Spain to clamp down on workplace accidents

WITH BRITISH OCCUPATIONAL ACCIDENT figures under scrutiny following an increase in deaths at work last year, the experience of our EU partners is worthy of examination. Ireland has already reversed its US-style voluntary approach due to worsening statistics (see issue 35) but now Spain has adopted a concerted plan to reduce work accidents by 25% to the present EU average.
A series of agreements between the social partners has been concluded which includes a new law on subcontracting (see issue 30). In 2006 about 1 million accidents were reported in the country, one thousand being fatal. The worst sector was construction where the accident rate was running at about twice that of the Community as a whole. It is no coincidence that construction, comprising 12% of Spain’s economy and employing 2.6 million workers, is also the industry in which sub-contracting dominates. Under the legislation 30% of employees of sub-contractors must be on permanent contracts by 2010, only one level of subcontracting will be allowed for labour-intensive work (no sub-contracting by sub-contractors) and a register must be kept at all building sites listing the companies operating there.
Another focus of the health and safety plan will be on small businessses (SMEs) which show up strongly in the accident statistics. As well as providing technical support to firms with less than ten workers, the government will institute a novel system of variable social security contributions which will reward companies with good safety records by reducing their payments. The minister of labour, Jésus Caldera, has promised special monitoring of those businesses which continue to have poor safety records, investigation of every accident and prosecution ‘with the maximum rigour’ of those thought to be criminally responsible.
Unions, employers and government have also agreed to negotiate the creation of health and safety organisations in all sectors of the economy to raise awareness of occupational hazards. They will target companies with between 6 and 50 employees where there is no trade union. Other deals between the social partners will define a new list of occupational illnesses and the procedures for declaring them and improve training, requiring firms to keep a record. Overall, one hundred measures have been agreed which aim to develop a culture of risk prevention in Spanish society.

Chinese toy import recall prompts EU product safety review
AFTER THREE MAJOR PRODUCT RECALLS by Mattel, the world’s biggest toy manufacturer, as well as Hasbro and RC2 the EU Commission has announced a re-think on its consumer product safety measures.  Over 20 million items, including well-known brands such as Barbie, Dora the Explorer and Thomas the Tank Engine, made in Chinese factories, were pulled from shops due to excessive amounts of lead paint and small magnets which can be swallowed by young children. Meglena Kuneva, the Consumer Affairs Commissioner announced the review although previously a relaxation of EU product monitoring was thought likely.		The commissioner made it clear that ‘The rules must be applied from the assembly line to the checkout till’. After visiting China over the summer Ms. Kuneva believes that the RAPEX rapid alert system can be made to work by the authorities there but warned MEPs not to water down existing standards, ‘We cannot risk at this time to take a step backwards’ she said. However Richard Howitt, a Socialist MEP thought that ‘The reaction of Mattel … really is exposing the deep flaws that exist in the system of testing, monitoring and quality assurance’. Commenting on the companies corporate social responsibility policies, he went on ‘The fact that they are now being forced to send monitors into shops shows how redundant all these promises were’. The commissioner will report back before the EU-China summit in November.
	Beijing shoppers compare Barbie products as they disappear from Western stores