Toolkits and other resources to improve assessment and management of PHYSICAL risks at the workplace.
GPA Objective
Objective 2: to protect and promote health at the workplace.
GPA Action
11. …the assessment and management of health risks at the workplace should be improved by: defining essential interventions for prevention and control of mechanical, physical, chemical, biological and psychosocial risks in the working environment. Such measures include also integrated management of chemicals at the workplace, elimination of second-hand tobacco smoke from all indoor workplaces, improved occupational safety, and health-impact assessment of new technologies, work processes and products at the design stage.
12. …protecting health at the workplace also requires enacting regulations and adopting a basic set of occupational health standards to make certain that all workplaces comply with minimum requirements for health and safety protection, ensuring an appropriate level of enforcement, strengthening workplace health inspection, and building up collaboration between the competent regulatory agencies according to specific national circumstances.
15. …work on creating practical tools for assessment and management of occupational risks, recommending minimum requirements for health protection at the workplace, providing guidance on development of healthy workplaces, and on promoting health at the workplace. …
Priority Area
2.1b: Develop practical toolkits for the assessment and management of OH risks (focus: physical risks)
The projects included here relate to the development of tools for the assessment and management of occupational risks related to physical hazards. This Facilitating Project will be particularly useful in coordinating these distinct physical risks. Projects are grouped into: (1) Noise and Vibration; (2) Projects related to Radiation Risks; (3) Projects related to injury hazards; and (4) Projects related to heat stress.
GPA Manager
Stavroula Leka; Aditya Jain
CC Initiative Leaders and contact information
Dave Zalk and Henri Heussen, IOHA
WHO responsible person
Susan Wilburn
Collaborating centre partners with separate contributing projects
1:Projects related to Noise and Vibration GPA 2.15e Code of conduct for noise control in the music- and entertainment sector. Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA), Germany. Project Leader: Georg Brockt, Brockt.georg@baua.bund.de GPA 2.12c Compendium on hearing conservation for professionals in music- and entertainment sector. Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA), Germany. Project Leader: Georg Brockt, Brockt.georg@baua.bund.de 2: Projects related to radiation risks GPA 2.15u Assessing UV exposure: measurements and prediction of individual exposure. Institut universitaire romand de Santé au Travail (IST), Switzerland. Project Leader : Antoine Milon, antoine.milon@hospvd.ch 3 :Projects related to injury hazards (none at this time)
Development of Toolkits for High Occupational Temperatures and Productivity Suppression. Sri Ramachandra University, India. Project leaders: Kalpana Balakrishnan kalpanasrmc@vsnl.com and Ayyappan Ramalingam
WHO Regional offices actively involved in this project (name and email)
Summary of the project (max100 words)
The assessment and management of health risks at the workplace should be improved by defining essential interventions for prevention and control of physical risks in the working environment. Such measures include improved occupational safety, and health-impact assessment of new technologies, work processes and products at the design stage
Development of guidance on best practice OHS standards on physical risks.
The development of an evidence base on the impact and management of physical risks including identification of new risk factors such as due to introduction of new technologies, processes of globalization, as well as changes in the work organization.
Development of training materials and programmes on the assessment and management of physical risks.
CCs contribute to defining common criteria of toolkits, develop inventories, framework documents, mapping of use and types of tools, to assess and manage the identified new as well as existing risks. Advanced toolkits will be implemented and evaluated.
Actual and anticipated deliverables by 2012 from contributing projects
1:Projects related to Noise and Vibration GPA 2.15e
Code of conduct for noise control in the music- and entertainment sector
GPA 2.12c
Compendium on hearing conservation for professionals in music- and entertainment sector.
2: Projects related to Radiation Risks GPA 2.15u
A web based user-friendly tool assessing the exposure of any body part according to the posture, the activity, the time spend outdoor
3: Projects relating to Injury Hazards (none at this time)
4: Projects related to heat stress
GPA2.11u
Completion of pilot study using a Toolkit for High Occupational Temperatures and Productivity Suppression
Critical gaps to be filled by 2012
Projects that relate to the development of tools for the management of occupational physical risks, in addition to those already included projects related to injury risks are sought.
Examples of deliverables desired by 2012
An injury toolkit.
