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April 2020 1 NEWSLETTER International Commission on Occupational Health - ICOH Volume 18, Number 1 April 2020 In this number Commission Internationale de la Santé au Travail - CIST I Message from the President 1 I News from the Secretary General 4 I Message from the Editor 5 I Announcement 6 I Next Events 11 I Members’ Activity 12 I Résumé en français 24 I ICOH Scientific Committee Officers for Triennum 2018-2021 28 I National Secretaries Triennium 2018-2021 30 I ICOH Officers and Board Members 2018-2021 32 Message from the President Message of the President Science and new findings Over the last year I had an opportunity at the Tampere University (Finland) to be involved in several doctoral dissertations of very talented authors and defenders of their thesis. All of them had a link with the massive NOCCA collection, Nordic Occupational Cancer collection by national cancer registries covering some 14.9 million population in various occupations and over 40 years of follow up of negative work-related impact, in particular, occupational cancer. Again what I learned from these epidemiological studies: the more you study the more you’ll find. The latest dissertation was on kidney cancer and renal pelvis cancer. Work-related exposures include nickel, asbestos, iron, hydrocarbons and welding fumes, see https://www.tuni.fi/en/news/occupational-exposure-and-risk- kidney-and-renal-pelvis-cancer . Already known impact of tobacco smoke was adjusted to find independent risks to occupational kidney and renal pelvis cancer. While these are practically never identified as occupational cancers these other than smoking factors may cause some 5% of the kidney cancers or some 7,000 annual deaths globally. Apart from the University thesis supervisor Dr. Eero Pukkala, the team of two pre-examiners and the dissertation opponent have taken turn in the various formal roles of the thesis defence – and informal celebrations as well - Dr. Pesch from Germany, Dr. Labreche from Canada and myself. Linked to the carcinogenic substances the originally Dutch initiated long- term campaign on the “Roadmap of Carcinogens” had another milestone at the rotating EU Presidency Conference. After the first Amsterdam Conference Austria had taken over, and in November 2019 Finland hosted the process and this will be continued by the German Presidency in near future. The never-ending story of asbestos has come up also again in Amsterdam and in Quebec City, where the huge asbestos mining waste mountains appear to be an attractive source for other minerals, in particular, to extract magnesium from the hills. The waste, however, contains 20-40% of asbestos so touching it may cause huge risks to workers and environment alike. At least local authorities today in Quebec appear to be aware of the risks after banning mining and new use of asbestos in the whole of Canada.

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Page 1: NEWSLETTER - cdn.ymaws.com · Jukka Takala President of ICOH. 4 ICOH Newsletter Vol.18 No. 1 News from the Secretary General Dear ICOH member, The ICOH Midterm meeting was held in

April 2020 1

I

NEWSLETTERInternational Commission onOccupational Health - ICOH

Volume 18, Number 1 April 2020

In this number

Commission Internationale dela Santé au Travail - CIST

I Message from the President 1

I News from the Secretary General 4

I Message from the Editor 5

I Announcement 6

I Next Events 11

I Members’ Activity 12

I Résumé en français 24

I ICOH Scientific Committee Officers for Triennum

2018-2021 28

I National Secretaries Triennium 2018-2021 30

I ICOH Officers and Board Members 2018-2021 32

Message from the President

Message of the President

Science and new findings Over the last year I had an opportunity

at the Tampere University (Finland) to be involved in several doctoral dissertations of very talented authors and defenders of their thesis. All of them had a link with the massive NOCCA collection, Nordic Occupational Cancer collection by national cancer registries

covering some 14.9 million population in various occupations and over 40 years of follow up of negative work-related impact, in particular, occupational cancer. Again what I learned from these epidemiological studies: the more you study the more you’ll find. The latest dissertation was on kidney cancer and renal pelvis cancer. Work-related exposures include nickel, asbestos, iron, hydrocarbons and welding fumes, see https://www.tuni.fi/en/news/occupational-exposure-and-risk-kidney-and-renal-pelvis-cancer . Already known impact of tobacco smoke was adjusted to find independent risks to occupational kidney and renal pelvis cancer. While these are practically never identified as occupational cancers these other than smoking factors may cause some 5% of the kidney cancers or some 7,000 annual deaths globally. Apart from the University thesis supervisor Dr. Eero Pukkala, the team of two pre-examiners and the dissertation opponent have taken turn in the various formal roles of the thesis defence – and informal celebrations as well - Dr. Pesch from Germany, Dr. Labreche from Canada and myself.

Linked to the carcinogenic substances the originally Dutch initiated long-term campaign on the “Roadmap of Carcinogens” had another milestone at the rotating EU Presidency Conference. After the first Amsterdam Conference Austria had taken over, and in November 2019 Finland hosted the process and this will be continued by the German Presidency in near future.

The never-ending story of asbestos has come up also again in Amsterdam and in Quebec City, where the huge asbestos mining waste mountains appear to be an attractive source for other minerals, in particular, to extract magnesium from the hills. The waste, however, contains 20-40% of asbestos so touching it may cause huge risks to workers and environment alike. At least local authorities today in Quebec appear to be aware of the risks after banning mining and new use of asbestos in the whole of Canada.

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2 ICOH Newsletter Vol.18 No. 1

ⓒ International Commission on Occupational Health, 2020ISSN 1459-6792 (Printed publication) ISSN 1795-0260 (On-line publication)

Picture of Quebec Government Asbestos

Waste Inquiry Meeting where ICOH was

invited to represent global occupational

health knowledge. Scientists, such as

Marie-Elise Parent and France Labreche

(EPICOH Canada organisers), Paul Demers,

Jack Siemiatycki were among other

invited scientists.

ICOH Congresses

ICOH has a continuous cycle of organising the ICOH Congress processes. We successfully completed the ICOH 2018 Dublin, we are now in full swing of planning ICOH 2021 Melbourne. In Rome in December 2019 we had finally reached a deal with ICOH 2024 Marrakesh Congress organisers, and as a result we had a Contract signing ceremony during the ICOH Board Midterm Meeting in Rome by mid-February 2020. This took place at INAIL Headquarters by Professor El Kholti and Dean of Faculty, Professor Aboumaaruf of the University of Casablanca who were the signatories in addition to ICOH represented by the Secretary General and myself. In the middle stand vitrine we’ll have the original version of Bernardino Ramazzini’s famous book, see picture enclosed. We will be soon starting to plan the location of the next Congress in 2027 and for that we do have brand new Guidelines for organising ICOH Congresses.

What about the Workers

A Conference on the above title topics was organised by Cardiff University of U.K – or rather Wales. The celebrity was Professor David Walters who just retired from his job at the University but we believe not from occupational health and safety. I recall a wonderful report he and his team made for ILO on the celebration of 100 years of ILO’s work on occupational health and safety, among many other great projects, see further https://www.ilo.org/safework/events/safeday/WCMS_686645/lang--en/index.htm.

ICOH NewsletterPublished by the InternationalCommission on Occupational HealthEditorsEditor in ChiefEun-A [email protected] EditorKyoung-jin Sim [email protected] BoardSeong-Kyu [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] M. [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] and Edited by

KOSHA(Korea Occupational Safety& Health Agency)The electronic version of the ICOH Newsletter on the internet can be accessed at the following address: http://www.icohweb.org/site/newsletter.aspThe responsibility for opinions expressed in signed articles, studies and other contributions rests solely with their authors, and publication does not constitute an endorsement by the International Commission on Occupational Health of the opinions expressed in them.The ICOH Newsletter contents may freely be translated into other languages and disseminated among ICOH members.

International Commission onOccupational Health - ICOH

Commission Internationale dela Santé au Travail - CIST

NEWSLETTERVolume 18, Number 1

April 2020

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April 2020 3

Talking about ILO the ILO Global Coalition proposed at the ILO-ISSA World Congress in Singapore in 2017 and adopted by the ILO Director General was finally launched at the Vision Zero Conference in Helsinki in last November. The first expanded Steering Committee was subsequently held in early February this year at ILO in Geneva. ICOH has been a founding member from the start and we sincerely hope to see concrete projects coming up within this framework. ICOH collaborates with ILO, EU and others in selected projects, in particular, in those linked to data and knowledge.

ICOH Midterm Board and Scientific Committee Meeting and Conference on Future of Work re Occupational Safety and Health in Rome

I must really congratulate ICOH General Secretariat and INAIL for the wonderful arrangements within the INAIL and historical premises in Rome. The ICOH-INAIL Conference was held right at the Centre of Rome in between the Forum Romanum and the Vittorio Emmanuele II Monument on top of the Roman Campidoglio hill.

In the picture the only woman is Ms. Nunzia

Catalfo, Minister of Labour and Social Policies

of Italy. She was accompanied by INAIL Director

General and European Commission Director.

Great technical presentations followed.

Infectious Diseases at Work

Having had several interesting events in the near past and seeing progress we’ll still have a lot of work to do for better protection of workers and eliminating risks at source. We were lucky to complete all our events in Rome while today Italians have a lot to do with covid-19 virus at work and at large. And a number of people all over the world, in particular, in China are seriously affected not just by the disease but also caused by the measures taken by authorities to prevent spreading of the disease.

While covid-19 may cause a less severe disease for most, the global character and widening infection process of the virus appears to be quite quick. This is also supported by the global physical movement of people – and poorly informed or ignorant people.

We are still far away from the risks caused by seasonal “normal” influenza viruses that have caused annually some 600,000 thousand deaths and millions of getting sick. However, the process of containing the virus is much more efficiently taken care by developed countries. The main disaster my start when less developed countries are affected which have really a limited capacity, skills and means to fight such problems.

ICOH role could be to provide support and knowledge to workplaces, employers and workers, and we have already started to look on how past documentation, such as the ILO guidelines made in view of the sister corona virus causing SARS, could be relatively quickly updated for today’s epidemic and other comparable infectious diseases. ILO may be involved in this process along with ICOH and IOHA. Let’s work on that issue! We may know much more when this Newsletter is out.

March 2020Jukka Takala

President of ICOH

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4 ICOH Newsletter Vol.18 No. 1

News from the Secretary General

Dear ICOH member,

The ICOH Midterm meeting was held in Rome, Italy, on February 11-13, 2020. The Italian Workers’ Compensation Authority (INAIL) kindly decided to support ICOH in the organization of the Midterm Meeting, which was hosted in the beautiful historical building in Via Quattro Novembre.

