We are glad to welcome the 84th member to our network: BG ETEM from Germany. The German Social Accident Insurance Institution for the energy, textile, electrical and media products sectors (BG ETEM) is the statutory accident insurance for some 3.7 million people in more than 200,000 member companies. Tasks of BD ETEM are to support the member companies on issues of occupational safety and health, to visit, advise and train the employees in the companies, to investigate the causes of accidents, to measure (e.g. noise or hazardous materials) in the workplace and check equipment and tools. Furthermore, rehabilitation and compensation are as important as prevention of accidents and occupational diseases.
More information on the member's page or webpage of BG ETEM.

The Institute for Occupational Safety Improvement, Croatia, is working together with 2 universities from Croatia and 9 international partners from the UK, Italy, Czech Republic, Romania, Portugal, Poland and The Netherlands on developing a culture of improving safe and healthy working conditions.
The aims of the Erasmus+ approved project "Joining the Dots: Creating Entrepreneurial Networks" are to raise awareness of young workers about occupational safety and health, to promote entrepreneurship with healthy workplaces, to promote sustainable work and healthy aging from the start of the working life, to prevent health problems from the start of the working life throughout the working life and to encourage the exchange of information and good practice.
In the scope of the project, the institute developed e-learning materials which may help young workers to prepare for their first job or to establish an own business with an accent on safe working conditions from the start of their working life.
These materials will be presented at the international training course, which will be held in London from 26th February 2017 and to 3th March 2017 in Windmill Lane, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, EN8 9AJ.
More information on the project and the training course you will find here, to access the institute's website, please click here. A description of the project can be found on the website of the European Commission.

“A dream of mine becomes true by an OSH event mainly dedicated to the topic of education and training” – Dr Ulrike Bollmann, founder and coordinator of ENETOSH, started her speech “Culture of Prevention: Learning for change” at the first thematic session of the OSH conference under the auspices of the Slovak EU Presidency on 24 October 2016 in Bratislava.
In advance State Secretary for Labour Branislav Ondruš, Maria-Teresa Moitinho from the European Commission, Jozef Kollár and Silvia Surová representing the Social partners and last but not least Dr Christa Sedlatschek, Director of EU-OSHA, underlined the importance of innovative approaches in OSH to keep pace with the technological and social change in our societies.
The increasing importance of education and training to cope with these challenges was reflected on at school level, in businesses, for OSH experts and the labour inspection. The panels were enriched by interactive workshops.
During the conclusions of the conference especially the people-centered approach was highlighted as the future of a better preventive culture.
Stefan Olsson, Director for Employment of DG EMPL, identified the common learning process as the highlight of this conference in Bratislava.

Nuria Mancebo, University of Girona, Spain, presented examples of good practice and innovation in training in Europe in front of 25 managers of different departments and provinces from the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) of the People's Republic of China. SAWS is responsible for overall supervision, administration, direction and coordination of work safety across the country as well as responsible for education and training.
During the training the ENETOSH standard of competence was highlighted to point out that apart from OSH knowledge training methods and social competencies are of an increasing importance for the training of OSH inspectors and other technical staff. The training took place on 24 October to 3 November, 2016 at the ILO Training Centre in Turin.
www.itcilo.org