Systems
INSTITUTIONS, ORGANIZATIONS
HUNGARIAN LABOUR INSPECTORATE(OMMF)
(also referred to as National Occupational Safety and Labor Administration) Citation from the Act XCIII of 1993 on Labor Safety, Consolidated with MüM Decree No. 5/1993 (XII. 26.) of the Ministry of Labor: Section 17 (2) The National Occupational Safety and Labor Administration (hereinafter referred to as NOSLA) is an independent central office established for the initiation, preparation and promotion of labor safety-related State administration duties set forth in Section 14, and the exercise of general regulatory competencies related to occupational safety and health. The chief officer of NOSLA shall be its President.
NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH AND MEDICAL OFFICERS' SERVICE(ÁNTSZ)
Its role and tasks are regulated by the Act XI of 1991 on the National Public Health and Medical Officers' Service. This organization among other duties shall also exercise duties related to occupational health. The MOS has a three-level structure. The national level consists of the National Office of Medical Chief Officer (OTH) and two national centers subordinate to the Office. These centers are: the József Fodor National Center for Public Health and the Béla Johan National Epidemiology Center. On the middle level are the institutes of counties (and of the capital) and on the low level are the institutes of towns (and of districts).
JÓZSEF FODOR NATIONAL CENTER FOR PUBLIC HEALTH
The József Fodor National Center for Public Health performs the following set of state (governmental) tasks within the borders of the Republic of Hungary, in the fields of food and nutrition hygiene, radiobiology and radiohygiene, environmental and communal health, chemical safety, occupational hygiene and occupational health services: - professional-methodological tasks and professional direction, - organisational activities, - quality control, quality certification, - scientific research, - education, extension training, information, - participation in the formulation of legislation, and legal harmonisation with the EU, - data collection, storage, processing and analysis, - building and maintaining domestic and international professional and scientific relations. These tasks are carried out by the relevant institutions functioning within the Fodor József National Center for Public Health as integral parts thereof, in accordance with the characteristics and needs of their professional fields, co-ordinated by the Fodor József National Center for Public Health. These Institutes are:
MINING BUREAU OF HUNGARY (MBH)
The Act XLVIII of 1993 on mining concerning the state supervision of mining decrees the following: The specialised administrative tasks of the state related to mining shall be performed by the mine supervision. In the course of the performing of the activities falling under its supervision it is task of the mine supervision to protect the life, physical condition and health of the workers and to verify compliance with the rules regarding the management of mineral resources, the protection of the environment, landscape and nature, technical safety and fire protection. Within the framework of the supervision role of the mine supervision in its executive capacity, it shall have competence in technical safety, labour protection, construction management and supervision and mineral resources management affairs, as defined in this Act and in legislation separate. Its fire protection authority competence shall extend to the underground parts of mines with the surface parts of mines falling under the same consideration. With the exeption of the cases defined in the legislation, in the authority type matters falling under the competence of the mine supervision, the Mining District Authority competent in the region shall proceed at the first instance and the Mining Bureau of Hungary shall proceed at the second level. The Hungarian Mining Authority is an organ of the state administration with national competence, operating under the control of the Government, supervised by the Minister of Economy, who also excersices the employer’s rights in respest of the President of the Mining Bureau of Hungary. The eadquarters and region of competence of the regional Mining District Authorities shall be defined by the Minister, on the proposal of the President of the Mining Bureau of Hungary. The Mining Bureau prepares the decisions of the Minister relating to the management of mineral resources and concession contracts, and also shall prepare the mine safety rules referred to in subsection and shall control the execution thereof.
PUBLIC FOUNDATION FOR RESEARCH IN OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
The PFROSis an independent non-profit organization. The main tasks are: identification of harmful effects in the work environment (also in macro-environment); their tests, estimation; methods required; also developing the required methods for prevention; collecting, regulating, processing and distribution of working safety information. As new activities, tasks are completed - partly in connection with the above described activities - with risk assessment at the work-place, safety analysis of machines, equipment and complete technologies. The PFROS is the National Centre of ILO/CIS in Hungary. In this capacity, Public Foundation has a permanent contact with the Geneva Center, sends and receives international information regularly on the newest results of occupational safety and research of the same.
