments. The aim of this report was to via the internet. The selection and deter-
prepare a policy overview. To reach this mination of high quality information is
mission ideally all member states had to crucial and requires exact investigations
be covered in country reports. Relevant as well as a broad knowledge about the
information that had to be collected and European (or even worldwide) situation
evaluated was: legal basis, scientific basis, and legislation and clear criteria for the
detailed regulations concerning OELs, selection of the material. The OSH infor-
guidelines and recommendations how to mation provision is also unbalanced in
apply the values, accompanying initiatives some areas on the internet and the nature
or programmes to support the use of the of the internet in general is unregulated.
lists critical and political statements and Information has to be put in the right
the evaluation of the implementation. A context/scope. Specific information has
network beyond the internet was needed to be acquired from experts. This requires
for data collection and to ensure the a functioning network. There is a need of

SESSION 6
appropriate tools to prepare and evaluate

the information.
Legislation and regulations are perma-
nently developing. For that reason it is
crucial to look for up-to-date informa-
tion. Sometimes regulations are in the
process of changing and have to be up-
dated while a report is prepared.

SESSION 6
Measuring the Effectiveness of Prevention Campaigns
Esin Taşkan-Karamürsel and Annekatrin Wetzstein

Germany
1. Introduction cative campaigns have the following char-

Prevention campaigns of the statutory acteristics: they have a specific intention,
accident insurance in Germany have the address a broad public and are limited to
goal to protect employers, supervisors a certain period of time. Furthermore,
and employees against accidents, dis- they respond to the target groups through
eases and/or work-related health hazards personal and mass-medial communica-
through raising their awareness and tion ways.
educating them. Upon completion of the There are many programs and measures
nationwide healthy-skin prevention cam- in prevention which are successfully used.
paign a new prevention campaign with However these are not yet sufficiently
the title “Fight the risk” is being prepared evaluated scientifically regarding their
for 2010/2011 focusing the main meas- theoretical principles, their implementa-
ures in three fields of activity: workplace- tion and their actual effectiveness. In
related accidents in transport and traffic, addition to resource problems (time and
pupil accidents in road traffic, and work, costs) methodical problems are also re-
service route and commuting accidents sponsible for this situation. But especially
on public roads. Accordingly, the verifica- limited financial resources and constantly
tion of the effectiveness of this campaign rising costs in the social insurances have
requires a complex evaluation concept led to an increasing importance of the
which we have organised on eight differ- evaluation and quality management of
ent levels. prevention programs in recent years.
2. Campaigns in prevention 3. Evaluation concept for evaluating the

Apart from the classical prevention campaign “Fight the risk”
measures the statutory accident insur- The evaluation concept was developed in
ance institutions have increasingly ap- parallel to the development of the strat-
plied campaigns for the prevention of egy for the campaign. The following part
accidents and diseases in the past few describes the eight levels of the concept
years. The prevention services’ campaigns for evaluating the prevention campaign
are performed in a coordinated way as a “Fight the risk”.
set of combined activities using different
media and a specific schedule-based plan, 3.1 Scope of the campaign activities and
in order to address the target group and actions
to reach the desired effect with a defined On the first level we ask which activities
effort. According to Rogers and Storey or measures are performed where, when
(1987, from McGrath) social-communi- and by whom. The range and the costs

SESSION 6
of the measures also play a role. Evalua- ate with the theme. We will measure this
tion criterion is the effort of all campaign level with an online-questionnaire for oc-
partners. We assume that the campaign cupational safety specialists in a pre-post
will not achieve its goals, if the activities evaluation design.
are not perceived by the target groups. In
order to enhance the scope and presence 3.4 Behavioural/Change level
of the campaign, the activities and meas- The examination on the fourth level,
ures will be documented and categorized whether and to which extent a program
by all partners with the help of a devel- caused real changes in the desired direc-
oped excel-sheet. tion, presupposes a specification and op-
erational definition of program goals and
3.2 Media response success criteria. Thus a program is con-
On the second level we perform a media sidered effective only if it causes a change
response analysis to see which campaign in the direction of the goals set. We will
activities were taken up by the media. It measure this level with the help of the
gives information, when where and how following parameters: increase of knowl-
which information was accessible to the edge, attitude change, change of image,
target groups. The messages from print change of behaviour. Again the chosen
and online media, television and radio evaluation method is an online-question-
transmissions will be documented and naire for occupational safety specialists.
analysed on a monthly basis with regard In addition, on this level we have built so-
to both frequency and content. The fre- called “institutional partnerships”. That
quency analysis shows the occurrence of means we evaluate the change within
messages in different media. The content the target groups together with different
analysis however refers to a subjective partners of the campaign, who have di-
evaluation of the messages in line with rect access to the companies by means of
certain criteria of the campaign. In the paper-and-pencil questionnaires.
collection of the data we made a distinc-
tion between two sources: 3.5 Impact on companies
■ The press echo which comprises all The fifth level describes the economic
messages found in the media of the success of a campaign. The usual criteria
press. on this level are the number of accidents,
■ The own media which comprise all cost savings and increase in sales. But
messages found in the media of the in case of this campaign it is impossible
campaign partners. to take the number of accidents as a cri-
The messages of the different media were terion especially because of methodical
entered into an excel-sheet on the basis of problems. We explained that in a special
a developed scheme. position paper. For the time being we
discuss the measurement of this level
3.3 Perception level through a model calculation or a cost-
On this level the target group of all cam- benefit-calculation.
paign activities moves into the field of
efficacy for the first time. Here we ask 3.6 Quality of the structure and
whether the target groups have perceived processes of the campaign
the campaign, what they remember after The process evaluation on the sixth level
a period of time and what they associ- aims at optimizing our own structure

SESSION 6
and processes in order to learn for fu- 4. Workgroup evaluation
ture campaigns. We will measure this To develop the eight levels of the evalu-
level with an online-questionnaire to ation and to discuss all working steps in
be answered by all organizing groups of detail we established a “workgroup evalu-
the campaign. Relevant topics are the ation”. In this group there are representa-
design and the theme of the campaign, tives from the institutions for statutory
the services of project management, the accident insurance and prevention and
communication and cooperation process, the German Road Safety Council (DVR
the planning of activities and learnings e.V.) as well as other independent scien-
for the next campaign. In addition we will tists with expertise in workplace-related
perform interviews with decision-making transport and traffic accidents, pupil ac-
persons. cidents in road traffic, and work, service
route and commuting accidents on public
3.7 Recommendations and advice to the roads as well as in evaluation methods
institutions for statutory accident and campaign design.
insurance
The structure of the campaign comprises
an umbrella campaign and various in-
dividual insurers’ campaigns. On the
seventh level of the evaluation concept we
give recommendation and advice to all
carriers of the campaign how to evaluate
a carrier-specific campaign. Every car-
rier-specific evaluation concept will be
an individual solution because they fol-
low slightly different aims and activities
within their own campaigns.Therefore
we offer courses, workshops, individual
consultation, and a lot of documents
and check lists. The individual consulta-
tion includes the evaluation concept, the
methods and instruments, the execution
of the evaluation and the reporting.
3.8 Feedback of the evaluation

In regular intervals and during a continu-
ous process we will feed back the results
of the evaluation on the eighth level. They
are interesting for decision makers, part-
ners or carriers of the campaign and for
the target groups.

SESSION 6
Using Case Studies to Raise Awareness and Disseminate Solutions
Tim Tregenza and Zinta Podniece

European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), Spain
European occupational safety and health “Case studies” is the term used to de-
legislation places general legal duties on scribe examples of “real life” situations
employers and workers. For example, the where a change has been made resulting
“framework” directive requires employers in the elimination or reduction of risks to
to “ensure the safety and health of work- workers.
ers in every aspect related to work” and
workers to cooperate with the employer The case studies are used in conjunc-
“for as long as may be necessary to enable tion with other materials, such as risk
the employer to ensure that the working assessment tools to provide a range of
environment and working conditions are practical materials so that not only the
safe…” (Council Directive 89/391/EEC). steps that are required in theory would be
Such a goal-setting approach leads duty described, but they can then be illustrated
holders to ask not WHAT they need in a practical situation.
to do, but HOW they should go about
achieving these goals. For the purposes of EU-OSHA, a case
study is a structured examination of an
The European Agency for Safety and actual (not theoretical) situation in which
health at Work (EU-OSHA), set up in there are specified interventions and
1996 on the legal basis of Council Regula- identified outcomes. In examining the
tions to contribute to the improvement actions, the study tries to identify what
of working life in the European Union, worked – the success factors – allowing a
is the main EU reference point for safety meta-analysis of these success factors to
and health at work. draw up strong common approaches for
preventing harm to workers.
In its founding regulations, EU-OSHA is
required to “play a leading role in the col- Case studies are published to illustrate
lection and dissemination of information that action can be taken and that solu-
on good practice” (Council Regulation tions do exist to many occupational safety
1112/2005). Recognising that the range of and health challenges and that these
stakeholders require differing approaches, solutions may be transferable to other
EU-OSHA publishes many types of workplaces.
materials, from risk assessment tools to
detailed reports, from simple fact sheets EU-OSHA has established criteria for as-
to E-facts describing more technical ap- sessing the suitability of case studies and
proaches to specific issues. a simple structure for publication. These
criteria include that the intervention

SESSION 6
should be clearly identifiable as the action accessible as possible across Europe.

to cause the elimination or reduction of
risk, by achieving an identifiable and per- The cases published have been on subject
manent benefit, and at least meeting the matter as varied as young workers, the
relevant legal requirements. construction sector, and noise at work.
In addition to publishing these case stud-
Examination of the case studies’ “success ies, EU-OSHA has created a searchable
factors” has also led to the identifica- online database to ensure accessibility of
tion of essential components for a suc- the material available. They are viewed
cessful workplace intervention. These as an effective format for communicat-
components include the application of ing information on solutions for occu-
a methodical approach to workplace pational safety and health challenges to
safety and health issues, a participatory workplaces.
approach to problem solving, the use of
multidisciplinary teams, and the sponsor- Case studies for intermediaries
ship and support of management. EU-OSHA provides case studies not only
for those operating in enterprises, but
Since 2000, EU-OSHA has sought to also examples of approaches for interme-
make available case studies through diary organisations. A challenge facing
both the collection of material by ex- the occupational safety and health stake-
pert institutions and through European holders is how to cascade information
competition. Accessibility of the material into workplaces at a time when small-
has been greatly enhanced since 2008 and-medium enterprises (SMEs), and
when EU-OSHA created a database on its micro-enterprises are identified as being
website (osha.europa.eu) of the approxi- at particular risk (European Commis-
mately 600 cases it has published. sion 2007). Some case studies published
by the Agency describe actions by inter-
The case studies are presented in a com- mediaries in communicating knowledge
mon format. There is an abstract con- to the workplace, whether the action is
taining the title, name of enterprise or campaigning, training or a mixture of ap-
organisation, date, and three text sections proaches.
entitled “the issue”, the action”, and “the
results”. The abstract has metadata at- Limitations to the case studies approach
tached to facilitate searching by sector, Limitations to the use of case studies
keyword, and Member State. should be noted both in the collection of
data and the application of the published
The case study normally comes with a studies.
PDF file of the relevant section of the
Agency report where the study was origi- EU-OSHA looks for cases that reflect the
nally published or with a link to other- modern work environment. A balance is
wise unpublished documentation relating needed between maintaining a structured
to the case study in greater detail. The and analytical approach while maintain-
abstracts are of a length to facilitate trans- ing currency and relevance in the work-
lation (currently all material is in English place. The case studies are not considered
only) but it is hoped that translation of scientific literature. Although they are
the abstracts will make the resource as analysed their intention is to illustrate

SESSION 6
and guide, rather than present formal Bibliography
academic results. Council Directive 89/391/EEC of 12 June
The limitations of case study usage should 1989 on the introduction of measures to
also be noted. While the conceptual ap- encourage improvements in the safety
proach and techniques used may be em- and health of workers at work
ployed, the solutions illustrated cannot
be copied directly from one workplace to Council Regulation (EC) No 1112/2005
another. They have to be fitted into the of 24 June 2005 amending Regulation
context of the workplace’s hazards, risks, (EC) No 2062/94 establishing a European
and preventive and work culture. There Agency for Safety and Health at Work
is a danger of presenting solutions that
implementers may not follow a risk-as- European Commission 2007 Commu-
sessment-based approach. For example, if nication from the Commission to the
a case study illustrates the use of personal Council and the European Parliament
protective equipment (PPE), there is the – Improving quality and productivity at
danger of the reader of that study im- work: Community strategy 2007 – 2012
plementing a PPE-based solution rather on health and safety at work COM (2007)
than trying to eliminate or substitute the 62
danger in the first place.

SESSION 6
Health and Stress at Work: Different Actions of Communication Used by
a Manager‘s Trade Union
Bernard Salengro
French Confederation of Management – General Confederation of Executives
(CFE-CGC), France
Good evening ladies and gentlemen In addition, our Confederation, as an

organization, initiated workshops to thor-
I would like to deeply thank the organ- oughly discuss issues and exchange, share
izers for inviting a trade unionist to and modify related documents to an ex-
participate in a conference pitched at tent a company doctor can only dream of.
prevention officers. Our organization, the Finally, having these discussions in or-
Confédération des Cadres en France, re- ganisations which are able to make an
presents French executives. The invitation impact by way of communication and
is an honour for us, and we even consider publication, will strengthen the mission
it symbolic. of safety in the workplace.
Isn’t it indeed significant that we decided When I majored in social psychology
to make prevention one of our priority in Nice, I had already been deeply im-
fields of activity? It is a fact that this topic pressed by the experiments conducted
has given rise to some alarm and needs by Kurt Levin on group climates and
to be seen against the backdrop of rising leadership which can be authoritarian,
stress levels at work. democratic or laisser-faire in style. The
My talk is a challenge too. I have been an leadership style determines whether or
occupational physician for thirty years. not positive behavioural change will be
As you well know I have been practic- quick, real and of lasting effect. Levin
ing preventive medicine. However, as I showed that changing behaviour is not
was going along during the first ten years dependent on the money invested in pub-
of my profession, I realised that there licity or training seminars but on workers
were missing links to be addressed. The making a deliberate choice (after group
true challenge of this talk is to let you discussions with their peers).
understand that I have found these links
through my experience as a trade union- This is what I would like to share with
ist. you.
As a union officer in the French and in
the European Confederation of Execu- The focus of the work is on the stress
tives and Managerial Staff, I would like to experienced by executives and service
outline this shared approach. My work as sector employees. France has not exactly
a trade unionist in various organisations been a trail-blazer in this respect, and
and many years of experience gathered ILO gave us a great deal of support with
in training sessions granted me insights I their studies and research conducted in
was unable to gain in my work as a com- other countries. What is important is the
pany doctor. approach: once an organisation has un-

SESSION 6
derstood the importance of prevention, There are some biological indicators

all stakeholders – and not just preventive such as salivary cortisol, urinary cat-
officers – are invited to participate. echolamines, electroencephalography,
the brain scans or the measurement of
The situation cutaneous resistivity. But they are rough
France disposes of a system of recogni- and indirect measurements, and the lack
tion of occupational diseases which is of counterarguments is the reason for the
very democratic at first glance but in real- idea that non-physical work should be
ity is difficult to access not least due to effortless. “And yet, it does ache,” could
the business leaders who have no interest have said Galileo.
in a greater number of claims granted as The lack of understanding the stress
this would increase their social contribu- involved in non-physical work makes it
tions. difficult to improve conditions. It is up to
The recognition of the worker’s claims those who do see need for improvement
might indeed be the job for a lifetime as (i.e. company doctors and trade union-
we have seen in the cases of lead, asbestos ists) to speak up and minimise stress
and silica-related diseases. Homeric bat- levels not least in discussions with the
tles were fought to have these diseases government.
recognized as work-related.
Recognition is the first but not the least The project
obstacle. Everybody, even those who are This situation is anything but new. Since
interested in such topics, fail to see the re- 1993 ILO has published epidemiological
ality of work other than physical tasks. If studies and solutions introduced by the
a person does not move loads, his or her Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon countries.
work will always be considered easy and The complaints expressed by company
effortless. This, for example, is a difficulty doctors and trade unionists refer to the
in the evaluation of static work which same phenomena even if they are difficult
would nevertheless be tiresome and pose to be communicated and almost invisible
constraints. in society to non-experts. France seems
Work is never purely physical or intel- to be lagging behind in Europe when it
lectual; there is always some intellectual comes to a social dialogue to discuss the
work involved in any job just like in any findings of recent studies.
human activity. As a result of this situation a working
The lion’s share of management work group has been set up by the Confedera-
is marked by cognitive, emotional and tion with the objective to change attitudes
psychological activities; unfortunately we as regards the burden of non-physical
have no means of measuring the effort work.
involved. The work is so to speak invisible We have to do away with preconceived
or lacks activity – which is not any better. ideas and must convince people that it is
Currently, we can just rely on the narra- intolerable for employees to become ill
tive about the workers’ personal experi- due to work-related stress (which hasn’t
ences during and after work and recovery. got anything to do with destiny or per-
There is no dearth of testimonies pro- sonal weakness).
vided by my colleagues from the trade To challenge public opinion and in par-
union. This anecdotal data cannot be ig- ticular the media, journalists, public
nored even if it is not scientifically sound. opinion leaders etc. it is necessary to

SESSION 6
speak their language and understand how point onwards we started to inform the
they work. civil society.
This is a sine qua non to bring about Every six months we hold a press confer-
changes in the workplace and in corpo- ence during which we update the public
rate management in order to eliminate and publish testimonials given by execu-
negative effects on the health of a compa- tives and employees in the service sector.
ny’s workforce and its business success. Last time we presented three comic books
relating the situation of executives in a
The action big French organisation. The 100,000
Before embarking upon an operation copies were used up very quickly but the
costly in human and monetary resources comics can still be found on the Confed-
we addressed our 250,000 members eration’s website.
directly by way of a written communica- Our organisation has certainly taken note
tion. The response to our questions as re- of the topic and is committed to reduce
gards work-related stress was overwhelm- work-related stress levels. Our efforts
ing. As a result, we established working have galvanised various stakeholders into
groups to design a questionnaire on the action. What is required now is the de-
basis of the feedback given. velopment of studies and training courses
This questionnaire after validation was and negotiations with decision makers.
tested in our own organisation. Then I hope I have been able to show how the
it was transmitted to a polling institute trade union’s communication efforts have
which revised it according to professional made everybody more receptive for the
standards. issues and consequences of work-related
The results corroborated what the work- stress in non-physical activities.
ing groups had highlighted, from which

SESSION 6
Hear no evil:
Encouraging Construction Workers to Reduce their Noise Exposure
Megan Gilliver and Warwick Williams
The HEARing CRC/National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL), Australia
Abstract construction has been acknowledged

In construction, noise has traditionally as a difficult goal to achieve (Berglund
been identified as a difficult hazard to ad- & Lindvall, 1995; Nietzel et al, 1999;
dress. However, the many associated costs EASHW, 2005; Colvin & Luxon, 2007).
have made noise exposure reduction an Worksites are generally expected to be
area of concern for companies. Ninety an area of high noise and noise is often
eight workers from a large construction viewed as one of the lower level hazards
organisation were interviewed about their on site. Thus workplaces need to care-
knowledge and beliefs about noise reduc- fully consider a range of about factors
tion activities. Workers’ participation in influencing workers’ attitudes to noise
these activities and their attitudes to noise reduction in order to improve their par-
were examined in relation to constructs ticipation.
of the Health Belief Model. Opportunities
to improve and encourage workers’ moti- Method
vation and participation are discussed. Ninety eight male participants were sam-
pled opportunistically during visits to
Introduction to Noise Exposure – Costs four very large construction sites in NSW,
and Consequences Australia. The sites all belonged to an in-
The direct cost of noise induced hearing ternational construction company iden-
loss (NIHL) as defined by compensation tified as having a strong safety culture.
claims has been found to be considerable. Workers were aged between 17 - 65 years
In 2006/2007, in NSW Australia, hearing (M = 35.4, SD = 12.5), and had vary-
loss claims accounted for 56.1% of all oc- ing experience working in construction
cupational disease claims within the con- from just a few weeks to 43 years (M= 13
struction industry, equating to a direct years). Participants were a combination
cost of $AUS 7.6m (WorkCover, 2008). In of company employees, contractors, and
reality, the actual cost of NIHL (including sub-contractors, and included a variety
costs of ongoing rehabilitation, and indi- of positions and fields (e.g. electricians,
rect costs such as reduced work capacity concreters, bricklayers, foremen, and car-
and burden of disease costs incurred by penters).
individuals, families, and the community)
is difficult to quantify. For this reason, the Structured interviews were undertaken to
construction industry recognises noise as ask workers about their knowledge, atti-
a serious workplace hazard. tudes, and thoughts regarding workplace
noise exposure reduction techniques (see
However, reducing noise exposure in Gilliver & Williams, 2009). Results were

