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About IIOSH Directory International cooperation Info request form New films at the IIOSH youTube channel NAPO films used by IIOSH to train foreign workers Attache R.Tivakul and Israeli lecturers at safety seminar for Thai workers Participants of CIS Annual Meeting, 14-15.10.06 Talk on stress at work at the Histadrut headquarters in TA Mobile safety training unit in front of the Histadrut building Histadrut officials tour an IIOSH mobile safety training unit IIOSH mobile training units for construction sites. More images        Disclaimer        Write to webmaster 2012. IIOSH

This site is maintained by the Israel Institute for Occupational Safety and Hygiene (IIOSH). In addition to the information in English found on this page, the site comprises various sections and activities in Hebrew: electronic library containing over 2,000 items; daily updated news; discussion forum; interactive catalogs of training events, printed publications, and suppliers of OSH products and services; lists of OSH sites in Israel and worldwide, and more. OSH HEADLINES from ISRAEL: FOUR NEW SAFETY MOVIES FOR LAB WORKERS have been produced jointly by IIOSH and the Ministry for Environmental Protection: Safe Work Under Hoods, the Use of Protective Gloves in Labs, Hazardous Waste Disposal, and Spill Disposal in Labs. New films are available on the IIOSH website, as well as through our Facebook page and Youtube channel. -- July 2012 THE 16TH ISRAELI CONGRESS FOR WORKPLACE SAFETY AND HEALTH will be held at the Israel Trade Fair Center in Tel Aviv on the 1st of May, 2013. The preparations are already in progress. -- June 2012 WORLD DAY FOR SAFETY AND HEALTH AT WORK DEDICATED TO SAFE WORK IN A GREEN ECONOMY has been marked in Israel by a range of activities initiated and carried out by IIOSH: A special web page prepared and published by the IIOSH website; April issue of the Safety Online newsletter featured several articles on OSH issues in alternative energy production and use; IIOSH acting director Israel Shreibman addressed the World Day in a nationwide radio broadcast; A press release dedicated to the World Day and its marking in Israel issued to the printed and electronic media; A special Info Sheet for workers and the safety community compiled and distributed; A new Hazard Datasheet prepared and published on the occupation "Solar water heating system installer". -- May 2012 PAYMENTS OF COMPENSATION CONSEQUENT TO WORK RELATED ACCIDENTS ON DECREASE waccording to the data published by the Israeli National Security Institute. In 2011, the rate of compensation recipients was 2.21%, as compared to 3% in 2000. The average of days of absence due to work injury has decreased from an all time high of 40 days a year in 2001 to 35 days in 2011. -- April 2012 TWO VIDEOS ON SAFE HANDLING OF SOLVENTS WITH HEBREW SUBTITLES have been put on the IIOSH's channel at YouTube: "Safe handling of solvents" and "Solvents and static electricity", produced by the ESIG, the European Solvents Industry group, and SIA, Solvents Industry Association. The videos deal with the major hazards presented by these widely used chemicals and with the ways of handling them safely. They were translated into Hebrew to be used as training aids for Israeli workers unable to comprehend the original English text. The videos can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/user/safeworkil -- 19.01.11 IN 2009 THE NUMBER OF WORKERS ELIGIBLE FOR A COMPENSATION CONSEQUENT TO WORK RELATED ACCIDENTS was among lowest in the last 10 years, and the rate of injuries per 1000 employees was the lowest over the decade. The corresponding data was provided by the Israel National Insurance Institution in its annual review. This welcome tendency concurs with the data published earlier this year by the Labor Inspectorate of the Israel Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor in its annual fatal accidents report. With the total of 42 fatalities in work related accidents in 2009 - the lowest over the last 10 years - the highest number of fatalities (11), was observed in the construction sector. -- 27.10.10 IIOSH PRESENTED ITS ACTIVITIES IN AGRICULTURAL SECTOR at the 20th Agro Mashov international agricultural fair that was held in Tel Aviv on 13-14 January 2010. Numerous specialists and official delegations who visited the IIOSH stand were impressed by the Israeli proactive approach to safety and health of foreign workers employed in the country's agricultural sector. More -- 18.01.10 ASBESTOS INJURY PREVENTION TO BE MANDATED BY NEW LAW introduced in the Israeli Knesset. According to the bill already under discussion in the relevant parliamentarian committees, the use of asbestos will be completely banned in all new construction, and the remaining fragile