ISSA, 03.11.2009 | News

The Düsseldorf Statement, witnessed by Hans Horst Konkolewsky (left), ISSA Secretary General; Sameera Al-Tuwaijiri, Director ILO SafeWork; and Dae-Yul Choi, Director General of KOSHA

The enterprises and networks represented at the high-level meeting signed the “Düsseldorf Statement” in support of the objectives of the Seoul Declaration on Safety and Health at Work, which is an international reference point for a preventative occupational safety and health culture, launched in 2008.    

Convened by the International Social Security Association (ISSA) in collaboration with the International Labour Office and the Korea Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA), the event was the latest in a series of initiatives in support of a preventative safety and health culture.

Towards a movement for a culture of prevention

Addressing the participants at the high-level meeting, the ISSA’s Secretary General, Hans-Horst Konkolewsky, said that the signing marked a symbolic stage in building a “community of organizations and companies, and a step towards a movement for a culture of prevention”.

Mr. Konkolewsky called on the companies and institutions present to encourage others to commit to the principles of the Seoul Declaration, and he announced the creation of a new Website
( www.seouldeclaration.org) to mobilize support.    

The high-level meeting involved representatives of sixteen companies, trade unions, and occupational safety and health-related bodies, and included a representative of the World Health Organization. The meeting took place in the context of the ILO’s International Safety Conference and the A+A Safety and Health Trade Fair, involving participants from over 60 countries, in Düsseldorf, Germany, 3-6 November 2009.    

Sameera Al-Tuwaijiri, Director of ILO’s SafeWork programme that organized the International Safety Conference, emphasized that the Seoul Declaration had been envisioned as a tool to raise occupational safety and health higher on the global political agenda, and she welcomed the involvement of new stakeholders from diverse sectors to give impetus and long-term commitment to occupational safety.

The European Forum for the Seoul Declaration

A range of safety and health specialists discussed the implementation of the Seoul Declaration during the European Forum that followed the signing ceremony, and outlined some of the diverse initiatives in support of its objectives.

Among other projects, the regional government of the Canary Islands confirmed plans for an International Observatory for Preventative Culture with the involvement of the ILO, the ISSA and other partners.    

Dae-Yul Choi, Director General of KOSHA, described the Seoul Declaration as “the world’s first OSH global charter”, and reiterated the commitment of his agency to implement the Seoul Declaration.    

The European Forum and the Düsseldorf Statement are the latest in a series of events organized in support of the Seoul Declaration, and further initiatives are planned by the Joint Secretariat, jointly run by the ISSA, the ILO and KOSHA.

The signatories of the Düsseldorf Statement in support of the Seoul Declaration:

Bernd Siegemund  CEO  B.A.D GmbH & Team Prevent Group, Germany    

Philippe de Buck  Director General  Business Europe Health and Safety Working Group    

Erik Brandsma  Vice President  Responsible Management   E.ON, Germany

Peter Coyle  Director of Operations  Energy Networks Association  United Kingdom

Ulrike Bollmann  European Network Education and Training in Occupational Safety and Health, Germany    

Giancarlo Bianchi  Chairman  European Network of Safety and Health Professional Organisations

Karl Kuhn  Chairman  European Network for Workplace Health Promotion    

Walter Cerfeda  Confederal Secretary  European Trade Union Confederation    

Marie-Chantal Blandin  Presidency  European Forum of Insurances against Accidents at Work and Occupational Diseases    

Thomas Siekmann  Chief Safety Engineer  Hella KGaA Hueck & Co.  Germany    

Norbert Breutmann  Chair of the Commission for Occupational Health and Safety and Standardization, Germany

Joachim Schäfer  Managing Director  Messe Düsseldorf  Germany    

Eleftheria Lehmann  General Director  NRW Institute of Health and Work Germany    

Horst Otto  Head of Occupational  Philips Deutschland GmbH  Germany    

Axel Stepken  CEO and President  TÜV SÜD AG  Germany    

Maria Neira  Director, Department of Public Health and Environment  World Health Organization

Download

Düsseldorf Statement [ 2Dusseldorf-statement.pdf 233.00 kB ]

Related

Website of the Seoul Declaration on Safety and Health at Work >>

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Photos from the European Forum meeting and the ILO International Safety Conference (Düsseldorf)

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