Documents Gee, David 8 results

"At the end of 1992, the European Trade Union Technical Bureau for Health and Safety organized a conference in Luxembourg on " Prevention in the workplace as the Community Framework Directive enters into force ". Various background papers were prepared for the conference, the main one being that produced by Laurent Vogel of the TUTB 's own staff to provide a frame of reference for the proceedings. This has now been published in a newly edited version which incorporates the two interim reports from the TUTB 's survey of preventive services in Western Europe updated to the end of 1993. The TUTB also commissioned from Professor David Walters and his team of researchers at the South Bank University of London a comparative study on worker representation on health and safety in Europe. The study, which covers a sample of European Community countries and Sweden, aims to identify the types of worker representation established in the countries concemed and to assess their effectiveness in practice.

"History confirms that while technological innovations can bring many benefits, they can also cause much human suffering, environmental degradation and economic costs. But are we repeating history with new and emerging chemical and technological products? In preparation for volume 2 of ‘Late Lessons from Early Warnings' (European Environment Agency, 2013), two analyses were carried out to help answer this question. A bibliometric analysis of research articles in 78 environmental, health and safety (EHS) journals revealed that most focused on well-known rather than on newly emerging chemicals. We suggest that this ‘scientific inertia' is due to the scientific requirement for high levels of proof via well replicated studies; the need to publish quickly; the use of existing intellectual and technological resources; and the conservative approach of many reviewers and research funders. The second analysis found that since 1996 the funding of EHS research represented just 0.6% of the overall funding of research and technological development (RTD). Compared with RTD funding, EHS research funding for information and communication technologies, nanotechnology and biotechnology was 0.09%, 2.3% and 4% of total research, respectively. The low EHS research ratio seems to be an unintended consequence of disparate funding decisions; technological optimism; a priori assertions of safety; collective hubris; and myopia. In light of the history of past technological risks, where EHS research was too little and too late, we suggest that it would be prudent to devote some 5–15% of RTD on EHS research to anticipate and minimise potential hazards while maximising the commercial longevity of emerging technologies. "

"The histories of some well-known public and environmental hazards, from the first scientifically based early warnings about potential harm, to the subsequent precautionary and preventive measures, have been reviewed by the European Environment Agency in their report “Late Lessons from Early Warnings: The Precautionary Principle 1896-2000”. This paper summarises some of the definitional and other issues that arise from the report and subsequent debates, such as the contingent nature of knowledge; the definitions of precaution, prevention, risk, uncertainty, and ignorance; the use of different strengths of evidence for different purposes; the nature and main direction of the methodological and cultural biases within the environmental health sciences; the need for transparency in evaluating risks; and public participation in risk analysis. These issues are relevant to the risk assessment of electro-magnetic fields (EMF). Some implications of these issues and of the “late lessons” for the evaluation and reduction of risks from EMF are indicated."

"Developmental and reproductive toxicants that cause serious disease and dysfunction, either lifelong or occurring late in life, can be initiated in the early life stages of human beings and other species. It is often the timing of the dose more than the dose itself that distinguishes harmful from harmless exposures to such toxicants. As much of the harm is irreversible, and sometimes multigenerational, the timing of actions to prevent such harm is also critical. In determining when there is a sufficiency of evidence to justify early prevention of harm, decision-makers need to take account of the implications of multicausality, the methodological biases within environmental sciences, and the need to take precautionary, as well as preventive actions to eliminate or reduce exposures. The widely used Bradford Hill causal 'criteria' are briefly reviewed in light of multicausality. Reaching agreement between stakeholders on a sufficiency of evidence for early action to reduce exposures to toxicants requires the consistent use of transparent definitions of the concepts and terms used to characterize the strength of evidence between causes and effects. Proposals are made to improve those in current use, including a definition of the precautionary principle."

"Le Bureau technique syndical européen pour la santé et la sécurité a organisé, fin 1992 à Luxembourg, une Conférence sur « La prévention sur les lieux de travail à la veille de la mise en oeuvre de la Directive-cadre communautaire ». Divers travaux ont été entrepris pour la préparation de cette conférence, dont le plus important réalisé par Laurent Vogel au BTS a servi de cadre de référence aux débats et fait l'objet d'une publication intégrant et mettant à jour, à fin 1993, les deux rapports intérimaires de I' enquête menée par le BTS sur les services de prévention dans les pays d'Europe occidentale. Le BTS avait confié au professeur David Walters et à son équipe de la South Bank University de Londres la tâche de rédiger une étude comparative sur la représentation des travailleurs dans le domaine de la santé et de la sécurité. Cette étude porte sur un échantillon de pays de la Communauté Européenne ainsi que sur la Suède. Elle a pour but d'identifier les formes de représentation des travailleurs mises en place dans ces différents pays et d 'évaluer les conditions de leur fonctionnement effectif. ..."