Strategic partnerships to implement and promote OiRA in Belgium – Case Study

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION AND PROMOTION OF OiRA IN BELGIUM 1 Background In 2011, the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) introduced the Online interactive Risk Assessment (OiRA), a web-based platform designed to create sector-specific risk assessment tools. OiRA addresses the challenges small businesses face in managing workplace safety and health by offering user-friendly tools adapted to national and sectoral circumstances. The platform helps users systematically identify risks, decide on preventive measures and generate customised action plans. 1 Belgium officially became a partner in 2013, through the agreement signed with the Federal Public Service for Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue (FPS Employment).2 Since then, Belgium has developed 35 OiRA tools in Dutch and French, covering various sectors, along with thematic tools for COVID-19 and psychosocial risks. 3 , 4 These tools support Belgium’s Well-Being at Work Code, which mandates comprehensive risk assessments in five key areas: occupational safety, health, psychosocial risks, ergonomics, and occupational hygiene. 5 While large businesses in Belgium show high compliance (93.3%) with regular risk assessments, micro and small businesses, particularly those with fewer than 10 employees, show much lower compliance (60.2%), as noted in EU-OSHA’s third European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER 2019).6 To increase OiRA’s visibility and...