Barriers to success that must be addressed
Area 1: Projects related to Noise and Vibration
2009-2012 Work Plan Number
GPA2.15e
Formerly AA2:RS3
GPA Objective
Objective 2: To protect and promote health at the workplace
CC or NGO Name
Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA), Germany
Project title
Code of conduct for noise control in the music- and entertainment sector
Keywords
Project leader
Email address
Dr. Georg Brockt (2.6)
Brockt.georg@baua.bund.de
Partners (of the CC Network)
Other partners
A working group has been established involving all parties concerned.
Funding
Objective of the project
Project outcome(s) and deadline(s) for completion of the project
Target group and/or beneficiaries
The guide helps workers and employers in the music and entertainment sector to meet their obligations regarding occupational safety and health.
The code of conduct will give information to protect employees in the music- and entertainment sector against the risks arising from sound exposure. It considers the risks for hearing impairment, the people affected and describes strategies for reducing the sound exposure and for hearing conservation in this specific sector. A first German version of this guide is scheduled for 2006. As this theme is not limited on a national scope, it is most likely that the guide will be translated into other languages. It is planned to discuss the issue within an European congress at the BAuA by the end of 2006.
Dissemination
Impact (global or regional)
The scope of the impact of the project is identified as global.
Progress on Project
The work of the German working group on the guidelines is in progress. Parts of this work have been implemented in the EU-Guide to support the new European Directive 2003/10/EC within the project AA2:RS2. A first completed German draft is planned for autumn 2007. In order to support this work, the BAuA arranged a European conference on hearing conservation in the music and entertainment sector (January 07) entitled “Music – Safe and Sound”. The conference program and the presentations are available on http://www.baua.de/en/Topics-from-A-to-Z/Noise/Safe-and-Sound.html__nnn=true. The publication of a book with extended articles of the referees is scheduled for autumn 2007.
List of major outcomes already achieved by this project
The work on the German guideline is finished.
In German language the guide is available for download from BAuA-webpage: http://www.baua.de/nn_7534/de/Publikationen/Fachbeitraege/Gd10.html?__nnn=true
A printed version of the German guide can be ordered at BAuA: info-zentrum@baua.bund.de
To support this work, the BAuA arranged a European conference on hearing conservation in the music and entertainment sector in January 2007 entitled “Music – Safe and Sound”. The conference program and the presentations are available on http://www.baua.de/en/Topics-from-A-to-Z/Noise/Safe-and-Sound.html__nnn=true.
As a result form the BAuA-conference in 2007 a compendium in English language has been published. The title is “Music - Safe and Sound, Hearing Conservation for Professionals in Music and Entertainment” and is distributed by bookstores. More information on http://www.baua.de/nn_49288/en/Publications/Expert-Papers/Music.html?__nnn=true
List of additional major outcomes expected from this project by 2012
An English translation of the German guide is in progress. The English brochure will be provided as a free download from the BAuA-webpage.
2009-2012 Work Plan Number
2.12c
New Project
CONTRIBUTING PROJECT Title
Compendium on hearing conservation for professionals in music- and entertainment sector
GPA Objective
Objective 2: To protect and promote health at the workplace
Responsible CC or NGO Name
Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA), Germany, (WHO-CC for Occupational Health)
Country ministries involved in this CONTRIBUTING project
External partners for this CONTRIBUTING project
Summary of the project
The compendium shall give information and help on how to prevent hearing impairment of workers in the music- and entertainment industry. According to the requirements of the Directive 2003/10/EC the BAuA is working on a guideline on realising the principles of noise control and hearing conservation for this branch. In order to support this work the BAuA arranged a European conference on this topic in 2007.
Target group and/or beneficiaries
Employees and employers as well as for freelancers or non professionals. The scope of affected people covers musicians, performers, DJ’s, technical service or security staff.
Events-opportunities for furthering the project
Expected results of this project by 2012 (outcomes)
The publication will comprise extended articles of the experts who contributed to the BAuA conference “Music – Safe and Sound”. Up to now 15 authors from 6 countries intend to contribute to this publication. It will include topics as: risks of hearing impairment, technical and organizational sound reduction for different branches, room acoustics, hearing protection, medical hearing care. These themes are of fundamental interest for employees and employers as well as for freelancers or non professionals. The scope of affected people covers musicians, performers, DJ’s, technical service or security staff etc. As in this branch noise is no by-product but product itself, certain risks of hearing impairment are often neglected or underestimated. Only by information and training hearing loss prevention can be achieved. The compendium shall give a contribution to this.
