Why the OiRA project?
Proper risk assessment is the key to healthy workplaces. Yet carrying out risk assessments can be quite challenging, particularly for micro and small enterprises which may lack the resources or the occupational safety and health know-how to do so effectively.
The OiRA project aims to overcome this, as first initiative at EU level to encourage European micro and small-sized enterprises (mainly via Member States and social partners at EU and at Member State level) to assess their risks.
Developed by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, OiRA – Online interactive Risk Assessment – is an easy-to-use and cost-free web application that can help micro and small organisations to put in place a step-by-step risk assessment process – starting with the identification and evaluation of workplace risks, through to the decision making and implementation of preventative actions, to monitoring and reporting.
The OiRA tool is based on the successful Dutch Risk Assessment instrument (called RI&E) which now exists in more than 172 sectoral variants each tailor-made to the needs of its particular sector. Thus it is built upon a successful predecessor at a national level.
Who can participate in the OiRA project?
- Sectoral Social Partners at EU or national level (employers’ and employees’ organisations).
- EU/National authority (Ministries, Labour Inspectorates, OSH institutes, etc.) who may request a “Country Manager account” allowing the creation and management of all the sectoral tools created in that country.
Information for Non-EU countries and international organisations
How will OiRA be disseminated?
The Agency will promote the OiRA tools/project among its intermediaries by:
- Providing general information about the OiRA project and how to develop the specific OiRA tools.
- Presenting the OiRA tool at the Agency’s national Focal Points to promote the tool at Member State level.
- Presenting OiRA at conferences, seminars, the EU social dialogue plenary meetings, in relevant DGs of the Commission, etc.
It is up to the Agency’s intermediaries to set up their promotion strategy to promote and disseminate their OiRA tools. The Agency will help them to put in place their strategy and will provide:
- A guide on how to disseminate the tool presenting different strategies illustrated by practical case studies
- Agency resources to promote the tools once published at Member State level.
What are OiRA’s objectives and what can it achieve?
- At European level:
- To increase the number of micro and small enterprises in Europe assessing and managing their occupational risks
- To contribute (by proper risk assessment) to reducing the number of occupational accidents and diseases and improving working conditions
- To help (by proper risk assessment) enterprises to become more competitive (from cutting costs arising from occupation accidents and illness, reducing rates of sick leave etc)
- At national/sectoral level:
- To put practical OiRA tools at the disposal of micro and small organisations through their websites and promote their use
- To contribute to the national objective of reducing the number of occupational diseases and accidents by putting at the disposal of the enterprises the OiRA tool
- At company level:
- To ensure the health and safety of workers (general duty of employers, enterprises) by applying the OiRA tool at company/at shop floor level thereby putting in place the risk assessment process
- To demystify the process of risk assessment
- To improve working conditions by using the tool to assess their occupational risks, thus improving the performance of the companies