asbestos structures should be removed in a strictly controlled manner during the next 10 years. -- 01.12.09 RECENT ADDITIONS TO IIOSH HEBREW WEBSITE include a completely redesigned homepage - now more friendly to less-experienced users - and new topical sections: Machine & Equipment Safety and Construction Safety & Health. The site's virtual library currently contains over 1,700 full-text publications accessible to everybody free of charge. -- 26.10.09 NAPO SAFETY FILMS ARE USED BY IIOSH to train foreign workers, mainly from Thailand, occupied in Israel's agricultural sector. These short films, produced by an international consortium led by EU-OSHA, need no translation and are easily comprehended by workers. -- 19.09.09 IIOSH INFORMATION CENTRE'S 20th ANNIVERSARY has been marked, among other things, with an article published in CIS Newsletter, under the title "News from Israel". IIOSH has received numerous greetings on this joyful occasion, including from our overseas colleagues and from international bodies like CIS/ILO and EU-OSHA. -- 12.07.09 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE "TOWARDS BETTER WORK AND WELL-BEING" will be held in Helsinki, Finland, on 10-12 February 2010. The conference, organized by the Finnish Institute for Occupational Health (FIOH), aims to provide an opportunity to discuss the strategies and tools for the promotion of health and wellbeing at work. IIOSH director Chaim Eliyahu has been appointed to the conference's International Advisory Committee. -- 18.06.09 THE WORLD DAY FOR SAFETY AND HEALTH AT WORK was celebrated in Israel on 3 May 2009, since the international date of 28 April coincided this year with the national Soldier Remembrance Day. The World Day was marked with a range of activities, including an appropriate content specially published at the IIOSH website. -- 05.05.09 DEPUTY MINISTER ORIT NOKED GIVEN THE OSH PORTFOLIO within the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Employment. Ms. O. Noked MK will be responsible, among other things, for the labor inspection, preparation and enforcement of safety and health legislation, and will oversee the IIOSH activities. -- 30.04.09 2008: 55 PEOPLE PERISHED IN WORKPLACE ACCIDENTS IN ISRAEL according to the report published by the Chief Labor Inspector at the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Employment. This figure corresponds to 1.96 workplace fatalities per 100,000 workers. As in the previous years, construction sites remain the most hazardous place to work, with 23 deaths. 20 workers were killed at industrial plants, 4 in the agriculture, and 8 in the rest of workplaces. -- 10.02.09 NEW REGULATIONS ON NON-IONIZING RADIATION entered into force, as an amendment to the Non-Ionizing Radiation Law of 2006. The regulations apply to the frequency ranges of UV, IR, laser radiation, RF and ELF. They mainly determine the order and conditions for issuing the permits required by the law from operators of radiation-emitting equipment. -- 28.01.09 WORK AT HEIGHT REGULATIONS ENTERED INTO FORCE on 1 November 2008, after a preparatory period of 1.5 years. The Regulations, adopted in 2007, establish a legal framework for protecting Israeli workers against falling from height, which accounted for 18 workplace deaths in 2008. -- 01.11.08 13th ISRAELI CONGRESS FOR WORKPLACE SAFETY AND HEALTH has been held in Jerusalem on 23 September 2008. The congress program included numerous lectures, presentations and panels, attended by over 1,300 participants who also visited the accompanying exhibition. The participants were greeted by Mr. Eliyahu Yishai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor. -- 24.09.08 YORAM ELAZARY APPOINTED CHIEF LABOR INSPECTOR at the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor. Prior to his new appointment, already confirmed by the Government, Mr. Elazary served as Manager of Safety & Environment Unit at the Weizmann Institute of Science. -- 14.08.08 NATIONAL HEARING PROTECTION DAY has been held in Israel on and around 27 May 2008. The related activities included seminars, awareness raising events and an online Q&A session at the IIOSH website with the participation of leading Israeli specialists in occupational health and hygiene. -- 29.05.08 WORKPLACE ACCIDENTS AND COMPENSATIONS REPORT for years 1997-2007 has been published (in Hebrew) at our site. The report contains cumulative data supplied by the National Insurance Institute and the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor, and indicates the non-fatal workplace injury incidence rate of 24.1 per 1,000 workers - a 5% rise compared to the previous year. -- 17.04.08 WORKPLACE FATAL ACCIDENT REPORT FOR 2007 has been published by the Chief Labor Inspector at the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor. The figures - 51 workplace deaths, 25 of them in the construction sector - are notably lower than in the preceding year, when 61 workers have perished in workplace accidents. -- 25.03.08 IIOSH AND THAILAND'S MINISTRY OF LABOR JOINT FORCES TO IMPROVE SAFETY OF THAI WORKERS IN ISRAEL by holding a safety training seminar for 75 Thais employed at agricultural enterprises in the Golan Heights. The event, conducted in Thai language, was attended by Mr. Ruangyot Tivakul, Attache in charge of Thai guest workers at the Thailand Embassy. The participants were offered a series of lectures and a tour of local agro businesses where various safety & health protection measures are already in place. -- 31.12.07 NEW IIOSH MANAGEMENT has stepped in as of 1 December 2007, following the retirement of Mr. Menachem Schwartz who headed the Institute for the last 26 years. Mr. Haim Eliyahu has been appointed Director of IIOSH, while Mr. Israel Shreibman is now Institute's Deputy Director. -- 02.12.07 "LIGHTEN THE LOAD" GOES ONLINE ALSO IN ISRAEL as a new dedicated section on work-related musculoskeletal disorders opens at the IIOSH website. The section contains Hebrew-translated datasheets from the European Week of the "Lighten the Load" campaign, links to Napo films and animations published at the EuroOSHA website, links to several overseas sites, and other relevant content in the fields of ergonomics and WRMSD awareness and prevention. -- 23.10.07 UPGRADED OSH WEBSITES FOR STUDENTS AND STAFF have been recently opened by two leading Israeli academic institutions: the Weizmann Institute of Science and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. -- 10.10.07 WORKPLACE ACCIDENTS AND COMPENSATIONS REPORT for years 1995-2006 has been published (in Hebrew) at our site. The report contains cumulative data supplied by the National Insurance Institute and the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor, and indicates a downward trend in the workplace injury incidence rate, currently at 22.9 per 1,000 workers. -- 28.08.07 THE NATIONAL HEARING PROTECTION DAY has been marked in Israel on 29 May 2007 with a range of awareness-raising events and activities organized by Ministry of Health, National Insurance Institute, IIOSH, Clalit Health Services, IDF's Medical Branch and other govermental, public and private bodies. A new permanent topical page Noise at the Workplace (in Hebrew) has been added to the IIOSH website. -- 31.05.07 IIOSH HAS MARKED THE WORLD DAY FOR SAFETY AND HEALTH AT WORK by publishing a special page (in Hebrew) at its website. The page, carrying the World Day logo and linked to the ILO SafeWork event site, was also publisized in the April issue of the IIOSH e-newsletter distributed to over 2,200 email addresses. This year's central topic, within the ILO-declared theme "Making Decent Work a Reality", was the OSH Management and its implementation in Israel by the "National Competent Institute" operated by IIOSH. Elsewhere in Israel, items marking the International World Day were published by the Chief Labor Inspector at the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Employment, and by the General Federation of Labor (Histadrut). -- 29.04.07 WORKPLACE FATAL ACCIDENT REPORT FOR 2006 has been published by the Chief Labor Inspector at the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor. The figures - 60 workplace deaths, 29 of them in the construction sector - are about 10% higher than in the preceding year. -- 18.02.07 12th NATIONAL WORKPLACE SAFETY AND HEALTH CONGRESS was held in Tel Aviv on 26-27 December 2006. Over 1000 OSH people attended each day of the event and visited an accompanying exhibition. The participants were greeted by Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor Eli Yishai and other dignitaries. A keynote speech on the importance of safety and health in Jewish tradition was delivered by former Chief Rabbi Israel Meir Lau. -- 29.12.06 IIOSH PARTICIPATED IN THE CIS ANNUAL MEETING at ILO Headquarters in Geneva, 14-15 September 2006. The IIOSH 2005 activities report was presented by Mr. Israel Shreibman, head of the Institute's Information Center. More details may be found in the CIS report of the meeting. -- 20.10.06 DRAFT RISK MANAGEMENT STANDARD IS5300 has been published for public comment by the Standards Institution of Israel. The proposed standard is based on the Australian/New Zealand Risk Management standard AS/NZS 4360:2004. -- 24.08.06 WORK ACCIDENT COMPENSATION AWARDS RATE WAS LOWER IN 2005 than in any of the preceding 10 years: 23.4 per 1000 workers, according to the annual report recently published by the National Insurance Institute. The absolute number was 63,856 - out of 2,732,100 workers employed in the Israeli economy. The total sum of work accident compensations in 2005 amounted to over $590 