Workers' safety and health is protected in Europe by an approach based on assessing and managing risks. In order to carry out effective workplace risk assessment, all those involved require a clear understanding of the legal context, concepts, the process of assessing the risks and the role to be played by the main actors involved in the process.
Workers' roles and responsibilities
It is important that workers participate in the risk assessment. They know the problems and the details of what really happens when they perform their tasks or activities, so they should be involved in the assessment. Their practical knowledge or competence is also often needed to develop workable preventive measures.
Workers' participation is not only a right, it is also fundamental to make the employers' occupational health and safety management effective and efficient.
Workers and/or their representatives have the right/duty to:
- be consulted on arrangements for the organisation of the risk assessment and for the appointment of those undertaking the task;
- participate in the risk assessment;
- alert their supervisors or employers regarding perceived risks;
- report any changes in the workplace;
- be informed of the risks to their safety and health and of the measures necessary to eliminate or reduce these risks;
- be involved in the process of deciding on the preventive and protective measures to be put in place;
- ask the employer to put in place appropriate measures and to submit proposals to minimise hazards or to remove the danger at source;
- cooperate to help the employer to ensure that the working environment is safe;
- be trained/receive instructions on the measures to be put in place;
- take care as far as possible of their safety and health and that of others persons affected by their acts in accordance with the training and the instructions given by the employer.
In addition, it is important that workers' representatives are trained so that they understand risk assessment and their role in it.
The OiRA tools give different possibilities to involve and inform workers and their representatives such as sharing the content of the tools or the final reports or in some cases more elaborate approaches. Check your national tools to see the different options such as trainings and invitations to contribute directly online to the risk assessment.
Employers' roles and responsibilities
Employers should carefully prepare what they are going to do in order to meet their responsibilities to carry out a risk assessment and put in place the measures necessary for the safety and health of workers. It is recommended that they do this following the mentioned steps:
- commissioning, organising and coordinating the assessment;
- appointing competent people to make the assessments; the person carrying out the risk assessment can be:
- the employers themselves;
- employees designated by the employers;
- external assessors and service providers if there is a lack of competent personnel in the workplace.
- consulting workers' representatives on arrangements for the appointment of those who will make the assessments;
- providing the necessary information, training, resources and support to assessors who are the employer's own employees;
- ensuring adequate coordination between assessors (where relevant);
- involving management and encouraging the participation of the workforce;
- determining the arrangements to be made for reviewing and revising the risk assessment;
- ensuring that the preventive and protective measures take account of the results of the assessment;
- ensuring that the risk assessment is documented;
- monitoring the protective and preventive measures to ensure that their effectiveness is maintained;
- informing workers and/or their representatives of the results of the assessment and of the measures introduced (making the records available to them).
Usalama na afya ya wafanyakazi ni kulindwa katika Ulaya na mbinu msingi wa kutathmini na usimamizi wa hatari. Ili kufanya tathmini ya hatari ya mahali pa kazi, wahusika wote wanahitaji kuelewa wazi ya muktadha wa kisheria, dhana, mchakato wa tathmini ya hatari na jukumu la wahusika wakuu katika mchakato. Majukumu na majukumu ya wafanyakazi Ni muhimu kwamba wafanyakazi kushiriki katika tathmini ya hatari. Wanajua matatizo na maelezo ya nini kweli hutokea wakati wao kufanya kazi zao au shughuli, hivyo wanapaswa kuhusishwa katika tathmini. Ujuzi wao wa vitendo au uwezo pia mara nyingi inahitajika kuendeleza hatua za kuzuia kazi. Ushirikiano wa wafanyakazi si haki tu, lakini pia ni muhimu kufanya usimamizi wa afya na usalama wa kazi wa waajiri kuwa na ufanisi na ufanisi. - kuwa na haki ya kusikilizwa kuhusu mipango ya kuandaa tathmini ya hatari na kwa ajili ya uteuzi wa wale ambao kuchukua kazi; kushiriki katika tathmini ya hatari; kuwahimiza wasimamizi wao au waajiri kuhusu hatari zilizotambuliwa; kuripoti mabadiliko yoyote katika mahali pa kazi; kuarifiwa juu ya hatari kwa usalama na afya yao na hatua zinazohitajika kuondoa au kupunguza hatari hizi; kushiriki katika mchakato wa kuamua juu ya hatua za kuzuia na ulinzi; kuomba mwajiri kutekeleza hatua zinazofaa na kuwasilisha mapendekezo ya kupunguza hatari au kuondoa hatari katika chanzo; kushirikiana na mwajiri kuhakikisha mazingira ya kazi ni salama. Kwa kuongezea, ni muhimu kwamba wawakilishi wa wafanyakazi wamefundishwa ili waweze kuelewa tathmini ya hatari na jukumu lao ndani yake. Vifaa vya OIRA hutoa uwezekano tofauti wa kuhusisha na kuwajulisha wafanyakazi na wawakilishi wao, kama vile kushiriki maudhui ya zana au ripoti za mwisho au katika baadhi ya kesi mbinu za kina zaidi. Angalia zana zako za kitaifa ili kuona chaguzi tofauti kama vile mafunzo na mialiko ya kuchangia moja kwa moja mtandaoni kwa tathmini ya hatari. Kazi na wajibu wa waajiri: Wafanyabiashara wanapaswa kuandaa kwa uangalifu kile watakachofanya ili kukidhi majukumu yao ya kufanya tathmini ya hatari na kuweka hatua muhimu kwa usalama na afya ya wafanyakazi. "Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu, ""kufanya kazi"" ni kazi ya kuamua, kuamua na kuamua jinsi ya kufanya kazi, na kuamua jinsi ya kufanya kazi, na kuamua jinsi ya kufanya kazi, na kuamua jinsi ya kufanya kazi, na kuamua jinsi ya kufanya kazi, na kuamua jinsi ya kufanya kazi, na kuamua jinsi ya kufanya kazi, na kuamua jinsi ya kufanya kazi." - kushauriana na wawakilishi wa wafanyakazi juu ya mipango ya uteuzi wa wale ambao watafanya tathmini; - kutoa habari muhimu, mafunzo, rasilimali na msaada kwa watathmini ambao ni wafanyikazi wa mwajiri; - kuhakikisha uratibu wa kutosha kati ya watathmini (ikifaa); - kuhusisha usimamizi na kuhamasisha ushiriki wa wafanyikazi; - kuamua mipango ya kuchunguza na kurekebisha tathmini ya hatari; - kuhakikisha kwamba hatua za kuzuia na ulinzi zinazingatia matokeo ya tathmini ya hatari; - kuhakikisha kuwa hatua za ulinzi na kuzuia zinahifadhiwa ili kuhakikisha ufanisi wao.