Accidents in Luxembourg: “The money invested in safety at work is not wasted”
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LUXEMBOURG – On the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, industry players insisted on the prevention of fall risks.
Taking measures for workplace safety, especially in the construction industry, pays off more than it costs. This is the message that players in the sector wanted to deliver on Thursday, during the World Day for Safety and Health at Work. The emphasis was on prevention, because “one euro invested in safety corresponds to two euros recovered in terms of competitiveness”, assures Bruno Renders, director of the Building Sector Training Institute (IFSB).
“Even the biggest fool can be convinced that the money invested in safety is not wasted,” adds Marco Boly, director of the Labor and Mines Inspectorate (ITM). Accidents at work constitute “an unacceptable scourge”, launched Georges Engel (LSAP), Minister of Labour. Each year about 27,000 occur. “Prevention remains the first tool, even if it is difficult to measure its effectiveness, because we do not know the accidents that are avoided in this way”, adopt the Minister.
This year, the focus was on the fight against falls from heights, responsible for two to five deaths per year. They are linked “to problems of training, which are not always appropriate, of the use of equipment and of risk analysis”, sums up Jacky Limousin, secretary general of the ACSSL (Association of safety and health coordinators in Luxembourg). “Companies are not aware of the danger to their workers. They always say to themselves: “We’ve been doing this for 20 years, why change?” Says Paolo Conde, safety and health coordinator at the Argest design office.