Wednesday, December 13, 2023, 01:03
Safe environments are highly valued in any field, especially in the workplace, where it plays a greater role in the time a person spends working. It is estimated that, on average, an employee spends 12 years of their life working, second only to sleeping (26 years), according to a study by 'The World of Statistics'. Hence, a preventive culture is not only essential for the safety and health of workers, but also brings with it a series of significant advantages, such as greater commitment and increased productivity.
In the Region of Murcia, important steps are being taken in this area, as can be seen from the data from the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy, which shows that in the first nine months of this year there was a decrease of 40.5% of the number of deaths in work accidents compared to the same period in 2022.
Thanks to the good practices of natural and legal persons, who stand out both for the effectiveness and operability of their actions in the field of occupational risk prevention and for contributing to the implementation of effective preventive systems in the Autonomous Community, the regional awards Antonio Ruiz Giménez surrendered on Monday in an event that took place at the Archaeological Museum of Murcia.
«Demand ourselves more»
The Muñoz y Pujante company received the award for the career or best performance in the prevention of occupational risks for companies with less than 50 workers, for its policy to preserve the safety and health of all workers through training actions in risk prevention work, an internal communication plan for the fluid transmission of information among all its members, a procedure for action in various emergency situations and its commitment to zero tolerance for any circumstance of workplace harassment: psychological, sexual and based on sex, to through the 'Canal Alerta' performance.
The vice president of Croem, José Hernández, presented the award to the company's manager, Manuel José Muñoz, who reiterated his determined commitment to raising awareness among his staff about the importance of preventing occupational risks. “I really insist that we do it well and raise enough awareness, because if people do not perceive it as theirs, there may be an unnecessary risk,” he stressed, adding that this award “motivates us to demand more from ourselves.” In this regard, he said that his commitment to this issue is rooted in a personal experience: seeing how his cousins grew up without a father after dying in a work accident. He also highlighted that one of his star policies, when he took over management three years ago, was to create a pleasant and motivating environment by managing psychosocial risks. “It is a shame not to support these psychosocial measures,” he said, encouraging his business colleagues.
Be better prepared
For its commitment to the integration of the occupational risk prevention management system through different activities, such as health initiatives, safety circles, training in leadership skills, noise reduction program, segregation plan for forklifts and people , mobility plan, work equipment acquisition policy, etc., the award for track record or best performance in terms of occupational risk prevention for companies with 50 or more workers went to Eviosys Embalajes España.
“The training, participation and communication of our workers and managers are a fundamental pillar in our strategy, putting at their disposal an essential tool to be better prepared,” said Estanislao Martínez, Director of Operations at Eviosys Iberia, when collecting the recognition. which was presented to him by the Secretary of Occupational Health of CC OO Region of Murcia, Juan Blázquez, and the Secretary of Occupational Health of UGT-RM, Encarna del Baño. «At Eviosys, safety and health come first, integrating prevention at all levels, continuously improving our work centers, creating safer and healthier environments, developing a committed safety culture and enhancing the leadership of all workers with the objective of converting the prevention of occupational risks into added value,” he explained.
Commendable work
Víctor Marín, Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Employment, presented the special jury prize to Diego Martínez Rafecas, former territorial director of the Labor and Social Security Inspection of Murcia – a position he held from 2012 until his retirement in 2021 -, as recognition of his professional career and his outstanding work and contribution in the dissemination of labor legislation and, above all, the prevention of occupational risks. “I do not recognize any merit,” he said humbly, adding that “everything I have done throughout my professional life has been believing that it was my obligation as a public servant. Advising and informing has been something as important as supervising compliance with the rules, because one thing without the other cannot be carried out successfully.
He also dedicated words of affection to Antonio Ruiz Giménez, with whom “I was lucky enough to share time”: “He has left an indelible mark”; and he closed his intervention by sending a message to the trident formed by companies, workers and administrations, because “there is still much to do.” «Companies have to integrate prevention into their activities at the same level as profitability and productivity, workers must accept the training they are given as an improvement in their professional qualification, and administrations must continue to encourage policies that improve measures. preventive,” he argued.
Objective 0 accidents
Moderated by journalist Carmen Parens, the event was opened by the vice president of Croem, who showed the employers' concern and concern for the preventive culture: “We will not be satisfied as long as there is a single worker who suffers a work accident,” although more than 99 % of cases are mild. For this reason, he insisted that “we will continue working and rowing intensely towards the goal of 0 accidents and for the Region of Murcia to be an example to follow in terms of occupational risk prevention practices.”
The winners
Award for career or best performance in occupational risk prevention for companies with less than 50 workers
Successors of Muñoz and Pujante
The vice president of Croem, José Hernández, presented the award to Manuel José Muñoz, manager of the Sucesores de Muñoz y Pujante company.
Award for career or best performance in occupational risk prevention for companies with 50 or more workers
Eviosys Packaging Spain
Estanislao Martínez, Director of Operations at Eviosys Iberia, receives the award and poses flanked by the Secretary of Occupational Health of UGT-RM, Encarna del Baño, and the Secretary of Occupational Health of CC OO in the Region of Murcia, Juan Blázquez.
Special Jury Award
Diego Martínez Rafecas
Víctor Marín, Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Employment, presents his award to Diego Martínez Rafecas, former territorial director of the Labor and Social Security Inspection of Murcia.
Next, Antonio Jiménez, general secretary of the UGT Region of Murcia, who recorded a video, called it “essential” to have “a guaranteeing regulatory framework, as well as a Labor and Social Security Inspection that has sufficient staff and resources.” ». Likewise, he urged companies to “set an example in scrupulous compliance with preventive obligations, comprehensively evaluate risks, invest in protective equipment and mechanisms, and have effective health surveillance.” “Prevention is the main tool we have in our hands to combat the scourge of workplace accidents,” he summarized.
For his part, Juan Blázquez assured that “it is very difficult to find companies in which we truly see a preventive vocation” and thanked the work of the protection cabinets, the technicians and the delegates “who, on occasion, put their position at risk.” “I work to defend the health and safety of workers.”
Year of improvements
The turn of interventions was closed by counselor Víctor Marín, who highlighted the urgency of continuing to promote training and prevention actions to improve the safety and health of our workers and reduce accidents, “because it is not a trivial issue, but rather saving lives”. Thus, he announced that the regional Government will approve in the coming weeks the Occupational Health and Safety Strategy 2024-2028, “a project carried out together with employers and union organizations with more than 120 measures aimed at making work environments more healthy, safe and healthy.
Along these lines, he mentioned the implementation of the Activities Plan of the Occupational Health and Safety Institute, the dissemination campaigns for the prevention of occupational risks and the Plan to Fight the Irregular Economy of the regional Executive. “The goal is to move towards excellence in occupational risk prevention,” she added, and then put the emphasis on educating in prevention from school. He exemplified this with the 'Grow in Safety' contest, which his Ministry convenes every year to raise awareness among fifth-grade Primary Education students.
The 'Antonio Ruiz Giménez' awards are organized by the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Employment, through the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, and have the collaboration of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage.
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