ICOH Officers, Board members and Representatives of the Scientific Committees gathered to share and discuss the ongoing activities according to ICOH triennial work plan. Additionally, updates on the forthcoming ICOH

Congresses, with particular regard to ICOH 2021 (Melbourne, Australia) and ICOH 2024 (Marrakesh, Morocco) were delivered by the Chairs of Organizing Committees, respectively. On this occasion, a contract for the organization of the ICOH 2024 Congress was signed between ICOH and the local organizing committee.

On February 12, the International Conference “Future of work. Challenges and opportunities for occupational health and safety” was held in the magnificent setting of the Protomoteca hall in the Campidoglio, Rome. The Conference was organized jointly by ICOH and INAIL, under the patronage of the Municipality of Rome.

The event gathered international experts who addressed the challenges of a changing world of work, posing a spotlight on demographic changes and rapid technological development. Speeches focused on an actual and detailed analysis of the current context and discussed about future perspectives in the field. Topics presented also included: working in the 24-hour society, artificial intelligence and robotics, gender gap, migrant workers, stress and mental health, age management. The speakers remarked the importance of the consequences related to demographic changes, technological advance, and globalization of markets. Occupational health and safety needs to maintain a central role in this scenario, taking advantage of the opportunities while managing the new needs introduced by technological innovation.

To deal with the complexities of such processes and to overcome related challenges, it is important to promote synergy between authorities and scientific community, for the development of strategies and shared policies for the promotion of workers’ health and safety.

Prof. Sergio IavicoliICOH Secretary-General

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April 2020 5

Dear Members,

While working on the first number of ICOH newsletter in 2020, there have been big challenges on the public health and occupational health, outbreak of COVID-19

On 11 March, WHO Director General characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic. I believe, most of ICOH members have been already working on the prevention of the infection, especially on the minimal transmission in the workplace. Many health care workers have conditions that elevate risk for severe infection or death if they become infected with COVID-19, so ICOH will also need to communicate our experience and information.

I want to encourage member to send updates on upcoming events in their scientific committees, current events in our field, and other important news/information that can be included in our newsletter.

The editorial planning of the ICOH Newsletter For 2018 and 2020: 1) Vol1: 1st APRIL

(deadline for article submission: 10th FEBRUARY)2) Vol2: 1st AUGUST

(deadline for article submission: 10th JUNE)3) Vol3: 1st DECEMBER

(deadline for article submission: 10th OCTOBER)

Changes of Addresses

The ICOH Newsletter is published in two versions: in hard copy and electronic format. All active ICOH members, who paid membership receive it by e-mail and postal mail. To receive both versions, both the e-mail address and the postal address registered with the ICOH Secretariat need to be correct. Please inform ICOH of any changes to your addresses, by communicating with the Editorial Office ([email protected], [email protected]) or the ICOH Secretariat ([email protected]).

Eun-A KimEditor-in-Chief,

ICOH Newsletter

Message from the Editor

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6 ICOH Newsletter Vol.18 No. 1

COVID 19: Occupational Health

We are currently facing challenges at work and in society with the Covid-19 pandemic that are unprecedented in our working lives. ICOH and Occupational Health generally has an important part to play in this emergency, both in protecting health workers and ensuring the business continuity of health care services and supporting non-healthcare workplaces - to protect the health and safety of their workers and those affected by their operations. Do look at the guidance from the WHO https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/09-03-2020-covid-19-occupational-health.

It is important we support each other. We often work in professional isolation. Covid is likely exacerbate this. We need to work with each other and use technology to do that having visual meetings via phone and video conferencing (see https://www.som.org.uk/technology-and-covid-19). It is likely that most we will be inundated with requests for decisions on whether employees are fit to come to work and what the ever-changing government advice means for an organisation and its workforce. There will be pressure from employees to stay at home as well as pressure from managers to bring them into work. If the wrong decision is made, this may lead to unnecessary exposure of vulnerable individuals to Covid-19 with consequential loss of life as well as damaging organisational reputation. There might be an increase in abusive emails and phone calls from individuals who are not in agreement with advice they have received.

Professor Neil Greenberg has offered the following advice to staff who are worried:a. Ensure that you rely on trusted authorities for information

about the pandemic and what to do. In an uncertain time, people should try to ‘stick to the known facts’ rather than focus on speculation and possibly unhelpful stories of dismay or sorrow.

b. Proactively reach other to other people and check on how they are doing using phones, WhatsApp, Skype or similar. Physical isolation should not mean social isolation.

c. Whilst you might feel that there is currently ‘no point’ in sticking to a healthy lifestyle, in fact it is now more important than every to do so.

d. If you do get to the point of feeling unable to cope, reach

out to someone for help.

He also added some tips to support people to stay well while self-isolating:a. You should advise people who self-isolate to stay connected

to their usual social network. Furthermore, they should try to keep to their usual routine as much as possible. When limiting physical social contact, people should stay connected via e-mail, social media etc.

b. those in isolation should try to keep to their usual routine as much as possible. This should mean working as much as they can, and this is best done through liaison with their line manager.

c. people who self-isolate should be advised to pay attention to their own needs and feelings and to engage in healthy activities that they enjoy and find relaxing. Encourage them to exercise regularly, keep to regular sleep routines, eat healthy food and limit unhealthy behaviours.

d. you should advise isolating individuals to keep repeated exposure to a never-ending stream of news to a minimum. This can cause anyone to feel anxious or distressed.

Regarding use of remote consultations:a. It is very likely that you will be asked to minimise your

contact with others. If you do not have experience of conducting remote consultations, then you should get up to speed with doing so in terms of practicalities and working out what technology will help.

b. Remote consultations can be carried out via telephone calls, Skype, WhatsApp or similar platforms.

c. When using a remote connection, consideration should be given to any potential limitations of the medium used and clinicians should continue to meet their obligations in Good Medical Practice. Furthermore, pay attention to your immediate environment and ensure that patients can only see you working in a professional environment.

Finally, keep yourself psychologically healthya. Staying connected, limit over exposure to news articles,

adhering to a healthy lifestyle and so on.b. Should you have a dilemma about what decisions to make,

reach out to your colleagues and share your concerns. Where ambiguity continues to exist, return to the official Government advice and apply it to the best of your ability.

Announcement

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April 2020 7

c. Before the crisis reaches its peak, reflect on the potential moral dilemmas you may face in terms of your decision making. They may be no easy answers and you should not feel that the burden of the crisis is on your shoulders alone. The current crisis is likely to force many healthcare professionals to have to make tough decisions be they about life and death or about the success, or failure, of a business and the consequential impact on the lives its employees.

d. If you find that you are ruminating over decisions to be made or those you have made, once again share them with a colleague.

This is an opportunity for us all to demonstrate to our organisations and society the value of Occupational Health. I am sure ICOH will do all it can to support members during this time, to promote the role of occupational health, distribute relevant research and also share experiences from the front line.

Nick PahlCEO

Society of Occupational Medicine

Call for nominations for the election of ICOH Officers and members of the Board for the triennium 2021-2024

According to the current ICOH Bye-Laws the names of the candidates shall be submitted to the Secretary-General (ICOH Secretariat General c/o INAIL - via Fontana Candida, 1, 00078 Monte Porzio Catone (Rome) - Italy Tel: +39 0694181506 E-mail: [email protected]) no later than June 21, 2020 12:00 GMT.

1) Nominees have to be supported by at least 10 members in good standing for the Board candidacy and at least 15 members in good standing for the Officers candidacy.

2) Candidatures have to be accompanied by the written agreement of the nominee that he/she is willing to serve if elected and a curriculum vitae of no more than 150 words.

3) Candidates have to duly complete the Declaration of Interest Form (form available on the website) along with

the Curriculum Vitae.4) A member of the ICOH can be a candidate for one post

only at a time.5) Candidates must be in good standing at least twelve months

before the International Congress.6) The curricula will be published in the website and in the

2nd Newsletter 2020. The candidates must be eligible under Article 5, section 2 and 8 of the ICOH Constitution. The Officers and the members of the Board shall be elected as set forth in the Bye-Laws for the triennial period separating sessions of the General Assembly.

They may be re-elected to the same office for no more than one additional term, with exception of the Secretary-General, who may be elected for more than one additional term. The newly elected Officers take office at the General Assembly convened immediately after the ICOH 2021 Congress.Based on the received candidatures, the Secretary-General will prepare the ballot form, with the names of the candidates for each office in random order. For further information including consultation of ICOH Constitution and Bye-Laws and next step information about election procedures, please visit the ICOH webpage http://www.icohweb.org/site_new/ico_core_documents.asp.

Appel à candidatures pour l’élection des directeurs de l’ICOH et des membres du Conseil pour la période triennale 2021-2024

Selon les statuts actuels de l’ICOH, les noms des candidats doivent être soumis au Secrétaire général (Secrétariat général de l’ICOH c/o INAIL, via Fontana Candida, 1, 00078 Monte Porzio Catone (Rome), Italie ; Tél. : +39 0694181506, E-mail : [email protected]) au plus tard le 21 juin 2020, 12:00 GMT.

1) Les candidats doivent être soutenus par au moins 10 membres en règle pour la candidature des agents et au moins 15 membres en règle pour la candidature au poste de directeur.

2) Les candidatures doivent être accompagnées de l’accord écrit du candidat déclarant qu’il/elle est prêt(e) à servir

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8 ICOH Newsletter Vol.18 No. 1

s’il/elle est élu(e) et d’un curriculum vitae de 150 mots maximum.

3) Les candidats doivent dûment remplir le formulaire de déclaration d’intérêt (formulaire disponible sur le site Web) avec le curriculum vitae.

4) Un membre de l’ICOH ne peut être candidat qu’à un seul poste à la fois.

5) Les candidats doivent être en règle au moins douze mois avant le Congrès international.

6) Les programmes seront publiés sur le site Internet et dans la 2ème Lettre d’information de 2020. Les candidats doivent être éligibles en vertu de l’article 5, sections 2 et 8 de la Constitution de l’ICOH. Les directeurs et les membres du Conseil sont élus conformément aux statuts pour la période triennale séparant les sessions de l’Assemblée générale.