SOCIAL PARTNERS
National Labour Council (OMT) NLC is a tripartit forum on conciliation of interests. NLC consists of the representatives of ministries and organizations of employers and of employees.
OTHER INSTITUTIONS
National institutions: Ministry of Home Affairs www.b-m.hu ? Protection against Disasters ? Headquarters of National Police National Inspectorate for Environment www.ktm.hu/ktff and Nature Conservation Technical Safety Inspectorate www.mbf.hu General Inspectorate for Transport www.kff.hu General Inspectorate for Consumer www.fvf.hu Protection Hungarian Standards Institution www.mszt.hu Hungarian Board for Accreditation www.nat.hu Hungarian Central Statistical Office www.ksh.hu National Training and Extension Training Institution of OSH Ltd.
International Institutions: European Agency for Safety and Health at Work website http://osha.europa.eu new website http://osha.europa.eu global website http://global.osha.europa.eu EU regulation europa.eu.int/eur.lex OSH topics of EU Commission europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/hs International Labour Organization www.ilo.org International Occupational Safety and Health Information Center (ILO/CIS) www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/safework/cis
PROGRAMMES
THE HUNGARIAN NATIONAL PROGRAM OF OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH
Translator's Note Legal standing: This translation has no official standing and under no conditions can be considered a legal equivalent of the Hungarian text. National Policy: The National Program of Occupational Safety has three main parts: a descriptive part analyzing the situation in Hungary, a strategic part determining the basic principles, goals and long-term tasks of occupational safety and health policy, and a set of short or medium-term tasks to be done. The Program fulfils the criteria for the national policy of occupational safety and health required by Article 4 of ILO Convention No. 155 with one exception: there is no word for "policy" in Hungarian.[1] Labour protection: The Hungarian title of the Hungarian National Program of Occupational Safety and Health is "The National Program of Labour Protection". In Hungary (and most of the Central and East European countries) the term "labour protection" stands for occupational safety and health. This term is used in the Constitution of the Republic of Hungary and in relevant legislation. Labour protection consists of two main areas: occupational safety and occupational health. Remarks: Explanatory terms which are not part of the text are in [square brackets]. The footnotes do not belong to the Program; they are here for the sake of the English reader. The Program is a milestone in the history of Hungarian occupational safety and health. After several years of discussions and preparation it was proposed to Parliament with a full support of the social partners, and it was passed by a unanimous vote. Having participated in its conception and birth, I am proud to be given the opportunity now to present it to the English reader. András Békés Director General Hungarian Labour Inspectorate Resolution No. 20/2001 (March 30) of the Parliament 1. Parliament has discussed and adopted the National Program of Occupational Safety and Health (hereinafter: Program) attached to this Resolution. 2. The Government, on the basis of the Program, in cooperation with the representative organizations of employees and employers, taking into consideration the situation of the central budget, shall draw up detailed yearly action plans and schedules for the whole duration of the Program, the first time not being later than the discussion of the report on the national situation of occupational safety and health in 2001, determining tasks, responsibilities and necessary means and resources. 3. The Government shall prepare a report for Parliament about the execution of the Program within half a year following its expiration. 4. Parliament by this Resolution invites – a) employers and employees to do everything to achieve the goals outlined in the Program; b) the media to take a share in popularizing the Program and propagating information on occupational safety and health, on health protection and development; c) civil organizations, representative organizations and all citizens, to contribute according to their means to the achievement of the goals of the Program. 5. This Resolution shall come into effect on the day of its publication.
