International Symposium on Culture of Prevention – Futures Approaches on 25/27 September in Helsinki, Finland
This Symposium organized by two PEROSH institutes FIOH, INRS as well as ISSA and KOSHA discussed the culture of prevention related to occupational risks, such as accidents, workplace violence and psychosocial risks at work. The focus was also on organizational culture and modes of operation in organizations, and on the attitudes and behaviour of individual employees. To read about future approaches that are being put forward see the abstracts of the papers presented at the conference.
Update on the PEROSH project Safety Culture and accidents: promotion of a zero accident vision (ZAV)
The ZAV is based on the belief that all accidents are preventable and provides an ethically sustainable basis for accident prevention. One of the goals of this PEROSH project is to create European added value through expanding the experiences of the Finnish Zero Accident Forum throughout the European Union via a range of associated regional and national company networks.
The Finnish Zero Accident Forum, active since 2003, is a voluntary-based network of workplaces which provides examples of good practices from other workplaces, spreads success stories, and motivates and encourages workplaces to strive for a high level of safety. In total 298 organizations have joined the Zero Accident Forum by April 2013. See: www.ttl.fi/zeroaccidentforum
A Zero Accident Network was also launched in 2012 in Netherlands. See: www.zeroaccidents.nl/
In October 2013 a similiar network was also launched in Germany. See: www.dguv.de/ifa/Wir-über-uns/Zero-Accident-Forum/index.jsp
As one of their outcomes, the Perosh partners have also recently published an article: The case for research into the zero accident vision, Safety Science, 58, (2013), 41-48 which discuss the dilemmas and limitations that affect progress in safety performance to day and the opportunities implied by the ZAV and the commitment strategy for safety. This paper is selected as ’the editor’s choice’ by the Safety Science journal, and is made freely availble via: www.journals.elsevier.com/safety-science/editors-choice/
The research application “The Success factors for the Implementation of the Zero accidents” was sent to DGUV and was recently accepted. The project, involving TNO, FIOH, NRCWE, CIOP, HSL and Prevent will start per 1 November 2013, and will run until 1 July 2015. Gerard Zwetsloot (TNO) is coordinating the project; besides TNO, also FIOH and NRCWE are coordinating workpackages of the project.
Contacts:
Markku Aaltonen (FIOH): markku.aaltonen@ttl.fi
Gerard Zwetsloot (TNO): gerard.zwetsloot@tno.nl
More information on this Perosh project