Ils peuvent être réélus au même poste pour un mandat supplémentaire au maximum, à l’exception du Secrétaire général, qui peut être élu pour plusieurs mandats supplémentaires. Les directeurs nouvellement élus entrent en fonction à l’Assemblée générale convoquée immédiatement après le Congrès de l’ICOH en 2021.Sur la base des candidatures reçues, le Secrétaire général préparera les bulletins de vote, avec les noms des candidats pour chaque poste dans un ordre aléatoire. Pour plus d’informations, y compris la consultation de la Constitution et des statuts de l’ICOH et des informations sur la prochaine étape concernant les procédures électorales, veuillez visiter la page Web de l’ICOH : http://www.icohweb.org/site_new/ico_core_documents.asp

ICOH 2021-Sharing Solutions in Occupational Health

We invite you to join us for the 33rd International Congress on Occupational Health 2021 (ICOH 2021) to be held in

Melbourne, Australia from 21-26 March 2021. The Australian and New Zealand Society of Occupational Medicine (ANZSOM) in partnership with the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH) is proud to be hosting the Congress and we look forward to welcoming you to Melbourne.

The triennial Congress is recognised as the major Congress in the world for occupational health professionals, policy makers, academics and researchers across a multitude of disciplines. ICOH 2021 will bring to Melbourne the world’s leaders in occupational health and safety to share their knowledge, discuss

best practice and share solutions for better worker health worldwide. Planning is well underway with ANZSOM and ICOH collaborating with other occupational health organisations and experts to ensure the Congress showcases the most effective solutions being undertaken in occupational health locally, regionally and globally. To download a copy of the Second Announcement visit http://www.icoh2021.org.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS The Congress will focus on the theme: Sharing Solutions in Occupational Health: Locally, Regionally, Globally throughout the 5 day program.The combination of plenary, semi-plenary, special and oral sessions, policy forum and poster presentations will examine a wide range of the latest solutions in occupational health and safety issues. Highlights of the program include the Global Policy Forum, which will focus on the important issue of mental health in the workplace, special sessions being organized by ICOH Scientific Committees and Working Groups and other bodies affiliated with ICOH or ANZSOM, semi-plenary presentations, worksite visits, Poster Pitch sessions and regional Round Tables to discuss occupational health issues

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of relevance to different regions of the world. There will also be an active program focused on early and midcareer delegates, including a student prize, capacity building and networking sessions and social program. The extensive and interactive program will enable local, regional and global initiatives and research to be shared with the delegates from all around the world to build networks and legacies that will extend beyond the 2021 Congress.

KEYNOTE AND PLENARY SPEAKERS We are proud to announce the opening Keynote address will be given by Professor Sir Michael Marmot who has been a leader in the social determinants of health and workplace health inequalities. Sir Michael was originally from Australia, but has spent most of his career in the UK. We also have an outstanding faculty of international plenary speakers who will be sharing their extensive knowledge and experience with delegates throughout the Congress.

Professor Sir Michael Marmot University College London UK Health Inequalities in the Workplace

Dr. Margaret Kitt National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health USAEmerging workplace health and safety threats

Mr Franklin Muchiri International Labour Office Preventing infectious diseases in the workplace

Dr. Karen Nieuwenhuijsen Coronel Institute The Netherlands Mental health, sickness absence and return to work

Dr. Frank Pega World Health Organization GenevaILO/WHO estimates of occupational disease and injury burden

Professor Jorma Rantanen Finnish Institute for Occupational Health FinlandGlobalisation and the implications for worker health

Dr. Elisabete Weiderpass International Agency for Research on Cancer France Programs for workplace cancer prevention

Professor Alistair Woodward University of Auckland New Zealand Worker health and safety in a changing climate

Professor Paul BlancUniversity of California San Francisco USAThe past as prologue: how the history of occupational illness and injury teaches us about today

Professor Frida Marina FischerUniversity of Sao Paulo BrazilImpact of the 24 hour work cycle on worker health and safety

Associate Professor Hanifa DennyDiponegoro University IndonesiaEffectiveness of basic occupational health services in the informal sector

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CALL FOR ABSTRACTS IS NOW OPEN You are invited to play an active role in the program discussion, by submitting an abstract for an oral or poster presentation. Accepted abstracts will be published in an online supplement of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Don’t miss this opportunity to contribute to the global dialogue that will bring about solutions in occupational health. The opportunity to apply for a grant to support attendance and present a paper will be available for early and mid career delegates from low and middle income countries.You are invited to play an active role in the scientific program by submitting an abstract for consideration as an oral or poster presentation. Those abstracts accepted for a Poster session may also be offered the opportunity to do a ‘Rapid Poster Presentation’, where the author can do a one minute/one slide overview presentation of their poster at a relevant session. Accepted abstracts for oral and poster sessions will be published in an on-line supplement of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the major international journal in its field and part of the BMJ Group. This means that authors will be able to add a citation for their abstract to their CV. For information on how to make a submission please visit the website http://www.icoh2021.orgSubmissions close on June 30 2020.

REGISTRATION – EARLY BIRD SAVINGS Registration is now open offering some valuable early bird savings. To secure your place, please visit the website for more information on registration fees, accommodation, travel and tour options.Substantial discounts are being offered to ICOH members, students and to those delegates from developing countries. Savings are available with the early bird offers, so we encourage you to book now! Visit www.icoh2021.org for further information. DISCOVER MELBOURNE, DISCOVER AUSTRALIA In addition to the dynamic program, the social program will enable you to network and make connections with fellow professionals whilst you enjoy the vibrancy of Melbourne. We also hope you’ll stay a few days longer to discover more of our great city and visit the diverse cities and regions that Australia offers you. Visit the website www.icoh2021.org.au for further information.We encourage you to put 21-26 March 2021 into your diary and look forward to welcoming you to Melbourne for what promises to be an outstanding ICOH Congress.

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April 2020 11

18th National Congress of Occupational Medicine, 30th April 2020

https://congresso.anamt.org.br/

12th International Symposium on Biological Monitoring, July 2021

The 11th International Symposium on Biological Monitoring in Occupational and Environmental Health (ISBM) was successfully organized in Leuven, Belgium in August 2019 by the Scientific Committee on Occupational Toxicology (SCOT), also in collaboration with the SC on Rural Health, Toxicology of metals and Nanomaterial Workers’ Health.Following the business meeting and presentations of the candidates for ISBM12, the SCOT members decided that ISBM12 will be held in Belgrade in July 2021.

Belgrade is one of Europe’s oldest cities with a 7000-year-old history, but is also proud and famous for its modern metropolitan lifestyle. Easy access from more than 60 European cities and affordable congress packages will allow a larger audience for ISBM12. Adding the very liberal VISA

policy of Serbia will guarantee participation even from developing countries and other countries usually underrepresented at ICOH events.

ISBM12 is of great importance for Serbia and its Society of Toxicology, as Serbia is one of the countries where toxicology has been wrongly neglected. The Serbian Society of Toxicology, which was established as the Yugoslav Society of Toxicology in 1969, will do its best to welcome all speakers, participants and guests from around the world and demonstrate the well-known Serbian hospitality.

The symposium will bring together the world’s leading scientists, experts, practitioners and students in biological monitoring to discuss and share state-of-the-art knowledge on biomarkers of exposure, effect and susceptibility to occupational and environmental agents, as well as the use of biomonitoring data as part of prevention strategies in workplaces and the general environment.

Currently running projects, working groups, and societies which would like to organize their own meetings during the ISBM12 are welcome to contact the organizers by email: [email protected].

Additional detailed information regarding ISBM12 will be available soon on http://www.isbm12.rs.

Next Events

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SCOHSSEIS reaches out for OH in small enterprises and informal workers

Mahinda Seneviratne (Chair) and Somnath Gangopadhyay (Secretary)Small enterprises are recognized as a large and important component of the global economy while the informal sector accounts for most workers in many low to middle income countries. The growth of migrant workers, from both internal and external is also drawing attention to how their occupations affect long-term health.The Scientific Committee on Occupational Health in Small Scale Enterprises and the Informal Sector (SCOHSSEIS) expanded its links with three major countries which have recognized the importance of the occupational health of their growing small business sectors and of informal and migrant workers within. We share with ICOH members a brief report on these recent engagements.

1. Russian Federation: National Conference on Occupational Health at Samara (24-25 September 2019)

SCOHSSEIS participated in the XV Russian National Congress on Occupational Health at the invitation of National Secretary Dr. Evgeny Shigan. The international symposium in English was attended by over 150 delegates from major universities and institutions across Russia as well as from several neighboring countries such as Uzbekistan.

Dr. Sara Arphorn(Mahidol University, Bangkok) spoke about migrant farm workers in Thailand and (right) with Russian professors in occupational health and other presenters from Canada and Netherlands.

2. Turkey: 1st International and 10th National Occupational Health and Safety Congress at Çukurova University, Adana (23 - 26 October 2019).

SCOHSSEIS secretary Prof. Somnath Gangopadhyay delivered a Plenary Lecture on the health and ergonomic issues related to different informal sectors and how to increase the productivity by applications of low/no cost ergonomic and health interventions. His lecture was highly appreciated and opened up possibilities for future collaborations. The Congress in Turkey has become a very effective platform to build collaboration between occupational health experts in different domains. It was organized by UCTEA Chamber of Mechanical Engineers Adana Branch. Over 450 delegates, including WHO and ILO representatives, participated. Several scientists and trade unionists from Macedonia, Germany, England, USA, Iran and Switzerland also presented papers. In addition, a short film competition was held within the scope of Congress activities and a photo exhibition was also organized.

3. China: 6th Annual Conference of Occupational Diseases and Poisoning Medicine in Hunan Province held in Changsha, Hunan (20-21 November 2019).

Hunan is a province with 70 million population and has the largest occupational disease institute in China with facilities in Changsha and Changde. This Conference was organised by the occupational medicine executive of the Hunan Provincial Medical Association.On invitation from Professor Yirui Zhang, Director of the Hunan Institute for Prevention and Treatment of Occupational Disease (HIPTOD), SCOHSSEIS Chair Mahinda Seneviratne

Activity of Scientific Committees

Members’ Activity

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delivered a keynote on “Improving the Working Environment of Migrant Workers to prevent Pneumoconiosis”.About 100 participants, mainly respiratory physicians and scientists from across China participated. Presentations included improving diagnosis of pneumoconiosis to prevent misdiagnosis as TB and a report on silicosis cases among artificial stone benchtop makers in Shanghai.