SESSION 6
analysed in relation to the main con- tised’ to high noise levels and, as a result,
structs of the Health Belief Model (HBM; workers may underestimate moderate ac-
Rosenstock, 1974), to identify areas asso- tivities downplaying their potential risk.
ciated with motivation that may be used Providing more detailed information
to assist in improving participation. about the nature of difficulties associ-
ated with hearing loss, personalizing the
Results and Discussion potential impacts, and providing workers
Workers showed a relatively high level of with accurate information about their
interest and compliance towards noise individual noise exposure in all situations
exposure reduction compared to that of may improve motivation and participa-
workers in other recognized noisy in- tion.
dustries (SafeWork SA, 2008). Workers
were found to have received and retained Perceived Benefits and Barriers
a high level of theoretical information Workers showed a strong understanding
about the risks of noise exposure – the of the benefits of reducing noise exposure
result of the company’s strong safety and knowledge of the “facts” of hearing
culture. However this knowledge did not loss. These results are encouraging, but
translate directly into correspondingly remain open to improvement. Motivation
high levels of participation. Thus, educa- for reducing noise exposure continues
tion alone appears insufficient to bring to be lower than that for other on-site
about widespread change. A discussion of safety behaviours, with a lack of consist-
other factors that may impact on work- ency in the way opportunities for noise
ers’ motivation and behaviour is provided exposure reduction are sought out and
below. implemented.
Noise threats on site will always be
Perceived Severity & Susceptibility viewed with less concern than more im-
Workers showed reasonable awareness of mediate physical hazards, however it is
the consequences of noise, and expressed important that this does not result in low
a desire to avoid NIHL. However, work- expectations for worker participation.
ers’ responses suggested that conceptuali- Rather, an overall strong safety culture
zation of hearing loss remains relatively should be used to improve rather than
abstract (e.g. “things will be quieter”) and detract from activities aimed at noise re-
that its potential severity may be poorly duction behaviour.
understood.
Many workers were aware of their per- Self Efficacy
sonal susceptibility to hearing loss, and Employers have a number of controls at
reported early experiences of NIHL their disposal in order to reduce noise
symptoms. Workers also acknowledged exposure on-site including “buying quiet”,
their general susceptibility to NIHL from providing engineering controls, imple-
their workplace, accurately identifying menting administrative measures, and
major sound sources, and commenting providing appropriate personal protective
that “construction is noisy”. The expecta- equipment (PPE) and training. Each of
tion and acceptance of noise in the work- these levels were associated with different
place, however, carries some potentially levels of worker self efficacy. The majority
negative consequences. In a noisy envi- of workers were knowledgeable and con-
ronment it is easy to become ‘acclima- fident with PPE use. In contrast, many of

SESSION 6
the higher level controls were viewed as The Journal of Occupational Health and
“management responsibility” and workers Safety Australia and New Zealand, 25, pp
were less confident to initiate or partici- 187-196
pate in their implementation.
While higher level controls do, of course, Nietzel, R, Seixas, NS, Camp, J & Yost,
require approval/support from manage- M (1999) An assessment of occupational
ment, organizations need to create a safe- noise exposures in four construction
ty culture where employees feel their in- trades, Am Ind Hyg Assoc J, 60: 807-817
put is valued at all levels. It is important,
therefore, to continue to support personal Rosenstock, I. M. (1974) Historical ori-
noise exposure reduction techniques (e.g. gins of the health belief model. Health
PPE use) while also encouraging work- Education Monographs, 2: 328-355
ers to comment on and participate in
activities that reduce noise through other SafeWork SA (2008) Compliance with
means, thereby increasing feelings of self Noise Standard in South Australia, Safe-
efficacy across the board. Work SA, Adelaide
Conclusion WorkCover NSW (2008) Workers’ Com-

Traditional education about noise and its pensation Statistical Bulletin 2006/07,
consequences is an important tool in re- WorkCover NSW
ducing workers’ noise exposure. However,
this is insufficient to achieve widespread
change. Personalizing hearing campaigns
to acknowledge additional factors associ-
ated with workers’ motivation may assist
to improve participation.
References
Berglund, B & Lindvall, T (1995) Com-
munity Noise, World Health Organiza-
tion, published by the Centre for Sensory
Research, Stockholm
Colvin, I & Luxon, L (2007) Clinical

diagnosis of noise-induced hearing loss,
in Noise and its Effects eds LM Luxon &
D Prasher, Wiley & Sons, Chichester, pp
182-231
European Agency for Safety and Health

at Work (2005) Noise in Figures Thematic
Report, Office for Official Publications of
the European Union, Luxembourg
Gilliver, M, & Williams, W. (2009) Noise

exposure and the construction industry,

SESSION 7
Incentive systems
SESSION 7
Exchange of Economic Incentives Good Practice at European Level
Dietmar Elsler
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), Spain
Introduction Literature review on economic

The European Commission’s Community incentives
Strategy on Health and Safety at Work Overall, there was a strong argument for
for the period 2007-2012 has the ambi- the benefits of economic incentives aris-
tious aim of reducing the European Un- ing from sources outside a company to
ion’s occupational incident rate by 25%. improve occupational health and safety.
To achieve this, it is not enough for EU This finding is tempered by methodologi-
Member States to simply transpose and cal difficulties in evaluating the effective-
implement EU health and safety regula- ness of various incentive schemes, and
tions into national legislation. Enforce- it was suggested that further research is
ment is essential, especially in small and required to clarify ambiguous results in
medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to the research literature.
bring about behavioural change that will Insurance-related economic incentives
lead to improvements in workers’ health were an effective way to motivate or-
and safety. Besides taking direct measures ganisations to invest in OSH. Evidence
to ensure compliance with legislation, suggests that economic incentives alter
such as inspection and the issuing of employees’ behaviour or incident rates in
penalties, occupational safety and health organisations. There has been a reason-
(OSH) policies can be promoted through able amount of research regarding experi-
economic incentives that reward organi- ence rating in worker’s compensation,
sations which develop and maintain safe which usually consists of a bonus-malus
and healthy working environments. system for insurance premiums based on
This European Agency project gives an the individual accident rates of a compa-
overview, analysis and evaluation of exist- ny. The literature review analysed several
ing systems providing economic incen- research papers about the effectiveness of
tives for OSH in Europe. It examines how experience rating and found at least mod-
enterprises and employers can be influ- erate evidence that it reduces the number
enced and motivated to improve OSH. of insurance claims.
The report offers best practice informa-
tion in the form of case studies to help Policy overview on economic incentives
companies and other organisations in the Regarding the basic criteria of social in-
development and provision of economic surance systems and worker’s compensa-
incentive schemes. tion approaches there are not very many
differences in Europe. Most countries
designed their social security system in
the Bismarckian tradition and the acci-

SESSION 7
dent insurance institutions are based on a in OSH as well. In Spain insurance incen-
state-run monopoly. There is a significant tives are planned in the national OSH
group of countries with a competitive strategy and a great variety of OSH sub-
market in a Beveridgean system and two sidy programmes is offered on a national
smaller groups of countries with mixed as well as regional level. Of the smaller
forms. So the variety of different accident Member States Belgium, Finland and The
insurance and social insurance system Netherlands are the most active, showing
is fairly limited regarding basic criteria, that economic incentives are also possible
even though there are probably many in private accident insurance systems.
more differences in detail. All in all the overview shows that eco-
These differences between countries nomic incentives can be offered in all
and economic incentive schemes natu- Member States, regardless of their social
rally have an influence on the potential security system traditions or whether the
transferability of incentive models in accident insurance system is private or
OSH. Subsidy systems, tax incentives and public.
non-financial incentives should be theo-
retically possible in all EU countries. Ex- Case studies
perience-rating approaches can be found The collection of case studies shows that
in both competitive and monopolistic economic incentives can be effective
markets. However, there are differences in a great variety of settings in order to
when it comes to the funding of future- promote OSH. All incentive schemes
oriented prevention efforts, such as train- presented have been managed efficiently
ing or OSH investments. This should be and undergone some kind of evaluation.
no problem for monopolistic approaches, In six case studies we even have quantita-
because the insurance company can be tive indicators for positive effects on the
sure it will benefit from the positive effect working conditions for the participating
that investments will have on the claims companies:
rate. In a competitive market, however, ■ In the German butchery sector parti-
the insurance company runs the risk that cipating enterprises have seen an over
enterprises could change their insurance 25% drop in notifiable accidents since
provider at short notice and therefore the introduction of the incentive sche-
investments in prevention efforts could me in 2001.
benefit its competitors rather than the ■ In the Finnish agricultural sector the
original insurer. A possible solution for accident rate dropped by more than
competitive markets could be the in- 10%.
troduction of long-term contracts over ■ Of the Polish enterprises that intro-
several years or the creation of a com- duced a funded OSH management
mon prevention fund which is financed system, 70% had fewer accidents and
equally by all insurers. lower insurance premiums, while 50%
Nearly all larger EU Member States are reported fewer workers working in
rather active in offering economic incen- hazardous conditions.
tives. Germany, France, Italy and Poland ■ The Italian Workers’ Compensation
all offer various incentives through their authority subsidises bank credits to
public insurance system, often not only stimulate OSH investments in SMEs;
insurance premium variations, but sub- participating companies had 13-25%
sidy programmes for specific investments fewer accidents than comparable en-

SESSION 7
terprises. (closed system).
■ In a German health insurance incen- 7. If the desire is to promote innovative
tive scheme sick pay and absenteeism solutions for specific areas, subsidy
decreased significantly when enter- schemes are most effective
prises introduced a modern health (open system).
management system.
■ The Dutch subsidy programme for For more information
investments in new OSH-friendly This report is planned to be published in
machinery and equipment led to bet- spring 2010, meanwhile you can find a
ter working conditions in 76% of the wealth of information on economic as-
enterprises (40% of the employers said pects of OSH under: http://osha.europa.
that the new equipment was highly eu/en/topics/business
beneficial, 36% that it was reasonably
beneficial).
Success factors for economic incentives

Summarising the three parts of the report
the following success factors could be
identified:
1. The incentive scheme should not
only reward past results of good OSH
management, i.e. past accident rates,
but should also reward specific pre-
vention efforts which aim to reduce
future accidents and ill-health.
2. The incentive scheme should be open
to all sizes of enterprises and pay par-
ticular attention to the special needs of
SMEs.
3. The incentive should be high enough
to motivate employers to participate.
4. There should be a clear and prompt
relation between the desired preven-
tion activity of the enterprise and the
reward.
5. The incentive system should have
clear awarding criteria and should be
designed to be as easy to use as pos -
sible, in order to keep the administra-
tive burden low for both participating
enterprises and incentive-offering or
ganisations.
6. If the incentive needs to target a large
number of enterprises, insurance or
tax-based incentives with precisely
defined criteria are most effective

SESSION 7
Use of Health and Safety Awards for External Marketing
Deborah Walker
Business School, Loughborough University, United Kingdom
Background awards entered, the perceived reasons

The use of awards schemes to improve and benefits of entering awards and any
company performance and motivate disadvantages. A questionnaire was also
the workforce has proliferated in recent sent to three Health and Safety Organisa-
times and there are a wide range of tions that run health and safety award
externally organised health and safety schemes. The questions included why
award schemes in the United Kingdom offer awards, changes in awards types and
(EASHW, 2002). The work presented here changes in entry numbers over time.
considers how awards are used by win-
ning organisations for external market- Results
ing. Organisations participating in awards
The participants represented a range of
Method sectors – service (9) utilities (8) construc-
Data were collected by questionnaire to tion (8) and manufacturing (7). 6 were
organisations that may enter health and small and medium sized enterprises (less
safety awards. A convenience sample was than 250 employees) whilst the remain-
taken and the questionnaire was distrib- der were large organisations. Of the 31
uted to 85 health and safety profession- responses 12 organisations do not pres-
als attending health and safety training ently enter any health and safety awards,
courses at Loughborough University. although 3 plan to do so in the future.
31 responses (36%) were obtained. The Awards entered, as categorised by Tait
questionnaire was piloted via personal and Walker, (2000), are presented in table
communication with 3 past students. 1. A number of organisations entered sev-
The questionnaire was designed to cover eral awards.
a number of issues including details of
Table 1: Summary of award categories entered
Award Organiser category No. of organisations entering

Health and Safety Organisation 24
Professional/Trade Association 7
Trade/National Press 7
Suppliers of products and services 1

SESSION 7
Participants were asked to outline reasons resource.

for entering awards and their perceptions
of benefits from achieving awards, the ‘It might be that the good bits are adver-
results are summarised in table 2. tised and latent problems are hidden.’
Table 2: Summary of reasons for entering and benefits from winning an award
Theme Reasons – Benefits –

No. of mentions No. of mentions
Demonstration of achievement to 17 17
external stakeholders
Demonstration of achievement to 15 14
internal stakeholders
Continuous improvement 7 4
Tendering 6 2
Benchmarking/comparison 4 2
Requirement of clients/audits 2 3
Part of CSR 2 1
Evidence of contribution made by H&S 1 2
specialists
Credibility of achieving award from 1 1
recognised body
Internal stakeholders focused particularly Award Organisers

on motivation of employees but influenc- The Organisers were asked to outline
ing senior management was also identi- the reasons for running awards. Reasons
fied if the external commercial benefits of included recognition and reward for best
awards were demonstrated. The external practice in winning organisations. This
stakeholders identified included members may be at the corporate level or for the
of the public, clients, suppliers, investors, contribution of individuals. Awards are a
shareholders, enforcing authorities, trade means of improving standards of health
associations and insurance companies. and safety performance and the winners
Participants were also asked to outline may act as role models to motivate other
any disadvantages and limitations of organisations. They provide an oppor-
participating in award schemes. Twelve tunity to engage with members/profes-
participants identified the resources sionals. Offering awards also provides a
required, this includes preparation of source of revenue to the Organisers.
submission, the entry fee and attendance The Organisers were asked to summarise
at an award ceremony. There was a sug- how their awards had changed over the
gestion that the entry fee ‘buys’ the award. years. Changes include standards re-
A number of participants (7) expressed quired have increased, the judging proc-
concern that awards may not truly reflect esses have become more rigorous and
outstanding health and safety perform- additional sector and activity categories
ance and as such can divert valuable have been introduced. These categories

SESSION 7
may be run in association with sponsor There are a range of types of awards
organisations. which are based, for example, on overall
All Organisers have seen an increase in health and safety performance, individual
participation in awards over recent years. performance, innovations, occupational
The sectors that attract most participation health promotion etc. The methods of as-
are high risk sectors and include con- sessment are documented on Organisers
struction and manufacturing. But there websites and are outlined by the Hopkin-
are also good levels of entry from engi- son and Gervais, (2006). The more rigor-
neering, healthcare, transportation, facili- ous awards may be based on extensive
ties and utilities. The sectors that attract audits and attainment of a management
least entries include banking, retail, agri- standard. Indeed the UK Health and
culture and research and development. Safety Executive have expressed support
for specific awards suggesting that they
Discussion demonstrate achievement of high stand-
Anecdotal evidence suggests that preva- ards and are strong motivators for health
lence and participation in awards and and safety (HSE, 2009).
recognition schemes are increasing across The majority of awards entered by organi-
the workplace in a range of business ar- sations in this small sample, are offered
eas. The 3 Organisers contacted for this by Health and Safety Organisations .
research have all introduced more awards Reasons for entering such awards may
over recent years and are experiencing be based on the credibility of achieving
increasing numbers of participants, es- an award from a recognised body, which
pecially in sectors such as construction could be important for external commu-
and manufacturing. Although it is noted nication. Overall, the use of awards for
that not all organisations in the sample external marketing appears to be most
participate in awards. Previous research, common in the large, high-risk organisa-
(Tait and Walker, 2000), demonstrated tions, particularly, construction where
that health and safety awards were mainly many of the participants entered a range
used by organisations to motivate em- of awards in addition to those organised
ployees but also to influence external by Health and Safety Organisations e.g.
stakeholders. The results from this small trade magazines and trade associations.
scale research reinforces this, but suggests In some instances the management of
a more wide ranging use of awards in an awards is carried out by communications/
external marketing capacity. Awards may marketing departments, rather than the
be used to raise the overall profile of an health and safety department.
organisation and to exemplify commit- With the wide range of awards some
ment to corporate social responsibility. participants in this study expressed con-
For example awards are used as part of cern about the validity of awards in truly
the competitive tendering process, in reflecting health and safety performance.
discussion with insurance companies and It is perhaps relevant that continuous im-
visits from the enforcing authorities. Sig- provement and benchmarking were not
nificantly a number external assessment mentioned by participants as frequently
agencies now include a number of spe- as demonstration of achievement to
cific awards in their assessment criteria stakeholders as reasons or benefits, al-
(Ainsworth, 2009) and awards may be a though Organisers of awards considered
requirement of clients. this as a key driver and have made efforts

SESSION 7
to make their awards more stringent.

Wilford, (2007) has demonstrated that
awards for quality management indicate
the ability of some organisations to fulfil
the criteria set by the awards studied.
As such, awards should not be seen as a
panacea for organisational excellence, but
may be used to demonstrate organisa-
tional commitment to health and safety.
References
Ainsworth, M. (2009) Personal commu-
nication
European Agency for Safety and Health at

Work, (2002) Recognition schemes in oc-
cupational health and safety issue 6.
Hopkinson, J. and Gervais, R. (2006)

An evaluation of reward and recogni-
tion schemes in the area of occupational
health and safety. Health and Safety
Laboratory HSL/2006/17
HSE (2009) www.hse.gov.uk/campaigns/

conferences/isa.htm (accessed 30.6.09)
Tait, R. and Walker, D. (2000) Motivat-

ing the workforce: The value of external
health and safety awards. Journal of
Safety Research 31 4 243-251
Wilford, S. (2007) The limits of award in-

centives: The (non)-relationship between
awards for quality and organisational
performance. Total Quality Management
18 3 333-349

SESSION 7
Cost Benefit Analysis of an Economic Incentive Model
Norbert Schulz
Fleischerei-BG (“Institution for Statutory Accident Insurance and Prevention in the
Meat-Processing Industry”), Germany
Introduction in the catalogue one year later.