Attachment to Resolution No. 20/2001 (March 30) of the Parliament The National Program of Occupational Safety and Health According to the Labour Protection Act (Act XCIII of 1993)[2], it is a duty of the State to formulate a national program for occupational safety and health and the working environment and the protection of working ability, and periodically to revise its implementation. This is the national program of occupational safety and health (hereinafter: Program) as a middle-term, five-year action system with the purpose of solving present occupational safety and health problems and preventing future problems. 1. The Coverage of Occupational Safety and Health 1. 1. Industrial development in the last century lead to the recognition that employers had a vital financial interest in protecting the health and safety of employees. Technical and social development since then has not reduced but increased the risks threatening workers, while in the industrialized countries people attach higher and higher values to health, safety and well-being. The working environment is the most hazardous human environment where risks are 1-3 orders of magnitude higher than in other environments. Risks can take many forms, from dangerous machinery through hazardous chemicals to the psychological and social factors of the working environment, including bad work organization, deficiencies in social and hygiene facilities, and human factors at work. 1.2. In these days, approximately 10 million occupational accidents happen every year within the European Union, with a death toll of more than ten thousand. (Progressing from north to south, the rate of fatal occupational accidents per 100 000 workers increases gradually from 2 to 10. The rate of occupational accidents is three times higher for men than for women, and men's rate of fatal accidents is ten times higher than women’s.) Every year there are 60 to 150 million new occupational diseases registered in the world, but there are no sufficiently reliable statistical data about deaths resulting from occupational diseases. One of the reasons is that some of the diseases have long latencies, sometimes up to several decades, making difficult the identification of their occupational origin. However, even the most conservative figures estimate 4% of fatal cancers to be of occupational origin, causing the death of several hundreds of thousands of working people worldwide and 1200-1400 in Hungary every year. In addition to the category of occupational diseases, there are work-related diseases which may be caused by a number of factors, one of which is the working environment; in other words, certain factors in the working environment increase the risk of these diseases for the workers concerned. Reliable estimates put the number of these diseases two magnitudes higher than that of occupational diseases. Financial loss resulting from absence from work is about 100 thousand Hungarian Forints per day. This indicates that effective labour protection, in addition to humanistic considerations, is also a profitable long-term investment both for the State and for the enterprises. 1.3. Modern occupational safety and health is not confined to the prevention of accidents and ill-health at work. at work. It has a place and a role even in the design of work equipment and workplaces, and covers in general the well-being of people at work; since a very significant part of human life is spent at work, mental and physical well-being related to work has a fundamental importance for us. Modern occupational safety and health calls for the humanization of the working environment and for an extensive consideration of human factors. This philosophy is in accordance with the economic interests of the employers and the State, the interests of the workers and their families, and the interests of society as a whole. The third Ministerial Conference on Health and Environment (London, 1999) and its recommendations adopted among others by Hungary, have had a significant importance for modern occupational safety and health. The conference reviewed the practice employed in occupational health and safety and the environment, and proposed the establishment of mechanisms and conditions at the national level which can continuously facilitate the creation of conditions for health and safety at work with the active contribution of the actors of the national economy, applying, among other things, the principle of multidisciplinarity and the minimization of environmental risk factors. Modern occupational safety and health covers the following areas: a) The design and condition of workplaces, including the requirements of hygiene at work . The workplace is not simply a place where work is performed but also a living space whose quality is a determinant factor of the whole quality of our lives. b) Work equipment. Machinery, tools, devices – all implements used at work. c) Dangerous chemicals and preparations. There are several tens of thousands of chemicals used in different technologies. These chemicals often present various hazards even in minuscule quantities, from corrosive or toxic effects to insidious carcinogenic or teratogenic effects. d) Work organization and working hours. The worker is exposed to many kinds of physical and mental stress at work. The careful regulation of working hours and the proper limitation of exposure time reduce direct exposure to risks and hazards and help maintain good health. The broader significance of work organization in occupational safety and health has been recognized in the last decade. The effect of psychosocial factors, mental discomfort at work can lead to ill health, similarly to direct [physical] hazards. e) The protection of sensitive groups. Work is also performed by pregnant and breast-feeding workers, by young people, and more and more people with "changed abilities". These groups should not be excluded from the world of work but on the contrary, their special conditions, tolerance and abilities should be fully taken into account. f) The management of occupational safety and health. It is in the interest of the employer to employ occupational safety and health experts with suitable qualifications and skill. Even more important than this, occupational safety and health should not be treated as a separate task; the protection of safety and health, the provisions for mental and physical well-being at work should be integrated within the internal management system of the employer. 