Occupational Health in the Basque Country Autonomous Region. O.S.A.L.A.N.-Basque Institute for Occupational Health and Safety Institute

Abstract

O.S.A.L.A.N.-Instituto Vasco de Seguridad y Salud Laborales is an autonomous administrative body depending on the Basque Govemment, ascribed to the Dept. of Justice, Economy, Work and Social Security, which is in charge of managing the general Occupational Health policies in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country. Its objectives are: - To promote an ongoing improvement in Safety and Occupational Health for al1 the workers in the Basque Autonomous Region, through the management of programmes in matters affecting safety, hygiene, the environment and occupational health. - To co-ordinate and concentrate the different activities related to occupational health, unifying and giving coherente to the functions which were previously the jurisdiction of different departments. - Making companies aware of national and E.U. regulations, taking the measures that are set out by the European Directives and the Prevention of Occupational Hazards Act and the rest of the employment regulations, establishing the training and information channels required for promoting and applying these in the companies. It acts: - From an overa11 perspective as regards the Prevention of Occupational Hazards, thanks to co-ordination with al1 the disciplines involved, applying a multi-disciplinary treatment to the study of each and every one of the occupational hazard factors, which is aimed at the prevention of risks at their source. - Providing companies with the ideal means for managing the safety and health of their workers. Promoting the implementation of systems which guarantee an ongoing improvement in occupational safety and health in the companies of the Basque Autonomous Region. Providing the technical and research sup port that makes it possible to tackle prevention efhciently. The provision established in the Creation Act (O.S.A.L.A.N.) should also be mentioned, as regards its application in Public Administration and the tield of social economy, which was later endorsed and ratified through inclusion in the recent Prevention of Occupational Hazards Act.