Welcome speech from ms M. Zuurbier - Seminar on ... - Inspectie SZW

<strong>Welcome</strong> <strong>speech</strong> <strong>from</strong> <strong>ms</strong> M. <strong>Zuurbier</strong>, Director of the Labour Inspectorate on theoccasion of the <strong>Seminar</strong> on Fumigated Containers, The Hague, 22 - 23 October 2009Ladies and gentlemen,On behalf of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment I warmly welcome you tothis seminar on Fumigated Containers. Your presence confir<strong>ms</strong> that you areinterested in this topic – the fumigation of containers and the possible consequencesand measures in connection with it. That there is attention for this topic in othercountries beyond the Netherlands. And that there is willingness to cooperate.It is good that the European Commission has established the Senior LabourInspectors Committee (SLIC). This created an official coordination body that makes itpossible to discuss supervision in Europe. Like in the case of fumigated containers.The international dimension of this topic is abundantly clear. As regulators we canshare our knowledge when it comes to developments in the substances andpractices involved in fumigating containers. And we can share our experiences <strong>from</strong>investigating accidents.The outcomes of today and tomorrow can provide input for the SLIC and in particularthe Chemex working group. I also hope that we can advance the coordination ofsupervision on fumigated containers together with the European networks ofcolleague regulators.In that context, I would also like to immediately send out a special thanks to ourspeakers <strong>from</strong> Belgium and Germany for their contribution to this seminar.Good supervision, clear lines, proper communication and cooperation not onlyprotect workers; these aspects are also important for the international distributors tolimit their regulatory burdens.Ladies and gentlemen,I would like to quote to you the English poet Robert Browning, who wrote: “Ignoranceis not innocence, but sin”. We want to ensure that tomorrow all of you leave here withas much knowledge as possible about this topic. So that you can use this knowledgeto take measures to ensure that no accidents occur out of ignorance, anywhere in thechain, <strong>from</strong> manufacturer to customer.Because it can happen that, as a distribution employee, one day you will open acontainer that has a pungent atmosphere. But you like your job, so you continue.After a little while the fumes become too much and you stumble out of the container.Weeks later you still have health proble<strong>ms</strong> and you are even at risk of a life-longdisability.Fortunately, these kinds of incidents are very rare. But it would mean a great deal tome if they did not occur at all. And that is something we can all work on. Asinspectorates, as employers, as loaders, as senders.

That is also why the Dutch Labour Inspectorate felt it necessary to broach this topicin an international context. In the Netherlands, in any event, it is a topic for whichthere has been much political attention. You will hear more about that today andtomorrow. It was accidents that led to questions in the Dutch parliament. The Ministryof Social Affairs and Employment actively responded to that with targetedinspections. Ms <strong>Zuurbier</strong> will tell you more about that a little later.Ladies and gentlemen,Almost 3 million containers enter the port of Rotterdam each year. Some of them aredestined for Dutch businesses. But a great many of these containers continue ontheir way to other countries in Europe. Perhaps even to the country that you arerepresenting here. The problem with fumigated containers is not, therefore, aspecifically Dutch problem, but a problem for all of us!And at the same time a problem that is not equally well-known or exploredeverywhere. That emerged <strong>from</strong> a survey conducted by the Senior Labour InspectorsCommittee (SLIC). This indicated that the number of fumigated containers that enterthe different countries varies widely. Therefore, the number of incidents varies widelyas well. In some countries no data is available, in others there is extensivedocumentation. The measures applied in the different countries also vary widely.It is encouraging however, to see that there is clear willingness and interest to jointlytackle any proble<strong>ms</strong> and to share information with each other. The latter is what wewill be doing extensively over the coming two days. Not only will variousrepresentatives give their view on how they think this problem should be addressed,we will also show you what can be done in practice to protect the health of peoplewho work with these containers.Still, the most important part of this seminar is not that we all know what is going on.What is much more important is that in future every employer knows what the risksare of the container atmosphere before he allows his workers to open or enter thecontainer. And that, as a result, this employer takes appropriate measures to managethese risks.Ladies and gentlemen,As Browning rightly stated: “Ignorance is not innocence, but sin”. Together we canturn ignorance into action. So that the sin can be transformed into value. And casessuch as the one I described to you at the beginning of my talk will no longer occur.I wish you a very valuable seminar!