10th EWHN Conference for labour & occupational health and safety representatives and professionals
“Workers finding a voice in a new Europe"
Friday September 29th to Sunday October 1st 2006, 
Baltic Beach Hotel, Majori, Jurmula, 
Latvia

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10^th European Work Hazards Network Conference 2006

29^th September – 1^st October 2006; Baltic Beach Hotel, Jurmala, Latvia

Topic Workshop 4: Dusts

Facilitated by Nol Verhaaf and Johan Huver, Netherlands

Report of the workshop on substances and working conditions - a smouldering danger, in:

The following participants were present in the workshop:

Harm Wolters (Netherlands, manager agriculture), Jan Kuipers (Netherlands, agrarian company attendant), Johan Huver (Netherlands, agrarian company attendant), Nol Verhaaff (Netherlands, advanced resigned), PaulBoon (Netherlands, advanced resigned), Kim Bügel Nielsen (Denmark, industrial worker), Bo Rødekilde (Denmark, industrial worker), Tom Larsen (Denmark, electrician), Nijole Vanaoiene (Latvia, Assistant manager director), Halvor Erikstein (Norway, Occupational Hygienist).

Programme of the workshop:

• Familiarisation of the participants

• To distribute questionaire 1 and tour of the participant's list

• Introduction in the dust problem, a report of what has happened after the congress of Helsingor in Denmark

• To turn off 2^nd questionaire

• Discussion and answer of the questions introduction in the project of the working group dust “Dust in the chain of the food industry”

• Introduction concerning tools to tackle problems. The method of 5W

• Presentation of the information-hot of the working group dust. Collect points of actions.

Before we could start with the congress we got the information that the workshop have not three but two periods of an hour. That meaned that we had to change the workshop design to meet those requirements, because we had prepared the matter well for three periods. For the preparing group that meant extra work during the congress and the repsective tension, however, they succeed.

At Saturday after the lunch our working group setted up the workshop design differently. Because of our good preparation we succeeded to do the workshop in a very short time. As a group we were proud.

We have seized in the presentation to sheets of the presentation 2 years suffered in Helsingor

The workshop started with a familiarisation of the participants. Then the questions of questionnaire 1 were discussed in a relaxed discussion. The presentation was kept in english and was divided into three parts:

Part 1:

1. What is substance and where the workshop proceeds.

2. What has happened in the Netherlands and in Europe.

Part 2:

How and why of the project of the working party substance.

The production chain of the foodstuffs industry

Part 3:

The method of 5 W

The initial presentation was stretched because the preparation had asked nevertheless much on this day. After some observations of Paul Boon, the stress changed rapidly to entertainment and we really felt themselves Nol Verhaaff at its ease.

The first part of the presentation was discussed: What is substance and where the workshop proceeds? What has happened in the Netherlands and in Europe?

After this presentation questionnaire 2 was distributed and filled in by the participants. The outcomes were discussed with each other.

Nevertheless, here the participants had many questions. People asked for tools with which they could tackle the substance problem. The questions also concerned to people in the installation line and to workers in construction works as well.

Nol Verhaaff indicated that is there in the Netherlands a Internet site of construction in cooperation with the construction's employers, called Arbouw http://www.arbouw.nl/ , where a lot of information and tools are to be found. It was agreed that information about Arbouw will be passed on.

After this discussion a pause followed.

After the pause Nol Verhaaff gave the Second part of the presentation. In that part aims and activities of the project of the working group dust were discussed:

The production chain of the food industry

In this project is important that we examine all steps in the chain and describe the substances in sheets to briefly give in this way structured information to people on problems with substance which we can encounter.

The following part of the presentation concerned a piece tool and

the method of 5 W.

Many questions were asked concerning this method, and Nol Verhaaff's attention was extended given to the steps of the method. After this presentation the 3^rd questionnaire was distributed and it was explained why that questionnaire was used.

Complex-driven by of the problems in the organisations where one worked, we let discuss everyone in the round what to learn in the different situations the problems are those people to encounter.

The time after had been extended to fill in the questionnaire. Also it is judicious after answer of the questions people give the occasion himself clear their situation to make.

Below the method of five W is explained closer.

What can occur and what can we do regarding the substance problem?

For problems to occur or solve, it is important step by step examine what is to the hand there. The steps in this are:

1. Want.

What wants reach we

2. To know = inventories

Examine where the problems sit exactly

3. Ways

Examine which places cause the most of problems, and stipulate where first must be started to carry out solutions

4. Work

makes agreements to solve the problems. Leave: someone is responsible and indicate a time path on which the problem must be solved

5. To watch

Examines we if the problems are also really solved, and if there additional measures must be taken

Conclusions of the workshop:

1. It has clearly forward come that there many questions which come up for discussion. Especially also ask for the installation line because people drone with a lot of different substance problems to prove true they himself also frequently nothing has been possible change to.

An example is sharpening grooves in concrete and one gets make stone also with quartz.

Action plan.

1. There has been agreed that the participants fill in the questionnaire in their home situation and send it to NolVerhaaff.

NolVerhaaff then makes an inventory of the problems and try to pass hand barrels to reach a solution of those problems.

2. All information-hot concerning several substances which the working party had made was distributed and was commented.

The participants will translate the sheets in the language of their country and spread this way this information further. People were speak complete well concerning these examples.

3. For the future it found one also important that we must reflect once what Nano will mean substance for our work.

4. Furthermore to people it has been presented that we want bring on the basis of what we have heard an exchange of data on pace. For that on the attendance list the data and e-mail addresses have been written down. People were, however, if many are questions which you treat would have in a bowl day of substance network as a subject, at each other to come. Much extra attention has given Nol Verhaaff to a female participant from Latvia. To lay the contacts this way and questions to answer.

Appendix: Presentation

Dust and working conditions a smouldering danger

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