The Day celebrated on 28th April is part of a broader campaign launched by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work named “Let’s work together to prevent risks”. The EU’s workplaces are – according to the Agency – safer and healthier than before, but 6.9 million accidents and lots of occupational diseases still happen every year, especially in factories and building sites. “Human suffering caused by low health and safety levels is immeasurable”, and the financial cost has been estimated at 490 billion euros a year. The new campaign launched by the EU Agency focusses on the importance of “the management’s and labour’s involvement in improving health and safety at work”. For the launch of the campaign in Brussels, the EU Commissioner for employment and welfare, László Andor, stated: “Over the last ten years, Europe has made great progress in the area of health and safety at work, and this must be continued”. “It has been proven that giving priority to such issues is not only the right thing to do, it is also economically beneficial, and advantages include lower costs, more productivity, more serene and productive labour, fewer sick leaves, fewer accidents, a better standing with suppliers and partners”.

27/04/2012 -