2. The Situation of Occupational Safety and Health in Hungary 2.1. Economic and social factors a) Before the systemic political and economic changes in 1990, there were about 15-17 thousand chiefly public companies in Hungary, employing about 4.5 million people. One consequence of the changes was that in 1998 there were almost 800 thousand Hungarian enterprises. There are almost one million employers in the country but only about six thousand of them employ more than fifty people, and about 25 thousand employ more than 10. In other words, the number of employers has grown by almost two orders of magnitude while the size of the workplaces has shrunk dramatically. It should also be noted that legal regulations of occupational safety and health in Hungary cover only those in "organized work" [3] [i.e. basically in employment or similar relations], although the protection of the safety and health working ability of those outside organized work is equally important. This population (self-employed entrepreneurs and family members) is present in significant numbers. Within this group, special consideration should be given – in terms of the importance and urgency of action – to small farmers and family farms in agriculture. b) The role of the State has changed: the function of public ownership has been largely replaced by regulatory and economic management functions. After several years of preparation and negotiations with the social partners, the legal regulation of occupational safety and health was given a new foundation by the Labour Protection Act (Act XCIII of 1993), and the harmonization of Hungarian laws and regulations with the European Union's requirements is nearing its completion. Occupational safety and health legislation covers the twin areas of safety and health at work. It is within competence of occupational health to establish health criteria with regard to work and to help ensure healthy work and a healthy working environment. According to the Act on Public Health (Act CLIV of 1997), occupational health consists of two areas: occupational hygiene and occupational health care. The most comprehensive service in occupational safety and health is offered by the occupational health services, since the Labour Protection Act requires this service to be provided to every person employed in organized work. By the end of 1998, 94/% of those in organized work were covered by occupational health services. c) At the same time, employers and employees labour under serious burdens caused by a lack of capital, by the threat of unemployment, and by unavoidably high taxes and social security payments. This gives a certain attraction to the illegal economy where it is even more difficult to enforce occupational safety and health safeguards. There is a risk that employees will prefer high wages to safe and healthy working conditions; there is also a risk of a collusion between employers and employees against safety and health considered as a hindrance to profitability. 2.2. Material conditions 2.2.1. The safety of work equipment The Hungarian Labour Inspectorate (OMMF) conducted a nation-wide representative survey on the safety of work equipment [tools and machinery] in 1996, covering more than 280 thousand pieces of equipment in all sectors of the economy. The following conclusions can be drawn from the results of the survey: a) The average age of work equipment was 12.1 years in 1996, and observations since then have not shown any significant change. Enterprises suffering a shortage of capital have continued using the machines of socialist industry; however, second-hand machinery older than the Hungarian average has also been imported in significant numbers. b) 48% of work equipment were manufactured in Hungary. Their average age was 3.5 years higher than that of imported ones. c) 30% of work equipment fell into the category of "dangerous machinery" as defined by laws and regulations. Employers were largely uninformed as to the safety classification of work equipment and technology. d) 25% of work equipment subject to periodical safety inspections were not inspected. Where safety checks were made, many of them were only formal. Maintenance was aimed chiefly at maintaining productiveness; safety was not a priority. e) 14% of work equipment were found to be lacking in safety, and 8% were found positively dangerous due to missing or faulty or disabled safety appliances or other factors. In mining and quarrying the inspections by the Mining Authority show that the majority of work equipment is outdated but their regular maintenance ensures compliance with technical and safety and health requirements. Modern work equipment is used in oil and natural gas extraction as well as in pipeline transport and gas distribution. 2.2.2. The distribution of employees in occupational health risk classes According to the classification by risks related to work stress and hazards present in the working environment, the situation varies by different sectors and activities. (The least favourable situation is present in Class "A" covering e.g. mining and smelting.) The distribution of employees in occupational health risk classes at the end of 1998 (similarly to the preceding year) was the following:
