TOOLS FOR PREVENTING OCCUPATIONAL RISKS FOR SMEs - A PREREQUISITE FOR IMPROVING PRODUCTIVITY

The paper is focused on a research project aiming to provide conditions for market competitiveness of producers and to guarantee the free movement of Romanian products on the EU. This is done by guaranteeing essential health and safety requirements applicable to work equipment in order to implement policies set out in the strategy EUROPE 2020. This strategy takes into account the priority of: favourable growth of inclusion-promoting an economy with a high rate of employment, ensuring social and territorial cohesion. The research aims to improve working conditions and ensure OSH for workers operating in the sectors of the national economy through the use of work equipment compliant and safety through occupational risks of injury and occupational disease identified in these types of equipment in order to increase the support for SMEs to achieve prevention and safety activities. The research results consist in promoting some occupational risk prevention tools developed for SMEs, in order to guarantee the required design and manufacturing work equipment used in wood processing industries, activities which, at workplaces, may affect the health and safety of workers, both those who use the work equipment and those directly involved.