Atlantic Alliance makes H&S top priority

The sixth meeting of the Atlantic Alliance in Brussels in October is aiming to bring together health and safety specialists and best practice from around the world

Health & Safety is a top priority for the 2886 European Aggregates Association (UEPG) which is why the organisation is playing a key role in an upcoming global safety conference. On 20 and 21 October this year Brussels will be hosting the sixth 2966 Atlantic Alliance meeting and bring together top extractive industry health and safety specialists from around the world.

According to the 962 UEPG, better health and improved safety for employees which combine to give a more efficient work process at lower cost is a win-win situation. In order to work towards the ultimate target of 'zero harm', the UEPG has said that projects must go beyond what is required by planners or regulators and the Atlantic Alliance is an essential part of this strategy.

The Atlantic Alliance is now a biannual event that was founded by safety organisations in US, UK, Germany and Ireland and is now held alternately in the US and Europe. The UEPG organises the European event with strong support from the UEPG's Belgian Member, FEDIEX, and the Mining Section of the International Social Security Association (ISSA-Mining).

Design focus

The title of this year's event is 'Global Perspectives on Safety and Health' and will also focus on the Safer by Design project (ABE, July/Aug 2010, health and safety feature).

The UEPG signed up to support the Safer by Design project earlier this year and will be using the Atlantic Alliance to promote the initiative to a wider audience. The organisation has said that it is a ground breaking project that will reduce injuries and ill-health attributable to inadequate attention to health and safety in mobile plant design. Research by the project has shown that even though meeting international safety standards and the requirements of the EU Machinery Directive, a significant proportion of injuries involving mobile plant on mineral producing and processing sites are due to poor design.

User companies and mobile plant manufacturers have co-operated in helping to identify key safety features on mobile plant that represent best practice. The features have been combined into voluntary guidance which recommends core safety requirements for loaders, bulldozers, excavators, dump trucks, mobile crushers and screens.

Specialist speakers

 The UEPG has said that an impressive array of international speakers will be presenting the latest in health and safety best practice from around the world at the forthcoming conference. Drawn from the senior ranks of a wide range of stakeholders in health and safety, the event is divided into three sessions. The aim of the conference is to permit delegates to participate in the debate concerning the direction, nature and pace of future of specific health and safety developments affecting the global aggregates industry.

Dr Alexandra Jour-Schroeder, head of unit, Mechanical, Electrical and Telecom Equipment, from DG Enterprise has been invited to initiate the first session on 'International Convergence', with M. Joseph A. Main, assistant secretary of labour for the US's 2968 Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) concluding this session.

The second session focuses on 'Safe Machinery' and will include presentations from Professor Tim Horberry from the 3628 University of Queensland, Australia, representing the 2969 Earth Moving Equipment Safety Round Table (ESMERT) initiative, and Tara J Cox from 395 Caterpillar.

The final session will be on 'Key SHE Perspectives' and will include a talk by Professor Vladimir Rodin, Labour Safety Scientific Research Institute, Yekaterinburg, Russia who is an expert in personal protective equipment use in extreme cold conditions.