INTRODUCtion
‘Prevecan’ opens with a call for consensus on work safety
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he president of the Government of the Canary Islands, Paulino Rivero, presided the official opening of the 2nd Canary Islands Conference on Prevention of Occupational Risks at the Symphony Hall of the Alfredo Kraus Conference-Auditorium Centre in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on Wednesday 25 March 2009. The event brought together 1,100 specialists in risk management from Europe, Africa and America who, with their presence and participation turned the Canaries into an international discussion forum on safety in the workplace.
Image of the Symphony Hall at the Alfredo Kraus Auditorium during the opening ceremony
From left to right, Jorge Rodríguez, Paulino Rivero, Jerónimo Saavedra and Pedro Tomás Pino
This opening act was also attended by the councillor of Employment, Industry and Trade Jorge Rodríguez Marín; the Director General of Labour of the Canaries Government, Pedro Tomás Pino, and the Mayor of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Jerónimo Saavedra. The most important Unions and employers agents in the Canaries also had the opportunity to take part in this event: trade unions Comisiones Obreras (CC OO), la Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT), and employers associations Confederación Provincial de Empresarios of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (CEOE) and Confederación Canaria de Empresarios (CCE) of Las Palmas. After welcoming and thanking the conference participants, the president of the Canary Islands Government, Paulino Rivero, expressed the desire of the Canaries government to contribute in an effective way to the management of workplace risks. “Prevecan must not be an end in itself, on the contrary, its contents should be evaluated and their practical application sought”, Paulino Rivero added.
Paulino Rivero: “This Conference must not be an end in itself, but its practical application must be sought”
The head of the Canaries government stressed the importance of the meeting, on Friday 27 March, of the International Forum on Prevention Culture in the Workplace whose declaration will be a working tool for Europe, America and Africa. “We have advanced in work risk management thanks to businesses, workers and the public administration. We wish to continue working, especially as people are the most important asset we have”.
The president of the Government of the Canary Islands Paulino Rivero, thanked participants for coming to the Conference
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The Councillor for Employment, Industry and Trade of the Government of the Canary Islands, Jorge Rodríguez Marín, mentioned that the first Canary Islands Conference on Prevention of Occupational Risks was held two years ago and that although it was a local event, from the start the aim was to widen its scope. “We have managed to draw more interest on occupational risk management” he said, adding that behind the desire to give the Conference an international scope is the wish to “eliminate the barriers so that the right to safety at the workplace is acknowledged worldwide”.
PREVECAN 09 2nd Canary Islands Conference on Prevention of Occupational Risks
This commitment was also shared by the unions and employers representatives. In particular, the secretary general of the Canaries Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT), acknowledged the Government of the Canaries for holding this event and recalled that in Prevecan 2007 her trade union expressed their will to be present at this forum. “UGT favours social dialogue in order to find a way out of work accidents, whose figures in the Canaries are very high because although the number of accidents has gone down, fatal accidents have increased. This is why we want risk management in the workplace to be real”. Alicia Rodríguez appealed for a consensus to reduce accidents and improve risk management as well as avoid favouring production as opposed to risk management. “I hope the motto Shaping the future Together comes true”, she concluded. Representing employers, Sebastián Grisaleña, president of Confederación Canaria de Empresarios (CCE), quoted data from the National Statistics Office (INE) which show that 93% of businesses are small or medium-sized companies, this is why, he said, “risk management regulations should be adapted to businesses in order to make the rules simpler”. Regarding employees he stated that they should be trained and take on their share of responsibility regarding risk management. “At CCE –he said- we propose a joint effort in order to cut down work accidents and improve working conditions. Employers organisations in the Canaries are working to spread risk management culture”. Finally, the mayor of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Jerónimo Saavedra, expressed his joy for holding Prevecan in his city and stressed that it is satisfactory that “we Application used to talk about accidents and now we talk about risk manageThe president of the CCE ment” stating that it is the task asked for a simplification of the whole of society. “(…) We of the rules on risk are far from achieving desirable management so that goals but we must improve”, he they adapt to the reality said. of businesses After the official opening of Prevecan, the authorities inaugurated the nearly eighty stands belongNeed ing to 52 specialist companies, Alicia Rodríguez, from employers and unions associaUGT, favours social tions, institutions and twelve audialogue in order to tonomous communities which offered information about almost find a way out of work every aspect regarding risk manaccidents agement at the workplace and the activities they carry out.
Sebastián Grisaleña, president of CCE, spoke on behalf of employers
Alicia Rodríguez, from UGT Canarias, during her speech
Paulino Rivero opened the hall where the stands were
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