The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) launched a free online software to give micro and small businesses across Europe the means of carrying out risk assessments in workplaces in a straightforward and cost-effective way.

The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) presented a new free online software to carry out risk assessments in workplaces by micro and small businesses across Europe in a straightforward and cost-effective way. OiRA gives businesses a simple, step-by-step guide to the risk assessment process, helping to demystify that process, and enabling risk management.

According to Christa Sedlatschek, EU-OSHA Director, risk assessment is the cornerstone of health and safety management, and with the Agency’s Online interactive Risk Assessment software, OiRA, the Agency is giving European businesses the means of carrying it out properly. As OiRA develops, it shows the way to work better in Europe, to keep our workplaces safe.

New OiRA tools are therefore under development and will be ready soon. They include one designed for hairdressers in Belgium, one generic tool and one for working in offices in Slovenia, one for butchers in Greece and one for garage holders in Lithuania. Also, a number of other European countries have signed memoranda of understanding to develop OiRA, or are currently developing new OiRA tools or taking part in pilot projects.