The Andalusian Regional Government’s Centre for the Prevention of Occupational Risks in Almeria, which belongs to the Delegation of Employment, Enterprise and Self-Employment, held an open day in which the regional delegate, Amós García Hueso, accompanied students from a Higher Level Vocational Training course in the Prevention of Occupational Risks at the Los Ángeles Secondary School in the capital, as well as the mutual insurance companies that collaborate with the Social Security in the province.
In his speech, Amós García stressed «the importance of young people about to enter the labour market acquiring knowledge in the field of prevention, in order to achieve a more guaranteed future in this area». He also pointed out that «the promotion and awareness of health and safety at work must be a constant task that requires the involvement of companies, workers, administrations and agents that interact in the world of work» and that «the economic recovery that we are promoting cannot be considered without protecting the greatest asset that companies have, which are their workers».
The Employment delegate indicated that the Centre for the Prevention of Occupational Risks «contributes to reducing the accident rate with its triple task of advising companies, training and raising social awareness, in addition to the important task of investigating the causes of accidents at work, which allows us to find out the causes and prevent similar accidents from happening again».
García Hueso recalled the joint action plan agreed between the Delegation of Employment, the Business Confederation of the Province of Almería (Asempal), the CC. OO. and UGT trade unions and the association of mutual insurance companies «to continue to make progress in occupational health and safety».
This plan includes information and awareness-raising campaigns; training activities with conferences that bring the latest developments to the productive fabric and the agents involved in prevention; the reinforcement of advice to companies and the work of checking safety conditions carried out by technicians authorised to collaborate with the Labour Inspectorate; and incentives for SMEs and the self-employed to make investments to improve their occupational safety and for business, self-employed and trade union organisations to inform companies, workers and prevention delegates on occupational health and safety.
Shock Plan to Combat the Accident Rate
Likewise, Amós García indicated that the Regional Ministry of Employment is developing the Shock Plan against Workplace Accidents unanimously agreed on 1 August 2023 with the most representative business and trade union organisations in Andalusia, a plan endowed with 2.2 million and with the objectives of disseminating the culture of prevention and reducing the accident rate.
As detailed by the delegate of Employment, some of the measures of the plan have already been completed, such as a map of serious, very serious and fatal accidents in Andalusia during the years 2021 and 2022, which has allowed to analyse 900 accidents and conclude that the greatest risks are currently falls from heights or at the same level and the overturning or loss of control of machinery and loading equipment.
The Shock Plan has also made it possible to improve the activities of verification, information and direct advice given by authorised technicians to companies, reinforcing their work and focusing it more on visiting companies with high accident rates. The tasks of disseminating preventive information to companies have also been increased, sending them materials on the main risks associated with their activity and preventive advice, as well as information letters on the causes of accidents in their sector and how to avoid them, in addition to information on the lines of aid from the Regional Ministry of Employment to invest in occupational health and safety.
Another dissemination measure aimed at companies that will be implemented within the framework of the Shock Plan is a mobile information unit that will bring prevention resources to workplaces, especially SMEs, industrial estates and logistics parks.
In addition, the message of preventive awareness is being conveyed to the general public with campaigns in the media and social networks, such as those focused on combating risks in the months and time periods when temperatures are high (‘Ante el calor, prevención’ campaign) and on reducing accidents due to falls from heights (‘Si subes seguro, seguro que baja’).
On the other hand, the territorial delegate informed of the recent signing of a protocol between the regional ministries of Employment, Enterprise and Self-Employment and Health and Consumer Affairs to act jointly and in a coordinated manner in the comprehensive management of occupational diseases, which includes new measures such as improving the warning system to detect them or the development of occupational risk maps and epidemiological studies.