In Germany, the statutory insurance As in 2008 no less than 46% of all mem-
institutions must have a bonus or malus ber companies insured by the FBG par-
system by law which reflects the number ticipated in the incentive programme, a
and/or costs of accidents which insured good insight on which preventive meas-
companies had the year before. Especially ures are implemented in the meat indus-
for SMEs, only one accident can lead to try in general is possible.
a malus or loss of a bonus, even though
the company may do a lot for preven- Preventive measures that offer
tion. Therefore, the system was to reward premiums
the entrepreneur’s effort without taking The following table gives an overview on
into account the accident situation which the topics of the FBG incentive system.
is dealt with separately by the bonus or Some are very specific for the meat sector,
malus system. like the protection against knife acci-
Road accidents can not be included in dents, others like traffic safety, reintegra-
the bonus-malus system, but since these tion, protection at VDU work and others
accidents are rather costly, the aim was to could be applied to any industry sector.
help prevent them through the incentive 39 different prevention measures can
system. As an example, premiums are be dealt with, either by filling in a paper
given on driver’s training, using public form or via Extranet. 4 questions are
transport rather than the own car is re- answered by the FBG through in-house
warded and regular medical check-up data. Some are double-checked to be
appreciated. sure that they were answered correctly.
Occupational diseases are not included in Besides, the premiums granted are com-
the bonus-malus system either, and in or- pared with the accident rate and costs
der to help prevent these, issues like skin of the year before as well as the average
protection, protection against cold and of the last 5 years to see whether the
noise are tackled within the system. respective company can have achieved
The scheme is flexible, i.e. the questions the premiums they got. The FBG inspec-
can be modified every year if necessary to tors furthermore check at the customer’s
take e.g. into consideration national cam- whether the list was filled in correctly,
paigns like skin protection in 2008 or the either before these are sent to the FBG
implementation of new regulations like or afterwards. So far, it can be stated that
the need to have a system of reintegration the FBG member companies handle the
of long-term patients, which became law system carefully.
in Germany in 2004, and was introduced

SESSION 7
Safety Health Both

Protection against knife Skin protection Reintegration of long-
accidents term patients
Protection against falls Protection against cold Training more than legally
and slips required
Machines Protection at VDU work Audited OHS system
Traffic safety Ergonomics
Noise protection
Costs of introducing and maintaining A working group of 3 prevention experts,

the system 1 customer service and 1 IT expert meet
Before the introduction of the incen- six times a year to modify the catalogue,
tive system, the catalogue of prevention initiate quality control and analyse the
measures was tested in companies of all data received. The major costs are due
sizes to make sure that they would be to the premiums granted to the member
sufficiently relevant and applicable. Once companies.
this test was finalized, the primary costs
were printing the form sheets and send- Benefits from the system
ing them to the roughly 20,000 member The following graph shows that the
companies in the meat sector. The re- degree of target fulfilment could be im-
turned sheets are scanned or read in the proved in all prevention fields that have
FBG IT system electronically, in case they been suggested since 2002.
are filled in by extranet. This needs to be Comparing the 7-year participants with
programmed beforehand. all participants in 2008, one can state,

SESSION 7
that the long term participants achieve what quantity of goods is bought when
even better results in all preventive meas- the price is modified. Regarding the FBG
ures, particularly in safety of machines, incentive system there seems to be more
skin protection, protection against cold involvement when more premium points
and ergonomics. can be achieved or not, at least for some
The focus of the current Swedish EU of the prevention measures suggested.
presidency with regard to OHS is on the
reintegration of injured or ill workers.
The incentive system seems to work here
as well, however, the current degree of
participation of about 15% leaves room
for improvement, especially when consid- Cost benefit balance

ering that reintegration is compulsory. Participants in the FBG incentive scheme
In 2008, the FBG started giving pre- have a lower accident rate than non-par-
miums for OHS systems that were in- ticipants. Therefore, the system theoreti-
troduced and audited by the FBG. The cally prevents a considerable amount of
number of participants climbed as a accident costs as is shown in the follow-
consequence. Companies that introduced ing graph.
OHS systems a couple of years ago were
able to get a higher reimbursement of Conclusion
their insurance fee due to less (costly) As a summary it can be stated that the
accidents, as can be seen in the following incentive system provides an additional
chart. motivation for prevention, which has a
In microeconomics the expression of positive effect on OHS indicators and
price elasticity is known, which describes ensures that expenditures are overcom-

SESSION 7
pensated by cost reduction. Regular lected allow for a benchmark between the
participants continuously improve their companies.
performance and the quantity of data col-

SESSION 7
Research into the Feasibility of Using Economic Instruments to
Internalise the Costs of Health and Safety
Maria Ottati 1 and Rocío Salado 2
1 Health and Safety Executive (HSE), United Kingdom
2 Risk and Policy Analysts Ltd (RPA), United Kingdom
An externality is an impact that affects to take health and safety concerns into
the welfare of society and which is not account, leading to the possibility that
reflected in market prices and hence, they may even go above and beyond what
not taken into account when individuals could be prescribed through command
and organisations make economic deci- and control regulation. It can also be ar-
sions. Externalities, which can be posi- gued that such incentives have the poten-
tive (a benefit to society) or negative (a tial to encourage flexibility and innova-
cost), create economic inefficiency – not tion, are better at dealing with emerging
enough of some goods and services are risks, and could potentially require less
produced and too many of others, com- enforcement effort.
pared to what would be optimal for so- Economic instruments are widely used
ciety. One solution is to “internalise” the in health and safety spheres by other
cost or benefit – ensuring that it is wholly European countries, but have had com-
or partly reflected in relevant market paratively limited application in the UK.
prices and therefore influences economic Insurance companies do link premiums
decisions. charged to companies for Employers Li-
In the past, the UK Health and Safety ability Insurance to individual health and
Executive (HSE) has tended to use com- safety management, but this is done only
mand-and-control style regulation to in the case of larger companies. For small
set mandatory standards which lead to and medium enterprises (SMEs), there
improvements in the health and safety are indications that premiums depend
outcomes of the individuals affected by mostly on industry and size, rather than
their activities. However, HSE has re- their individual health and safety man-
cently begun exploring the possibility of agement. Additionally, premium linkage
using various kinds of incentives in order is not done in a standardised way. Rather,
to achieve the same aim. each insurance company (all of which are
One of the areas that are currently be- private) uses its own models and methods
ing explored is the use of economic in- to decide on what premiums to offer to
struments 1. The main advantage these each client. HSE has developed two self-
present over traditional regulation is that assessment tools 2 to try to encourage
economic instruments incentivise agents further linkages, but take-up has been
1 Another is the use of behavioural economics insights, a study on which is being presented in this
Colloquium by Anna Richardson-Owen, also from HSE.
2 Corporate Health and Safety Performance Index (CHaSPI: http://www.chaspi.info-exchange.com/)
and SME indicator (http://www.hspi.info-exchange.com/).

SESSION 7
limited. Another example of economic changing behaviour and whether this

incentives used by HSE has been our Lad- behavioural change would result in health
der Exchange Programme 3, which allows and safety improvements); 2) Information
companies to exchange unsafe ladders for requirements to implement it (this crite-
new ones at reduced prices. rion would interact with others; the fewer
HSE intends to further explore the pos- information requirements, the more like-
sibility of making more and better use of ly the instrument would be more effective
economic instruments, and the first stage and the smaller the resource implications
in that process has been the commission- in designing and operating it); 3) Distri-
ing of research looking into the feasibil- butional impacts; 4) Institutional support
ity of doing so. This research has been (how stakeholders and the wider society
taken on by Risk and Policy Analysts would perceive the instrument); and 5)
Ltd. (RPA) 4, and the final report is due The potential for perverse incentives (this
in November. The project will cover the criterion has the scope for making use of
use of economic instruments in the areas some behavioural economics insights).
of both workplace health and safety and The rest of the criteria were: cost, flexibil-
land use planning around major hazard ity, uncertainty/stability, revenue-raising
sites. We will discuss only the first strand potential, competitiveness and competi-
of the research in this paper. tion, compatibility with existing regula-
As implied by the title, the research’s tions and potential for other positive
focus is on the practicalities of imple- incentives.
menting different kinds of economic Once the criteria were identified, they
instruments, although theoretical consid- were then applied. The first stage of
erations are also contemplated. this analysis consisted on desk-based
The methodology RPA proposed started research, with analysts considering the
out by identifying a variety of different implications of the instruments identified
possible instruments to be analysed. initially in light of each criterion.
These were five: reform of insurance The result of this analysis was that only
schemes, health and safety taxes, sub- three of the instruments looked at were
sidies, tradeable permits and so-called deemed to be feasible enough to be car-
“name-and-shame” schemes (which rely ried through to the next stage of the proc-
on public perception of the company ess. These were insurance reform, health
providing the link between its health and and safety taxes and subsidies.
safety performance and its profits). With tradeable permits, one of the main
The analysis of each of these relied on a issues that led to its rejection was insti-
set of criteria determined at the outset, tutional support. It was thought, in line
which included a mix of theoretical and with a European Foundation for the
practical considerations. Twelve criteria Improvement of Living and Working
were identified, among which we con- Conditions report (1999) 5, that it would
sider five to be the most important: 1) Ef- be morally unacceptable to the public for
fectiveness (which includes both whether a company to be able to buy from another
the instrument would be effective in the right to produce injuries or ill-health.
3 See: http://www.hse.gov.uk/falls/ladderexchange.htm
4 http://www.rpaltd.co.uk
5 See: http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/pubdocs/1998/52/en/1/ef9852en.pdf

SESSION 7
There were also problems with its effec- several years).
tiveness in practice, due to considerations Finally, there is the potential for perverse
relating to allocation of permits and in- incentives in most of the instruments
formation requirements. we are analysing: they could incentivise
As for name and shame schemes, there companies to underreport accidents, or
were doubts about their effectiveness, to discriminate against particular groups
and it was thought that the costs and when recruiting. These issues will be fur-
uncertainty about outcomes generated ther explored in the workshops.
concerns. Further work emerging from this re-
The three instruments still in the running search will obviously depend on what
will be further analysed in workshops in its results turn out to be, especially what
which the relevant stakeholders will par- comes out of the workshops. If the con-
ticipate. We expect their contributions to clusions are positive about any of the
prove especially valuable with regards to instruments, further work would involve
the practicalities that would be involved working with our policy colleagues and
in implementing such instruments. These key stakeholders to develop a working
workshops will unfortunately take place plan to use the instrument in question.
after the closing date for receipt of this
paper, but we plan to share their results in
our presentation at the Colloquium.
At this stage, we would like to highlight
that from the beginning, there were some
potentially problematic general concerns
that we hoped this research would pro-
vide insights into, and possibly find ways
to get around.
The first is the fact that instruments could
have differing effectiveness in ill health
and accident prevention. With ill health,
there are some particular issues that need
to be contemplated, such as their complex
causation (with certain conditions, it can
be unclear whether they were caused by
work activities, lifestyle or a combination
of both, so a full link between outcome
and a company’s profits would not be jus-
tified) and time lags (if the outcome will
only develop a long period after exposure,
it makes linking incentives to outcomes
much harder).
Secondly, linking incentives to outcomes
is relatively straightforward in larger
companies, but with SMEs the link be-
tween outcomes and management’s
actions is not as strong (in the UK, the
average SMEs will have an accident every

SESSION 7
The BGW Health Prize – An Award for the Image
Sandra Dohm
BG für Gesundheitsdienst und Wohlfahrtspflege (“Institution for Statutory Accident
Insurance and Prevention in the Health and Welfare Service”), Germany
Please imagine the following: You man- Welfare Services announces their Health
age a facility or company and, in deci- Prize biennially under the motto “profit
sions and investments, you concentrate by getting involved”. The Institution for
on the health of your employees; health- Statutory Accident Insurance and Preven-
supporting measures and projects are no tion in the Health and Welfare Services
isolated solutions but are integrated in (BGW) is the legal accident insurance for
your structures and processes. The em- non-governmental facilities in health and
ployees participate in decisions and proc- welfare services.
esses of change. You are satisfied as the BGW is one of the current 21 institu-
working climate is excellent and the rate tions for statutory accident insurance
of absences due to illness is continuously and prevention (there were 35 before the
decreasing. fusions in May 2005); the organization is
responsible for over six million insured
You are a realist and think this is utopian persons in more than 565,000 companies
– especially in times of economic crisis. and thus German’s second largest institu-
Far from it! They really exist – the com- tion for statutory accident insurance and
panies which are aiming to achieve this prevention. As an institution of this size
utopia with their policy. Our task is to de- and range, BGW is predestined to reach a
tect them, to support them and to make large target group with their Health Prize.
them a role model for others. As part of the broad obligation to pre-
vent risks to health, the Institution for
The BGW Health Prize represents an Statutory Accident Insurance and Pre-
incentive for facilities which are involved vention does not only have to take care
in occupational medicine and health proof classical safety at work but also of the
tection for their employees beyond the prevention of work-related health risks.
standard required by law. Over the years, As regards the latter, aims have changed:
it has outgrown its original purpose and instead of analysing the reasons for occu-
has become an incentive instrument. Be- pational diseases at work, the approach is
sides the financial support, the award of- to prevent work-related health risks with
fers well-established facilities the oppor- a focus on analysing and strengthening
tunity to publicise their facility’s health resources and supporting possible ways
management thus becoming a reference of keeping the employees healthy.
facility or to exchange information and
compare themselves with other facilities. Apart from their prevention services
The Institution for Statutory Accident In- (such as lectures for prevention of work-
surance and Prevention in the Health and related health risks, advice for organiza-

SESSION 7
tional development and documents about ticipant receives the score of their facility
topics of occupational health manage- in comparison with the score of the facili-
ment), BGW has now undertaken to ty with the highest points and the average
single out for praise and support member score of all participants (such data being
facilities with exemplary achievements in rendered anonymous).
the area.
It is for the sixth time since 2000 that the It is not only the prize winners that ben-
BGW Health Prize, which is awarded efit from their participation in the BGW
to specific sectors, has been announced. Health Prize; all the participants receive
It used to be limited to institutions like an invitation to the BGW Forum. As
hospitals, rehabilitation clinics, facilities part of the Forum and besides the BGW
of inpatient geriatric care, outpatient so- Health Prize award ceremony, target-
cial care services and workshops for the group specific workshops, lectures and
handicapped. other events take place. In the forum,
The prize is now worth € 45,000 which prize winners present their award-win-
can either be awarded to only one facil- ning best practice projects so that there
ity or split between several winners. It is an additional possibility to exchange
is to support further health-supporting knowledge and experience of occupation-
projects and schemes in these facilities. al health management. The presentation
In this context, the BGW Health Prize either takes place in the form of work-
represents an incentive for companies to shops or with booths providing informa-
systematically manage the health of their tion. Moreover, as part of the award, a
employees in the long-term. short film about the winner facility is pre-
sented which shows the award-relevant
Beyond the financial support, the award structures and processes of the facility.
primarily constitutes an image improve-
ment for the companies. The participants of the BGW Health Prize
2005 greatly benefited from the Day of
Companies benefit in many ways from Innovation which was organised by BGW
participating in the BGW Health Prize: as a follow-up event for the participants.
Firstly, the employees of a competing fa- A results-orientated platform for a mod-
cility have already benefited from a func- erated exchange of experience about the
tioning occupational health management. topics of occupational health support was
Secondly, the winners are awarded the offered. The two-day event was pitched
prize for their excellent commitment in at managers and experts familiar with
keeping their employees healthy. Thirdly, the topic of occupational health support
participation offers the opportunity to in their facilities. Among other things,
publicise their own examples of good the participants tested the principle of
practice and to become a role model for effect chains in a workshop. This method
others. Fourthly, every participant is able allows to evaluate processes regarding
to determine the status of their occupa- their benefit for the facility without to
tional and health safety through the par- much of an extra effort – not only for
ticipation in subsequent benchmarking occupational health support. Moreover,
against other participants. the participants were able to exchange
information about their planned meas-
As part of the benchmarking, every par- ures and projects for occupational health

SESSION 7
support and to prompt new related BGW measures of health-supporting activi-
products. Possibilities were also discussed ties are included in the evaluation. These
about how BGW can support their pro- measures go beyond legal requirements
jects in a more targeted manner in the for occupational and health safety. A
future. functioning occupational organization is
the precondition. It should be recognis-
The application form for the BGW Health able for the jury to what extent specific
Prize is based on the regulations of the measures, projects and activities are im-
European Network for Occupational plemented in practice and embedded in a
Health Support; this is a cooperation concept of occupational and health safety.
project of the World Health Organization
(WHO). The jury, which is composed of two
The participants’ form guarantees com- representatives of the employer and two
prehensive approach to quality manage- representatives of the insured persons
ment with the EFQM Model for Excel- of the self-administration of BGW, will
lence. determine winners from short-listed
candidates chosen in accordance with the
The form is deliberately designed to be evaluation criteria.
highly comprehensive so that the partici-
pants can describe their commitment in Subsequently the jury will visit the nomi-
various ways. It contains questions on the nated facilities and evaluate their OSH
following aspects: activities and achievements with the help
■ Importance of the employees’ health in of audits, whereafter the final decision
the facility’s OSH policies, HR strate- will be made as regards the prize winner.
gies and organisation of work
■ Planning of measures and activities of The award takes place as part of the BGW
health support Forum.
■ Personnel and financial resources
■ Employee orientation in occupational In this time of rapid change and adap-
health management tations to modified requirements, the
■ Maintaining outcomes and sustaina- product “BGW Health Prize” is as flexible
bility as the occupational health management
for which the prize is announced and
The PDCA cycle with graded answer awarded. Moreover, the BGW Health
categories is available for the participants Prize is subject to a continuous proc-
to provide information on the level of ess of improvement. In the near future,
quality and maturity of concepts, occu- it is planned to put competing facilities
pational health management projects and in contact with one another with BGW
related activities. acting as a kind of facilitator. In this way,
not only the participating facilities will
Firstly, all applications are evaluated ac- benefit from an exchange of information
cording to this procedure. BGW evalu- but also BGW, which can respond more
ates the participation forms. An external specifically to the requirements of their
social research institution supports the customers by keeping their finger on the
procedure of evaluation and guarantees pulse of developments.
neutrality and scientific accuracy. All

SESSION 7
There has been much discussion as to Every BGW Health Prize is finally evalu-
why only facilities with a well-established ated according to the following aspects:
OSH system should benefit from the ■ Types of facilities
BGW Health Prize. In fact the question- ■ Size of facility
naire is very demanding which is why ■ Selected measures
only excellent facilities feel addressed. ■ Procedures for reducing workloads
The primary aim of the BGW is to inves- ■ Steering committees
tigate examples of good practice by an- ■ Measures for preventing work-related
nouncing their Health Prize, to publicise health risks
them and to make them a role model for ■ Maintenance and strengthening of
others. For this reason, the BGW has de- occupational abilities of the employees
cided to set the bar high. The prize win-
ners are meant to serve as “lighthouses” In the future, it is planned to evaluate all
for good quality in occupational and announced health prizes, in order to con-
health safety. As there have been many tinuously improve the quality and to em-
announcements in this area, it is a top phasize the benefit for the facilities even
priority for BGW to see to top quality in more clearly. The focus will be a review as
the matter. to whether occupational health manage-
ment is still a topic in the facilities after
the award or to what extent the health of
the employees could be optimised.

SESSION 7
Behavioural Economics in the Context of Workplace Health and Safety
Anna Richardson-Owen
Health and Safety Executive (HSE), United Kingdom
Health and safety failures in the work- making (Sapsford et al, 2009). Standard
place can be thought of as the negative economic theory assumes that agents
effects of providing labour to the market (individuals) are perfectly rational and
(i.e. negative externalities). The most seek to optimise their utility when mak-
recent estimates put the cost of these ing decisions. Behavioural Economics
failures to society at between £20bn and challenges the principle of rationality
£32bn 1. Given that employers bear only implied in standard economic theory and
a small portion of these costs, there is an instead suggests that people are not ra-
argument for government intervention to tional decision making agents. In fact, the
re-dress the failures. In the UK this inter- irrationality displayed is often predictable
vention is delivered through the Health and people show biases in their deci-
and Safety Executive (HSE) and tradi- sions. Examples of such biases include
tionally through a command and control limits to will power, making choices that
approach to control health and safety greatly favour the present over the future
risks i.e. regulation underpinned by the and having a preference for fairness. The
Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. theory suggests that it is possible to cor-
rect this irrationality by nudging people’s
However, an alternative to regulation is behaviour in a more optimal direction
to use incentives. The feasibility of any than would otherwise occur.
incentive system relies to some extent on
human behaviour. This paper therefore The research commissioned by HSE had
discusses the findings from research com- three main objectives: to provide a de-
missioned by HSE into how insights from tailed review of the current and emerging
Behavioural Economics could impact literature on the use of behavioural eco-
upon health and safety compliance. 2 nomics; to provide initial proposals relat-
ing to the sort of policies that could be
Broadly speaking, Behavioural Econom- feasible and effective in changing behav-
ics may be defined as the application iour; and to offer recommendations on
of behavioural analysis (typically from priorities for further research. In the con-
psychology) to micro-economics decision text of this report, behavioural economics
1 Interim update of the Costs to Britain of Workplace Accidents and Work-Related Ill Health
(2001/02) Available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/pdf/costs.pdf
2 Sapsford, D., Phythian-Adams, S., Apps, E. Behavioural Economics: A review of the Literature and
Proposals for Further Research in the Context of Workplace Health and Safety. University of
Liverpool

SESSION 7
is broadly defined to include experimen- of a particularly hazardous event using

tal and psychological economics. a scale of probabilities with more com-
monly known reference points (such as
Four main themes of behavioural eco- the even odds when a coin is tossed down
nomics were identified around which the to the chances of winning the jackpot on
literature review was structured and arti- the lottery). The results could be used to
cles combined into common areas of ap- quantify in monetary terms the expected
plicability. In conjunction with HSE, six lifetime costs perceived by the person and
areas within these themes were identified then these results compared to the actual
for which further research might produce risks and associated costs of the hazard.
useful insights for HSE policy making. Such quantification of the skewed risk
perception could then help inform HSE
THEME 1: educational materials.
Costs of processing information and
risk and uncertainty II. Costs of processing information
(Information overload)
I. Long tailed perception of risk (problem Stigler’s Nobel Prize winning work in
of understanding low risk-high cost) 1961 on the ‘costs’ of information, over-
It is suggested that individuals have a turned the previous economic assump-
skewed perception of risk and that this tion that more choice is better than less.
is reinforced on a daily basis if risk-tak- Stigler demonstrated that information is
ing results in small and regular rewards. accompanied by a cost of processing and
This encouragement of risk taking and a point is reached whereby any additional
the inaccurate assessment of the expected information creates a negative utility.
cost 3 of a catastrophe helps to explain
how catastrophic failures can and do still HSE relies on the provision of infor-
occur. This was evidenced before seatbelts mation to influence health and safety
became compulsory in motor vehicles, outcomes. Sapsford et al (2009) suggest
and many people saw the small effort sav- further research into the best way to fo-
ing gains of not putting on their seatbelt cus information and the optimal channels
as outweighing the high cost of a motor of delivery. 4 One suggestion by Sapsford
accident (death or disabling injury). Only et al (2009) is that HSE information could
when the wearing of seatbelts became law be conglomerated into a single directory
did people develop the habit of wearing or compendium source perhaps with a
them. search questionnaire or flow chart at the
front (as with tax returns). It is also sug-
Sapsford et al (2009) recommend that gested that a study could be designed to
future research by HSE could involve a assess and quantify the magnitude of any
gambling game, where a sample of people effect brought about by variations in the
are asked to rate their perception of risk rate of informational flow. A focus group
3 The expected cost is a function of the probability of the catastrophe happening (fairly low) and the
costs associated with the catastrophe (extremely high) and so altogether the expected cost is much
higher than people calculate.
4 It is acknowledged that HSE are already aware, to some extent, of the problems associated with too
much information, exacerbated by the ever increasing use of internet communications.

