European Campaign on Risk Assessment

The European Campaign for Safety and Health at Work, formerly known as Euroweek, will this time be a two-year campaign focussing on risk assessment.

The UK's campaign, aimed at employers, workers, safety representatives and other stakeholders, was officially launched in London on 24 June 2008. Full details of activities and downloadable tools and materials are available. A number of nationwide events are planned for European Week itself on 20-24 October 2008.

The campaign intends to promote the idea that an integrated management approach is required, taking into account the different steps of risk assessment. It is intended that the message that risk assessment is a "systematic examination of all aspects of the work undertaken to consider what can cause injury or harm, whether the hazard can be eliminated or not, and, if not, what preventative or protective measures are, or should be, in place to control the risks".

Quite often those responsible for undertaking risk assessments believe that the process is too complicated, over-bureaucratic or the domain of experts. This is not the case and the campaign seeks to dispel such myths and promote the idea that risk assessment need not be complex. Furthermore, it promotes the idea that risk assessments are most effective with input from the workforce and such involvement from those carrying out the work is one of the key elements in building a sustainable prevention culture.

Information about joining the campaign can be found on the HSE website, and for more detailed information and campaign materials such as posters and case studies go to the European Agency for Safety & Health at Work