Dr. Yin, Deputy Director HIPTOD (second from right), Professor Erik Wang (Tsing Hua University, Taiwan) and senior respiratory medicine specialists from Hunan with SCOHSSEIS Chair. RIGHT: The Institute had well-equipped occupational hygiene facilities for dust exposure assessment.

The above events drew SCOHSSEIS attention to the fact that several important work in occupational health among SME and informal sectors are presented and published only in languages other than English. With the efforts of translators and interpreters, we need to promote such engagements regularly and make a wider reach of our SC’s work to other regions.

ICOH Scientific Committees Meetings International Conclave on Occupational Health,

January 2020 at Mumbai

Developing international criteria for work-related musculoskeletal diseases

Dr. Ashish MISHRA, National Secretaries of IndiaThe Indian Association of Occupational Health hosted an International Conclave on Occupational Health which incorporated Scientific & Business Meetings of 8 Scientific Committees of ICOH and the 70th National Conference of IAOH.Eight ICOH scientific committees were represented at the

Conclave in Mumbai from January 28-30, 2020 integrated with the 70th National Conference of IAOH and 68th Annual Conference of IAOH Mumbai Branch. These were SCOHDEV, SCETOH, MinOSH, MEDICHEM, SCOHSSEIS, SCRH, SCEOHS and SCOHCI. Over sixty international delegates and more than hundred and fifty national delegates attended scientific deliberations over three days organised in collaboration with the Indian Association of Occupational Health (IAOH) – OCCUCON 2020. About twenty-five countries and six continents were represented at this event.Preparation for the conclave was an intensive affair beginning over seven to eight months in advance through virtual meetings with respective scientific committees, coordinated by Dr. Frank van Dijk and supported by Dr. Stefania Curti and chairpersons and secretaries of the scientific committees.

Scientific events commenced with a formal inaugural event presided over by IAOH President, Dr. Sidram Raut and guest of honour, Ms Claudina Noguiera, ICOH Vice President. Forty-eight oral and poster presentations were presented in various committee deliberations with some sessions by invited speakers, twelve keynote addresses, six joint sessions, three special sessions including one on prevention of silicosis and another on basic occupational health services and six thematic workshops. Dr. Seong-Kyu Kang was the guest of honour at the IAOH Conference, OCCUCON 2020. Ms Nogueira delivered the Work Safe India oration during OCCUCON 2020. Prof. Malcolm Sim, introduced the ICOH Triennial Congress at Melbourne 2021.

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Some of the prominent speakers at the event were Prof. Carel Hulshof, Dr. William Murray Coombs, Dr. Ramnik Parekh, Dr. Astrid Sulistomo, Dr. Somkiat Siriruttanapruk, Prof. Gert van der Laan, Prof. Pierluigi Cocco, Prof. Stefano Mattioli, Dr. Max Lum, Dr. Erik Jørs, Dr. Tsuyoshi Kawakami, Prof. Karl-Heinz Noetel, Prof. Somnath Gangopadhyay, Prof. Lutgart Braeckman, Prof. Vidhya Venugopal, Dr. Praveen Vemula and Dr. Garth Manning. There were some sessions with virtual presentations namely, Dr. Paul Weihé, Dr. Marilyn Fingerhut, Dr. Stephan Bose-O’Reilly and Stefan Rakete, Dr. Jinky Liu and Dr. Elizabeth Dias & Dr. Marcia Bandini.

Prof. Hulshof explained the rationale for evidence-based medical practice in occupational health with Dr. Coombs positing the sustainability matrix for chemical industry. Prof. Gert van der Laan detailed occupational risks in agriculture and challenges for workers’ health in this sector while Dr. Erik described the risks associated with mercury exposure in artisanal gold mining through an epidemiological cohort study. Prof. Karl-Heinz Noetel spoke about the trend towards Vision Zero for OSH and its seven principles. Dr. Braeckman postulated synergies in evaluation for quality and effectiveness of OSH education and Dr. Manning held forth on integration of workers’ health with primary care. Dr. Kawakami represented ILO at the conclave speaking about the participatory research and action experiences in informal sector enterprises and Dr. Gangopadhyay referred to interventions in informal sector. The thematic plenary session on BOHS had three speakers, Dr. Ramnik Parekh sharing the India experience; Dr. Astrid spoke about Indonesia’s engagement of OSH with primary care and Dr. Somkiat shared insights from the successful Thai model of BOHS.

BOHS workshop was in continuation with the Dublin briefing to create sustained interest in this area and work towards greater prominence to the theme presumably, towards formalising a core working group on this topic to generate global collaborations. There were country presentations from India, Brazil, South Africa, Iran, Indonesia, Thailand, Netherlands, Australia and Finland describing the challenges and barriers in execution of BOHS or sustaining successful models. ILO, WONCA, ICOH representatives offered valuable insights and comments on the presentations. The workshops on engaging with Wikipedia, online search for OSH, role of PH physicians in moving precautionary agenda and core values at work were well-received. Another successful event was the IAOH Mumbai Branch Orientation to Contemporary Occupational Health themed workshop for over fifty safety and engineering professionals from large and SME manufacturing sectors. There was a mix of national and international faculty employing both didactic and participatory learning technologies. Scientific session presentations highlighted diverse areas in OSH namely, ergonomics, informal sector workers’ health hazards, transformation of OSH at workplace, agricultural hazards, risk assessment in chemical industry, mining hazards, silicosis and tuberculosis, health workers’ risk mitigation measures, gamification and other adult learning initiatives, climate change and heat stress, evaluation of education, environmental toxicology and safe chemical production etc. in diverse country settings. Sessions on pesticide associated toxicity and interventions to minimise the risk, health hazard communication, social security communication gaps, usage of IT to reduce risks, respiratory risk assessment program and air pollution besides, sickness absenteeism, job satisfaction, worker cognitive skills and perceptions influencing safety were widely attended events. IAOH Mumbai Branch had emphasised sustainability as common underlying theme and focussed upon specific Go Green initiatives to reduce the carbon footprint partnering with Good Earth, sustainability partner. The conclave had some prominent knowledge partners, like National Institute of Occupational Health and Indian Council of Medical Research, premier research institutions in the field of occupational health, National Safety Council, Indian Institute of Public Health and Public Health Foundation of India, Indian Association of Preventive & Social Medicine.

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IAOH Mumbai Branch has initiated two awards for scientific presentations at the ICOH meeting assessed by a panel of eight judges nominated by various scientific committees with one IAOH representative, finally selecting the nominations after a review meeting on the final day. Significantly, the mobile application launched for conclave happenings engaged with the audience through some audience poll questions recommended by six committees, however proved to be less effective for communication for overseas delegates. Post-scientific events there were social options for networking and mingling of delegates. ICOH had generously offered subsidy funding for delegates from developing countries with over six nominations approved by four committees to cover travel costs. Business meetings of respective scientific committees were attended by chairpersons/ secretaries - Dr. Diana Gagliardi, Dr. Ganapati Prabhu, Dr. Shyam Pingle, Dr. Frank van Dijk, Dr. Mahinda Seneviratne, Dr. Somnath Gangopadhyay, Dr. Krishna Nirmalya Sen, Dr. Erik Jørs, Dr. Coombs & Dr. Stefania Curti and other delegates. Dr. Seong-Kyu Kang and Dr. Claudina Nogueira appreciated scientific deliberations and talked of ways of tapping synergies between IAOH and ICOH.The event was followed by formal closing ceremony which involved audience participation, observation and comments. Organisers were commended for a seamless and successful organisation of the event! Drawing on the success of the International Conclave and OCCUCON 2020 it is felt that knowledge sharing and exchange of best practices between IAOH and ICOH as well as its subcommittees, on an ongoing basis will go a long way in strengthening Interface between IAOH & ICOH

Organizing Committee International Conclave on Occupational

Dr. Shrinivas Shanbhag (Chairman Org. Com)Dr. T Rajgopal(Chairman Sc Com)Dr. Suvarna Moti(Convenor Sc Com)Dr. Ashish Mishra(Organising Sec)

International Conclave on Occupational Health A Report from ICOH SC in the Construction Industry

Dr. Krishna Nirmalya Sen (Chair of SC Construction Industry)ICOH SC Committee in the Construction Industry was actively associated with International Conclave on OH in Mumbai and contributed to several sessions including a Plenary Session on Vision Zero which was delivered by Prof. Dr. Karl-Heinz Noetel on 29th January. This session was jointly chaired by Dr. Diana Gagliardi and Dr. Krishna Nirmalya Sen (KNS) Chair of the SC OH in Construction Industry.

On the same day i.e., 29th January 2020, during a dedicated oral session on Occupational Health in the Construction Industry, five papers were presented on wide ranging topics. This session was chaired by KNS.A joint Session by SC OH in Construction Industry and SC Rural Health, Agriculture was also held on 29th January 2020 afternoon. This was co-chaired by Prof. Pierluigi Cocco and KNS where he also made a paper presentation.In another joint session on 30th January, coordinated by SC small scale Enterprises & Informal Sector, SC OH and Development, SC Mining OSH and SC OH in Construction, a technical paper was presented by Dr. Divyang Shah on

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Medical Fitness criteria for workmen in small scale/informal sector.In addition to the above, ICOH SC in construction industry organized a technical workshop on 30th January 2020 titled “Ergonomic Assessment of Construction Tasks” with Faculty support from Prof. Somnath Gangopadhyay for which a separate report recently submitted .

Workshop on Ergonomic Assessment of Construction Tasks

Dr. Krishna Nirmalya Sen (Chair of SC Construction Industry)At the International Conclave on Occupational Health in Mumbai, one workshop on Occupational Health and Ergonomics with the theme: “Ergonomic Assessment of Construction Tasks” 2020 was organized by ICOH Scientific Committee in Construction Industry on 30th January 2020. Dr. Krishna Nirmalya Sen, Chair of the Scientific Committee with faculty support from Prof. (Dr.) Somnath Gangopadhyay delivered this workshop to easily enumerate ergonomic risks related to some of the common construction tasks. During the workshop, participants were briefed about the various ergonomic assessment methods and applications of ergonomic principles at workplaces.Around 25 participants, from various domains of Occupational Health and Safety participated in this workshop. A table-top exercise was planned to familiarize participants with practical hands-on assessment of construction tasks applying Ovako Work posture Assessment System (OWAS).Through this workshop, the participants were equipped with the required knowledge to perform a practical assignment using the resource material provided to them. Sample resource material on OWAS used during the workshop can be found at: https://youtu.be/gP6OiMwv78w

ICOH Scientific Committee on Rural Health: Agriculture, Pesticides and Organic Dusts

Dr. Sashikala Chandrasekar (Chair: SC Rural Health)The International Conclave on Occupational Health (OCCUCON 2020) was held from January 28 - 30, 2020 at the Nehru Centre in Mumbai, India. It was a successful collaboration of eight Scientific Committees (SCs) of ICOH supported by the Indian Association of Occupational Health (IAOH). The theme of the Conference was “Keys to sustainable OSH - Evidence, Practice and Collaboration”.The SC Rural Health was one of the eight SCs which collaborated in this successful joint event. The SC Rural Health sessions were dedicated to global warming and climate change and a badge inscribed - “Stop Global Warming” was given to the delegates who attended the SC Rural Health Sessions.