SESSION 7
of non-health and safety experts could As part of the ‘Revitalising Health and
be formed, and the subjects of the study Safety 5’ strategy in 2000, the top 350
provided with a specification for a hypo- companies were encouraged to report
thetical business. One group of subjects health and safety performance as part
would be given access to all health and of the Corporate Social Responsibility
safety literature and the others to a more Statement in their annual accounts. More
limited amount. Each group could then recently, the current strategy ‘The Health
be asked to provide a list of health and and Safety of Great Britain: Be part of the
safety issues they would address and this solution 6’, encourages business leaders
list compared to a similar list completed to sign up to ‘a pledge’ to demonstrate
by health and safety experts. Scores could their commitment to keeping workplaces
then be analysed for significant deviation safe. Sapsford et al (2009) suggest that
between the alternative information de- such initiatives could be built upon by
livery strategies. asking companies to commit to health
and safety targets. A pilot could be run,
THEME 2: with a certification brand being awarded
Influence of prior bias and cultural to companies committing to health and
factors on motivation and choice safety compliance, and their health and
safety performance compared to a control
I. Self identity, discrepancy and cognitive group that makes no commitment.
dissonance (committing and vesting to
standards) THEME 3:
Cognitive dissonance arises when a per- Strategic behaviour including learning
son is forced to hold two contrasting
ideas or beliefs. To avoid such cognitive I. Self efficacy and efficacy of choice
dissonance, people will behave in a way (stakeholder involvement)
that avoids any discrepancy with prior Sapsford et al (2009) highlight research
beliefs they hold about themselves. The which shows that an individual’s belief in
evidence suggests therefore that commit- his/ her ability to influence outcomes, to
ment exerts a superior power over coer- make decisions and the expected efficacy
cion as a means of influencing behaviour. of these actions/decisions in effecting the
outcome, significantly affects their actual
Based on this theory, if compliance with behaviour and their decision making.
health and safety regulations is seen as While the evidence would suggest that
alien to cultural beliefs then it is unlikely the act of empowering an individual to
that compliance can be increased through be part of the decision making process
disciplinary measures. Alternatively if will encourage greater compliance, the
businesses can be persuaded to commit converse is also true. The act of being
publicly to comply with health and safety rendered a subject and being told what
then this may be more effective than co- to do effectively demotivates the agent
ercive techniques. from compliance. In fact, how satisfied
5 ‘Revitalising health and safety’ strategy available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/revitalising/

6 ‘The Health and Safety of Great Britain: Be part of the solution’ strategy launched in 2009, available
at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/strategiesandplans/index.htm

SESSION 7
an individual is with an outcome actually nomic analysis could be used to compare

depends on the process of involvement. the costs of compliance with the expected
The evidence even suggests that the utility cost of not complying (being a function
gained from participation in the creation of the risk of being caught and the likely
of regulations may improve compliance fine). The presence of serial offenders
over and above that which would be ex- might provide evidence that the expected
pected with financial incentives. value of the fine is insufficient, either
because the monetary value is too low or
HSE could therefore conduct experi- the perceived probability of detection is
ments to investigate whether actual levels low. Eventually, such research could lead
of stakeholder involvement affect compli- to the estimation of a financial ‘tipping
ance. Analysis of correlations between point’ for fines and sanctions, i.e. the
beliefs of efficacy and high compliance point at which the fines become sufficient
and between non-efficacy and non-com- to encourage compliance.
pliance would provide further evidence
regarding the strength of the ‘stakeholder’ THEME 4:
effect. Further research could then be Human interactive choices
performed into whether improving
beliefs in self-efficacy influences compli- I. Inequity aversion
ance. (the theory of equity and fairness)
Economic theory says that decision mak-
II. Dynamic Modelling and static ing in the labour market is an optimum
equilibrium (gaming) utility maximising choice between work
A dynamic equilibrium is when individu- and leisure. Equity theory recognises that
als make utility maximising decisions in employees compare their own reward/
successive time periods and where at- investment ratio with that of their peers.
tempts by others to influence the equilib- If they assess that there is a lack of equity
rium outcome are incorporated into the then there will be a reaction in terms of
maximising game. Sapsford et al (2009) the aggrieved worker’s effort in the future.
quote a couple of examples of where This may not just be effort related to the
this is evident, notably a system of fines work task. The employees may disregard
introduced to an Israeli nursery for late certain procedures to save effort or sabo-
collection of children. It was found that tage procedures for disruptive purposes.
the fines served to increase the number There is less empirical evidence on the
of late collections. The fines were set at latter of these two actions.
such a level as to create a price for being
late and this price had a lower utility cost It might be possible for HSE to gather
than the previous cost of the shame of be- information from self-reported indicators
ing an irresponsible or uncaring parent. from questionnaires relating to percep-
tions of satisfaction, equity and fairness
Applying this to health and safety, it is and apply these to the utility maximising
possible that the level of fines in place are decisions of the individual. These indica-
actually creating a market for non-com- tors would then be compared with indi-
pliance, with the disutility associated with cators concerning behavioural practices
fines being less than the costs of actually of compliance with H&S factors in the
complying with regulations. An eco- workplace. Any significant correlation

SESSION 7
between the two would suggest the im-
pact of fairness and inequity aversion on
H&S compliance.
Conclusion
The research conducted would suggest
that behavioural insights have potential
to offer useful inputs to the design of
economic incentives to improve health
and safety outcomes. The decision is yet
to be taken as to what further research
will be taken in this area, but with an
ever increasing requirement to reduce
regulatory burdens on business, it is argu-
able that incentives should become more
prominent in HSE strategies in the future.

SESSION 7
INQA – Making Good Prevention Visible to Customers – Two Approaches
in the Construction and Healthcare Sector
Stephan Schwarzwälder
Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA), Germany
Construction sector of quality, the members of the initiative

INQA-bauen and its internet platform regard the promotion of employee satis-
www.Gute-Bauunternehmen.de – mak- faction, motivation and productivity as
ing good occupational health and safety, well as the guarantee of a safe and healthy
good organisation and good prevention construction process as a necessary pre-
visible to customers requisite. Taking those aspects into ac-
count can literally lead to a construction
The German construction industry shall process which is “worth the money”. Fur-
become again a figurehead of Germany thermore, German companies can differ-
as the business location. To achieve this, entiate themselves from their competition
we need more quality in construction and secure their own competitiveness in
and construction services instead of the the long run.
current ruinous price-competition. Those The members of the New Quality of Work
are the goals to which the initiative “New Initiative INQA-Bauen developed a joint
Quality of Construction” – INQA-Bauen strategy with 3 elements for success:
– is devoted. ■ Joint instruments of reference as a
standard for the construction industry
INQA-Bauen is defined as a national as well as access to the products and
platform for the German construction services of the partners.
industry. The members of the initiative ■ The joint implementation of the in-
develop criteria for a new quality of con- struments of reference in regional
struction and support a high quality-ori- networks.
entation in supply as well as demand. To ■ A common internet platform:
accomplish a new quality in construction, www.Gute-Bauunternehmen.de.
the entire lifecycle of a building – plan-
ning, construction, usage, maintenance, www.Gute-Bauunternehmen.de was de-
reconstruction and demolition – has to veloped in cooperation with corporate
be included. associations, consumer associations and
institutes of occupational health and safe-
The initiative supports the implementa- ty. The internet platform is a combined
tion of change for as many construction presentation of all relevant seals of quality
businesses as possible towards innovative and certifications for the construction in-
companies, which offer new services as dustry. The prerequisite for corporations
well as new technologies, working meth- to be listed as a high quality construc-
ods and building products with a high tion company, is the self-evaluation with
level of quality. To achieve this high level CASA-bauen.

SESSION 7
Gesundheitswesen” of the Great Place to

A reliable quality has the same basis or Work® Institute Germany.
sources as good occupational health The contest provides the possibility for
and safety: Planning, communication, healthcare facilities to look carefully at
cooperation, qualification and motiva- their level of trust, pride, and camara-
tion. To communicate these principles derie at the workplace. It also offers the
to the building owners and to provide possibility to develop the attractiveness
them with the necessary tools doesn’t of each participating facility, to present
only improve the quality, but also health themselves as a great employer to work
and safety at work. The broad marketing for in the healthcare sector.
instrument The basis of the contest is the evaluation
www.Gute-Bauunternehmen.de of the corporate culture based on the
makes a high quality of occupational Great Place to Work® Trust Index© and
health and safety as well as a good work Culture Audit©, an employee survey and
organisation visible and transparent for open-ended questions, addressing vari-
customers. ous aspects of the corporate culture.
www.casa-bauen.de Besides having a benchmark with other
www.gute-bauunternehmen.de healthcare facilities, one major incentive
www.inqa-bauen.de for the winners of the contest is great
publicity, which results among others in
Healthcare sector more new applications, regarding differ-
Contest: “Beste Arbeitgeber im Gesund- ent positions, from physicians to nurses.
heitswesen” – Germany’s Best Workplaces
in the Healthcare Sector: A hallmark of Manfred Maaß, CEO of the Pflegezen-
excellence for the corporate culture trum Steinheim “Mainterasse”:
We did not only want to determine our
The contest “Beste Arbeitgeber im Ge- ranking but also find the improvement
sundheitswesen” makes good employers potential on the way to our own employ-
and a good corporate culture visible for er’s brand. We are better known after our
customers and healthcare staff. In con- successful participation in the contest.
sideration of demographic developments This type of Excellence Marketing au-
in Germany, the healthcare industry will tomatically attracts customers; we don’t
soon be faced with a new challenge – a have to go looking for them. The same
lack of personnel. Due to the diminish- is true for personnel marketing: Our
ing labour force potential, successfully ranking is primarily based on employee
finding qualified and motivated person- assessment; the winner’s logo is a confi-
nel will become a complex task for every dence building measure in our advertis-
nursing and care institution. ings on vacancies.
The New Quality of Work Initiative
(INQA) has the goal to support the de- The results of the contest show that it
velopment of more and better workplaces is possible to create a workplace in the
for nurses – to provide attractive work- healthcare sector, were employees are
places, to increase the quality of care and proud to work. Workplaces can be
to facilitate the competitiveness of health- created where employees interact re-
care facilities. INQA-Pflege is partner of spectfully with each other, have common
the yearly contest “Beste Arbeitgeber im values and believes and – maybe most

SESSION 7
important – where employees are proud
of the quality of care they can provide to
the patients they take care of.
The New Quality of Work Initiative sup-
ports as a partner of the contest the de-
velopment of more and better workplaces
in the healthcare sector by:
■ Publishing easy-to-understand infor-
mation material for a new quality of
work, including the publication
“Memorandum for a new quality of
work in healthcare” presenting nine
core activities for more health and
safety in nursing.
■ Presenting examples of “Best Practice”
▶ Good solutions in nursing and
care, download free of charge at
http://www.inqa.de/Inqa/Naviga-
tion/root,did=126766.html
▶ Contest: Beste Arbeitgeber im
Gesundheitswesen (Great Place to
Work in Healthcare), http://www.
greatplacetowork.de

For more information read about
the winners of 2008 in the congress
documentation “Tagungsband:
Beste Arbeitgeber im Gesund-
heitswesen 2008” http://
www.inqa.de/Inqa/Navigation/
publikationen,did=246186.html.

SESSION 7
The Award “Work – Safety – Health”:
An Open Marketplace for New Ideas
Holger Imhoff
Steinbruchs-BG (“Institution for Statutory Accident Insurance and Prevention in the
Quarrying Industry”), Germany
Rescuing injured workers from confined not any recently passed legal regulation
areas such as silos is a critical task. But but rather the broad interpretation of the
the retrieval of an unconscious person BGs’ mission to prevent work accidents,
through the so-called manhole – a nar- occupational illnesses and work related
row opening to exit a silo, typically health hazards using all the suitable
600 mm in diameter or even less – is even means available.
harder than first aid. Severe injuries of
neck and spine can be the terrible conse- The intention was to create a market place
quence of pulling an immobilized person of opportunities that unifies the following
through the manhole, often when you are three central ideas:
pressed for time.
1. Many companies already adhere to a
Some employees started to analyze the programme of good and innovative
situation and possible solutions. In the safety measures. Intelligent individu-
end they designed a rescue slide to be al solutions are often available to deal
attached to the manhole flange. With with the problems that are often
a winch and a rescue cable, the injured similar in nature. Unfortunately, these
worker can be pulled out of the container solutions have not been published to
on this slide while lying on his back, the the degree that is usually required. The
curved shape of the device safely prevent- sponsorship award is intended to make
ing any back injuries. such ideas accessible to other compa-
nies so that they can be implemented
The rescue slide is now available on the by the entire industry.
market and will help to save many work-
ers from suffering severe injuries as the 2. Many people have good ideas on how
result of a rescue process – a simple, but to solve technical safety problems or
ingenious, and most efficient product … promote good health habits. Many
and a contribution to the Award Work times these initiatives fell short before
– Safety – Health of StBG and BBG. they could be implemented. This is
where the sponsorship award is to pro-
In 1997, StBG and BBG (institutions for vide the necessary incentives and more
statutory accident insurance and preven- impetus.
tion in the quarrying industry and the
mining industry) started a new approach 3. By including peoples’ input in the
to improve occupational safety and health member companies, the topic of
at work. The intention for this move was occupational safety is to be revived in

SESSION 7
all plants. Only when people are made of the measure. The participant may add
aware of safe and health-conscious specific documentation (like engineering
work practices will it be possible to sketches, videos, photos, prototypes) in
prevent accidents and occupational ill- order to further illustrate the project. Of
ness on a large scale. course the project can be also submitted
by e-mail (foerderpreis@stbg.de or
The goal of the Award Work – Safety – foerderpreis@bergbau-bg.de).
Health is to look for new ideas and con- Prizes – totalling 100.000 Euros every
cepts that will make work more human, year – are awarded primarily for projects,
safer and healthier. In line with this goal, concepts and actions developed by en-
the Award searches for contributions terprises, as well as for scientific studies
from the following areas: geared towards practice in the mineral-
■ Innovative, safety-oriented solutions extracting industries.
for existing problems. When the award started, nobody im-
■ Successful measures for the improve- agined that the resonance would be so
ment of health and safety at work. great. The hopes of giving new momen-
■ The successful introduction of new tum to the cause of safety and health
management concepts. protection at the workplace with the
■ Efficient plant activities for the promo- sponsorship award have been fulfilled:
tion of safety and health. Every year, incoming contributions
■ Measures for improving road and surprise with their creativity and practi-
transport safety. cal benefit. The number of entries has
■ Activities creating more human wor- constantly grown over the years – and
king places. the award has become a respected institu-
■ Awareness raising measures. tion, also in neighbouring countries. In
■ Operational solutions geared towards the 13 years of the Award Work – Safety
SMEs. – Health, more than 7,700 participants
The competition is open to all those sent in 3,700 ideas and solutions for the
who – on an individual basis or within a daily problems of work. They include the
team – have new ideas and proposals to optimisation of working processes, pre-
improve our working environment: cautionary measures, increased safety at
■ Entrepreneurs and employees, ma- work, prevention of accidents and reduc-
nagers, specialists in occupational tion of occupational illness – and each of
safety and factory physicians, safety these ideas could be worth its weight in
representatives and members of works gold for other companies!
councils – in brief: all those working The collection of ideas and expertise is
in the mineral-extracting industries assembled on the website “www.arbeit-
■ Representatives of the supply-industry, sicherheit-gesundheit.de”. This database
engineering companies, universities is an unprecedented fund of information
and other academic institutions as well for the mineral extracting industry – and
as their students. also provides the opportunity to contact
■ Young people and apprentices. the originators directly.
The rules are very simple to avoid any Many of the ideas have been adopted by
barriers: The contribution should be the industry and can be ordered at retail-
given on paper (max. of 3 pages), indicat- ers today. As such they are useful, for
ing origin, content, evolution and success many people … like the rescue slide.

SESSION 8
The economic benefit of prevention
SESSION 8
Accounting for Costs and Benefits of Prevention Work: Is it Worth for
Companies to Invest in Occupational Safety and Health?
Dietmar Bräunig *)
I. Aim of the study 1999) as well as the contribution of oc-

Companies spend money on prevention cupational safety and health to the com-
work with regard to occupational safety pany’s success (Langhoff 2002, 78, 131;
and health in order to follow legal and Packebusch/Herzog/Laumen 2003, 35)
social requirements. These expenses also including meta-analyses (Kreis/Bödeker
represent investments, since the compa- 2003; Kramer/Bödeker 2008). However,
nies benefit economically from the effects a concept for prevention accounting and
of prevention measures. Therefore, it is comparing costs and benefits of preven-
of interest whether spending for prevention work in monetary format as well as
tion work delivers a monetary return, an evaluation of the return on prevention
and if so, to what extent a “return on are still missing.
prevention” comes up. To answer these
questions, it is necessary to account for II. Theoretical concept
prevention work. The difference between Traditional accounting does not dis-
single-economic costs and monetary close the costs and monetary benefits of
benefits processed in a prevention bal- prevention work. Instead, it is oriented
ance sheet shows the prevention profit or towards the external capital market or
loss. The return on prevention, defined as the internal decision-making processes.
cost-benefit ratio, illustrates the economic A complementary, social and ecologi-
potential of investments in prevention cal perspective goes along with social
work. and ecological accounting. Externalities
represent advantages and disadvantages
Most of the already existing theoretical of third parties quantifiable by means of
analyses and empirical studies relating to social and ecological valuation. Preven-
the economy of prevention work do not tion accounting considers the costs and
explicitly consider the return on invest- benefits of prevention work. While the
ment in occupational safety and health. costs of prevention lead directly and in
Classical approaches examine the costs of the short-term to expenses, the revenues
occupational accidents and diseases for of the benefits of prevention emerge only
the economy as a whole (Neubauer 1993; indirectly and in the long term. Costs and
Baum/Schulz 1997, 50; Thiehoff 1997, benefits affect the companies carrying
12) or the particular companies (Krüger out prevention measures. Regarding the
1995, 95; Kohstall/Lüdeke 2003, 10900; morphology of accounting schemes, it is
Rikhardsson 2004). Others analyse the helpful to perceive prevention accounting
different types of costs (Gut/Steffens as an extended investment appraisal or a
1983; Andreoni 1986; Larsson/Betts specific form of cost-benefit analysis. The
1996, 148; Health and Safety Executive return on prevention consists directly of

SESSION 8
the prevention of occupational accidents, company “as a whole”. It is possible to

diseases and health risks and indirectly measure the profit or loss of prevention
of secondary effects generating economic work non-monetarily in point values or
advantages for the company. in monetary value. The prevention bal-
ance sheet formats typically in monetary
The prevention profit or loss is the differ- values the prevention costs and benefits
ence between the costs and the benefits in the style of prevention statements.
of the prevention work in companies. It The key indicator “return on prevention”
is possible to draw a distinction between demonstrates the ratio between the mon-
the following categories of prevention etary value of the benefits and the costs of
costs: costs of personal protective equip- prevention work.
ment, costs of company medical sup-
port and guidance on safety technology, III. Methodological approach
payroll costs of company safety officer/s To collect empirical data regarding pre-
(excluding company medical support and vention costs and benefits, 39 companies
guidance on safety technology), costs of of different branches, sizes and legal
specific prevention training measures, forms were surveyed during the years
costs of preventive medical check-ups, or- 2007 and 2008. The selected companies
ganisational costs, investment costs, start- showed interest in occupational safety
up costs. It seems appropriate to distin- and health and declared themselves will-
guish between the following categories of ing to cooperate. Insofar, the collected
prevention benefits: cost savings through data is based upon a cross-survey and
prevention of disruptions of operations, positive selection. The survey in the form
cost savings through prevention of wast- of standardized interviews was addressed
age and reduction of time spent catching abstractly to the companies. For practical
up after disruptions of operations, added reasons, members respectively experts
value generated by increased employee (e.g. controller, employer, member of the
motivation and satisfaction, added value workers’ council, safety officer) of the
generated by sustained focus on quality companies were interviewed, either per-
and better quality products, added value sonally visited or contacted by telephone
generated by product innovations, added or email. Ideally, the interviewed persons
value generated by better corporate im- expressed themselves as group and deliv-
age. Prevention accounting refers to sin- ered a common answer. While it was rela-
gle branches or cross-sector to several or tively easy to determine the prevention
all branches. It can also be of interest to costs with the help of controlling and es-
analyse the trend of prevention costs and pecially cost accounting, problems arose
benefits over several years. by measuring and evaluating prevention
benefits. For their assessment, the use of
In principle, it is possible to account for methods of social accounting or empiri-
prevention profit or loss for specific types cal social research was recommended.
of prevention measures (e.g. consult-
ing, inspection, training). Because of At first, the interviewees were asked
interrelations of the effects of preven- to estimate the values of the particular
tion measures and the complexity of the categories of prevention benefit of their
whole study, it seems to be reasonable to companies. However, most of them had
account for the prevention work of the problems with directly indicating values.

