The European Safety Federation is pleased to invite you to an upcoming webinar series organized by the ESF Working Group on Respiratory Protection.

As part of our ongoing efforts to address key safety issues in the construction sector, the working group is focusing on the often-underestimated risks of particle exposure, particularly in relation to hazardous substances. This initiative aims to raise awareness among all those responsible for safety at construction sites and to ensure the long-term health and well-being of workers in this vital sector.

We are preparing a series of brief, impactful webinars (30 minutes each), which will take place bi-monthly on the last Friday at 11:30 am CET. They will provide crucial insights into the risks faced by workers focusing on respiratory risks. These sessions will cover a range of topics (e.g. silica dust, asbestos, respirator fit testing), with a special focus on the construction sector. We will start with the first session on January 30 2026.

1st session: H&S risks in construction – an overview

The first session of the webinar series will give an overview about health and safety risks in the construction sector. Our experts from the working group Aart-Jan van Ek and Janina Sander will discuss about the different categories of risks you need to be aware of and take a look at some numbers and statistics to get feeling for the risks and its effects. They will also present an interesting tool you can use to educate yourself and colleagues.
Before opening up the floor for a Q&A session the two will show more details on the webinar series, share dates and topics of future sessions.

Webinar details:

Speakers:

• Janina Sander – chair of the ESF Working Group Respiratory Protection (TSI)
• Aart-Jan van Ek (VVGW / Lyreco Intersafe)

Registration: The webinar is open to all interested and free of charge, but registration is mandatory. Available here

Registered persons will receive the link to join a few days before the webinar.

ESF organises on the 6th of May (14:00-15:30 Brussels time) a webinar “Respirator Fit Testing – Qualify your competency”. The webinar will talk about all aspects of competency of fit test operators and the qualification schemes. Interesting content for all persons responsible for selection and management of respiratory protective equipment.

Programme:

• European overview of fit testing and operator qualification schemes
• Competencies of fit test operator required by ISO and Fit2Fit compared
• Evaluation of competency and qualification of operators
• Experiences with fit test operator schemes – report from four different countries

Speakers:

• Janina Sander – Chair of the ESF Working Group Respiratory Protection / TSI GmbH
• Mike Clayton – RPE Consultant (UK)
• Marie Kransdal – Nordic Safety Federation (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland) / 3M
• Claudio Galbiatti – Assositema (Italy) / 3M
• John Bergman – STYL (Finland)
• François Lustenberger – AccréFit (France)

Registration: free of charge, but mandatory. Available here