Campaigns

Healthy Workplaces campaign

 In June 2008 the European Commission began a two-year European information Healthy Workplaces campaign focused on risk assessment. The campaign was an opportunity to promote healthier and safer workplaces around Europe, and its aim was to promote an integrated approach to risk assessment. It was run by the European Agency for Health and Safety at Work (EU-OSHA). It was mainly focused on high risk sectors, such as construction, healthcare and agriculture, as well as on the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises.

The campaign made an important contribution to informing employers and hence to improving business performance. For this reason Krka lent its support to the campaign and invited its partners to cooperate as well.

Safe Krka workplaces

At Krka we work hard to provide our employees and collaborators with a safe workplace, therefore we monitor accident and health risks for all positions and types of technology.

The Krka risk assessment methodology is simple, easy-to-understand, and an excellent tool for identifying health and safety risks. Every employee is involved in the process of recognising and assessing risk. Over 1000 assessment are made, which form the basis for employee training and defining priorities for the continual improvement of health and safety standards at work.

European workplace accident statistics

According to Eurostat, the EU statistics office, workplace accidents cause 5720 deaths per year in Europe. The International Labour Organisation estimates that around 160,000 people per year die due to occupational diseases. Most accidents and diseases can be prevented and the first step in that process is a risk assessment. A risk assessment is a precise and systematic appraisal of all aspects of the work being studied that could lead to injury, whether the risk can be eliminated, and if not what preventive and safety measures are or can be put in place to manage the risk at an acceptable level.

Employer duty for health and safety of employees

Employers are morally and legally obliged to ensure the health and safety of their employees in all workplaces. An overview of directives adopted in this area has revealed a general lack of awareness among individual companies.

The EU-OSHA Healthy Workplaces campaign was aimed at informing entrepreneurs and the wider public of the fact that risk assessment is not something complicated, bureaucratic or that needs to be left to experts. The agency offers a range of mechanisms that help make risk assessment simple. Accurate risk assessments offer numerous business advantages, since a safe and healthier workplace helps reduce absenteeism, reducing insurance costs, and increases employee motivation and productivity. Finally, risk assessments also contribute to reducing the burden on national healthcare and health insurance systems.

You can find out more about the campaign, best practice, and other material on the European risk assessment campaign website.