The Safety and Health at Work is always profiled as catalysts factors improving the quality of work and competitiveness. This is now well proven through various indicators of quality of work and competitiveness, whatever their origin, social or technical. However and given the changes which we live today, reflected in changes in the workplace and in the labor force, caused by the economic crisis in Europe and the particular imbalance of austerity measures that the various countries of Europe to 28 apply, it makes sense to question what happens to the quality of work and competitivity in the near future and what the actual capacity of the Safety and Health at Work is to foster the development and sustainability of quality of work and competitiveness in Europe.

At a time when the European Social Model begins to be discussed in the workplace, in order to assess their impact on improving the competitiveness and sustainability of Europe in the near future, the realization of 11.th International Congress on Safety and Health at Work – CIS2014 – entitled “+ Safety and Health at Work / Quality Work / Competitiveness” is an opportunity to launch and public discussion of this issue, in various aspects, in particular on possible strategies for preventing new emerging risks derivatives of major structural changes that have been happening in the work.

The “+” sign preceding the event theme should be interpreted as a sign intrinsically directed to the need for greater emphasis on appreciation of the various factors that run through “the work” and the need for greater dynamism in the prevention of occupational risks arising technical and social change that is happening in the workplace. The sign “+” means therefore more quality in Safety and Health at Work. Active aging, quality of work life, management indicators of health and safety at work, dynamism and simplification of methodologies for risk assessment, the impact of legislation on the definition of new strategies for the prevention of occupational risks, the new emerging risks, new challenges in the construction industry in terms of safety at work, the emergence of performance on the hazards of the high degree of mobility and the emergence of the consolidation from the Safety and Health at Work in quality and competitiveness of the work from the perspective of the convergence performances of social partners, will be the motives for discussion in this CIS2014, as the program previously defined.

Noting the timeliness and emergence of the theme selected for this CIS2014, we recall some words of the European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, Mr. László Andor, in the initiative organized by the European Parliament on 25 September 2013, entitled “The Social European Model: a key factor for competitiveness “and related to the importance of Safety and Health at Work in this context:
“…. A well-functioning labour market also implies fair working conditions, including the protection of health and safety at work. This is another crucial component of the European socio-economic model, and an important task for the EU today.

Good health and safety at work can help boost social cohesion, combat exclusion, promote reintegration into the labour market, improve employability and reduce early retirement.

In this economic crisis, improving occupational health and safety contributes substantially to meeting the Europe 2020 targets and coming out of the crisis, stronger.

The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work has convincingly demonstrated that effective management of health and safety also makes sound economic sens at company level.

A healthy and safe workplace where both managers and workers are motivated and involved are more efficient and productive, and they help boost Europe’s competitiveness.

Apart from health and safety, we also work on other initiatives in order to improve working conditions, such as the Quality Framework on traineeships and the European Platform against Undeclared Work.”