Prof. Gert van der Laan (Netherlands), Past SC Chair, was the keynote speaker from SC Rural Health on Tuesday, 28 January and he delivered a presentation titled “Keys to Agricultural Workers’ Health: Some challenges ahead”. The first part of the SC Rural Health Session on Wednesday, 29 January, was dedicated to the hot topic ‘Global Warming and Climate Change’. The Chair of SC Rural Health, Dr. Sashikala Chandrasekar (India) kicked off this session by giving an overview presentation on the causes and impacts of global warming and climate change. Ms Claudina Nogueira (South Africa), ICOH Vice President for SCs, was invited by the SC Rural Health to contribute to the programme, and delivered the second presentation titled ‘The myriad faces of climate change: Lessons for occupational and public health’, which focussed on impacts on health and the environment, some examples from developing countries, as well as suggestions for preventive measures which can be applied to reduce the effects of global warming. A short video on the

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effects of global warming was screened between the first and second presentations of this session, for creating awareness about this important subject; the screening was appreciated by the delegates, even though it delivered a sombre ‘take-home’ message and sounded many alarm bells in the room. In the second part of this session, members from the SC Rural Health presented on their topics of expertise and interest, as indicated below. Dr. Erik Jørs (Chair of SC Mining Occupational Safety and Health, Denmark) presented examples on how and why local small-scale OSH interventions in agriculture can suddenly have national impact; Dr. Mahinda Seneviratne (Chair of SC Small-Scale Enterprises and the Informal Sector, Australia) presented on health hazard communication; Prof. Pierluigi Cocco (Italy) presented on lymphoma risk following exposure to organic dusts in agricultural occupations; Prof. Susan Brumby (Australia) delivered a presentation titled “I didn’t think it mattered - Needlestick incidents in the livestock sectors in Victoria, Australia”; Dr. Praveen Vemula (India) presented on prophylactic technologies to prevent pesticide-induced toxicity and mortality; and Dr. Sara Arphorn (Thailand) delivered a presentation titled “Farmer’s health: Working conditions and behaviours”.

In the Joint Session of SC Rural Health and SC Small-Scale Enterprises and the Informal Sector on Tuesday, 28 January, the speakers and their topics were as follows: Prof. Gert van der Laan – New and emerging occupational diseases; Dr. Susan Brumby – Farmers’ suicide literacy and stigma: The ‘Ripple Effect’; and Prof. Vidhya Venugopal (India) – Climate change and impact of heat on rural workers.In the Joint Session of SC Rural Health and SC Occupational Health in the Construction Industry on Wednesday, 29 January, the speakers and their topics were as follows: Dr.

Sashikala Chandrasekar – Pesticide issues in India and means of mitigation; Prof. Pierluigi Cocco – Health effects of long-term exposure to pesticides; Dr. Krishna Nirmalya Sen (Chair of SC Occupational Health in the Construction Industry, India) – Promoting OSH in construction through information, education and communication; and Indranil Chakraborty (India) – Rural mass in construction, OSH challenges and mitigation.

Indian Science Congress :Science & Technology: Rural Development

Dr. Sashikala Chandrasekar (Chair: SC Rural Health)The 107th session of Indian Science Congress, was held in January, 3 - 7, 2020 at University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore. Nobel laureates, scientific luminaries, policy makers, scholars and academicians from India and many countries across the world participated in this Congress. Dr. Sashikala Chandrasekar, Chair, SC RH represented the ICOH Scientific Committee on Rural Health in the Congress.Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi inaugurated the Congress and urged the young scientists to work for rural development. Experts from different agriculture sectors discussed on the themes - Farmers innovation on integrated agriculture and entrepreneurship for doubling farmers income; Climate change, bio-diversity, conservation, ecosystem services; farmers empowerment, Agrarian distress and rural bio-entrepreneurship. Farmers were encouraged to practice organic farming to reduce the ill effects of agro chemicals and pesticides. Development of different types of organic farming systems in niche areas was also announced. The main objective of the summit was to bridge the gap between farmers and tech-developers and innovators. It had a special focus on rural development through science and technology. The innovations, technology & devices which were in display in the scientific exhibition will improve the quality of Occupational Health and Safety of rural workers. The role of IT enabled technology, Geo tagging and data science in the timely completion of several rural and urban projects was highlighted. Besides this, digitization, advent of e-commerce, internet and mobile banking has played a huge role in the rural development in the recent days.

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The Mining Occupational Safety and Occupational Health (MinOSH) has had a roster of successful events

Prof. Jinky leilanie LU (Secretary: SC MinOSH)In the recent Mumbai Conference last January 28 till February 1, 2020, MinOSH committee actively participated to promote occupational safety and health in mining and related work. The Mumbai Conference was participated by 8 scientific committees (SCs) of ICOH. It was indeed fruitful for the various scientific committees of ICOH to come together and share our research findings and novel developments in our respective fields, and weave or revisit our common goal of achieving occupational health in working populations.

In the Mumbai Conference, we had a keynote by Erik Jors, an oral session and a special session on mining OHS, as well as TB and silicosis in mining in collaboration with other SCs. Our sessions were well participated with good attendance.

Please see program at this link. http://occuconindia.com/scientific_programme_icoh.html

MinOSH had several presentations on webex and video presentation by our esteemed colleagues who were not able to physically attend. We will try to make it possible to videotape keynotes and semi-plenaries in future conferences to provide opportunities for those who are not able to come to still present their significant researches and advocacies.

In the Bali Conference of MinOSH held last October 6-8, 2019, we had an opportunity for a business meeting to discuss the agenda of MinOSH. A proposal was raised in that meeting to include extractive gas/oil OHS as a sub-committee of MinOSH. This will be taken up in our scientific committee meeting in Australia during the ICOH mother conference.

Last February 11-12, 2020, the Rome Mid-term meeting was held for ICOH and SC executive committee to brainstorm about OSH agenda and direction. The theme was “future of work”, which is timely considering that in our new society, work is characterized by various work arrangements- working from home, teleworking, IT-intensive, output-based over need for physical presence, flexible work-time involving

3-day compressed workweek, among others. Integral to this new form of work is also the need on how to frame correctly the form of OSH services that will be needed, and how OSH can become relevant.

Above all, we would like to extend our Greatest and Deepest Appreciation to Erik Jors, our Chair, for the excellent, bright and encouraging 6 years of leadership. Thank you Erik for birthing this scientific committee, along with other founding members. You were at the forefront, and you had the right experience and temperament to lead us from our humble beginnings to a great MinOSH with a large network all over the globe. We now have around 115 members; we had two successful International Conferences in 2017 in Odense Denmark, and in 2019 in Bali, Indonesia. Our network has grown across memberships and across other institutions and scientific committees.

You were a towering leader, which lives up to your true physical stature- a towering person! We had great fun while doing our work under your leadership and guidance. A true Viking, who sailed the world not to conquer territories, but to conquer lands to become a better workplace through the programs, networks, and advocacies of our scientific committee. You are a true ambassador of OSH, specifically mining Occupational Safety and Health. A medical doctor who has not chosen the gilded walls of big hospitals in metropolitan centers, but you walked the rugged terrains of Africa, Latin America, and Asia as a community doctor for the major part of your productive years in order to bring health to the underserved populations of the world. Part of mining-the artisanal and small scale- is categorized as dirty, traditional, and hazardous. And you also lent your expertise and passion to make work in mining more humane and safe.

Erik’s term will soon end as the term of office is only for 6 years. The Secretary will step up as Chair. And we would like to take this opportunity to invite members of MinOSH who may be willing to be the Secretary. For those interested, please email Erik and/or Jinky, and the execom will discuss the matter.

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11th JOINT CONFERENCE ON OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH for HEALTH WORKERS

Dr. Gwen Orr BRACHMAN (Chair of SC OHHW)More than 180 participants, scientists and doctors from 41 countries attended the 11th Joint Conference on Occupational Health for Health Workers in Hamburg, Germany (Oct. 21-25) at the invitation of the SCOHHW (Scientific Committee for Occupational Health for Health Workers).

In light of a global shortage of health workers, the conference focused on the risks to health workers in situations of armed conflict, humanitarian and economic crises and the migrations these situations cause. Forced migration currently affects approximately a third of the world’s population, and some 57% of countries are impacted by these corresponding crises. At the same time, the health care sector is one of the fastest growing industries worldwide with a workforce that is 80% female, according to the WHO.

“Cases of occupational injury and illness among health care workers are among the highest of any industry sector,” explained Gwen Brachman, Chairperson of SCOHHW. In addition, the daily work of healthcare personnel generally puts a considerable strain on their mental health and their musculoskeletal systems. A further risk is the danger of infection, e.g. with TB, HIV or hepatitis, as well as exposure to violence. It is important to remember that there can be “no effective health care system without a healthy workforce.”

Ms. Christiane Wiskow from ILO, a keynote speaker noted that women work predominantly lower down in the hierarchy, and this gap is also reflected in their lower salaries compared to men. Almost everywhere there are disparities in access to health care services. These disparities exist especially in poorer countries, where there are not enough health workers; this is even more pronounced in rural areas. The goal for everyone must be to create “productive jobs with freedom, safety and social dignity.”

Dr. Stefan Brandenburg, managing director of the Berufsgenossenschaft für Gesundheitsdienst und Wohlfahrtspflege (German Employers’ Liability Insurance Association for Medical Services and Welfare Work – BGW)

referred to the ethical aspects when it comes to recruiting health workers from abroad, which many countries do. To avoid a “care drain,” the WHO has published the Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personal, which is also binding for the German Federal Government.

