A Date for your Diary

The AGM will be on Saturday 4th October, at the University of London Union building (ULU), Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HY. Registration is from 12:30, the AGM will run from13:00 to 16:30.

The trustees have been working on our strategy and business plan, which is crucial to achieving the funding that we need. The charity’s objects of preventing RSI and providing support for RSI sufferers, can only be met by significant campaigning to change the policies and views of government and parts of the medical establishment.

Our membership is pivotal in giving the trustees their mandate and support in this work. You may also be able to offer your assistance. We will have external speakers to help us focus on our campaigns, and also to identify the information our members want. Details of AGM speakers and programme will be posted on our web site nearer the time, and also sent out to members and affiliates. The AGM is a very important event for RSI Action, we do need feedback and ideas from our members, and others who are concerned about prevention, treatment and support of RSI conditions.

Posted: August 22nd, 2008 under AGM.
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The European Union launched its new two-year health and safety campaign focusing on risk assessment. The press launch was held at the EU headquarters in Brussels on 13 June. Commissioner Spidla launched the campaign to reduce the estimated €1 billion of lost working time per year in Europe due to preventable work related accidents and illness. The Community Strategy for Health and Safety at Work is to reduce work-related accidents by 25% in the period 2007 to 2012. EU figures show nearly 6,000 people die in the EU as a consequence of work-related accidents, and the International Labour Organisation estimates that an additional 160,000 workers in the EU die every year from occupational diseases. (The UK Hazards campaign data shows that the UK figures underestimate these deaths by a factor of 8!).

Commissioner Spidla also focused on non-fatal accidents and illnesses resulting in lost working days. Jukka Takala (Director of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work in Bilbao) highlighted key messages of the campaign: 1) risk assessment is not necessarily complicated; 2) proper risk assessment also brings business benefits; 3) risk assessments must involve the employees doing the job. The agency invited industry and employee representatives to support each of these messages. Jukka Takala illustrated the need for employee involvement in risk assessment using the personal case of RSI Action chairman, Stephen Fisher. The absence of any risk assessment in his work as a Principal Engineer in the aerospace industry, resulted in chronic diffuse RSI and medical retirement at the age of 52.

From left to right: Joachim Feldmann, Feldmann and Partner Zahntechnik GmbH (DE); Jukka Takala, Director of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work; Jeroen van de Giessen, Dycore (NL); Vladimír Špidla, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities; Steve Fisher RSI Action (UK); Romana Tomc, Slovenian State Secretary for Labour, Family and Social Affairs and Joel Blondel, Head of Service at the French General Direction of Labour, representing the French Presidency.

Posted: August 15th, 2008 under Risk Assessment, European Union.
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You can now support us online by donating through Just Giving - and we can automatically get the tax you paid on the donation back!

Chris Humphrey is currently doing a sponsored cycle across Asia to raise money for us. You can check out what he’s up to on his Blog.

Kahte Atkins Furniss recently completed the British 10k London Run and raised over £477 for RSI Action.

If you would like to support us please contact us at info@RSIAction.org.uk. Further information is available on our support page.

Posted: August 15th, 2008 under Fundraising.
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