ALMERÍA.- The Delegation of Employment, Business and Self-Employment and the Andalusian Institute for the Prevention of Occupational Risks have organized the conference “Work at height, fragile roofs: study, measures and proposals for the prevention of falls from height “, in which More than a hundred people took part, including businessmen, middle managers, union prevention delegates, prevention and human resources professionals and students.
The event was inaugurated by the General Director of Labor and Occupational Health and Safety, Luis Roda, together with the Territorial Delegate for Employment, Business and Self-Employment, Amós García; the general secretaries of the UGT and CCOO of Almería, Carmen Vidal and Antonio Valdivieso, respectively; the general secretary of Asempal, Encarna Gil; and the delegate of the Association of Mutuals of Almería, Antonio Camacho.
Before starting the training, a minute of silence was observed by the participants for the last death caused by an accident on the job in the province.
The Director General of Labor and Occupational Health and Safety called for “unity of all in the fight against accidents at work” because “behind every accident there is a human drama” and explained that the Andalusian strategy for health and safety at work and its action 2021-2023 The plan “envisages training and advice actions on the prevention of falls from heights, which represent 17% of all accidents at work in Andalusia” and is occur “in many sectors, not just in construction”, adding that the conference focused “on maintenance work on the roofs of buildings”, focusing on the common elements that exist in this type of accident to avoid them.
He also specified that since 2021 a specific advice campaign has been carried out through the Accident Alert program with 267 companies, as well as the awareness campaign ‘If you go up in safety, you will go down’ in the media and networks, and a highlighted the publications and work guides to reduce claims, such as the use of the provisional lifelines presented at the conference. She also stressed the importance of “inculcating prevention from an early age, which is acquired as something natural”.
Luis Roda, also director general of the Andalusian Institute for the Prevention of Occupational Risks, explained that this organization “carries out its activity through three axes: research, analysis of emerging risks through the network of five observatory laboratories in collaboration with universities, one of them in Almería focused on agriculture; and the transfer of knowledge and social awareness in prevention”.
Amós García, employment delegate, recalled “the existing coordination in the province between social and economic agents and the Council to develop a joint action plan that allows us to bring the culture of prevention to all of society and underlined that “awareness and training are the main tools we have to prevent accidents”.
The general secretary of Asempal, Encarna Gil, pointed out that “the confederation’s firm commitment to the prevention of occupational risks, occupational safety and health are the fundamental pillar because life is the most important thing “. He also conveyed two other messages: that “all accidents can be avoided with training and awareness strategies” and that “we are all responsible for our own safety, we can learn values and behaviors, and it is a task incumbent on all”. of us, businessmen, workers and administration”.
Carmen Vidal, general secretary of UGT Almería, said “training is more necessary in the face of devastating accident data”. Likewise, he demanded that the central government convene a social dialogue table to tackle the accident rate and a comprehensive accident plan that addresses all types of accidents, not just fatal accidents. “Investing in prevention has an impact on workers, companies and society as a whole”, he added, while stressing the need to raise awareness in the education system on this issue.
The general secretary of CCOO Almería, Antonio Valdivieso, asked that “every day, each person in their area think about what they can contribute to prevention” and justified the work of the union delegates, “who ensure safety in the companies; it has been shown that in those where this figure exists, the accident rate is lower”.
The delegate of the Association of Mutual Work Accidents, Antonio Camacho, congratulated the Employment Delegation and the Prevention Center “for the dynamism and leadership they assume in deploying actions aimed at increasing the safety of the ’employment’ and appreciated the involvement of all social and economic actors in the shared responsibility of promoting prevention, expressing “the mutual commitment to reduce accidents and falls from height”.
The conference had as its first speaker Juan Carlos Rubio, university professor and director of the Observatory Laboratory for the Preventive Management of Andalusian SMEs (LAGEPYME), who published a study carried out by this entity in collaboration with the Andalusian Institute prevention of occupational risks to find out the condition of the light roofs of buildings that cannot be walked on, which can be fragile and break when it is necessary to intervene, causing accidents. In addition to presenting this study, Juan Carlos Rubio exposed the preventive measures against falls from height related to work with skylights, skylights and other fragile roofs.
Then, Luis Colmenero, head of the IAPRL promotion office, presented the document of recommendations for the use of temporary lifelines certified for work prepared by the Andalusian Institute for the Prevention of Occupational Risks, which includes measures useful practices and measures for the use of protective equipment when working at height.
The conference presented a practical demonstration by expert Miguel F. Murillo of the company Agranaltura, using personal protective equipment at height with a temporary lifeline, and showing how to secure a ladder, rescue from a ladder and the use of temporary and fixed equipment. lifelines.
Finally, Cosme Ángel Romera, manager of the technical department of the company MultiGarBen, focused his intervention on the types of fragile roofs and certified protection systems, their installation and maintenance.
.