Health workers and migration Given the forced migration flows triggered by crises, it is time to rethink health care systems, particularly across national borders, according to Dr. Fouad. M. Fouad from the American University of Beirut. The UN Refugee Council estimates that the majority of refugees are in low-income countries. Far too often, health care benefits are attached to a person’s citizenship. Access to health care services is also made more difficult by financial hurdles. At the same time, migrant health workers are often not given an official permit to be able to practice their professions.

This often leads to a complex “shadow economy,” in which “informal health services” are offered by migrant health workers, but the responsibilities, rights and protections are not clear. It is important to clarify migrants’ rights in different countries, to define how migrant health care workers can safely and legally provide services to migrants who have limited access to the health care system and to resolve how health care systems and migration influence each other. Lack of resourcesThe skills shortage in the health care industry is even evident in higher income countries in the face of demographic change. In poorer countries, it is frequently caused by a “brain drain,” where specialists emigrate to countries with better working conditions or those forced to migrate; the receiving countries the benefit from “brain gain” Dr. Acran Salman Navarro from the NYU School of Medicine, USA, and Dr. Igor Bello from the Venezuelan Society on Occupational Health discussed the changing migrant health worker migration patterns in South America.

Dr. Tawanda Nherera of BOC Zimbabwe discussed an overall lack of resources. There are too few workers in many hospitals in the country, partly due to the complex and long official application procedure that hospitals face when they want to

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hire doctors or nurses. Not only are human resources scarce but also medicines and equipment. Essential items are lacking, such as drinking water, syringes and disposable gloves. Doctors are not paid a living wage, and positions for training courses are allocated via a non-transparent selection procedure that encourages corruption.

Violence and Gender issuesThe increase in violence against health workers and weaponizing health care facilities was a shocking revelation to many of the conference participants. “Health care facilities are often the target of attacks in the course of armed conflicts, threatening the lives of medical personnel in particular,” according to Dr. Rima Habib from the American University of Beirut. Women and men have different experiences in conflict settings: Women are more often the victim of sexual violence. At the same time, working conditions in the health care sector also affect their private lives, resulting in a rise in divorce rates, among other hardships. Shift work is considered a main cause of family stress.

Dr. Viviana Gómez-Sanchez from the Latin American Association on Occupational Health emphasized the need to both retain pregnant women at work, while protecting them against infection with hepatitis B, whooping cough or flu by immunizing them within an appropriate timeframe. Dr. Danileing Lozada from the Venezuelan Society on Occupational Health presented different ways to adapt health work to the needs of pregnant women, for example by using robots to move patients, introducing ergonomic desks and chairs, and organizing work to avoid night shifts for pregnant women.

PreventionProtecting health workers against air-born and blood-born infections, chemical exposures and physical accidents at work were discussed. The special preparation needed for deployment of medical staff in conflict zones was presented.

Other aspects to improve working conditions for health workers include making better use of the opportunities presented by digitization, introducing artificial intelligence, robots for lifting patients and using exoskeletons to support patients’ mobility. As Dr. Andrew Imada, former President of

the International Ergonomics Association USA, explained, a macro-ergonomic perspective that takes into account the employees’ entire environment can be useful to avoid the risk of injury or the incidence of occupational diseases, and to improve the quality of health care provision for patients.

Violence against health workers – DeclarationParticipants at OHHW 2019 issued the following declaration on violence against doctors, nurses and other employees in the health care sector:It is a crime against humanity• to attack health facilities and to injure or kill health workers;• to prevent health workers from providing patient services,

particularly in crisis situations;• to punish health workers for helping patients in need of care

and treatment;• to restrict migrant health workers from delivering care or

medical services to other displaced persons in need.

Therefore, the participants of the OHHW2019 Conference appeal to all national and international organizations to protect health workers from these crimes.

The program with abstracts of the talks can be downloaded from the OHHW 2019 website at https://www.ohhw2019.org. Slides from the presentations will be uploaded soon. Contact: Prof. Dr. Albert NienhausMail to: [email protected]: The OHHW Conference is organized by the International Committee for Occupational Health (ICOH) and its Scientific Committees (SC) for Occupational Health for Health Workers (SCOHHW), for Occupational and Environmental Dermatoses (SCOED), and for Woman Health and Work (SCWHW). The International Social Security Association (ISSA) with the Prevention of Occupational Risks in Health Services section is a cooperating partner. The conference is supported by the Berufsgenossenschaft für Gesundheitsdienst und Wohlfahrtspflege (Employers’ Liability Insurance Association for Medical Services and Welfare Work - BGW) and the International Labor Organization (ILO).

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Poor Air Quality Impacts Staff Comfort and Productivity

Janice GreenNS of Jamaica

Sophia Lindsay* is an employee in a large organization, who for more than a year, experienced repeated sinusitis issues, constant headaches and nausea. She also observed that her colleagues often suffered from nasal congestion. When black phlegm started to secrete in her mouth daily, she was convinced that something was wrong with her work environment. “I never got black mucous while I’m at home or overseas, therefore, I knew that the problem was at work,” she related.

During the period, she visited several general practitioners, pulmonary and ENT specialists; and had to take sick leave from time to time. Although she no longer needs to take medication for sinusitis, she believes that the exposure to poor air quality has caused a long-term effect on her health.

“Now I get sick, once I’m exposed to similar conditions,” she disclosed.

Through the intervention of the occupational safety and health team in her organization, two overhead vents, which needed cleaning, were identified as the source for the poor air quality. Furthermore, employees were frequently exposed to dust, as the building is located on a busy motoring thoroughfare. Following remedial actions, Sophia and her colleagues are now working in a more comfortable environment.

Janice Green, International Commission on Occupational Health, National Secretary for Jamaica and the occupational health and safety officer at The Jamaica National Group, pointed out that, health and safety legislations in developed countries make provisions for air quality control inside workspaces.

“Employers have a duty not to expose employees to occupational hazards in the workplace,” she stressed.

Mrs Green acknowledged that good working conditions, such as having excellent indoor air quality, contributes to productivity and staff engagement in the workplace.

“When employees are comfortable in their work environment, they are likely to be more productive, in comparison to employees, who work in conditions that are either too cold, or hot, humid and overcrowded, and they are not provided with suitable protective gears by the employer. Furthermore, when the indoor air quality in the workspace is at an acceptable standard, employees are less likely to experience fatigue, discomfort and disengagement during the workday,” Mrs Green outlined.

“Employees are also more likely to perceive their employer’s effort to put safer systems of work in place, as treating them with respect and value their contributions,” she added.

Mrs Green disclosed that Call Centres workers are more likely than other groups of workers to be affected by poor indoor air quality, as Call Centres are generally small and overcrowded.

Call Centre Workers

“Call Centre workers are particularly at risk to oxygen deficiency, thermal discomfort, unnatural ventilation and artificial lighting. It is, therefore, imperative that business operators in developed countries, who outsource their Call Centre functions to developing countries, evaluate and select contractors who have at least the minimum provisions for air quality control inside the workplace,” she suggested.

Scientists, engineers, planners and environmental management consultants, Conrad Douglas & Associates Limited, explained that contributors to indoor air quality issues include: internal and external sources of air pollutants, the quality of the outdoor ambient air, the design, operation and maintenance of air conditioning systems, as well as, the overall design, use, and density of occupancy levels of enclosed spaces.

Hot Topic

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The consultants pointed out that employees can determine if they have an internal air quality issue at work, once they observe a persistent change, especially in their upper respiratory system or skin that they are not accustomed to. Additionally, a problem is likely to exist if they consistently observe certain symptoms only while they are in specific enclosed spaces and experience relief when they go outside in the open air.

“Employers can ensure good indoor air quality by using and occupying enclosed spaces as intended by design, conducting scheduled maintenance of air conditioning systems, carrying out the scheduled cleaning of surfaces and storage spaces, and periodically carrying out strategic indoor air quality assessments,” they informed.

The consultants further emphasized that employers should take note of the types of equipment and materials they use in carrying out their jobs and follow established practices, such as the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) of hazardous and toxic substances. These substances should always be stored and handled as recommended.

The World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that, “Risks of indoor air pollutants can be lowered by adequate natural ventilation and by the use of healthier building materials, including replacement or phasing out of hazardous building substances wherever possible.”

*Not her real nameContact: Karen Oliver l Corporate Communications Department l The Jamaica National Groupl 2-4 Constant Spring Road, Kingston 10 l Tel: 876-936-0288; Cell: 876-837-8298Email: [email protected] l January 17, 2020

Sleep and the workplace – SOM round table

Nick Pahl, Society of Occupational Medicine

Sleep and fatigue in the workplaceThe discussion was opened by Dr. Karen Robertson. Dr. Robertson pointed out that, although raising awareness of the need for an adequate amount of sleep is key, it should be acknowledged that not everyone requires the recommended 7-9 hours. PHE has produced a sleep and recovery toolkit for employers, but the challenges organisations face to put this into practice can be huge.

Shift work and long commutes mean that some employees don’t even have the required 11 hours away from work that would allow them to get 7-9 hours’ sleep. In the emergency services, employees can be told to work on rest days, and are sometimes required to work 24-hour shifts. There is no ‘clocking off’, and rotas are complex.

Commuting, particularly commuting home from the night shift, is a huge issue. 20-25% of road traffic accidents are fatigue related, and these types of accidents tend to be more devastating. 24-hour shift workers who have just come off shift have 55x the risk of having an accident than someone who has just got up.

Considering the dangers of lack of sleep, is there a way we can test for it? Dr. David Flower explained that there are biomarkers, as for drug and alcohol testing, but there is a question over where you set ‘What’s fit/what isn’t/what’s enough/what isn’t’ parameters. Questionnaires were not seen as helpful, but self-assessment tests were considered of some use.

What is current good practice?Christine Poulter opened a discussion about what was considered good practice. In terms of sleep policies, there is little publicly available. It was suggested that good practice would mean an element of choice for the employee.

Employees should be able to access occupational health (OH) or HR if they need to. Information, instruction and training are important. Are people being taught what good sleep

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hygiene is? No shift work is entirely safe, but 2 nights, 2 days, 4 off has been given the lowest risk factor (1) on the HSE website.

The workplace can be brightened at night to improve performance; however, this will shift circadian rhythm. This raises the issue of carcinogenicity – while increasing brightness may reduce operational risk, it may increase health risks such as cancer. The right balance needs to be struck between operational and health risks.