SESSION 8
Therefore, an indirect approach following The number of positive answers for each
the willingness to pay-method seemed category of prevention benefit in relation
to be more appropriate. The interviewees to the total amount of positive answers
were then requested to visualize the pre- of all companies led to the generation of
vention balance sheet as a pair of scales the following system for the allocation of
with two scales, one on each side. Due the total prevention benefits on particular
to their experience, they should estimate categories:
whether the prevention costs and the ■ Cost savings through prevention of
prevention benefits of the company bal- disruptions of operations: 20%
anced each other or whether the costs or ■ Cost savings through prevention of
the benefits outweighed. In the latter case, wastage and reduction of time spent
proportionality factors beginning with catching up after disruptions of opera-
1.0 in steps of 0.2 were suggested. The in- tions: 8%
terviewees decided for the just acceptable ■ Added value generated by increased
proportionality factor. Afterwards, it was employee motivation and satisfaction:
possible to calculate the total monetary 25%
prevention benefit for the company. ■ Added value generated by sustained
focus on quality and better quality
In the next step, it was important to al- products: 17%
locate the total monetary prevention ■ Added value generated by product
benefit to the particular categories of pre- innovations: 8%
vention benefit. For this, the interviewees ■ Added value generated by better cor-
were asked to answer the following corporate image: 22%
responding questions referring to the
effects of occupational safety and health It was assumed that this system is valid
with “yes” or “no”: for every company included in the survey.
■ Do you see any cost savings through In the case of companies not appointing
prevention of disruptions of operati- all categories of prevention benefit, the
ons for your company? allocation system had to be adapted by
■ Do you see any cost savings through extrapolating the values of the categories.
prevention of wastage and reduction
of time spent catching up after disrup- Prevention accounting is an economic
tions of operations for your company? model that is based upon assumptions.
■ Do you see any added value generated For example, it does not consider the ef-
by increased employee motivation and fects of technical and social progress on
satisfaction in your company? the occupational risks regarding safety
■ Do you see any added value genera- and health. It is not possible to isolate
ted by sustained focus on quality and singular effects because prevention work
better quality products for your com- interconnects almost everything in the
pany? working world. For the same reason, it is
■ Do you see any added value generated not possible to isolate prevention costs
by product innovations for your com- (e.g. technical safety standards) included
pany? in prices of goods. Although prevention
■ Do you see any added value generated accounting as well as the prevention
by better corporate image for your profit or loss formatted in a prevention
company? balance sheet give an impression of the

SESSION 8
economic potential of occupational safety results. The empirical results are based on
and health. a survey of companies that are interested
in occupational safety and health. This
IV. Empirical results positive selection goes along with the risk
The prevention balance sheet below of answers that are too positive. Since the
summarizes the empirical results of the actual answers were predominantly locat-
study (for details see Bräunig/Kohstall/ ed in a narrow corridor, the risk did not
Mehnert 2009 and Bräunig/Mehnert prove true. Otherwise, companies that are
2008). The prevention costs and benefits less interested in occupational safety and
are structured by categories. The differ- health should even have higher benefits
ence between both sides expresses the of prevention work. To increase the sig-
prevention profit or loss. In this study, nificance of the prevention balance sheet,
the values were calculated on an average it is useful to calculate the prevention
basis. It also would have been possible benefit and cost ratio, which expresses
to account for median values without the return on prevention. For the com-
structural consequences for values and panies included in the survey, the Return
Prevention Balance Sheet (n=39, basis: average values)

Prevention costs Value in € Prevention benefit Value in €
(of companies) per employee (of companies) per employee
and year and year
Costs of personal protective 166,80 Cost savings through preven- 304,80
equipment tion of disruptions of opera-
tions
Costs of company medical 114,40
support and guidance on safety Cost savings through preven- 98,60
technology tion of wastage and reduction
of time spent catching up af-
Payroll costs of company safety 199,70 ter disruptions of operations
officer/s (excluding company
medical support and guidance Added value generated by 375,70
on safety technology) increased employee motiva-
tion and satisfaction
Costs of specific prevention 95,00
training measures Added value generated by 150,00
sustained focus on quality
Costs of preventive medical 22,50 and better quality products
check-ups
Added value generated by 62,00
Organisational costs 91,20 product innovations
Investment costs 68,00 Added value generated by 285,50

better corporate image
Start-up costs 82,90
Total 840,50 Total 1276,60
(Monetary net) prevention profit: 436,10 € per employee and year
Fig.: Bräunig/Kohstall/Mehnert 2009, p. 27, Bräunig/Mehnert 2008, p. 48

SESSION 8
on Prevention (ROP) is 1.6. The return Neue Wege der betrieblichen Unfallko-
on prevention does not describe a finan- stenrechnung, in: Arbeitsschutz besser
cial relation, but an abstract economic managen, edited by Frieder Ecker and
potential. This illustrates that expenses in Thomas Kohstall, Supplement 16, Köln
prevention work improve the economic 2003
performance of the companies.
Kramer, Ina and Wolfgang Bödeker,
V. Bibliography Return on Investment im Kontext der
Andreoni, Diego, The Cost of Occupa- betrieblichen Gesundheitsförderung und
tional Accidents and Diseases, Geneva Prävention, IGA-Report 16, Essen etc.
1986 2008
Baum, Herbert and Wolfgang Schulz, Kreis, Julia and Wolfgang Bödeker, Ge-
Volkswirtschaftliche Kosten von Ar- sundheitlicher und ökonomischer Nutzen
beits- und Wegeunfällen – Aktualisierung betrieblicher Gesundheitsförderung und
des Ressourcenverlustansatzes, in: Neue Prävention, IGA-Report 3, Essen and
Ansätze zur Kosten-Nutzen-Analyse des Dresden 2003
Arbeits- und Gesundheitsschutzes, edited
by Bundesanstalt für Arbeitsschutz und Krüger, Wolfgang, Controlling-Verfahren
Arbeitsmedizin, Dortmund and Berlin für den Arbeitsschutz – Das Konzept der
1997, pp. 38-56 ungestörten Arbeitsstunde, in: BGZ-Re-
port 4/95, Produktivitätsfaktor Gesund-
Bräunig, Dietmar and Katrin Mehnert, heit – mehr Wirtschaftlichkeit durch
Präventionsbilanz aus theoretischer und Sicherheit und Gesundheit bei der Arbeit,
empirischer Sicht, Abschlussbericht des edited by Hauptverband der gewerblichen
Teilprojekts 5 des Projekts „Qualität in Berufsgenossenschaften, Sankt Augustin
der Prävention“, Dresden 2008 1995, S. 85-99
Bräunig, Dietmar, Thomas Kohstall and Langhoff, Thomas, Ergebnisorientierter

Katrin Mehnert, Präventionsbilanz und Arbeitsschutz, Dortmund and Berlin
Präventionserfolg, in: DGUV Forum, 2002
2009, S. 22-27
Larsson Tore J. and Neville J. Betts, The
Gut Peter and Ernst-Joachim Steffens, Variation of Occupational Injury Cost
Zur präventiven Bedeutung einzel- und in Australia; Estimates Based on a Small
gesamtwirtschaftlicher Unfallkostenrech- Empirical Study, in: Safety Science, Vol.
nungen, in: Kosten der Arbeitsunfähig- 24, No. 2, 1996, pp. 143-155
keit, edited by Bundesanstalt für Arbeits-
schutz, Dortmund 1983, S. 148-179 Neubauer, Günter, Gesellschaftliche
Folgekosten unterlassenen Arbeits- und
Health and Safety Executive (Editor), The Gesundheitsschutzes – Ansätze für eine
Costs to Britain of Workplace Accidents Weiterentwicklung des Forschungs-
and Work-Related Ill Health in 1995/96, standes, in: Neue Ansätze zur Ermittlung
2nd Edition, Norwich 1999 der gesellschaftlichen Folgekosten von
Arbeitsunfällen, Berufskrankheiten und
Kohstall, Thomas and Andreas Lüdeke, arbeitsbedingten Erkrankungen, edited

SESSION 8
by Bundesanstalt für Arbeitsschutz,

Bremerhaven 1993, S. 103-118
Packebusch, Lutz, Barbara Herzog and

Sandra Laumen, Erfolg durch Arbeits-
schutz, Dortmund, Berlin and Dresden
2003
Rikhardsson, Pall M., Accounting for

the Cost of Occupational Accidents, in:
Corporate Social Responsibility and En-
vironmental Management, Vol. 11, 2004,
pp. 63-70
Thiehoff, Rainer, Kosten und Nutzen

des Arbeits- und Gesundheitsschutzes
aus volkswirtschaftlicher Sicht, in: Neue
Ansätze zur Kosten-Nutzen-Analyse des
Arbeits- und Gesundheitsschutzes, edited
by Bundesanstalt für Arbeitsschutz und
Arbeitsmedizin, Dortmund and Berlin
1997, pp. 3-18
*)
Dietmar Bräunig 1, Thomas Kohstall 2 and Katrin Mehnert 1
1 University of Giessen, Germany
Germany

SESSION 8
Using Financial Metrics such as ROHSEI to Make HSE Decisions
Norman Tan
ORC Asia Pacific, Singapore
ORC stands for Organization Resources Genesis of ROHSEI

Counsellors. For the past 37 years, ORC A Taskforce of members of ORC Safety
Worldwide has been providing high- and Health Group (representing 15 For-
value occupational HSE professional tune 300 companies) sponsored and par-
networking services to the world’s leading ticipated in the development of a process
corporations. We provide these services and supporting tool set to answer impor-
to its member companies through 9 spe- tant questions such as:
cialized networks of Regional Corporate ■ What HS&E investments should we
Health, Safety and Environment Leaders. make?
We have presently more than 150 major ■ How do we know we are doing the
Corporations in many industry sectors “right things” in the “right way”?
who are members of ORC’s HSE net- ■ Which HS&E investments create the
works. greatest value to the organization?
■ How can we demonstrate the value of
Our ORC’s HSE networks focus on cou- our investment decisions?
ple of value-added services such as: ■ To which projects should we allocate
■ Important technical HSE topics, stra- our human resources?
tegic business issues & regulatory and
compliance issue The Four Steps in the ROHSEI Process
Step 1. Understand the Opportunity or
■ HSE management systems, perfor- Challenge
mance metrics, risk reduction strate- Step 2. Identify & Explore Alternative
gies, business integration Solutions
Step 3. Gather Data and Conduct
■ Benchmarking and sharing best prac- Analysis
tices, information & data Step 4. Make a Recommendation
■ Providing ORC members with access Step 1. Understand the Opportunity or

to outside experts and government Challenge
officials Purpose of Investments: to increase
revenues, to decrease costs, to improve
■ Providing rapid responses to mem- productivity, to reduce injuries, etc.
ber requests for assistance via phone, Developing a business case, whether
email, surveys, bulletin board and brainstorming alternatives, gathering
other tools data, making assumptions, formulating
recommendations, or making decisions,

SESSION 8
is to have a solid understanding of the Examples include worker productivity,

objectives, requirements and constraints product quality and customer satisfac-
of the investment opportunity. tion. Analysis of these key business met-
ROHSEI’s Business Case Summary is rics results in semi-quantitative rankings
used to document the specific definition that can be used for business decision
of the investment opportunity. making.
At the completion of the analysis of the
Step 2. Identify & Explore Alternative direct and hidden impacts, decision
Solutions makers will have both quantified financial
Alternatives are documented in this step. and business metrics, as well as semi-
Brainstorm beyond these initial ideas to quantitative rankings of key business
ensure that all reasonable alternatives are impacts to evaluate and to compare each
reviewed. May also spark innovative ideas of the alternatives.
about alternatives that push the edges of
current approaches. Step 4. Make a Recommendation
ROHSEI’s Causal Loop Diagram is used Evaluate the degree to which each invest-
to explore those other solutions. ment alternative meets the requirements
Prioritizes alternatives to evaluate, based and constraints that were identified
on the ability of each alternative to ad- during the analysis.
dress the objectives, requirements, and The learning and metrics that have de-
constraints of the opportunity. veloped through use of the ROHSEI
Once a reasonable set of alternative in- process and its tools should contribute to
vestment scenarios is developed, each is an investment decision that considers ad-
described in Step 2 of the Business Case ditional criteria.
Summary tool. Investments, however, should also sup-
port the company’s HS&E strategy, the
Step 3. Gather Data and Conduct company’s business strategy and the busi-
Analysis ness case reviewer’s priorities. Further-
Explore a comprehensive view of how more, an explicit discussion about how
HS&E investments impact business per- the company and business unit manage
formance. Specifically, the process facili- HS&E risk should take place to ensure
tates the consideration of the direct and that investment decisions do not arbitrar-
hidden benefits, as well as costs of each ily assume a “risk neutral” position.
investment alternative.
Direct impacts are defined as those im- Example of ROHSEI Projects
pacts that are easily quantified and clearly 1. Sprinkler Protection
observable, such as HSE personnel time, 2. Onsite Primary Healthcare
production downtime, loss of raw materi- 3. Disability Management
als, and HSE capital. Analysis of these 4. Recycling
impacts results in metrics such as Net 5. Soil Remediation
Present Value, Return on Investment, 6. Behaviour Based Safety Programs
Internal Rate of Return and Discounted 7. PPE vs. Engineering Controls
Payback Period. 8. Ergonomics Programs (Lower back)
Hidden impacts are defined as those 9. Ergonomics Programs (Work Station)
HS&E impacts on business performance 10. Fleet Safety Programs
that are hard to observe and to quantify. 11. Electronic Data Sheet Systems

SESSION 8
Conclusion
■ Using only traditional lagging metrics
such as incident frequency & severity
rate will not be enough to justify HSE
investments
■ Integrating HSE decisions into

financial metrics that are aligned
with business goals and processes are
necessary to drive HSE investment
acceptance
■ ORC’s ROHSEI tool has proven

successful in evaluating and justifying
HSE investments in financial terms

SESSION 8
The Costs of Work-Related Diseases for Economies and Companies
– A Rational for Investment
Wolfgang Bödeker, Ina Sockoll, Ina Kramer
Initiative Health & Work (iga) of German Health and Accident Insurance, Federal
Association of Company Health Insurance Funds (BKK Bundesverband), Germany
In modern societies, work is the source frameworks are in effect. Risk studies
of most individual, corporate, and com- – building the second line – on contrast
munity wealth. At the same time, the analyse the relations between risk factors
world of work comprises risk factors for and relevant outcomes. Attributable risks
the health of employees. Work-related may be derived which allow for calcula-
diseases can lead to temporary absence, tion of attributable costs. Although risks
reduced productivity, long-term disability studies can be deployed rather generally
or even to premature death. for methodological reasons it can not be
Occupational Health and Safety (OSH) concluded that estimated costs can actu-
has traditionally been focused on occupa- ally be saved by prevention.
tional accidents and occupational diseas- In this paper both lines of reasoning
es. However, there is increasing approval will be highlighted. First, based on risk
that employee’s health is also endangered studies costs of work-related morbidity
by new risks and by social inequalities. and early retirement in Germany will be
This widened scope brings OSH closer to presented. Second, the evidence from
the concept of workplace health promo- international research on the effective-
tion (WHP). WHP has pointed effects on ness of workplace health promotion is
the improvement of the health of employ- summarized and it is discussed how this
ees as well as on the economic position evidence can be used for the calculation
of enterprises. As a scientific consensus it of the prospective return on investment
can be stated that WHP leads to a reduc- for German companies.
tion of risk factors and diseases and has a
positive return on investment (ROI). Cost of work-related morbidity and
In order to demonstrate the economic early retirement
impact of work-related diseases two dif- The costs of work-related illness are an
ferent lines could be followed. First, inter- indicator for the importance of occupa-
vention studies provide evidence on the tional safety and health measures.
effectiveness of work related prevention Knowledge about these costs can be used
activities by making use of (randomized) to plan the most efficient deployment
controlled designs and allow for return of prevention services given the limited
on investment calculations. Against this resources. Consequently, in recent years
advantage the evidence is restricted to studies were conducted by several na-
specific interventions only. Furthermore, tional and European institutions 1,2. One
interventions are often facilitated as fundamental difficulty is determining
WHP because there can be no control the proportion of the costs attributable
group for OSH activities where legal to the working conditions. However, as a

SESSION 8
standard approach in epidemiology, the in job control could save up to 3 billion

proportion of diseases which are caused Euro annually.
by certain factors can be calculated by the
so-called attributable risks. With respect Evidence for the economic benefit of
to working conditions, attributable risks WHP from international studies
indicate what proportion of the illnesses Rising health care costs, productivity
could be avoided if a workload factor losses due to absenteeism and pre-
was eliminated or reduced by preventive senteeism, and an aging workforce evoke
action. To calculate attributable risks it an increase of WHP activities. Current
is necessary to first determine the sig- literature on the impacts of WHP pro-
nificance of the association between the grammes brought up new evidence about
occurrence of a factor and a disease (the the savings associated with such interven-
so-called relative risk). Provided that it is tions 4. Sick leave was used as outcome
also known what proportion of the work- in 25 of 56 studies. The average percent
ing population is exposed to the work- change in absenteeism is specified with
load factor (the so-called prevalence), the -26.8%. Health cost analyses occurred in
attributable risk can be calculated. 28 studies and show an average percent
Direct costs, taken as the utilisation of change in health costs of -26.1%. A total
medical resources, were calculated from of ten reviews deal with the economic
statistics of the German health insurance benefit of WHP programmes. They all
system. The indirect costs were calculated conclude that enterprises financially
on the basis of the human capital ap- profit from the implementation of such
proach, meaning the loss of productivity interventions in the long term. The most
resulting from sickness absence and early frequently used factors to visualize the
retirement. Direct and indirect costs mul- savings are absenteeism and medical
tiplied by the population attributable risk costs. The reviews included report a re-
yield the desired work-related costs. turn on investment between 1:2.5 and
In Germany the annual costs of work- 1:10.1 for absenteeism, as well as a ROI
related diseases are estimated at 43.9. between 1:2.3 and 1:5.9 for medical costs.
billion Euro 3 (Table 1) summing up from For every $1 spent on WHP programmes
app. 33 billion Euro for temporary sick- enterprises can save a minimum of $2.50
ness and 11 billion Euro for early retire- due to reduced absenteeism and a mini-
ment. The most important exposures are mum of another $2.30 due to reduced
heavy work (lifting) and low job control. medical costs.
It is estimated that a moderate increase Often enterprises have to justify their in-
Table 1: Annual costs of work-related diseases in Germany
Health outcome Cost category Billion EURO

