Investment in occupational risk prevention generates twice the benefit.

Antonio de Cos Blanco graduated in medicine and surgery by the UCM, specialist in occupational medicine (UCM) and technician of occupational risks in the fields of hygiene, ergonomics, and work psychology. He completed his academic studies doing internships at both hospitals inside and outside Spain (Jugenheim, Germany). With his career after specializes in medicine work, occupational pathology and health and safety at work; discipline that you complemented the prevention of occupational risks.

A career focused and oriented to occupational health. Medical company manufactures Valley (textile), in the National Mint and stamp and, since 1992, in the mutual fraternity Muprespa with head of the Department of occupational medicine (until 1998), director of the Department of Labour Medicine (1998-2005) and currently director of the Department of the service’s own prevention (2005). Assistant and participant in numerous conferences and technical seminars, carried out numerous publications specializing in occupational health, medicine work, occupational diseases and prevention. A professional and academic profile focused on health and to work from.

Antonio Cos.

The ISSA (International Social Security Association, Issa in Spanish) is the main international institution bringing together agencies and social security institutions. Created in 1927 its mission is to promote dynamic social security, i.e., social security systems that are accessible, sustainable, appropriate, economically productive and socially inclusive and which are based on social security with high performance and good governance institutions, proactive and innovative. To develop such roles, the ISSA is structured in 13 international committees for the prevention of occupational risks covering all productive sectors. Recently, Antonio de Cos Blanco, Director of the Service Department’s own fraternity Muprespa prevention, has been appointed Vice President of the Commission of electricity, Gas and water.

FM: Promote and develop social security in the world is such a venture viable?

ACB: it is viable. Just have to take a look was back and see how far that progress has been made in this area. The situation and prospects are very different depending on the cultural, demographic and economic aspects of the studied environment. There is generally a clear development of social security systems in countries where virtually no model was not implemented. Very striking, for example, being the development of the social coverage in countries such as China, Russia, India, or Brazil.

FM: what are the objectives of the Commission of electricity, Gas and water?

ACB: Basically this preventive section, one of most existing 12 for other industrial sectors, has objectives to try to reduce the number of accidents caused by electricity, improving safety standards in all work with electrical risk and achieve good practice in safety and health in electricity companiesgas and water supply.

To meet these objectives, section program activities of awareness-raising and training. also through working groups with experts from different nationalities, design guides and manuals preventive for jobs of high risk in the electricity sector.

FM: Sole Spanish representative on committees. From the national perspective do you think that there are differences compared to the rest of your colleagues in the treatment of prevention?

ACB: The preventive approach is basically the same. Nuances come according to the economic development of the country in question, as to lower economic development is given more emphasis to basic aspects of prevention especially related to security, and higher economic level is given greater importance to issues related to the Organization, management, the behaviour of the worker when it comes to assume its role in prevention, etc.

FM: Doctor and occupational safety technician. A professional life dedicated to the health and safety at work. Depending on your experience, what are the advantages for the company, and by extension for the society, which offers investment in prevention?

ACB: How mutual see every day the consequences both sanitary, as business partner of workplace accidents. To eliminate or reduce them, as little as it may be, can easily be converted into the main objective for many professionals. And Moreover, no forgetting the economic aspect. The own ISSA (International Social Security Association) in a study conducted in 2012 concluded that for every euro invested in occupational risk prevention the benefit is 2.2 euros, more than double.

FM: how it combines prevention own the mutual service management and Vice President of the Commission of electricity, Gas and water of the ISSA?

ACB: No problems. Meet the needs of this Commission, with more or less one or two events a year does not generate major difficulties. The work I currently do in the Commission is focusing on search for greater involvement and participation of companies and Spanish of the electricity sector in this international forum for the exchange of ideas and experiences in the field of safety and health professionals.

FM: An omen for the time to come.

ACB: If economic conditions improve, the gains in prevention will suffer. A wish: that is not so and that will continue developing a real occupational hazard prevention not corseted by excessive rules or disproportionate bureaucratic burdens.