Dr. Gervais noted that changing organisational and societal culture is central to the issue. It can’t be left to the employee alone; employers must to ensure they’re putting things in place to prevent and manage fatigue. Dr. Flower agreed that it is a public health issue and should be a shared responsibility between employee and employer. Employment constraints against rest should be changed (e.g. long commute), and the aim should be a just and right culture, not a culture of blame.

Facilitating collaborationThe roundtable ended with a discussion led by The Sleep Council’s Lisa Artis. Lisa referenced the Mental Health Ambassadors model, and asked if the same could be done for Sleep. It was agreed there is a lack of general sleep advice. Funding is currently focused on mental health, but sleep looks likely to be the next big area of concern. The link between sleep and mental health was noted, as well as the link between sleep and physical health. Indeed, sleep is often an indicator of people’s general state of health.

Some positive signs were identified: Sainsbury’s ongoing Living Well index survey asks respondents about sleep, and F1’s Toto Wolff has released a YouTube video about the connection between sleep and marginal gains (working against the stereotype of successful business leaders thriving on little sleep).

Reflections on taking this forwardIt was agreed that a societal change of awareness is needed. The significance of the work and sleep interaction has not been acknowledged, and the message hasn’t reached employers. Dr. Orford noted that Australia is one country that is moving to legislate on sleep and work, but we are yet to see

what will transpire there in terms of legislation and regulation.

The following next steps were proposed:• SOM and Sleep Council develop a help sheet• Approach PHE • Advocacy – call for action - form steering group with

regular teleconferences and commission a report on sleep and work.

Resources• IOGP Publication - https://www.iogp.org/bookstore/product-

category/health/ (Reports 626; 626-1; 626-2; 626-3)• Royal College of Physicians article on fatigue and sleep• Sainsbury’s Living Well Index - https://www.about.

sainsburys.co.uk/about-us/live-well-for-less/living-well-index

• Toto Wolff YouTube link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2reqUtOHhY0

Participants were Dr. Alec Dobson, and Dr. Greg Harries, from the Met Police; Emma Mamo, Head of Workplace Wellbeing at Mind; Dr. David Flower, Occupational Physician; Pippa Dolman, Occupational Health Manager at B&CE; Dr. Roxane Gervais, Occupational Psychologist; Heike Grimm, Occupational Health and Wellbeing Manager at Multiplex; Dr. Karen Robertson, QinetiQ; Dr. Robert Orford from the Mayo Clinic; SOM Honorary Strategic Clinical Advisor Christine Poulter, Nick Pahl, CEO of SOM, and Lisa Artis, Head of The Sleep Council.

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Message du Président

Science et nouvelles découvertes

Au cours de la dernière année, j’ai eu l’occasion à l’Université de Tampere (Finlande) de participer à plusieurs dissertations de doctorat d’auteurs très talentueux venus défendre leur thèse. Tous avaient un lien avec la collection massive de la NOCCA,

la collection du Nordic Occupational Cancer par les registres nationaux du cancer couvrant environ 14,9 millions de personnes dans diverses professions et plus de 40 années de suivi de l’impact négatif lié au travail, en particulier le cancer professionnel. Encore une fois ce que j’ai appris de ces études épidémiologiques : plus vous étudiez, plus vous trouverez. La dernière thèse portait sur le cancer du rein et le cancer du pelvis rénal. Les expositions liées au travail comprennent le nickel, l’amiante, le fer, les hydrocarbures et les fumées de

soudage, voir https://www.tuni.fi/en/news/occupational-exposure-and-risk-kidney-and-renal-pelvis-cancer. L’impact déjà connu de la fumée de tabac a été ajusté afin de trouver des risques indépendants de cancer professionnel des reins et du pelvis rénal. Bien que ces cancers ne soient pratiquement jamais identifiés comme des cancers professionnels, ces facteurs autres que le tabagisme peuvent provoquer quelque 5 % des cancers du rein ou quelque 7 000 décès annuels dans le monde. Outre le directeur de thèse de l’Université, le Dr Eero Pukkala, l’équipe des deux pré-examinateurs et du contradicteur de la thèse ont joué tour à tour les divers rôles formels de la soutenance de thèse – et des célébrations informelles également – le Dr Pesch, d’Allemagne, le Dr Labrèche, du Canada, et moi-même.

En lien avec les substances cancérigènes, la campagne à long terme initiée par les Pays-Bas à l’origine pour la « Feuille de route des agents cancérigènes » a franchi une nouvelle étape lors de la conférence de la présidence tournante de l’UE. Après la première conférence d’Amsterdam, l’Autriche a pris le relais et, en novembre 2019, la Finlande a accueilli le processus, et la présidence allemande le poursuivra dans un avenir proche.L’histoire sans fin de l’amiante est également revenue à Amsterdam et à Québec, où les énormes montagnes de déchets miniers d’amiante semblent être une source attrayante pour d’autres minéraux, en particulier pour extraire le magnésium des terrils. Cependant, les déchets contiennent 20 à 40 % d’amiante. Donc la manipulation peut entraîner d’énormes risques pour les travailleurs et l’environnement. Aujourd’hui, au moins, les autorités locales du Québec semblent conscientes des risques liés à l’interdiction de l’exploitation minière et à la nouvelle utilisation de l’amiante dans l’ensemble du Canada.

Congrès de l’ICOHL’ICOH possède un cycle continu d’organisation des processus du Congrès de l’ICOH. Nous avons terminé avec succès l’ICOH 2018 à Dublin. Nous sommes maintenant en plein essor de la planification de l’ICOH 2021 à Melbourne. À Rome, en décembre 2019, nous avions finalement conclu un accord avec les organisateurs du congrès ICOH 2024 de Marrakech, et en conséquence, nous avons eu une cérémonie de signature de contrat lors de la réunion à mi-mandat du

Photo de la réunion d’enquête sur les déchets d’amiante du

gouvernement du Québec où l’ICOH a été invité à représenter

les connaissances mondiales en santé au travail. Des

scientifiques tels que Marie-Élise Parent et France Labrèche

(organisateurs de l’EPICOH Canada), Paul Demers, Jack

Siemiatycki étaient parmi les autres scientifiques invités.

Résumé en français

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conseil d’administration de l’ICOH à Rome à la mi-février 2020. Cela a eu lieu au siège de l’INAIL par le professeur El Kholti et le doyen de la faculté, le professeur Aboumaaruf de l’Université de Casablanca qui étaient les signataires en plus de l’ICOH représenté par le Secrétaire général et moi-même. Dans la vitrine au centre, nous avons la version originale du célèbre livre de Bernardino Ramazzini, voir la photo ci-après. Nous allons bientôt commencer à planifier le site du prochain Congrès en 2027 et pour cela nous avons de toutes nouvelles directives pour l’organisation des Congrès de l’ICOH.

Qu’en est-il des travailleurs ?Une conférence sur les sujets ci-dessus a été organisée par l’Université de Cardiff au Royaume-Uni, ou plutôt au Pays de Galles. La célébrité était le professeur David Walters qui vient de prendre sa retraite de l’Université, mais nous ne parlons pas de santé et de sécurité au travail. Je me souviens d’un merveilleux rapport que lui et son équipe ont fait à l’OIT sur la célébration de 100 années de travail de l’OIT en matière de santé et de sécurité au travail, parmi de nombreux autres grands projets, voir la page Web : https://www.ilo.org/safework/events/safeday/WCMS_686645/lang--en/index.htm.En parlant de l’OIT, la Coalition mondiale de l’OIT, proposée au Congrès mondial OIT-AISS à Singapour en 2017 et adoptée par le Directeur général de l’OIT, a finalement été lancée lors de la conférence Vision Zero à Helsinki en novembre dernier. Le premier comité directeur élargi s’est ensuite tenu début février de cette année au BIT à Genève. L’ICOH est un membre fondateur depuis le début et nous espérons sincèrement voir des projets concrets se présenter dans ce cadre. L’ICOH collabore avec l’OIT, l’UE et d’autres dans des projets sélectionnés, en particulier ceux liés aux données et à la connaissance.

Réunion et conférence du Conseil à mi-parcours et du comité scientifique de l’ICOH sur l’avenir du travail concernant la sécurité et la santé au travail à RomeJe dois vraiment féliciter le Secrétariat général de l’ICOH et l’INAIL pour la merveilleuse organisation de l’INAIL dans les locaux historiques de Rome. La conférence ICOH-INAIL s’est tenue en plein centre de Rome entre le Forum Romanum et le monument Vittorio Emmanuele II au sommet de la

colline romaine de Campidoglio.La réunion conjointe de l’ICO avec le conseil d’administration et les présidents des comités scientifiques a également été très utile et s’est tenue au siège de l’INAIL. Une documentation détaillée des rapports est disponible sur le site Web de l’ICOH. Il est vraiment encourageant de voir des collègues de l’ICOH du monde entier se concentrer sur les éléments clés de notre programme.

Les maladies infectieuses au travailAyant eu plusieurs événements intéressants dans un passé proche et voyant des progrès, nous aurons encore beaucoup de travail à faire pour une meilleure protection des travailleurs et l’élimination des risques à la source. Nous avons eu la chance de terminer tous nos événements à Rome alors qu’aujourd’hui les Italiens doivent lutter contre le virus covid-19 au travail et dans toutes leurs activités au quotidien. Et un certain nombre de personnes dans le monde, en particulier en Chine, sont gravement touchées non seulement par la maladie, mais aussi par les mesures prises par les autorités pour empêcher la propagation de la maladie.Alors que le covid-19 peut provoquer une maladie avec une moindre sévérité pour la plupart, le caractère mondial et l’élargissement du processus d’infection du virus semblent assez rapides. Cela est également soutenu par les déplacements physiques mondiaux des personnes – et des personnes mal informées ou ignorantes.Nous sommes encore loin des risques dus aux virus grippaux « normaux » saisonniers qui font chaque année quelque 600 000 morts et des millions de malades. Cependant, le processus de confinement du virus est pris en charge de manière beaucoup plus efficace par les pays développés. Le principal désastre commencera lorsque des pays moins développés

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seront touchés et auront vraiment une capacité, des compétences et des moyens limités pour lutter contre de tels problèmes.Le rôle de l’ICOH pourrait être de fournir un soutien et des connaissances sur les lieux de travail, aux employeurs et aux travailleurs, et nous avons déjà commencé à examiner comment la documentation antérieure, telle que les directives de l’OIT concernant le virus corona analogue causant le SRAS, pourrait être mise à jour relativement rapidement pour l’épidémie actuelle et d’autres maladies infectieuses comparables. L’OIT pourrait être impliquée dans ce processus avec l’ICOH et l’IOHA. Travaillons sur cette question ! Nous en saurons peut-être beaucoup plus lorsque cette lettre d’information sera publiée.