Work-related temporary Direct costs 17.7
morbidity Indirect costs 15.6
Work-related early retire- Direct costs 0.9
ment Indirect costs 9.6
Total 43.9

SESSION 8
vestment decisions in WHP programmes. ing a return on investment in the US
Despite the fact that these programmes compared to Germany. This is caused by
improve employee health, the decision- the different health insurance systems: a
makers are primarily concerned about pluralistic health care financing system
economic terms. Executives want to in the US versus a more centralized pay-
know what savings and possible financial ment system in Germany.
return on investment they could expect
from an investment in health promotion Literature
programmes. They are interested in a key 1. Bödeker, W., Friedel, H., Röttger, C.,
data model that presents the possible sav- Schröer, A. 2002. Kosten arbeitsbedingter
ings due to WHP. Erkrankungen. Schriftenreihe der Bun-
desanstalt für Arbeitsschutz und Arbeits-
A promising approach to show the eco- medizin, FB 946. Wirtschaftsverlag NW.
nomic potential of WHP interventions Bremerhaven.
is the so-called prospective return on
investment. It is a specific cost-benefit- 2. Bödeker W, Friedel H, Friedrichs M,
analysis that estimates the prospective Röttger C 2008. The impact of work on
cost-benefit in the run-up to the pro- morbidity-related early retirement. Jour-
gramme implementation. The prospective nal of Public Health 97-106.
ROI analyses the cost-effectiveness and
evaluates the efficiency of an investment 3. BKK Bundesverband 2008. Kosten ar-
or compares the efficiency of different in- beitsbedingter Erkrankungen und Früh-
terventions. The key figure can be used as berentung in Deutschland. Essen
an instrument to convince management
of workplace health promotion. Further- 4. Sockoll I, Kramer I, Bödeker W 2008.
more it can be used by external consult- Effectiveness and economic benefits of
ants and health insurance companies as workplace health promotion and preven-
an argument for a rational allocation. tion. Summary of the scientific evidence
2000 to 2006. IGA-Report 13e. 2008.
Over the past years scientists, mostly www.iga-info.de
in the US, developed some models to
calculate the prospective ROI. In 2007 5. Kramer I, Bödeker W 2008. Return on
iga initialized a project to this topic Investment im Kontext der betrieblichen
with a main focus on the identification, Gesundheitsförderung und Prävention.
analysis and description of such models. Die Berechnung des prospektiven Return
The results are summarized in a report on Investments: eine Analyse von ökono-
5 that includes a detailed description mischen Modellen. IGA-Report 16. 2008.
of four models for different risk factors www.iga-info.de
and diseases as well as some supplemen-
tal studies. Based on the results of this
project the Initiative Health & Work (iga)
set up a follow-up project aimed at the
development of a special calculation for
Germany. The analysis of the tools and
studies made clear that there are different
influencing variables used for calculat-

SESSION 8
An Economic Evaluation Methods Initiative for Occupational Health
and Safety
Emile Tompa *)
Introduction the completed review emphasized the

After completing a systematic literature critical need for information on the re-
review of workplace OHS interventions source implications of health and safety
with economic evaluations (full report interventions, and the need for methods,
reference Tompa et al., 2007; published guidance, and tools. In response to the
as Tompa et al., 2006; 2008a, 2009, and dearth of evidence, the Institute for Work
submitted) we became aware of how little & Health has been spearheading a meth-
evidence there is available on the topic. ods initiative that has taken two tracks.
Through the review we also found the First, we have developed a methods text
quality of application of economic meth- for good practices in the economic evalu-
ods in this literature to be rather weak. ation of OHS interventions (Tompa et
Other reviews of the OHS literature have al., 2008b). Second, we are developing
come to similar conclusions (DeRango jurisdiction and sector specific economic
and Franzini, 2003; Goossens et al., 1999; evaluation software for use by workplace
Niven, 2002). Indeed, a common com- parties.
plaint in the assessments of the research Other researchers working in the field
literature on the economic evaluation of have also noted the critical need for
workplace interventions is that ‘well-de- method and tools development. Specifi-
signed and conducted evaluations of pro- cally, the United States National Institute
gramme costs and benefits were nearly for Occupational Safety and Health and
impossible to find’ (Niven, 2002). the World Health Organization spon-
sored a conference in 2004 entitled ‘Eco-
Undertaking economic evaluations of nomic Evaluation of Occupational Health
workplace OHS interventions can be a and Safety Interventions at the Company
challenging task, yet there is little fo- Level’ (Eijkemans and Fingerhut, 2005;
cussed guidance available on how to Biddle et al., 2005) where researchers dis-
tackle the challenge. Most methods text cussed the need to advance methods and
referred to by researchers in the OHS presented existing tools (Amador-Re-
field are designed for use in the health dezno, 2005; Bergström, 2005; Lahiri et
care sector. But this sector is very differ- al., 2005; Oxenburgh and Marlow, 2005).
ent, so the framing of issues, measures,
and methods are difficult to adapt to Overview of the Methods Text
workplace context. The methods text (Tompa et al., 2008b)
An advisory committee involved with is meant to serve researchers, practition-
developing our systematic review and ers, policymakers, and course instructors
stakeholders attending presentations of familiar with the nature of initiatives

SESSION 8
undertaken to improve OHS perform- recommendations from across the book

ance, and the evaluation of the effective- in the development and presentation of a
ness of such initiatives. We have assumed ‘reference case’. This is intended to serve
that readers may come from various as a minimal set of criteria for which we
fields concerned with OHS, including judge there to be a professional scientific
ergonomics, engineering, occupational consensus. One benefit of standardiza-
health, health promotion, workplace tion, beyond encouraging good practice,
studies research, and applied economics. is that it makes results from different
We have also attempted to make the book studies more readily comparable in fu-
broadly applicable in jurisdictions hav- ture evaluations. As the application of
ing different institutional and regulatory economic evaluation in the OHS arena
approaches to OHS, disability policy, and matures, the agreed upon reference case
health care provision. will likely evolve as the distilling becomes
There are three clusters of topics in more refined.
the book – scene setting and context
chapters; specific topic chapters, and Overview of the Software Developed for
a concluding chapter with suggestions Workplace Parties
for a ‘reference case’. The scene setting The software is being developed for use
and context chapters provide a wealth by workplace parties, and is designed to
of background material ranging from a be sector- and jurisdiction-specific. The
presentation of the broad conceptualiza- three primary goals of the software are:
tion of work and health to suggestions for 1) to improve workplace parties’ under-
strategies in confronting the data dearth standing of economic evaluation methods
often experienced by OHS researchers. for OHS interventions; 2) to enable work-
Lessons are also drawn from other lit- places to undertake accurate analyses
eratures, primarily the health technology of the costs and consequences of OHS
assessment literature and research on interventions; and 3) to increase the use
valuing reductions in physical risk. A dis- of economic evaluations in OHS resource
cussion of the value of health and safety decision making.
and a critical review of the OHS literature Currently, we are developing software
provide a platform for developing insight for three sectors in two jurisdictions. For
and guidance on how to take the applica- Ontario, Canada we are developing soft-
tion of economic evaluation methods ware for the service and manufacturing
further in future studies. sectors. For British Columbia, we are de-
The specific topic chapters delve into the veloping software for the health care sec-
principles and application of economic tor. All versions are being developed over
evaluation methods with focus on is- a one-year time period in conjunction
sues most salient to OHS. Study design, with health and safety partners in each
type of analysis, costs, consequences, of the two jurisdictions and from each of
uncertainty and equity feature in the the three sectors. The process began with
roster of topics that provide guidance an environmental scan of existing tools,
on analytical and decision making chal- followed by the development of a proto-
lenges. Each specific topic chapter ends type that was evaluated by stakeholders
with a concise list of recommendations. at focus groups. An advanced version of
In the final chapter, we synthesize the the software will be field tested at work-
summaries, conclusions, challenges and places over the fall of 2009 before final

SESSION 8
release. The software will be available free ture reference. In particular, the database
of charge from the Institute for Work & is drawn upon by the user to undertake
Health and from our health and safety an economic evaluation. The analysis
partners. section has three options that reflect dif-
The working title of the software is the ferent study designs: 1) Before and After
“Health and Safety Smart Planner”. The Analysis; 2) Analysis of Concurrent
software has three principal paths that Groups; and 3) Analysis of a Potential
the user can take upon opening it. They Intervention. These correspond to an un-
are: 1) a user support section entitled controlled study, a controlled study, and a
“About the Workbook”; 2) a template for prospective analysis, respectively. Each of
documenting and storing information on the analysis options provides a template
injuries/illnesses and their costs called with multiple steps to document the costs
the “Incident Cost Calculator”; and 3) an and consequences of the intervention be-
economic evaluation path entitled “Do ing evaluated. Analyses are also saved to a
Your Own Analysis”. database for future reference. Summary
The user support section provides as- reports of incidents and analyses can be
sistance to users with varying levels of printed for meetings and presentations.
economics knowledge, definitions and
explanations of key terms and constructs, Summary and Future Directions
and examples of economic evaluations Complete information on the costs and
that are sector specific. The incident cost consequences of interventions is an inval-
calculator provides a template for users to uable input into OHS decision making.
document the financial burden of injuries By advancing methods used by research-
and illnesses, and to store the incidents ers and developing user-friendly software
in a database that can be retrieved for fu- for workplaces, we hope to make reliable

SESSION 8
information about the resource implica- loskeletal pain. European Journal of Pain;
tions of interventions readily available to 3(4): 343-353.
workplace decision makers. Planned fu-
ture directions of the initiative include: 1) Lahiri S, Gold J, Levenstein C. 2005.
developing the software for other sectors Net-cost model for workplace interven-
and jurisdictions in North America; 2) tions. Journal of Safety Research; 36(3):
developing economic evaluation training 241-242.
workshops for workplaces; and 3) devel-
oping research methods workshops for Niven KJ. 2002. A review of the applica-
OHS researchers. tion of health economics to health and
safety in healthcare. Health Policy; 61(3):
References 291-304.
Amador-Redezno R. 2005. An overview
to CERSSO’s self evaluation of the cost- Oxenburgh M, Marlow P. 2005. The
benefit on the investment in occupational Productivity Assessment Tool: computer-
safety and health in the textile factories: based cost benefit analysis model for the
“a step by step methodology.” Journal of economic assessment of occupational
Safety Research; 36(3): 215-229. health and safety interventions in the
workplace. Journal of Safety Research;
Bergström M. 2005. The potential-meth- 36(3): 209-214.
od-an economic evaluation tool. Journal
of Safety Research; 36(3): 237-240. Tompa E, Dolinschi R, de Oliveira C.
2006. Practice and potential of economic
Biddle E, Ray T, Owusu-Edusei K, Camm evaluation of workplace-based interven-
T. 2005. Synthesis and recommendations tions for occupational health and safety.
of the economic evaluation of OHS in- Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation;
terventions at the company level confer- 16(3): 375-400.
ence. Journal of Safety Research; 36(3):
261-267. Tompa E, de Oliveira C, Dolinschi R,
Irvin E. 2008a. A systematic review of
DeRango K, Franzini L. 2003. Economic disability management interventions with
evaluations of workplace health interven- economic evaluations. Journal of Occu-
tions: theory and literature review. In: JC pational Rehabilitation; 18(1): 15-26.
Quick and LE Tetrick, ed. Handbook of
Occupational Health Psychology, pp. 417- Tompa E, Culyer A, Dolinschi R, eds.
30. Washington, DC: American Psycho- 2008b. Developing Good Practice in the
logical Association. Economic Evaluation of Workplace Inter-
ventions for Health and Safety. Oxford:
Eijkemans G, Fingerhut M. 2005. For- Oxford University Press.
ward. Journal of Safety Research; 36(3):
207-308. Tompa E, Dolinschi R, de Oliveira C,
Irvin E. 2009. A systematic review of oc-
Goossens ME, Evers SM, Vlaeyen JW, cupational health and safety interventions
Rutten-van Mölken MP, van der Linden with economic analyses. Journal of Oc-
SM. 1999. Principles of economic evalua- cupational and Environmental Medicine
tion for interventions of chronic muscu- (in press).

SESSION 8
Tompa E, Dolinschi R, de Oliveira C,
Amick B, Irvin E. A Systematic Review of
Workplace Ergonomic Interventions with
Economic Analyses. Journal of Occupa-
tional Rehabilitation (submitted).
*)
Emile Tompa 1,2,3, Anthony Culyer 3,4,5, Roman Dolinschi 1, Kiera Keown 1,
Sara Macdonald 1, Dylan Maccarone 1, Anita Dubey 1, Benjamin Amick 1,6,
Chris McLeod 7, Hasanat Alamgir 8,9, Claire de Oliveira, Emma Irvin 1
and Kim McLeod 7
2 Department of Economics, McMaster University, Canada
3 Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Canada
4 Research Advisory Committee, Workplace Safety & Insurance Board of Ontario,
Canada
5 University of York, United Kingdom
6 University of Texas, United States of America
7 University of British Columbia, Canada
8 Occupational Health & Safety Agency for Healthcare in British Columbia (OHSAH),
Canada
9 Simon Fraser University, Canada

SESSION 8
Strategic Steering of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH)
– Examples on Different Organisational Levels
Birgit Köper
Introduction tor. In the 1970s concepts were developed

Many European countries have developed that focus on human-orientated research
from industry-based to service or even and work organisation in order to foster
knowledge-based economies during the and develop human resources. Models
last decades. Globalisation, increased which arose specifically during the 1990s
innovation pressure and growing com- emphasise the holistic idea of work struc-
petition for talented workers have given tures and tasks in conjunction with the
organisations added incentives to review worker’s health.
their employee relation strategies in order
to attract, motivate, qualify and retain Employees are increasingly considered
the workforce that will help them to be an intangible asset thereby going beyond
successful (Zivnuska, Ketchen & Snow, such assets as branding, patents, or cus-
2001). tomer relations. They are supposed to be
Since employees are the basic precondi- crucial for future competitiveness (Schu-
tion and resource in terms of future busi- bert et al. 2009). The fundamental idea
ness success there is an intense discussion behind applying business cases on human
of how to recruit and develop personnel resources (HR) including health is that it
and sustain their capabilities and well- is both necessary and possible to organise
being. work without compromising on working
Investments in Occupational Safety and conditions or on long-term economic
Health (OSH) as part of Human Resource efficiency. Hence positive associations
Management can thus generate added between human-related resources and
value for a company. This value should organisational performance are being
be measured and reported to manage- presumed (Becker, 1997; Glaser, 2007).
ment by means of strategically aligned The lack of a common standard to meas-
measures and controlling approaches. ure success, however, probably aggravates
This is relevant because in many compa- the reluctance of management and CEOs
nies OSH improvement seems not to be to take OSH issues into strategic account.
a trigger for managers to invest in OSH,
and the benefits of many investments in In this contribution the business perspec-
OSH are much more difficult to assess tive on OSH and its economic impacts
than the costs (Zwetsloot & Van Schep- are discussed. We address he major ques-
pingen 2007). As a result OSH is all too tion raised by CEOs, Management, and
often seen as a cost factor and not as an HR Management in terms of OSH: What
asset. Already in the 1960s first attempts controlling instruments are available and
were made to account for the human fac- eligible for different stakeholder groups

SESSION 8
(CEOs, Management, HR-Management, mitment and approval for investment in

first line management) OSH through transparent arguments for
the investment and more OSH interven-
Methods of OSH evaluation and tions at the company level. However, not
controlling only HR Management or the CEOs are in
To date, neither binding standards nor charge of OSH issues.
regulations exist for internal or external
reporting of human capital or OSH in Many members of a company are respon-
organisations. There are certainly inter- sible for ensuring that its HR manage-
esting examples, but they hardly play a ment is efficient: the company’s manage-
role in capital market communication ment, HR managers, its HR department,
(Rimmel & Nielsen 2007). Indeed there is health & safety officers, the company doc-
no generally accepted standard in theory, tor and social services (Pennig & Vogt,
models or business cases. However, there 2006). All these actors, being decision-
is an enormous need for knowledge as makers or (joint) organisers of HR work,
to the effects of human-related measures are potential recipients of information on
and appropriate steering methods in the impact and benefits of HR measures,
real-life settings. In production as well even if their focal interests and informa-
as in the service industries, the focus is tion requirements differ:
set on cost reduction and value creation. HR management experts emphasise the
Therefore, investments of all kinds – also importance of the quality of HR meas-
human-related investments – have to be ures; their appropriateness, acceptance
economically justified. and usefulness will certainly determine
The likely relationship of HR issues and the employees’ satisfaction with such
organisational performance are pictured measures. Accordingly, cost-benefit
by Becker (1997) as follows: analyses or evaluations should prove that
1 2 3
Business/strategic Design of Health abilities, Productivity,
initiatives HRM-system motivation, creativity,
job design performance
4 5 6 Shareholder value
Improved result Profit and growth
(e.g. turnover)
Fig. 1: Heuristic chain/relation of human resources and shareholder value

(modified from Becker et al., 1997)
OSH-controlling measures are a means these measures are worthwhile for the
for steering health, human resources or company as a result of their expert qual-
– in a broader – sense human capital. ity, high acceptance, scope or specified
They picture the (potential) value of OSH use and appropriateness. If this is not the
seen from a business perspective. Their case or only applies to a limited extent,
objective is to obtain management com- the specialists in question will be inter-

SESSION 8
ested in having a profile of the measures’ their perspective, HR measures need to
strengths and weaknesses so that they can ensure that the performance systems and
optimise them in the future. Since HR de- business processes in their domain are
partments are generally run as cost cen- working properly. The information needs
tres, the measurement and assessment of of those who are responsible for and
use of resources by HR measures is also steer structures and processes are also
important for this group of addressees. different from those of operational man-
Consequently, an economic evaluation on agers managing individual employees as
this level should provide information in regards the assessment of HR measures.
terms of health as well as on performance Accordingly, the goal of an economic
indicators. The measures have to fulfil a evaluation for this group of recipients is
steering and reporting function (see step to show the impact of HR measures on
3 of fig. 1). the quality and efficiency of the system
The second group of addressees is the and processes that determine perform-
company’s operational management, ance. In this case HR measures must be
e.g. foremen or team leaders. They are planned and implemented in close con-
responsible for ensuring that the HR nection with structural and procedural
measures provide the skills, attitude, mo- measures, since both need to complement
tivation, teamwork and working condi- each other’s effectiveness. Correspond-
tions needed to perform the tasks in their ingly the economic evaluation should
respective domains (see step 2 of fig. 1). also take up and clarify the links between
Thus, any profitability assessment should staff factors (e.g. employees’ qualifica-
provide actors with operational responsi- tions) and structural factors (such as
bilities with the information they need to responsibilities).
enable them to select, organise and assess The fourth group of recipients comprises
HR measures affecting the employees’ a company’s senior executives, i.e. the
performance of their tasks. From the members of its board and the executives
perspective of this group of addressees, running the business. They are particu-
the purpose of an economic evaluation larly important addressees of the results
is therefore to demonstrate the effects of of evaluations, since they often tend
HR measures on the competence, behav- to consider HR as an administrative
iour and performance of employees and unit and cost item. In the eyes of senior
the profitability of the investment in rela- managers, measures taken in areas such
tion to these criteria. as human resources or OSH are rarely
The managers responsible for larger worth the expense. A professional profit-
domains, such as divisional managers, ability evaluation may be able to change
principal heads of department or depart- this philosophy and secure support for
mental heads, constitute the third group attractive investment. The directors are
of addressees. Unlike operational manag- responsible for the company’s ability to
ers, they manage managers rather than survive and the achievement of strategic
employees. They will ensure their sec- corporate objectives. Thus, seen through
tor’s ability to perform well less through a top manager’s eyes, the aim of perform-
direct, personnel management than ing a profitability assessment is to be able
through the implementation of structural to assess strategic areas of HR manage-
measures, agreeing on goals and control- ment from an economic viewpoint in or-
ling by means of key indicators. From der to derive from it the right “HR line of

