Download Excellent Practice in Internal Control Application

Title:
Excellent Practice in Internal Control Application
Health programme area(s):
Health Promotion
Priority areas:
Promote healthier ways of life and reduce major diseases and injury by tacking health
determinants
Information about organization:
The primary task of the Institute is to conduct research and development activities and
provide expertise on health hazards arising from occupational and environmental exposure
to noxious agents. The multidisciplinary nature of the research performed at NIOM makes it
possible to solve complex problems of the work environment and workers health. The Nofer
Institute promotes healthy lifestyles among Polish workers with the main goal of improving
the quality of life and having a positive impact on workers'' health, work environment and
work capability. It has been involved in post-graduate training, editorial activities, and
regulatory activities with respect to occupational safety and health and environmental health
hazards. It is thanks to the impressive scope and extent of its activities as well as the
professional qualifications of the staff and the technical capacity that NIOM is a unique
institution for occupational health research in Poland and within the Central and Eastern
European region. The major research areas of NIOM comprise occupational medicine,
environmental health, public health, occupational hygiene, radiation protection, occupational
pathology, prevention of occupational and work-related diseases with special regard to
occupational allergy, diagnostics and treatment of acute poisonings. Toxicology, including
toxicometry, toxicity assessment of chemicals and methodology of exposure assessment of
chemical hazards in the work environment. Epidemiology of occupational diseases and other
health effects of exposure to physical, chemical and psychosocial hazards. Assessment of
health risk from environmental exposure to hazardous agents, physiology, psychology,
sociology of work and ergonomics, and health promotion in workplace. The Institute also
deals with management and economics of occupational health services and health-based
criteria of vocational selection and capability for work.
Health Policy Department (HPD) has been involved in several projects dealing with
organization of health care system in Poland (especially occupational health services), also
health policy, legislation and economics in the field of occupational health and safety. It is an
addressee of asks for expertise from various entities, including ministries (especially Ministry
of Health), inspection bodies, enterprises. Recent projects in which HPD participated as a
lead unit:
1. Project MATRA “Redefinition of the responsibilities of the Ministry of Health for
occupational health services in Poland”
2. Improvements in functioning of a system of stating about disability; financed by the
PHARE Project (part of the PHARE Project “Socio-vocational activation of disabled people”)
3. Empowerment of Occupational Medicine Service in the field of care after disabled
employee
4. Economic Dimension of Occupational Safety and Health (ECOSH) – NIOM is one of
partners in this project, which will finish in the end of 2009
Summary:
The project "Excellent Practice in Internal Control Application" (EPICA) will focus on finding
good practices in the field of internal control of working condition processes that are used in
enterprises. Internal control of working conditions may be considered as an important issue
in securing safe and healthy working environment in an enterprise, thus contributing to better
safety and health of workers. The synonym of internal control (in some countries) is “health,
environment and safety management in enterprise” (HESME), which in more direct way
communicates correlation of such activity with health improvement.
The main goal of the EPICA project is an improvement of occupational safety and health in
small and medium enterprises through proposing an effective model of internal control of
working conditions.
The purposes of the project are:
- to review some existing practices of internal control in small and medium enterprises
- to exchange knowledge about good practices among different partners, especially
researchers, employers (employers organizations) and employees (employees
organizations)
- to create recommendations for good practice in internal control
- to make recommendations available to interested parties (e.g. researchers, employers,
employees)
Special attention will be paid to economical aspects of implementation of internal control
methods in enterprises, taking also into consideration health benefits arising from application
of internal control in company.
Realizing its main goal and purposes, the EPICA project will contribute to the 2.2.1 priority
area of the EU Health Programme by creating supportive environments for healthy lifestyles
and preventing diseases, focusing on workplace as an area for action and creation of
supportive environments.
The main work method used in the EPICA project will be working in each partner's own
premises and locations, and finding and analyzing available information concerning internal
control of working conditions in small and medium enterprises in partner's country. The other
tool will be working meetings and workshops for partners' representatives as well as other
interested parties representatives, such as employers and employees organizations, which
will be used to exchange information among participants. A very important tool used during
such workshops will be SWOT analysis of internal control practices. Furthermore, there will
be recommendations prepared which will consume some worktime in own premises and
workmeetings.
The expected project outcome is threefold:
1. Exchange of knowledge concerning application of internal control of working conditions in
small and medium enterprises in EU countries
2. Create recommendations for good practice in internal control of working conditions in
SMEs
3. Make recommendations available to interested parties, especially employers and
employees organizations and researchers.
Contact person:
Katarzyna Kalska
Telephone: 48 42 631-48-39
Email: [email protected]