2.3. Human factors a) It is well known that the state of the health of the Hungarian population has become critical. Within Europe, the mortality rate of Hungarian males between 45 and 65 is second to the CIS countries holding the first place. With regard to tumor fatalities, Hungary has the worst mortality rate in the world among the 40 countries reporting to WHO, including even those third-world countries which have reliable statistical data. Life expectation at 30 is only 36,7 years. People at work are affected by physical, psychological and mental stress resulting from work and also by various (physical, chemical, biological, ergonomical and psycho-social) risk factors present in the working environment. Safety and health often has a subordinate place among the values of employers and employees. The tripartite mission of the International Labour Organization visiting Hungary in 1991-1992 described this in their report in words which are still relevant to a large degree to-day: "The general safety awareness is not yet very highly developed in the country. By comparison with the population in Western Europe, the factor “safety” ... does not rank high in working life... Whereas in Western European countries workers’ awareness for safety and health has continuously developed and today holds a very high rank, it was not possible to recognize even the beginnings of such a development in the Hungarian workers. ... In Western Europe nobody, not even an employer, can speak out openly against the necessity of comprehensive labour protection measures. In the present economic situation in Hungary, however, the employers are still far removed from such attitudes.” b) The above statement could include a significant proportion of employees as well. Workers' actions to-day are not aimed at improving their safety and health at work but at raising their wages. No industrial action in Hungary ever demanded specifically the elimination of unhealthy or dangerous working conditions. c) Employers and employees equally lack relevant occupational safety and health knowledge and information. Safety and health aspects have not yet been integrated into enterprise management or into education. 2.4. Occupational accident statistics a) Occupational accident figures have shown an apparently favourable trend in the last decade. From the mid-eighties, the absolute number of registered occupational accidents has been steadily decreasing. There were more than 80 thousand accidents at work in 1989 but only 28,668 in 1998. The reduction of high-risk work in heavy industry, the advent of unemployment (in other words, the reduction of the number of jobs and people in jobs) as well as the decrease of the intensity of production in many places, all contributed to the decrease of accidents. Data from the recent years (for employers inspected by OMMF) are shown below:
|
At the same time, workplace inspections have shown a deterioration of safety at work.
In the year 1998, for the first time in a decade, the steady decrease of the number of accidents stopped. This appears to indicate that the quickening of the economy will bring an increase in workplace hazards. The number of occupational accidents per 1000 people has not shown a significant change.
b) The trend of fatal occupational accidents has been different: while the absolute numbers, except for 1998, have decreased, the fatality rate has remained largely steady since 1991.
c) There is a need for caution if one wants to use accident statistics to judge the situation of occupational safety and health. OMMF conducted a nation-wide inspection campaign in 1995 to examine whether employers actually report occupational accidents as required. The results of that survey are still valid to-day: at least 25% of work accidents have not been reported. Consequently, the apparent decrease in the number of accidents is partly due to an increase in underreporting. One of the causes of underreporting is the heavy presence of illegal economy, but there are not even estimates for accidents at illicit work, except for a few serious or fatal ones. Self-employed people, i.e. one-person enterprises with no employees are not covered by occupational safety and health regulations at the present time, and consequently there is no information available about their accidents at work. In the area within the competence of the Mining Authority, however, underreporting of occupational accidents is not typical.
2.5. Trends in occupational diseases and increased exposures
Trends in occupational diseases and increased exposures can be considered as indicators of the effects of workplace hazards.
The number of reported occupational diseases per 10,000 employees was the following in 1996-1998:
|
Year |
Number of diseases |
Number of diseases per 10,000 employees |
Number of employees |
|
1996 |
719 |
3.0 |
2,365,000 |
|
1997 |
709 |
2.9 |
2,402,000 |
|
1998 |
691 |
3.0 |
2,351,000 |
The distribution of reported diseases per 10,000 employees among the most important industrial branches was the following:
|
Industrial branch |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
|
Mining |
28.8 |
35.8 |
57.4 |
|
Food industry |
6.0 |
4.2 |
4.8 |
|
Light industry |
1.9 |
1.5 |
1.7 |
|
Chemical industry |
4.6 |
5.7 |
7.9 |
|
Construction materials |
6.7 |
7.0 |
8.6 |
|
Processing |
7.3 |
8.1 |
12.0 |
|
Manufacture of machinery |
11.2 |
10.5 |
5.1 |
|
Electric energy |
4.6 |
6.8 |
7.1 |
No comparison is possible between these figures and the rates registered in the EU Member States because of the differences – despite the similarity of the list of occupational diseases since 1996 – in the definition of diseases, in the system of examination and approval of claims following notification, and in compensation.