SESSION 8
attack”. In addition to determining actual Table 1 summarises some examples of

staff costs, the prime objective is to high- available evaluation or controlling ap-
light usefulness, i.e. link HR investments proaches with the potential of addressing
to the company’s competitiveness. Hence different problems and supporting dif-
from the CEO’s perspective HR/OSH ferent stakeholder groups (Pennig et al.
have to contribute to the overall strategy 2006).
and therefore have to be derived from
this strategy (See especially steps 1, 5 and The broader approaches cover the ef-
6 of fig. 1). A company’s competitiveness fectiveness and efficiency of intervention
is often expressed in the form of strategic bundles (see step 2 in fig. 1) or even the
Key Performance Indicators KPIs. These entire range of a company’s OSH or HR
should be included in the economic eval- activities (see the whole chain in fig. 1).
uation for this group of addressees. Meta-studies regarding the effective-
ness of OSH interventions conclude that
Table 1: OSH controlling methods categorised in terms of stakeholder groups. Modified from Pennig
et al., 2006, S. 22.
Stakeholder Level at issue Interest Models
Shareholder Capital allocation Capital steering Best Employer Studies (Glaser et
al., 2007, Joo et al., 2006)
Company board/top Organization on the Strategic management Balanced Scorecard (Kaplan &
management whole Norton 1996)
Skandia Navigator (Edvinsson,
1997)
Human Capital Scoreboard
(Fitzenz 2003)
Workonomics™ (Strack, Franke &
Dertnig 2000)
Saarbrücker Formel (Scholz et
al. 2004)
Humanpotenzialindex
(Schubert et al. 2009)
Sozialkapital (Badura et al., 2008)
Management of the Processes Process management Customer Perceived Value Ac-
organisation’s differ- counting CPVA
ent departments (Schröder & Wall 2004)
Lower management Tasks Steering of behaviour 4-level- model (Kirkpatrick 1994)
and performance 5-level-model (Phillips 1996)
Utility analysis (Boudreau, 1991)
Multi attribute utility analysis
(Roth & Bobko 1997)
Cost-benefit analysis (e.g. Zange-
meister & Nolting 1997)
HR Management Personnel depart- Management of HR- Ahonen, G (2007)
ment activities Potential model
HR Scorecard
(Becker, Huselid & Ulrich 2001)
Health Scorecard
(Möller et al. 2008)
Personalcontrolling mit
Kennzahlen (Schulte 2002)

SESSION 8
combined OSH measures are more ef- Becker, B.E., Huselid, M.A., Pickus, P.S.,
fective than single interventions (Kreis & & Spratt, M.F. (1997). Human resources
Bödeker, 2003). Thus evaluation or busi- as a source of shareholder value: Research
ness case approaches should also consider and recommendations. Human Resources
that a bundle of OSH interventions has Management Journal, Vol. 36, pp. 39-47.
synergetic rather than merely additional
effects. As ever in the field of evaluation Becker, B.E., Huselid, M.A. & Ulrich, D.
there is no “one fits all” method. Whether (2001). The HR Scorecard: linking peo-
an approach is eligible or not has to be ple, strategy and performance. Boston
decided based on the objectives of the Harvard Business School, p. 223-247.
system in which the intervention in ques-
tion is to be evaluated such as enterprise, Boudreau, J.W. & Ramstad, P.M. (2003).
social assurance, health sector of a na- Strategic industrial and organisational
tional economy etc. psychology and the role of utility analysis
During the last years the demands of models. In: Borman, W., Ilgen, D.R., Kli-
companies as to OSH or HR controlling moski, R.J. (Eds). Handbook of Industrial
measures have mainly been influenced and Organizational Psychology, Vol. 12,
by the need of attracting and maintain- PP. 193-221. New York: Wiley.
ing highly qualified personnel. Hence
the above mentioned stakeholder groups Edvinsson, L. (1997). Developing Intel-
have special interests in terms of human lectual Capital at Scandia. Long Range
capital, human resources or OSH infor- Planning, Vol. 30, pp. 366-373.
mation.
Though there are many approaches avail- Fitz-Enz, J. (2003). Renditefaktor Per-
able which meet these needs, structured sonal [Yield return of human resources].
and systematic evaluation and controlling Frankfurt/M.: Campus.
of HR and OSH are scarcely found within
organisations. Apart from research in Glaser, J., Hornung, S. & Labes, M.
terms of new instruments a major chal- (2007). Indikatoren für die Humanres-
lenge lies in attracting enterprises’ deci- sourcenförderung – Humancapital
sion makers to apply these methods. messen, fördern und wertschöpfend ein-
setzen. [Indicators for the promotion of
References human resources – measuring, promot-
Ahonen G, & T. Hussi (2007), Workabil- ing and utilizing human capital for value
ity and human resource reporting – the creation] Bremerhaven: NW-Verlag.
Finnish experience. In: U. Johansson, G.
Ahonen & R. Roslender (editors), Work Hacker, W. (1998). Allgemeine Arbeits-
Health and Management Control, Thom- psychologie – Psychische Regulationen
son Fakta, Stockholm, pp. 269-288. von Arbeitstätigkeiten [General Work
Psychology – psychological regulations of
Badura, B., Greiner, W., Rixgens, P., work]. Bern: Huber.
Ueberle M., & Behr, M. (2008). Sozialka-
pital – Grundlagen von Gesundheit und Joo, B.K. & McLean, G. (2006). Best Em-
Unternehmenserfolg [Social Capital – Ba- ployer Studies: A conceptual model from
sics of health and performance]. Berlin: a literature review and a case study. In:
Springer. Human Resource Development Review,

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Vol. 5 No. 2, pp. 228-257. Management Control, Thomson Fakta,

Stockholm, pp 319-333.
Kaplan, R.S. & Norton, D.P. (1996). The
Balanced Scorecard. Harvard Business Roth, P.L. & Bobko, P. (1997). A research
School Press: Harvard. agenda for multi-attribute utility analysis
in human resource management. In: Hu-
Kirkpatrik, D. (1994). Evaluating Train- man resource management review. Vol. 7,
ing Programs: The Four Levels. San Fran- N. 3. pp. 341–368.
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Schubert, A., vor der Brüggen, T. &
Kreis, J. & Bödeker, W. (2003). Gesund- Haferburg, M. (2009). Sicherung der
heitlicher und ökonomischer Nutzen Zukunfts- und Wettbewerbsfähigkeit von
betrieblicher Gesundheitsförderung und Unternehmen durch Verbesserung quali-
Prävention [Organisational and economic tativer humanressour-cenorientierter Kri-
benefit of workplace health promotion], terien [Organisational competetiveness
IGA-Report 3. Essen: BKK BV, HVBG. by means of improved human-related
aspects], Projektbericht, Dortmund/Ber-
Möller, K., Gamm, N., Braun, M., Iserloh, lin: BAuA.
B., Kastner, M., Kliesch, G., Köper, B.,
Pennig, S., Vogt, J. (2008). Strategische Schulte, C. (2002). Personal-Controlling
Steuerung der betrieblichen Gesundheits- mit Kennzahlen [human resources con-
förderung mit Strategy Maps [Strategic trolling by means of qualitative indica-
steering of workplace health promotion tors]. München: Vahlen.
by means of strategy maps], in: Zeitschrift
für Management, 3. Jg., H. 3, pp. 247-280. Scholz, C.; Stein, V.; Bechtel, R. (2004).
Human Capital Management. Wege
Pennig, S., Kremeskötter, T., Nolle, A., aus der Unverbindlichkeit. München:
Maziul, M. & Vogt, J. (2006). Ökono- Luchterhand 2004.
mische Evalua-tion von Personalressour-
cen und Personalarbeit [Economic Evalu- Schröder, R. & Wall, F. (2004). Costumer
ation of Human Resources and personnel perceived value accounting. In: Control-
work/-development]. Bremerhaven: ling, Vol. 16, No. 12, pp. 669-676.
NW-Verlag.
Strack, R, Franke, J. & Dertning, S.
Pennig S. & Vogt, J. (2006). Safeguarding (2000). Workonomics TM. Der Faktor
your future with Human Capital. Brus- Mensch im Wertmanagment. [the human
sels: Eurocontrol. factor in the field of asset managment].
In: Zeitschrift Führung und Organisation,
Phillips, J. (1996). Measuring ROI: The Vol. 69, Nr. 5, pp. 283-288.
fifth level of evaluation. In: Technical &
skills training, pp. 11-13. Zangemeister, C. & Nolting, H.D. (1997).
Kosten-Wirkamkeitsanalyse im Arbeits-
Rimmel G, & Nielsen, C. (2007) Health und Gesundheitsschutz. [Cost-Effective-
disclosures in capital market communica- ness-Analysis in the field of occupational
tion. In: U. Johanson, G. Ahonen & R. safety and health] Dortmund/Berlin:
Roslender (editors), Work Health and BAuA.

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Zivnuska, S., Ketchen, D.J., & Snow, C.C.
(2001). Implications of the converging
economy for human resource manage-
ment. In: Research in Personnel and Hu-
man Resources Management, Vol. 20, pp.
371-405.
Zwetsloot, G.I.J.M. & van Scheppingen,

A. R. (2007).“Towards a strategic busi-
ness case for health management”. In: U.
Johanson, G. Ahonen & R. Roslender
(Eds.), Work Health and Management
Control, Thomson Fakta, Stockholm, pp.
183-213.

SESSION 8
Cost Effectiveness of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Comparing
Worksite and Community-Based Programmes – A Systematic Review
Frank Thalau *)
Introduction Methods
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are still a For this systematic review a comprehen-
major contributor to early morbidity and sive literature search was performed in
mortality among working-age popula- electronic databases (PubMed, EconLit,
tions in industrialised countries. They NHS Economic Evaluation Database),
cause significant economic burdens for followed by hand searching and refer-
these societies. Numerous risk factors are ence tracking limited to articles pub-
known, most of which are lifestyle-as- lished 1978-2008 in English, French,
sociated and therefore potentially pre- German, Italian, Spanish or Portuguese.
ventable. For decades, CVD prevention Two independent reviewers selected the
programmes at worksites and in com- studies using predefined inclusion and
munities have been targeting these risk exclusion criteria that were applied on
factors following behaviour and/or condi- titles, abstracts and full texts accordingly.
tion-oriented approaches with or without Retrieved papers underwent a methodo-
risk stratification. Though generally fea- logical quality assessment with critical
sible, acceptance is highly dependent on appraisal instruments from the Scot-
socioeconomic status, and overall benefit tish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network
and cost-effectiveness remain contro- (SIGN) 1 before data were extracted in
versial. Worksite-based programmes evidence tables and analysed. The Pre-
might have advantages thanks to better ferred Reporting Items for Systematic
access to specific risk groups and a better reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2
integration of behaviour- and condition- were adhered to.
oriented strategies. The aim of this study
was to summarize cost-benefit ratios for Results
worksite and community-based CVD From 3,420 studies identified, after
programmes separately and compare re- screening 101 full texts were assessed for
turn-on-investment (ROI) between both eligibility and 12 were finally included
settings to identify the most cost-effective in the systematic review (fig. 1). Nine
option. So far no systematic review has studies reported worksite based CVD
been published looking at the setting as prevention programmes 3-11 and three
an influencing variable. described such programmes in com-
1 Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Noeldnerstr. 40-42, D-10317 Berlin, Germany
2 Berlin School of Public Health, Oudenarder Str. 16, D-13347 Berlin, Germany
3 Department of General Practice/Family Medicine, Georg August University Goettingen,
Humboldtallee 38, D-37073 Goettingen, Germany

SESSION 8
munities 12-14. Six studies were of good, References

three of very good and three of poorer (1) Habour RT, Forsyth L, Graham K,
methodological quality. Study size, target- Lowe G, Qureshi S, Stein A et al. SIGN
ed risk factors and applied interventions 50 – A Guideline Developer’s Handbook.
differed considerably as did follow-up 2008 [cited 2009 Aug. 6]; Available from:
and other key characteristics like eco- URL: http://www.sign.ac.uk/guidelines/
nomic perspectives. All CVD prevention fulltext/50/index.html.
programmes showed positive cost-benefit (2) Moher D, Liberati A, Tetzlaff J, Alt-
ratios with ROI ranges of 1.1-15.6 per man DG, for the PRISMA Group. Pre-
1 US$ in occupational settings and 1.9- ferred reporting items for systematic
7.8 per 1 US$ in community settings reviews and meta-analyses: the PRISMA
respectively (fig. 2). Direct comparisons statement. BMJ 2009; 339(jul21_1):
of individual programmes were not pos- b2535.
sible. (3) Aldana SG, Jacobson BH, Harris CJ,
Kelley PL, Stone WJ. Influence of a mo-
Discussion bile worksite health promotion program
Only few studies of mixed methodologi- on health care costs. Am J Prev Med
cal quality could be included. Heteroge- 1993; 9(6):378-383.
neous design, economic perspective and (4) Aldana SG, Merrill RM, Price K,
selection of risk factors and interven- Hardy A, Hager R. Financial impact of
tions did not allow pooled data analyses. a comprehensive multisite workplace
Cost effectiveness was positive, albeit health promotion program. Prev Med
marginal to at best moderate in both set- 2005; 40(2):131-137.
tings. Studies of weaker quality tended (5) Bertera RL. The effects of workplace
to find higher cost-benefit ratios. Based health promotion on absenteeism and
on the available evidence, an advantage employment costs in a large industrial
of work-based over community-based population. Am J Public Health 1990;
programmes or vice versa cannot be 80(9):1101-1105.
concluded. CVD prevention programmes (6) Gibbs JO, Mulvaney D, Henes C, Reed
are complex interventions, highly context RW. Work-site health promotion. Five-
dependent and difficult to standardise. year trend in employee health care costs. J
This makes a generalizability of study Occup Med 1985; 27(11):826-830.
results highly questionable. Further (7) Golaszewski T, Snow D, Lynch W, Yen
studies in specific systems and settings L, Solomita D. A benefit-to-cost analysis
are therefore required involving experts of a work-site health promotion program.
from public health, medicine and health J Occup Med 1992; 34(12):1164-1172.
economics. Focused research questions, (8) Naydeck BL, Pearson JA, Oz-
rigorous methodological standards (e.g. minkowski RJ, Day BT, Goetzel RZ.
randomisation) and a societal economic The Impact of the Highmark Employee
perspective with uniform discounting Wellness Programs on 4-Year Health-
should be applied to make results better care Costs. J Occup Environ Med 2008;
comparable. 50(2):146-156.
(9) Ozminkowski RJ, Dunn RL, Goetzel
This study did not receive any external RZ, Cantor RI, Murnane J, Harrison M.
funding and the authors declare that A return on investment evaluation of
there are no conflicts of interest. the Citibank, N.A., health management

SESSION 8
program. Am J Health Promot 1999; trol of hypertension. J Hum Hypertens
14(1):31-43. 1990; 4(4):375-378.
(10) Schultz AB, Lu C, Barnett TE, Yen (13) Ginsberg GM, Viskoper JR, Fuchs
LT, McDonald T, Hirschland D et al. Z, Drexler I, Lubin F, Berlin S et al. Par-
Influence of participation in a worksite tial cost-benefit analysis of two different
health-promotion program on disabil- modes of nonpharmacological control of
ity days. J Occup Environ Med 2002; hypertension in the community. J Hum
44(8):776-780. Hypertens 1993; 7(6):593-597.
(11) Shephard RJ. Long term impact of (14) Yosefy C, Dicker D, Viskoper JR,
a fitness programme – the Canada Life Tulchinsky TH, Ginsberg GM, Leibovitz
Study. Ann Acad Med Singapore 1992; E et al. The Ashkelon Hypertension De-
21(1):63-68. tection and Control Program (AHDC
(12) Ginsberg GM, Viskoper RJ, Oren S, Program): a community approach to
Bregman L, Mishal Y, Sherf S. Resource reducing cardiovascular mortality. Prev
savings from non-pharmacological con- Med 2003; 37(6 Pt 1):571-576.
Identification
3,188 studies from 232 studies from

electronic databases other sources
3,420 for screening

Screening
653 included 2,767 excluded
101 full texts 89 excluded

Eligibility
for eligibility with reasons
12 studies included in
qualitative synthesis
Included
0 studies included in
qualitative synthesis
(meta-analysis)
Fig. 1: Study flow diagram following PRISMA 2

SESSION 8
Fig. 2: Return on Investment (ROI) in US$ ranges of included studies 3-14 according to
methodological quality group (-/+/++) and setting (worksite/community)
*)
Frank Thalau 1, Felix Holzinger 2,3, Nina Adelberger 2, Ulrike Euler 1
and Andreas Seidler 1
1 Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA), Germany
2 Berlin School of Public Health, Germany
3 Department of General Practice/Family Medicine, Georg August University
Goettingen, Germany

SESSION 8
Preventing the Manual Handling Risk for Healthcare Workers:
A Cost-Benefit Analysis
Christian Trontin
Working Life Department/Safety Management Laboratory, National Research and
Safety Institute (INRS), France
The European study NEXT 1 shows that when investing in prevention, of using
of the five causes lying behind the desire cost-benefit assessment. Such an ap-
of care staff to leave their jobs, the physi- proach makes it possible to change the
cally demanding nature of the work, and image of prevention, which is perceived
in particular having to lift and move pa- as being merely a cost, by fitting it into
tients manually, is the main one. The sta- the more positive vision of investment
tistics at the two hospitals chosen for that that can be partially or fully offset by
study show the same findings, and they financial savings in terms of accident
have resulted in programmes being set up reduction. In addition to those savings,
for preventing the manual handling risk. we should include less tangible benefits
Alongside the investment in handling such as improvement in productivity,
assistance equipment (patient lifts, stand- improvement in quality of working life,
up lifts, and slide sheets) and in training and improvement in the image of the
at the two hospitals, a cost-benefit assess- hospital. Furthermore, given that preven-
ment was conducted in order to deter- tion follows a law of diminishing returns,
mine the cost-effectiveness of investment the economic argument is even more of
in prevention. an incentive if the establishment has not
For the first hospital, the assessment yet invested very much in prevention,
shows that, with the assumption of a 60% and is therefore likely to have a very short
reduction of injuries (estimate based on payback time.
the literature and on consultation with
experts), prevention investment pays for
itself in 3.3 years.
For the second hospital, the availability of
statistical data made it possible to estab-
lish a 42% reduction in occupational acci-
dents related to the patient handling risk.
The investment made does not pay for
itself within the set period of 10 years, but
the study shows that, at the end of that
period, the expected benefits will offset
80% of the cost of the prevention.
The two studies highlight the advantage,
1 NEXT: Nurses’ Early Exit Study

SESSION 8
Reducing Sickness Presenteeism:
The Neglected Source of Productivity Increase?
Claudia Oldenburg
1. Introduction health alike.

