internationalsos.com - Press releases
International SOS and the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU OSHA) partner on Healthy Workplaces Campaign 2012-1304 February 2013Paris, France International SOS, the world’s largest medical and security services company, has partnered with the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU- OSHA) on its Healthy Workplaces Campaign for 2013, “Working together for risk prevention.” The campaign leverages management leadership and employee participation to improve workplace health and safety. The EU-OSHA states that whilst EU workplaces are safer than they have ever been, every year more than 5,500 people lose their lives as a result of workplace accidents and over 159,000 die from occupational disease. In addition to the causing human suffering, these incidents cost the EU 490 billion Euros annually. Partners of the Healthy Workplaces Campaign have cultivated innovative and evidence-based solutions to improve health and safety including new research, governance, procedures and pilot programmes. Arnaud Vaissié, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO, International SOS explains: “A key focus for International SOS is to help employers fulfil their Duty of Care responsibilities, both in the home office and abroad. The Healthy Workplaces campaign underscores our mutual vision to help organisations understand and mitigate potential risks to their global workforce. It is the right thing to do from multiple standpoints; the campaign demonstrates good ethics, sustainability, corporate responsibility and fiscal efficiencies.” International SOS will network and share ideas with peer participants, Occupational Health and Health and Safety experts. In particular, a key element is on the tie-in between travel and occupational health and ‘The Return on Prevention’* to contain cost and reduce time lost to injury and medical evacuation. Through the campaign, International SOS seeks to increase awareness and engage employers at a management-level providing information and education, training, technology, health checks and vaccination to mitigate risk. Christa Sedlatschek, Director, EU-OSHA, states: “A safe and healthy workplace should be a right for all workers, no matter where they are. Increasing globalisation means that employers face new challenges in protecting their workforce and workers need more information and skills to keep themselves safe and healthy. I am delighted that International SOS has become a partner on our Healthy Workplaces Campaign 2012-13 – Working well together for risk prevention - to help us raise awareness and reduce risks.” In March 2012, International SOS launched the International SOS Foundation**, a first-of-its-kind global effort to foster the study and adoption of Duty of Care best practices. The foundation aims through research and analysis to better understand the risks, encourage prevention and improve people's wellbeing, ultimately to protect and save lives. ### Note to Editors: *Return on Prevention: Aims to demonstrate the return on investment on preventative measures in the area of Duty of Care. **The International SOS Foundation (http://www.internationalsosfoundation.org), launched in 2011, is a fully independent, non-profit organisation with the goal of improving the welfare of people working abroad through the study, understanding and mitigation of potential risks. At its inaugural event in Mexico in 2012, there was a consensus that the Duty of Care for employees working away from home is a crucial occupational health issue. A call was raised for leaders and industry experts to develop an international guidance based on national legislation and practices across the globe. About International SOS About the EU-OSHA Contact International SOS Rebecca Hackworth, Communications Manager (London) Yasmine Leroux, Communications Manager (Paris) Contact EU-OSHA Birgit Müller, Press Officer |
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