>From among the occupational diseases frequently notified in Hungary, hearing impairment caused by noise is also the first on the list in the EU Member States, followed by infectious diseases and skin diseases of occupational origin; on the other hand, occupational asthma and musculo-skeletal diseases attributable to ergonomic factors are rarely notified in Hungary, probably because neither of these diseases (disease groups) are compensated.
Some occupational diseases can be effectively prevented through monitoring increased exposures. Increased exposure is not a disease yet, just an indication of increased risk. If the employer takes measures at this stage, occupational diseases can be avoided. Hungary was the first country in the world to set up a legal requirement in 1981 for the notification of increased exposures.
Notified cases of increased exposure per 10,000 employees were the following:
|
Year |
Number of cases |
Cases per 10,000 employees |
Number of employees |
|
1996 |
958 |
4.0 |
2,365,000 |
|
1997 |
1161 |
4.8 |
2,402,000 |
|
1998 |
1156 |
4.9 |
2,351,000 |
No comparison is possible between these data and the situation in the EU Member States because the requirement of Directive 98/24/EU for a similar notification system will come into effect only in 2002.
2.6. The legal regulation of occupational safety and health
a) The legal regulation of occupational safety and health and its institutions is based primarily on the Constitution of the Republic of Hungary and the Labour Protection Act (Act XCIII of 1993). Act CLIV of 1997 on Public Health, Act XI of 1991 on the National Public Health Service, and Act XLVIII of 1993 on Mining also have a special importance for occupational safety and health. The role of the State is of a primary importance because of its functions. Control by the State is bifold: functional regulation throughout the national economy, and branch regulation for certain branches or activities.
b) The system of legal regulation of occupational safety and health is almost fully harmonized with the acquis of European Union; harmonization will be completed in 2002.
c) Most of the important international occupational safety and health conventions, with a few exceptions, have been ratified by Hungary.
2.7. Public bodies for occupational safety and health
a) According to the Act on Labour Protection, functions of the State in this respect are the responsibility of Parliament and the Government; the Minister of Social and Family Affairs and the Hungarian Labour Inspectorate (OMMF) under his/her supervision; the Minister of Health and the National Public Health Service (ÁNTSZ) under his/her supervision; and the Minister of Economy and the Hungarian Mining Office under his/her supervision. With regard to safety, there is also an important role played by the Technical Supervisory Authority under the supervision of the Minister of Economy. With regard to the armed forces and bodies, supervision and control of occupational safety and health is exercised by the competent minister.
b) Legal regulation treats the two traditional pillars of safety and health within one integrated approach. The executive authorities responsible for supervision and control, on the other hand, are separated. Enforcement is performed by the three distinct organizations of ÁNTSZ [the Public Health Service], OMMF [the Labour Inspectorate] and MBH [the Mining Authority]. These authorities, in accordance with the different occupational safety or health requirements under their control, necessarily have different priorities, inspection targets, and working methods.
2.8. Representation and reconciliation of interests in occupational safety and health
Institutions for the representation and reconciliation of interests in occupational safety and health have been functioning at national and enterprise level since the Labour Protection Act came into effect [4]. At the national level, the tripartite national Labour Protection Committee established by the Act has broad rights, working under its own rules of procedure. The Committee has no separate resources for its work. Its operation has been perceived to be dysfunctional in some recent cases when a few departmental decrees bypassed the Committee, partly because of the accelerated EU harmonization process.
At the enterprise level, employees have a statutory right since 1994 to elect workplace safety and health representatives. This institution has been growing steadily, particularly in workplaces where trade unions have contributed in stimulating a demand for the institutionalized representation of interests in occupational safety and health. The proper functioning and protection of the representatives is guaranteed by law.
3. Strategic Principles
The strategy of the Program is based on the realization of the following coequal and interconnected principles:
3.1. The principle of sustainable development
Modernization, the growth of performance and productivity in manufacture and in services should only be pursued in a sustainable manner. Economic development should not exploit human resources in such a manner and to such a degree that the resulting deficiencies could impede further development. Consequently, measures taken to protect safety and health at work and to minimize workplace risks are strategic elements of sustainable development, protecting human resources.
