Oira
An INRS/EU-OSHA partnership for risk assessment for MSEs
In France, two million micro and small enterprises MSEs employ 50% of the workforce in the private sector. Studies have shown that MSEs have more difficulties in complying with occupational safety and health regulatory requirements. Simpler and more efficient solutions must be put in place to take into account the situation of MSEs. Developing practical guides and materials, providing tailored solutions to support implementation of OSH measures in MSEs is crucial. Ensuring effective protection of workers’ health and safety in all workplaces regardless of size is key for INRS.
This is why INRS entered into a partnership with the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) for the OiRA project. This partnership was formalised by the signing of a memorandum in 2011, making INRS the OiRA project partner in France.
Functioning of OiRA:
- This project provides partners (public authorities of Member States, OSH bodies, social partners, etc.) with a tool generator and assistance for developing and hosting data.
- Sector-specific applications are then created by each participant at national level within the framework of sector-specific dialogue.
- Microenterprises have free sector-specific tools that they may use on their own to carry out their risk assessment. The application enables companies to print or download a complete risk assessment report and an action plan adapted to their line of work.
- At European level, the contents and tools are shared among developers in the OiRA community (15 Member States) to facilitate the rollout of applications for the same sectors.
In France, INRS has published four applications so far:
- OiRA road transport, aimed at companies transporting packaged goods by road
- OiRA catering, aimed at traditional catering services
- OiRA garage, aimed at car and heavy load vehicles repair shops
- OiRA retail trade, aimed at non-food products shops
The French road transport tool was translated into English and was used to develop similar applications in Catalonia, Portugal and Finland.
To date, close to 14,000 sessions have been launched by microenterprises and small and medium enterprises in France. An online survey to measure users’ level of satisfaction was completed by 50% of users. 95% of those users expressed satisfaction with the application.
Testimonials
“The online interactive risk assessment tool (OiRA) developed by EU-OSHA is a major contribution to facilitating SMEs’ compliance with OSH requirements.”
European Commission, EU Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work 2014-2020
“INRS along with its partners has made a big effort to integrate the OiRA tools into a global OSH programme”
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work
- European Agency for Safety and Health at Work
- Online interactive Risk Assessment (OiRA)
- List of available OIRA tools