Indicators of achievement (impact)
Major Milestones (list up to three dates and milestones)
Assessing UV exposure: measurements and prediction of individual exposure
GPA Objective
Objective 2: To protect and promote health at the workplace
Responsible CC or NGO Name
Institut universitaire romand de Santé au Travail (IST)
Project leader
Antoine Milon, antoine.milon@hospvd.ch
Network partners
WHO Regions involved in this CONTRIBUTING project
Country ministries involved in this CONTRIBUTING project
External partners for this CONTRIBUTING project
Laurent Moccozet, University of Geneva, Switzerland, lmoccozet@gmail.com
Summary of the project
This research project aims at developing and validating a predictive tool of individual exposure to solar UV. Exposure levels of body parts will be predicted on basis of ambient irradiation levels and information about postural activity. The tool will use existing techniques in the field of 3D numeric simulation and will be validated against individual dose measurements.
The use of a numeric method should facilitate assessment of individual exposure and allow predictive scenarios (either prospective or retrospective). In the long run, a better quantification of exposures for specific occupational and leisure activities should assist in better targeting preventive actions.
Target group and/or beneficiaries
Outdoor workers, public health
Events-opportunities for furthering the project
Expected results of this project by 2012 (outcomes)
A web based user-friendly tool assessing the exposure of any body part according to the posture, the activity, the time spend outdoor
Indicators of achievement (impact)
Interests of external parties, accuracy of the tool
Major Milestones (list up to three dates and milestones)
Before June 09: Start of the user-friendly aspect
Within the next 6months: use of the tool in the fields
Within the next year: publications, scientific and popularized
Public health impact
Increase of awareness of the risk towards sun exposure, reduction of the risk of skin cancer
Funding source(s)
SUVA, Swiss National Accident Insurance Fund
Dissemination
Area 3: Projects related to injury hazards (none at this time)
Area 4: Projects related to heat stress
2009-2012 Work Plan Number
New project June 2010
2.11u
PROJECT Title
Development of Toolkits for High Occupational Temperatures and Productivity Suppression
GPA Objective (e.g. GPA5) and GPA Action (e.g Action 28)
GPA Objective 2: To protect and promote health at the workplace
Priority Number (e.g. 5.3) and Area (if applicable) e.g Agriculture
GPA2.1
This project also contributes to other GPA Priorities (List them, if applicable).
GPA3.1, GPA3.2, GPA4.1, GPA5.3
Responsible CC or NGO Name
Sri Ramachandra University
Project leader(s)
(contact name and email address)
Kalpana Balakrishnan kalpanasrmc@vsnl.com
Ayyappan Ramalingam
Network partners (CC name, country, email)
WHO Regions involved in this project (contact name and email)
SEARO
Country ministries involved in this project (contact name and email)
External partners for this project (contact name, organization and email)
Summary of the project (max 100 words)
In India intense hot work environments are a problem not only in organized industrial sectors such as automotives, chemicals, fertilizers, glass manufacturing and mines but also in non-industrial sectors such as agriculture. Against this backdrop of a well known occupational risk factor, there now looms an additional health threat from potential heat stress contributions related to global climate change.
The ‘high occupational temperature health and productivity suppression’ programme (Hothaps) is a multi-centric health research and prevention programme aimed at quantifying the extent to which working people are affected by, or adapt to, heat exposure while working, and how global heating during climate change may increase such effects. This project represents the pilot phase of this study that will conduct heat monitoring of selected workplaces, qualitative assessment of perceived heat impacts and preventive interventions with the intention to facilitate future quantitative studies of impacts on health and productivity in relation to local impacts of climate change.
During the course of this assessment several control guidance sheets and/or toolkits to minimize heat and ergonomic stressors are expected to be generated
Target group and/or beneficiaries
All industry sectors
Major Milestones (list up to three dates and milestones)
Yet to be formulated
Dissemination plan
Yet to be Formulated
Funding source(s)
Pilot study funds received from WHO-SEARO
List of outcomes already achieved by this project
Pilot Study under Progress
List of additional outcomes expected from this project by 2012