million. -- 23.07.06 WORLD DAY FOR SAFETY AND HEALTH AT WORK - 28 APRIL - MARKED IN ISRAEL by a series of events. A special feature has been published in the April issue of the IIOSH e-newsletter. The IIOSH and the Israeli Federation of Labor (Histadrut) have conducted a joint OSH promotion event at the Histadrut headquarters in Tel Aviv, including a talk on stress at work and a tour of one of the IIOSH's mobile training units (see pictures at the left side of this page). The National Insurance Institute has marked the World Day by publishing its annual report on the work-related disability rates in various sectors of the Israeli economy. -- 30.04.06 ISRAEL'S PULL-OUT FROM GAZA GETS ENVIRONMENTAL CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH in the report recently published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). According to the report, "The environmental impact of the former Israeli settlements in the Gaza strip was limited and should not constrain Palestinian land-use plans". -- 03.04.06 NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR WORKERS' HEALTH has held its first meeting in Jerusalem. It was opened by General Directors of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Trade, Commerce and Labor, who co-appointed Prof. Yossi Ribak chairman of the committee. IIOSH Director Mr. Menachem Schwartz and Chief Labor Inspector Mrs. Varda Edwards are among the committee's members. -- 26.02.06 LESS FATAL FALLS FROM HEIGHT IN 2005 were reported in the annual workplace death statistics published by the Chief Labor Inspector at the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor: 19 compared to 21 in 2004. However, the overall numbers were less optimistic: 55 fatal work accidents (52 in 2004). Construction remains the most dangerous sector, with 24 workplace deaths. -- 11.01.06 WARM GREETINGS TO IRSST (QUEBEC, CANADA) on its 25th anniversary! The IIOSH management and staff wish our Montreal colleagues much success and fulfillment in their laudable efforts for advancing the workplace safety and health in Quebec, Canada and worldwide. -- 27.11.05 ENGLISH-HEBREW GLOSSARY OF SDS TERMS has been developed at IIOSH and placed on our website. The online glossary contains over 300 terms and expressions typically used in Safety Data Sheets and gives their interpretation both in English and Hebrew. It's intended as an aid to safety personnel at industrial plants, which are obliged by Israeli OSH regulations to maintain SDSs and provide them to the workers. -- 21.11.05 LASER WORK SAFETY REGULATIONS have entered into force in August 2005. The newly adopted Regulations oblige employers to comply with the requirements of the relevant Israeli standard IS 1249 Part 1, to appoint laser safety officers, and to inform the affected workers on possible laser hazards and on the means for their prevention. -- 14.09.05 THE WORKPLACE SAFETY DIRECTIVE WILL BE APPLIED TO SERVICES AND RETAIL TRADE according to the amendment to this principal Israeli OSH law, recently approved by the Knesset Labor and Welfare Committee. The change is mainly aimed at improving working conditions at supermarkets and retail chains where the employees so far haven't fully benefited from the directive's provisions. The new amendment is subject to approval by the Knesset plenary session. -- 18.07.05 FIRST ISRAELI SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE ON OSH MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS is scheduled to open on 5 May 2005 in Ramat Efal near Tel Aviv. The list of participants includes leading Israeli OSH professionals, principal figures from the research, regulatory and judiciary fields, and a guest of honor: Dr. Jukka Takala, Director of the ILO Programme on Safe Work. The conference will culminate in signing the Declaration for Promoting the OSH Management Systems by representatives of the government, trade unions, employers' organizations and IIOSH management. -- 21.04.05 MEETING ON SAFE WORK AT HEIGHT was held on 20 February 2005 at the Jerusalem offices of the Labor Inspectorate. The participants included the Inspectorate's management and representatives of 19 leading industrial enterprises who presented their activities within the framework of the national Safety at Height project. -- 24.02.05 52 WORKERS WERE KILLED IN 2004 IN THE ISRAELI WORKPLACES according to the report released by Varda Edwards, Acting Chief Labor Inspector at the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor (Mrs. Edwards has replaced Peter Magnus who retired as of 1 January 2005). The 2004 figure is 15% less than 64 workplace deaths registered in 2003, and the lowest over the decade since 1995. Especially notable is the decrease in the construction sector: 15 fatal accidents compared to 34 during the preceding year. -- 12.01.05