SAFE MAINTENANCE

Place, date

http://hw.osha.europa.eu

The Healthy Workplaces Campaign2010 - 2011

Maintenance:

Helps to keep workplaces functioning safely and efficiently

Affects every workplace, in every industry sector

Concerns everyone in an organisation, at every level

Maintenance can involve inspecting equipment and facilities, and servicing, repairing or replacing them. It includes:

Acting when something fails (corrective maintenance), or

(Ideally) - preventing it failing in the first place (preventive maintenance)

Maintenance is easy to overlook. But without regular maintenance in the workplace:

Things can go catastrophically wrong

Either through accidents or exposure to harmful substances

Causing occupational disease, serious injury, or death

BUT: Maintenance can also be risky itself. At work:

10-15% of all fatal accidents

15-20% of all accidents

are maintenance-related.

Maintenance workers are much more likely to be exposed to hazards, including

physical hazards such as noise, vibration, excessive heat and cold

chemical hazards, or harmful substances such as asbestos

biological hazards such as bacteria

psychosocial hazards such as stress

So it is vital that maintenance is carried out properly.For European organisations:

Safe maintenance is first and foremost a legal responsibility

Council Directive 89/391 – the ‘Framework Directive’

The moral duty to keep workers safe

The financial cost of getting maintenance wrong, to workers themselves, to the organisations they work for, and to the wider society

Then there is:

The specific details of maintenance vary between industry sectors. But in each case it needs to involve:

Planning in advance

A structured approach based on risk assessment

Clear roles and responsibilities

Clear guidelines

Adequate training and equipment

Regular checks to make sure it is done properly

The five basic rules for safe maintenance:

One: Planning:Collecting information

Making sure that maintenance workers are competent to carry it out

Making it clear who’s in charge

Assessing the risks involved

The five basic rules for safe maintenance:

Two. Making the area safe:Shutting off power

Securing machinery

Keeping people out who aren’t involved

The five basic rules for safe maintenance:

Three. Using appropriate equipment – including personal protective equipment.

The five basic rules for safe maintenance:

Four. Working as planned – without improvising or taking short-cuts due to time pressure.

The five basic rules for safe maintenance:

Five. Making final checks – ensuring that everything is safe before work processes start again.

The Europe-wide Healthy Workplaces Campaign 2010-2011 therefore aims to raise awareness:

Of the importance of maintenance

Of the risks if it is not carried out properly

Important dates:

Campaign launch: 28 April 2010 on the World Day for Occupational Safety and Health

European Week for Safety and Health at Work: October 2010 and October 2011

Good Practice Awards event: 28 April 2011

Campaign closing event: November 2011

Who can take part?The Campaign is open to all individuals and organisations:

Public and private sector employers (including SMEs)

Managers, supervisors, workers

Trade unions

Occupational safety and health professionals

You can get involved by:

Disseminating Campaign information and materials, in your own organisation and among those you work with

Taking part in Campaign activities and events, eg the Good Practice Awards, which promote innovative approaches to safe maintenance

Organising your own activities, eg: training sessions, conferences, competitions and quizzes, suggestion schemes, advertising campaigns

Organisations taking part in the Campaign receive a certificate of participation.

Pan-European organisations can also apply to be Campaign partners, and receive:

Recognition (with their logos and contact details listed on the Campaign website)

Publicity for the events they organise around the Campaign

The Agency provides many resources to support the Campaign:

A Campaign guide and factsheets

Case studies of good practice

Presentations and animated video clips

News about Campaign events

all in the 22 official EU languages.

To find out about Campaign events near you:

Visit the Campaign website http://hw.osha.europa.eu

Contact your national focal point to find out about events{Insert contact details focal point}

A EUROPEAN CAMPAIGN ON SAFE MAINTENANCE

HEALTHY WORKPLACESGOOD FOR YOU. GOOD FOR BUSINESS

http://hw.osha.europa.eu