3.2. The principle of prudence
The increasing diversity of work activities, the utilization of new and more complex production systems and technologies lead to more and higher risks. In every case when the possibility of serious or irreversible impairment to health cannot be excluded, risks should be minimized by applying the principle of prudence: when in doubt, prepare for the worst possible outcome and for the highest conceivable risks and their prevention or management. Typical examples are the risks arising from dangerous chemicals, biological hazards and nuclear technologies.
3.3. The principle of prevention
Sustainable development and the reduction of risks to socially acceptable levels requires the operation of the fundamental principle of prevention: occupational safety and health in every area and at every level should aim chiefly at the timely prevention of hazards as opposed to the subsequent management of their effects, in order to effectively protect human life, safety and health. At the same time occupational safety and health should support technological development and the propagation of environment-friendly products.
3.4. The principle of partnership
The establishment and functioning of modern occupational safety and health needs an establishment of partnerships among all actors involved, each of whom should create suitable conditions for the others to be able to perform their duties in cooperation. This partnership, while based on precisely demarcated responsibilities, should involve the efficient and continuous cooperation of government bodies and authorities and the representative organizations of employers and employees as well as the related areas connected to occupational safety and health and the world of work, such as fire protection, environmental protection, technical safety, public health, social security, standardization, product safety, consumer protection etc.
4. Strategic Goals
4.1. As a strategic goal of occupational safety and health it should be ensured that s hort-term and long-term risks at work do not exceed socially acceptable levels. For this purpose, government regulation and control should be used to help establish the conditions for safe and healthy work.
4.2. To reach this strategic goal it is necessary –
- to eliminate existing unfavourable working conditions or to reduce their effects;
- to prevent the reproduction of unfavourable working conditions;
- to identify and prevent new hazards and risks arising in the world of work with technical, economic and social change.
4.3. It is an essential public economic interest –
- to reduce the number and severity of occupational accidents;
- to reduce the extent and severity of ill-health caused by or related to work or the working environment;
- to establish a working environment conducive to physical and psycho-social well-being.
5. Actions To Reach The Goals
5.1. Employers should have a more direct financial stake in safety and health at work. For this purpose –
a) a separate insurance system [branch] should be established for occupational accidents and diseases;
b) within this separate insurance system, a graded system of premiums should be established where contributions, based on an appropriate hazard (risk) classification, will be proportional to risks at work and will also depend on the incidence of occupational accidents and diseases.
5.2. Once the separate insurance system is established and operational,
a) occupational safety and health requirements and the insurance system should be extended with appropriate differentiation to cover the self-employed [one-person enterprises];
b) the compensation system of occupational diseases should be modified. Currently, approximately one-third of notifiable occupational diseases are classified as compensable. This leads to an unreasonable and professionally unjustified discrimination between the two kinds of occupational diseases, non-compensable ones often remaining unreported.
5.3. Within the area of occupational safety and health, there is a need for –
a) a full and ongoing harmonization of legislation with the European Union,
b) conformity between international instruments and domestic regulations,
c) internal consistence of domestic legislation within occupational safety and health as well as between occupational safety and health and related areas,
d) a revision and correction, if necessary, of the legislation in every five years.
5.4. To improve the protection of the safety and health of people at work it is necessary, in the long run –
a) to increase the multidisciplinary character and to improve the professional standard of occupational health services; an essential condition for this is high-standard training and retraining and the creation of an effective quality assurance system;
b) to create an efficient system of cooperation between occupational health services and family physicians to improve the detection of work-related ill-health, and to follow the later history of workers suffering occupational diseases or increased exposures;
c) to base the work of governmental occupational safety and health inspection and of occupational health services primarily on accredited laboratories;
d) to create a national register of risks and hazards related to work and the working environment in order to improve the effectiveness of prevention and to stimulate risk management;
e) to strengthen the institutional capacity for research in occupational safety and health;
f) taking into account the Hungarian occupational safety and health situation, regularly to review and determine the areas where, after establishing priorities, epidemiological studies are needed, and to launch short- and medium-term occupational safety and health research programs aimed at the prevention of occupational diseases;
g) to create a complex and efficient system of occupational rehabilitation to utilize the remaining working capacity of employees. In order to stimulate the further employment of unemployed people with changed abilities, there is a need to create cooperation between occupational health services and public employment services.
