OiRA : an online risk assessment tool
Proper risk assessment is the key to healthy workplaces. However, carrying out risk assessments can be quite challenging, particularly for micro and small enterprises (MSEs), which may lack the resources or the occupational safety and health (OSH) know-how to do so effectively.
OiRA (Online interactive Risk Assessment) aims to overcome this. It is the first initiative at EU level to encourage European MSEs to assess their risks.
OiRA is a web platform, developed and maintained by the EU OSHA Agency, that enables the creation of sectoral risk assessment tools in any language in an easy and standardised way.
Around 120 online OiRA tools are already available for use. They are tailored to 60 activity sectors (3 exist already in the construction sector : in Belgium, Bulgaria and Slovenia) and occupations and can be used in at least 15 countries. Many more are under development.
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FIEC at BIM Summit Barcelona
FIEC TEC President Kjetil Tonning will moderate a session during the BIM Summit Barcelona later this week. He will host the BIM Builders and Contractors debate. Before introducing the speakers, he will talk briefly about the challenges presented by BIM and the opportunities it offers to support some of the EU’s current major policies, such as the Circular Economy and climate change.
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FIEC welcomes the European Parliament’s support for the extension of the Juncker Plan
On 15th May, Parliamentarians from the Economic and Monetary Affairs and the Budgets Committees backed the extension of the European Fund for Strategic Investment (“EFSI 2.0”). The EFSI plays an important role in financing – amongst others – infrastructure projects in the field of transport and energy, as well as building projects (i.e. energy efficiency of buildings).Considering the current investment gap in Europe, FIEC has been very supportive of the Juncker Investment Plan from the very beginning. In particular, FIEC welcomes the Parliament’s greater emphasis on market failures and projects with a higher risk profile (= additionality principle). The proposal to safeguard the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) budget line, as well as “Horizon 2020”, the funding of small projects via investment platforms and the support for further deployment of technical assistance in regions which need it the most are also applauded. The Parliament also decided to earmark 40% of the EFSI public guarantee for the fight against climate change, but considered at the same time that motorways should remain eligible under certain conditions.FIEC regrets however that the Parliament’s draft legislative resolution does not reflect the need for greater budgetary flexibility when Member States contribute to financing EFSI projects.
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