Unit presents a comprehensive overview of the issue of health and safety at work (HSW, abbreviation OSH -Occupational Health and Safety is also common), including links to legal requirements (laws, government regulations, decrees).

The sustainable and preventive approach to HSW emphasizes the strategic role of each organisation management and employees, when the condition for achieving strategic objectives in HSW, meaning employees injury and health damage prevention, is a systemic approach (connection between the organization requirements and legal requirements), order and complexity. Linking legal requirements for HSW to systemic approach in CR is addressed in the Standard OHSAS 18001: 2008. In the European Union (EU) there is a system of laws, Health and Safety Directives.

Units describe the important issues for sustainability in the shoe industry us one of the interesting topics describes Safety of machinery, production equipment and maintenance equipment and Process risks in the footwear industry: cutting machines, bottom parts warehouse, closing and preparation, lasting, scouring, soles and heels bonding moulding, finishing, cleaning. Every employer must seek the risks, assess them and identify the measures to either eliminate or minimize them which is step for sustainable of HSW.

With regards to the level of risk, the moulding machines (cutting, punching, riveting, sole pressing) present the highest risk levels. Particularly in the footwear manufacturing, the technology and work practices are not always fully respecting the guidelines given either by machine design (due to their age) or the construction perhaps addresses the general principles to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery, however their applicability due to the operation effectivity is highly questionable. Special attention must also be paid for A ban on putting the protective covers of machinery and equipment out of operation or Blocking functions on protective covers of machinery and equipment.

Two handed control devices should meet the following standard:
-The hand controls should be placed, separated and protected as to prevent spanning with one hand only; being operated with one hand and another part of the body, or being readily bridged.
-It should not be possible to set the dangerous parts in motion unless the controls are operated within approximately 0.5 seconds of each other. Having set the dangerous part in motion, it should not be possible to do so again until both controls have been returned to their off position. This effectively discourages two people operating the machine together by coordinating their actions, and also prevents the operator from locking one control in the start position which would allow him to operate the machine by means of the other control leaving one hand free.
-Movement of the dangerous parts should be arrested immediately or, where appropriate, arrested and reversed if one or both controls are released whilst there is still danger from the movements of these parts.
-The hand controls should be situated at such a distance from the danger point that, on releasing the controls, it is not possible for the operator to reach the danger point before motion of the dangerous parts has been arrested, or where appropriate, arrested and reversed.

Detailed design specifications can be found in British Standard BS EN 574:1997 Safety of machinery-Two-handed control devices-Functional aspects-Principles for design.