Two headlines coincided this summer in
the German press about the economic 2. How does presenteeism influence
crisis and the lowest employee sickness productivity?
absenteeism rate since 1970. The impact The relationship between presenteeism
of employees’ health on productivity and and absenteeism is very complex. Presen-
economic success is widely recognised teeism can occur as absence-independent
and some studies confirmed that sick- event and in connection with absentee-
ness absenteeism rates decline in times of ism, i.e. before or after health-related
high unemployment (cf. Fahr/Frick 2007; absences (Brouwer et al. 2002). Absentee-
Clark et al. 2008). This could indicate that ism can be substituted by presenteeism,
either employees are healthier or employ- especially during periods of restructuring
ees skip work less often due to a perceived (Caverley et al. 2007, MacGregor et al.
higher risk of being dismissed than in 2008). Although presenteeism decreases
times of low unemployment. However, immediate absenteeism rates, presentee-
it is likely that this hypothesis of an in- ism also causes absenteeism in the long-
creased individual cost of skipping work term (Kivimäki et al. 2005, Hansen/An-
(i.e. a higher risk of future unemploy- dersen 2009).
ment) is not the one and only explanation Appropriately addressing sickness pres-
for declining sickness absenteeism rates. enteeism provides a broad scope for in-
Instead, the low absence rate can also be creasing productivity. This is not only due
achieved by employees who are indeed to the extent to which this behaviour is
sick but do not dare to stay at home for practised in companies. Several European
several reasons, the fear of losing their studies (cf. Zok 2004, de Vroome 2006,
job being only one reason in addition to Bödeker/Hüsing 2007, Hansen/Andersen
work pressure, tight deadlines, solidarity 2008) showed that 60 to 80 per cent of all
with colleagues, commitment and – very employees go to work when sick at least
relevant for the so-called knowledge once a year; but the costs to companies,
society – being the only person with the the social insurance system and the tax
relevant qualification or knowledge. Un- system are also enormous.
der the label of “sickness presenteeism” Presenteeism has an important impact
this phenomenon of going to work while on workplace productivity (through
being sick has shifted into the focus of decreased quantity and quality of produc-
economic and health research because tion or higher scrap rates) and causes
in most of these cases presenteeism has a other indirect costs for companies (inter-
negative impact on productivity and on rupted supply chains, colleagues who take

SESSION 8
over part of the work but cannot do their tions but also the working culture and
own or others’ work, staff turnover, bad the relationships with colleagues have
intra-company communication, penalty a proven influence on the presenteeism
fees for not keeping deadlines etc.). When levels (cf. Musich et al. 2006, Caverley et
the sick person is present, it is more dif- al. 2007, Hansen/Andersen 2008). These
ficult for supervisors to redistribute work structural and organisational factors
and arrange for a substitute and the re- are within management’s reach and can
duction in productivity is not as obvious be addressed more directly and should
as during a period of sickness absence. therefore be of high interest to the com-
The productivity loss caused by presen- panies’ management. Most if not all of
teeism can even exceed the productivity these measures do not only help reduce
losses of sickness absence. A study by health-related productivity losses but they
Goetzel et al. (2004) showed that the are likely to improve the general health
productivity loss caused by presenteeism and resilience of employees. Among these
actually exceeds the productivity loss measures are
induced by absenteeism: Depending on ■ the provision of sufficient resources,
the methodology 18 to 61 per cent of all ■ the structuring and distribution of
health-related costs to employers in the work and workplaces in a way that the
US were caused by presenteeism. In par- work will not be left undone in cases
ticular chronic health conditions with a of absence,
high prevalence (e.g. migraine, diabetes, ■ the provision of supportive measures
depression, heart disease, musculoskeletal (workplace furniture, part-time arran-
diseases, arthritis or allergies) are causing gements etc.) at the workplace to offer
very high direct and indirect presentee- working conditions conducive to the
ism costs (Goetzel et al. 2004, Lofland et healing process,
al. 2004). ■ other provisions in order to avoid con-
flicting demands from employees, and
3. How can addressing presenteeism ■ the provision of greater flexibility in
increase productivity? relation to the kind and pace of work.
Several factors have been identified to in-
fluence the level of presenteeism. Firstly, One recommendation to reduce produc-
there are individual factors such as the tivity losses caused by presenteeism is to
employees’ health status, their private encourage people to stay at home when
financial situation, family life but also sick. However, presenteeism may also
personal attitudes, e.g. over-commitment lead to a long-term positive productivity
(Siegrist 1996) or individual boundary- development, especially in those cases for
lessness (Aronsson/Gustafsson 2005). which the evidence-based medicine rec-
Secondly, work-related and organisational ommends to stay at the workplace under
factors play an important role in promot- adjusted conditions, as is often the case
ing health and shaping behaviour in cases for musculoskeletal diseases and certain
of illness. Hansen/Andersen (2008) found mental health conditions (Bödeker/Hüs-
evidence that work-related factors have a ing 2008). The employees concerned are
higher influence on the levels of sickness at the workplace while ill. Although their
presence than individual dispositions or productivity will certainly be reduced,
attitudes. Time pressure, low control over their presenteeism will not be harmful to
work tasks, general employment condi- the employee’s health (if acute symptoms

SESSION 8
have been excluded); instead, the work ■ to raise employee and supervisory
skills and social relations to colleagues awareness for the health and produc-
and clients will be maintained. Thus, tivity impact of sickness presenteeism;
encouraging presenteeism can increase and
productivity in the long-term when com- ■ to implement organisational and
bined with supportive measures to ensure structural measures at company level
that an employee’s specific health status is in order to remove barriers for taking
duly accounted for. legitimate sick leave and to improve
Since health and productivity issues are the overall employee health.
very complex, absenteeism and presen- Because of its high impact on productiv-
teeism would have to be assessed together ity and on employee health alike, the
in order to provide a complete view on implementation of appropriate measures
health-related productivity losses. This to address presenteeism and absenteeism
also means that it is not sufficient to aim will potentially entail a high return on
solely at decreasing absenteeism rates or investment of the measures taken.
presenteeism rates. For this purpose, it is
a basic prerequisite to collect not only ab- 5. Bibliography
sence data but also data on the prevalence Aronsson, G; Gustafsson, K (2005): Sick-
and extent of presenteeism in the work- ness Presenteeism: Prevalence, Attend-
place. In combination with absenteeism ance-Pressure Factors, and an Outline of
data, this provides a better basis for as- a Model for Research in: Journal of Oc-
sessing the development of the employee cupational and Environmental Medicine,
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relevant areas for intervention in order
to improve workplace productivity. The Bödeker, W; Hüsing, T (2007): iga.Report
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both absenteeism and presenteeism rates zungen der Erwerbsbevölkerung zum
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manschap, MA; Rutten, FFH (2002): Pro-
4. Conclusion ductivity costs before and after absence
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losses in the workplace and identify
tangible areas; Chapman, LS (2005): Presenteeism and

SESSION 8
its Role in Worksite Health Promotion. Factor for Serious Coronary Events: The
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ness absence and “presenteeism”. avail- ley, N (2008): Factors in absenteeism
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MG (2005): Working While Ill as a Risk

POSTERS
POSTERS
Special Sector Construction Industry – Integrative Approaches and
Activities for Effective OSH in the Construction Industry
Stephan Gabriel
The construction industry is one of the ■ INQA-Bauen: presenting building pro-

main fields of activity for BAuA. Due cesses which ensure quality, efficiency
to the construction industry’s structure and OSH
in Germany (i.e. the high number of
small and medium-sized construction Planning, organisation, communication,
companies) and the many risks involved cooperation and co-ordination are the
in construction work it is necessary to basis for reliable quality, schedule effi-
present good solutions and to develop ciency and cost control as well as effective
practicable instruments for effective OSH OSH in construction – this is the com-
in construction. mon basis for the INQA-Bauen-Partners.
INQA-Bauen is a national network of the
The instruments are addressed to small main construction industry organisa-
and medium-sized construction compa- tions.
nies and also to clients, designers, plan-
ners and managers of building projects INQA-Bauen developed a memorandum
to bring about improved conditions for and instruments which describe good,
health and safety in construction. It is efficient and safe working in construc-
crucial to show the added value of health tion. The instruments serve as reference
and safety measures with a view to the instruments for the instruments of the
success and competitiveness of the com- INQA-Bauen-partners.
pany, if we want the instruments we offer
to small and medium-sized companies to A synopsis of the instruments is pub-
develop their full utility. lished in the form of a brochure; the full
version is available online: www.casa-
There are three different levels of address- bauen.de; www.komko-bauen.de; www.
ing the construction industry: check-bauen.de.
■ Our strengths: research and deve-
lopment, providing information and
publications, information events, col-
loquia
■ Better results through cooperation
programmes: cooperation with health
and safety specialists and sector orga-
nisations

POSTERS
Occupational Health and Safety in Nursing and Care

– Presenting ”Best Practice Examples“ for Healthier Workplaces
for Nurses
Stephan Schwarzwälder
Under time pressure at work? This is ■ Distributing free information material

something that many nurses experience at trade fairs and conferences
every day. The idea of nursing oriented
towards patients and residents has been Our strategy is to produce and distribute
wishful thinking for a long time. Too few easy-to-understand information material
personnel and too much “paperwork”, i.e. for a new quality of work in nursing and
documentation, are often reasons quoted to present examples of “good practice”.
for the limited time available. In consid- Every year, the best places to work for
eration of demographic developments in in the healthcare sector are awarded in
Germany, the nursing industry will soon the contest – Beste Arbeitgeber im Ge-
be faced with yet another challenge – a sundheitswesen (Great Place to Work in
lack of personnel. Due to the diminish- Healthcare) in cooperation with the Great
ing labour force potential, successfully Place to Work Institute Germany.
finding qualified and motivated person-
nel will become a complex task for every Examples of our products, which we
nursing institution. distribute free of charge, are our memo-
randum for a new quality of work in
The Federal Institute for Occupational healthcare, presenting nine core activities
Health and Safety (BAuA) in Germany for more health and safety in nursing,
supports the development of more and and brochures such as “Good manage-
better workplaces for nurses. To achieve ment in nursing”, “Dementia: Recognis-
this, the BAuA pursues different activi- ing the other world” and “Less red tape in
ties, such as: nursing”.
■ Producing information material re-
garding possible improvements for
the work design, such as reports and
brochures on working-time, reducing
time pressure or red tape.
■ Founding regional networks for the
information exchange between health-
care institutes
■ Funding projects, e.g. showing the
relationship between good working
conditions, high quality care and the
economic situation of geriatric care
homes (3Q-Study)

POSTERS
Prevention Services for the Construction Industry Provided by
the Berufsgenossenschaft
Wolfgang Asal
Maschinenbau- und Metall-BG (“Institution for Statutory Accident Insurance and Pre-
vention for the Mechanical Engineering and Metalworking Industry”), Germany
Construction site operations differ very the order has been confirmed the service
much from stationary operations in in- commences by supporting the company
dustry. The conditions for building and in developing a detailed risk assessment
construction work are subject to frequent based on the specifics for the building
change due to work being required in project (consultations, checklists, guide-
various sections of the construction site lines for risk assessment…). This evalua-
and due to the different requirements tion is included in the safety concept for
during the various stages of the con- the construction site. Regular inspection
struction. For this reason adjusted and tours on-site indicate whether or not the
detailed operations’ scheduling would safety concept has to be optimized ac-
have a particularly effective influence on cording to the progress of the construc-
occupational safety and health on site. tion work.
The Berufsgenossenschaft [BG – The This contribution is an example for the
Institution for Statutory Accident Insur- cooperation between companies and BG
ance and Prevention] is a service provider in the different stages of construction
to support companies in preventing ac- sites. It should motivate companies to ask
cidents. BG offers support to companies BG for assistance already in the planning
during the acquisition phase or when a stage. This can help complete a project
company asks BG for consultation. After successfully and without any accidents.

POSTERS
Metalworking Fluids and Microbial Contamination in Engineering

Industry in Umbria (Central Italy)
Elena Guerrera, Ornella Guarrera and Lucia Pitzurra *)
Although metalworking fluids have been Standard) and active (SAS surface air sys-
widely used in industry for decades, oc- tem – microbial sampler) microbiological
cupational exposures to metalworking assessment methods. Endotoxin values
fluid aerosols have not been well char- were also measured. The results showed
acterized. A variety of organisms have the increase of air microbial contamina-
been identified which are associated with tion during the use of MWFs. Ranges
fluids, including bacteria, fungi and my- of medium value, obtained by active
cobacteria. Endotoxins have also been method, of psychrophilic bacteria during
identified. The aim of this study was to workshift were 16-394 CFU/m3(Colony
assess airborne exposures to metalwork- Formant Unity/m3), of fungi were 19-197
ing fluids (MWFs) as a potential source CFU/m3. The absolute values of the bac-
of harmful biological agents. Sampling teria and fungi contamination obtained
was conducted in 11 engineering in- by passive determination were lower,
dustry plants in Umbria (Central Italy) but showed the same microbiological
during two different seasons (spring situation. The predominant genera of
and fall). The sampling was performed molds were Alternaria, Aspergillus and
with passive (air microbial index – IMA Cladosporium.
*)
Elena Guerrera 1, Ornella Guarrera 2 and Lucia Pitzurra 2
1 Italian Workers’ Compensation Authority (INAIL), Technical Advisory Department
for Risk assessment and Prevention (CONTARP), Italy
2 Department of Experimental Medicine and Biochemical Chemistry, Microbiology
Section, University of Perugia, Italy

POSTERS
EUROSHNET – Supporting the Transfer of Research Results into Practice
Rüdiger Reitz, Jocelyne Jolly, Eero Korhonen and Sonja Miesner *)
EUROSHNET is a cooperation network cally robust knowledge as an objective

between European OSH professionals basis for negotiations between interested
active in standardization, testing, cer- parties. On the other hand, standardisa-
tification, and/or related research. It is tion can enhance the practical use of
supported by a Steering Committee and a OSH research or study results thus pro-
Working Group with members from Fin- moting innovation and competitiveness.
land, France, Germany, Poland and Spain.
Nearly 500 experts from 20 European EUROSHNET can also be used to
countries are registered for the network. ■ improve mutual awareness and inte-
gration between the research and stan-
The essential aims of EUROSHNET are dardisation communities by assisting
as follows: researchers in taking standardisation
■ To facilitate contact between indivi- into account when planning their
dual OSH experts research programmes and assessing
■ To promote the discussion of issues of their results on the basis of standards.
common interest ■ to promote the carrying out of com-
■ To disseminate information of interest mon research projects on priority
to occupational safety and health topics, and to stimulate and facilitate
■ To forge and maintain contacts with collaboration and the creation of re-
other networks search consortia.
The network’s activities are closely linked The poster will focus on the activities
to research activities: of EUROSHNET and how it could be
On the one hand, the development of of help for the transfer of research into
high-quality standards requires scientifi- practice.
*)
Rüdiger Reitz 1, Jocelyne Jolly 2, Eero Korhonen 3 and Sonja Miesner 4
1 German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV), Department Safety and Health,
Germany
2 National Research and Safety Institute (INRS), France
3 Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH), Finland
4 Commission on Occupational Safety and Standardization (KAN), Germany

POSTERS
Assessment of Chemical Protective Coveralls with Regards to

Permeation Tests
Amandine Paillat and Celine Dubois
French Agency for Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (AFSSET), France
Introduction The study was conducted using two steps:

Chemical protective coveralls are often ■ First, permeation tests were perfor-
the last barrier between the user and med to check the conformity of the
adverse substances. In order to allow the coveralls: the substances which were
selection of the appropriate coverall, user mentioned by the manufacturers in
instructions have to specify the results the user instructions were tested.
of permeation tests undertaken by the ■ Then permeation tests were performed
manufacturer. with certain chemicals actually used
Protective coverall are usually tested by workers in certain business sectors
against basic substances such as acids, (agriculture, paints…).
bases or solvents, according to EN 14605 Tests were conducted by a notified body
specifications. according to harmonised standards EN
In practice, however, these protective 14605, EN 14325, EN 374-3.
clothing are often used to protect against
complex mixtures of chemicals (such as Results
pesticides in agriculture, paints in the These investigations are expected to high-
automotive and building sectors) which light the relevance of the current testing
have not been specifically tested. and labelling practices. They should
provide a contribution to the discus-
Study sion of whether the current harmonised
A previous study, conducted at the Uni- standards should be revised in order to
versity of Bordeaux, suggested that cov- improve the health and safety conditions
erall protection was inadequate against in workplaces.
mixtures used during agricultural ac-
tivities. To address this issue, the French
Ministry of Labour entrusted Afsset
to conduct objective investigations on
chemical protective coveralls placed on
the market with regards to permeation.
These investigations only deal with pro-
tective coveralls against liquid chemicals,
i.e. coveralls of types 3 (liquid-tight con-
nections) and 4 (spray tight connections),
as defined in standard EN 14605.

POSTERS
Use of PIMEX for Risk Assessment and for Motivating Both Workers and
Employers
Mario Dobernowsky and Klaus Kuhl
Kooperationsstelle Hamburg, Germany
The poster will explain the Pimex method

and how it is used to motivate workers to
apply preventive measures.
The Pimex Method (Picture Mixed Ex-

posure) uses a simultaneous recording of
several aspects of workplace conditions,
presented visually in real time and in
format which is easy to follow and under-
stand.
The flow of work is filmed with a video

camera. At the same time, the exposure
data (noise, air pollutants, etc) are record-
ed using direct-reading measuring instru-
ments. We insert these exposure data into
the video film as bars or as columns on
the screen, so that instant access to the
data is provided. The data can also be
used for further assessment and for im-
mediate changes of the work proce-
dure (e.g. positioning of exhaust systems,
movement of tools, use of different tools,
etc.).
Workers become highly motivated as

they can immediately see how they are
exposed to dust, noise, etc. and what
they can do to prevent or minimize such
exposure.

POSTERS
Development of a Prevention Index for a Prospective Assessment

of Accident Risks
Dietmar Bratge and Matthias Timm *)
Accident figures and similar criteria refer and safety at work in a company and to
to the past. Therefore, they are only suit- summarize it in a prevention index. It
able to a limited extent to assess the cur- covers information concerning technique,
rent or future accident risk in a company organization and personnel.
in order to set priori-ties for effective
prevention work. For this reason, the The poster introduces the contents of the
Berufsgenossenschaft Metall Nord Süd is prevention index, the graphical presenta-
developing a procedure which enables the tion of the results and initial experience
inspectors to record the state of health in its application.
*)
Dietmar Bratge 1 and Matthias Timm 2
1 Training Centre Lengfurt of BG Metall Nord Süd (“Institution for Statutory Accident
Insurance and Prevention for the Metalworking Industry in Northern and Southern
Germany”), Germany
2 Expert Committee Metal and Surface Treatment, Germany

POSTERS
Occupational Safety and Health Risk Control Strategy Through MSE
Naray Venkataraman
OSH Technologies Pte Ltd, Singapore
Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) The model highlighted in this paper
risk control has become an important as- considers management control as a first
pect of a business operation. Traditional level in the hierarchy of risk controls. At
OHS risk strategy includes elimination, any point during the OHS risk evaluation
substitution, reduction, engineering con- and identifying controls measures, should
trol, administrative control and PPE. It the management controls are eliminated;
is very important to have management there will be an inherent risk to the or-
support in all aspects of the risk control ganization. The other traditional risk
strategy and hence a holistic approach controls are re-classified as exposure and
should be followed. For an effective and system controls to make it more com-
comprehensive OHS risk control strategy, prehensive. For an overall effective risk
management support as an additional control, management control followed
control measure to the traditional risk by system controls and exposure controls
control strategies is to be implemented. should be adopted.

www.issa.int 4 route des Morillons
Case postale 1
CH-1211 Geneva 22
www.dguv.de/bgag Koenigsbruecker Landstrasse 2

D-01109 Dresden

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Colloquium of the ISSA International

Section for Research on Prevention

Section for Research on Prevention

Colloquium of the ISSA International Section for

Research on the effectiveness of prevention measures at the workplace

15 and 16 October 2009 | Institute Work and Health (BGAG), Dresden,

According to current knowledge OSH research must be supplemented by the aspect of

Phone: +49 (0) 30 288763800

Frontpage: fotolia.com (2), TFH Bochum (1)

RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COLLOQUIUM 25

Colloquium of the ISSA 

Protection Systems Against Fire and Explosion Hazards at

 Colloquium of the ISSA

Colloquium of the ISSA 

14th October 2009 – Day of arrival

Poster presentations, continuing during all coffee breaks

Get-together of the participants and dinner in the BGAG restaurant

15th October 2009

Welcome by the President of the Research Section, Jean-Luc Marié

The relevance of research for prevention worldwide

1st plenary lecture

OSH research is only effective, if its results improve the quality of

This lecture will include case studies from industry, demonstrating

Colloquium of the ISSA 11

Part A Research on the effectiveness of prevention services

2nd plenary lecture

If the transfer of OSH research into prevention services is to be syste-

Parallel sessions on the different prevention services

Session 1 Interaction between different OSH services

The interaction between different OSH services will be reported on.

Cameron Mustard, IWH, Canada

Stefan Drodofsky/Jens Jühling, BGETE, Germany

Pawel Rozowski, GIP, Poland

Catherine Montagnon, INRS, France

12 Colloquium of the ISSA

Session 2 OSH consultation and inspection

These prevention services include consulting for employer and the

With reference to individual examples, this session will show how

Lynda S. Robson, IWH, Canada

Martin Goder, VDSI, Germany

Edwin SW Yap, ESIS Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, Australia

Eleni Douvi, ERGOSE S.A., Greece

Christoph Preusse, BGM, Germany

Colloquium of the ISSA 13

Session 3 OSH research

OSH research aims to identify causal relations between working con-

Eva Flaspöler, DGUV, Germany

Ehsan Habibi, University of Esfahan, Iran

Harald Sefrin, BGM, Germany

Marika Lehtola, FIOH, Finland

Alvian Tan, Ministry of Manpower, Singapore

Francis Pierre, INRS, France

Joachim Herrmann, DGUV, Germany

14 Colloquium of the ISSA

Investigations are carried out as a means of ascertaining the causes of

Roger Stamm/Markus Kohn, DGUV, Germany

Rüdiger Reitz, DGUV, Germany

Dariusz Pleban, CIOP, Poland

Albrecht H. Glöckle/Ralf Renninghoff, BGDP, Germany

Matthias Umbreit, BGM, Germany

Colloquium of the ISSA 15

Part B Prevention as an effective and efficient service for the companies

3rd plenary lecture

Colloquium of the ISSA

Colloquium of the ISSA

Colloquium of the ISSA