5.5. Measures should be taken to improve the system of occupational safety and health education and training. There is a need, in particular –
a) to review the implementation educational requirements of occupational safety and health in the everyday practice of higher education, and to take the necessary measures to give proper emphasis to occupational safety and health,
b) to improve the education, training and retraining of occupational health professionals and to perfect education methods including up-to-date training for specialist doctors and nurses, occupational hygienists and occupational health inspectors,
c) to establish a system of systemic education for persons with intermediate or higher certificates in occupational safety and health to offer them a chance of professional graduation, with the concurrent revision of occupational safety and health curricula,
d) to maintain present postgraduate training schemes while reinforcing their character and revising their occupational safety and health curricula,
e) to develop schemes whereby persons with secondary-school education and outstanding professional experience could obtain a professional degree by meeting well-defined requirements,
f) to support the further training of professionals in safety and health and occupational health care.
5.6. In order to ensure that short-term and long-term risks at work do not exceed socially acceptable levels, there is a need –
a) to reduce risks related to the production, transport, handling and elimination of dangerous chemicals and preparations (including pesticides), chiefly by information, supervision and registration (notification, registry of dangerous chemicals etc.) and risk evaluation;
b) to improve primary prevention and to reduce workplace exposure, primarily of human carcinogens (including asbestos and vinyl chloride monomer), allergens and noise;
c) to improve the registration of occupational diseases by ensuring notification, investigation and proper actions for new types of illnesses (non-optimal stress, increased mental stress, backaches etc.);
d) to give priority to the registration of certain work-related illnesses (principally respiratory, circulatory and neuro-psychiatric diseases) within the epidemiological registration of non-infectious diseases to support prevention;
e) to improve safety at work on construction sites, in assembly work and in maintenance, particularly by technical safeguards, education and training, work organization, increased supervision, advice and awareness campaigns;
f) to increase preventative activities against fatal accidents caused by toxic gases or asphyxiation;
g ) to reduce the special risks of small or one-person enterprises and small farming by –
-education and training,
-media programs,
-operating an advisory network,
-creating and operating sector-specific health protection programs.
5.7. There is a need to review the legitimacy of extra payments connected to workplace safety and health and, without injury to the rights of the workers involved, consistently to apply the principle that compliance with the requirements of safety and health at work shall not be redeemed, replaced or compensated by money or other means by the employer.[5]
5.8. For the implementation of the Program in practice it is necessary –
a) to create a public information system of occupational safety and health, with special regard to small and medium-sized enterprises, to provide quick, relevant, professional and inexpensive information on safety and health at work to workers and employers;
b) to provide complex multidisciplinary information on safety and health at work to middle and senior management with a view to prevention;
c) to support occupational safety and health research and development from public resources;
d) in budgetary planning to separate occupational safety and health tasks within the elementary budgets of ministries and other governmental bodies at the national level.
5.9. In order to raise the level and improve the efficiency of governmental supervision there is a need to increase labour inspection capacity both in occupational safety and in occupational health; to ensure the material conditions necessary for modern labour inspection; to create a governmental information system suitable for the registration and monitoring of working conditions and risks; and to improve the professional training, retraining and systemic cooperation of inspectors.
5.10. Financing of the tasks under the Program should include, in addition to the national budget –
a) a designated proportion of the Labour Market Fund, the Health Insurance Fund and the Pension Insurance Fund;
b) international assistance;
c) other, earmarked budgetary supports and tendered resources;
d) support from civil organizations.
5.11. The election of safety and health representatives should be facilitated; their training, continuous information and legal protection under labour law should be ensured. A review should be made to examine whether there is any professional justification for making the election of safety and health representatives mandatory at employers with more than 50 employees.
- [1] - We have stategies and principles and goals and programs, we even have politics, but there is no exact equivalent of "policy" in the Hungarian language