Pour les éditeurs :Veuillez également activer les liens Web dans la version électronique.

Mars 2020Jukka Takala

President de la CIST

Les infos du Secrétaire général

La réunion à mi-mandat de l’ICOH s’est tenue à Rome, en Italie, du 11 au 13 février 2020. L’Institut national d’assurance contre les accidents sur le travail (INAIL) a aimablement décidé de soutenir l’ICOH dans l’organisation de la réunion à mi-mandat, qui s’est tenue dans le magnifique bâtiment historique de la Via Quattro Novembre.

Les directeurs de l’ICOH, les membres du Conseil d’administration et les représentants des comités scientifiques se sont réunis pour partager et discuter des activités en cours conformément au plan de travail triennal de l’ICOH. En outre, des mises à jour sur les prochains congrès de l’ICOH, en particulier en ce qui concerne l’ICOH 2021 (Melbourne, Australie) et l’ICOH 2024 (Marrakech, Maroc) ont été fournies par les présidents des comités d’organisation, respectivement. À cette occasion, un contrat pour l’organisation du Congrès ICOH 2024 a été signé entre l’ICOH et le comité d’organisation local.

Le 12 février, la Conférence internationale « L’avenir du travail. Défis et opportunités pour la santé et la sécurité au travail » a eu lieu dans le cadre magnifique de la salle Protomothèque du Campidoglio à Rome. La conférence a été organisée conjointement par l’ICOH et l’INAIL, sous le patronage de la municipalité de Rome.L’événement a rassemblé des experts internationaux qui ont abordé les défis d’un monde du travail en mutation, mettant en lumière les changements démographiques et le développement technologique rapide. Les discours se sont concentrés sur une analyse réelle et détaillée du contexte actuel et ont débattu des perspectives futures dans le domaine. Les sujets présentés comprenaient également : le travail dans

Sur la photo, la seule femme est Mme Nunzia Catalfo, Ministre du

travail et des politiques sociales d’Italie. Elle était accompagnée

du directeur général de l’INAIL et du directeur de la Commission

européenne. De superbes présentations techniques ont suivi.

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la société active 24h / 24, l’intelligence artificielle et la robotique, l’écart entre les sexes, les travailleurs migrants, le stress et la santé mentale, la gestion de l’âge. Les intervenants ont souligné l’importance des conséquences liées aux changements démographiques, au progrès technologique et à la mondialisation des marchés.La santé et la sécurité au travail doivent conserver un rôle central dans ce scénario, en profitant des opportunités tout en gérant les nouveaux besoins introduits par l’innovation technologique.

Pour faire face à la complexité de ces processus et surmonter les défis connexes, il est important de promouvoir la synergie entre les autorités et la communauté scientifique, pour le développement de stratégies et de politiques partagées pour la promotion de la santé et de la sécurité des travailleurs.

Prof. Sergio IavicoliSecrétaire Général de l'ICOH

Message de l’éditrice

Chers membres,Pendant le travail d’édition du premier numéro de la lettre d’information de l’ICOH de l’année 2020, un grand défi pour la santé publique et la santé au travail a surgi sous la forme de l’épidémie de COVID-19.

Le 11 mars, le Directeur général de l’OMS a qualifié le COVID-19 de pandémie. Je crois que la plupart des membres de l’ICOH ont déjà travaillé sur la prévention de l’infection, en particulier la transmission minimale sur le lieu de travail. De nombreux travailleurs dans le domaine de la santé font face à des conditions de travail qui augmentent le risque d’infection grave ou de décès s’ils devaient être infectés par le COVID-19. Donc l’ICOH s’assurera également de leur communiquer notre expérience et nos informations.Je souhaite encourager les membres à envoyer des mises à jour sur les événements à venir dans leurs comités scientifiques, les événements actuels dans notre domaine et d’autres nouvelles / informations importantes qui peuvent être incluses dans notre lettre d’information.

[La planification éditoriale du bulletin de la CIST]Pour 2019 et 2020 :1) Vol 1: 1er AVRIL (date limite de soumission des articles:

10 FEVRIER)2) Vol 2: 1er AOÛT (date limite de soumission des articles:

10 JUIN)3) Vol 3: 1er DECEMBRE (date limite de soumission des

articles: 10 OCTOBRE)

Changement d’adresseLe bulletin de la CIST est publié en deux versions: une version papier et une version électronique. Tous les membres actifs de la CIST, qui ont souscrit au bulletin, le recevront par e-mail et par courrier postal. Pour recevoir les deux versions, l'adresse e-mail et l'adresse postale enregistrées auprès du Secrétariat de la CIST doivent être correctes. Veuillez informer la CIST au bureau de la rédaction tout changement d'adresse ([email protected], [email protected]) ou au secrétariat de la CIST ([email protected]).

Eun-A KimEditrice en chef,

Bulletin de la CIST

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Accident Prevention

Chair: Dr. Su WANGEmail: [email protected]: To be appointed

Aging and Work

Chair: Dr. Jodi OAKMANEmail: [email protected]: Dr. Karin PROPEREmail: [email protected]

Allergy and Immunotoxicology

Chair: Prof. Takemi OTSUKIEmail: [email protected]: Dr. Claudia PETRARCAEmail: [email protected]

Cardiology in OH

Chair: Prof. Alicja BORTKIEWICZEmail: [email protected]: Dr. Elzbieta Hanna GADZICKAEmail: [email protected]

Education and Training in OH

Chair: Ms. Marija BUBASEmail: [email protected]: Prof. F.J.H. VAN DIJKEmail: [email protected]

Effectiveness in Occupational Health Services (EOHS)

Chair: Mrs. Stefania CURTIEmail: [email protected]: Mr. Jani Henrik RUOTSALAINENEmail: [email protected]

Emergency Preparedness and Response in Occupational Health

Chair: Dr. Alexis DESCATHAEmail: [email protected]: Dr. Susanne SCHUNDER-TATZBEREmail: [email protected]

Epidemiology in OH

Chair: Dr. Roel VERMEULENEmail: [email protected]: Dr. Damien MCELVENNYEmail: [email protected]

History of Prevention of Occupational and Environmental Diseases

Chair: Prof. Paul BLANCEmail: [email protected]: Prof. Kjell TORENEmail: [email protected]

Indoor Air Quality and Health

Chair: Dr. Peder WOLKOFFEmail: [email protected]: Dr. Kenichi AZUMAEmail: [email protected]

Industrial Hygiene

Chair: Ms Lena ANDERSSONEmail: [email protected]: Dr. Hyunwook KIMEmail: [email protected]

Mining Occupational Safety and Health

Chair: Dr. Erik JORSEmail: [email protected]: Prof. Jinky leilanie del prado LUEmail: [email protected]

Musculoskeletal Disorders

Chair: Prof. Roberta BONFIGLIOLIEmail: [email protected]: Prof. André KLUSSMANNEmail: [email protected]

Nanomaterial Workers’ Health

Chair: Prof. Ivo IAVICOLIEmail: [email protected]: Prof. Irina GUSEVA CANUEmail: [email protected]

Neurotoxicology and Psychophysiology

Chair: Dr. Markku SAINIOEmail: [email protected]: Dr. Diane ROHLMANEmail: [email protected]

Occupational and Environmental Dermatoses

Chair: Dr. Sanja KEZICEmail: [email protected]: Prof. Swen M JOHNEmail: [email protected]

Occupational Health Nursing

Chair: Ms Kim DAVIESEmail: [email protected]: Ms Kirsi Helena LAPPALAINENEmail: [email protected]

Occupational Medicine

Chair: Prof. Timothy DRISCOLLEmail: [email protected]: Dr. James Alexander ROSSEmail: [email protected]

Occupational Toxicology

Chair: Ms Kate JONESEmail: [email protected]: Prof. Silvia FUSTINONIEmail: [email protected]

OH and Development

Chair: Dr. Diana GAGLIARDI Email: [email protected]: Dr. Ganapati Vasant PRABHUEmail: [email protected]

ICOH Scientific Committee Officers for Triennum 2018-2021

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OH for Health Workers

Dr. Gwen Orr BRACHMANEmail: [email protected]: Prof. Antoon DE SCHRYVEREmail: [email protected]

OH in the Chemical Industry (MEDICHEM)

Chair: Dr. William Murray COOMBSEmail: [email protected]: Prof. Kenneth A. MUNDTEmail: [email protected]

OH in the Construction Industry

Chair: D r. Krishna Nirmalya SENEmail: [email protected]: Dr. Alberto CABAN-MARTINEZEmail: [email protected]

Radiation and Work

Chair: Dr. Marc WITTLICHEmail: [email protected]: Dr. Alberto MODENESEEmail: [email protected]

Reproductive Hazards in the Workplace

Chair: Dr. Hsiao-Yu YANGEmail: [email protected]: Dr. Pau-Chung CHENEmail: [email protected]

Respiratory Disorders

Chair: Dr. Rafael E. DE LA HOZEmail: [email protected]: Dr. Thomas KRAUSEmail: [email protected]

Rural Health: Agriculture, Pesticides and Organic DustsChair: Dr. Sashikala CHANDRASEKAREmail: [email protected]: Dr. Stefan MANDIC-RAJCEVICEmail: [email protected]

Shiftwork and Working Time

Chair: Dr. Stephen POPKINEmail: [email protected]: Prof. Claudia Roberta de Castro MORENOEmail: [email protected]

Small-Scale Enterprises and the Informal Sector

Chair: Mr. Mahinda SENEVIRATNEEmail: [email protected].

gov.auSecretary: Dr. Somnath GANGOPADHYAYEmail: [email protected]

Thermal Factors

Chair: Dr. Jason Kai Wee LEEEmail: [email protected]: Dr. Sirkka Maria RISSANENEmail: [email protected]

Toxicology of Metals

Chair: Dr. Natalia Urszula PAWLASEmail: [email protected]: Dr. Veruscka LESOEmail: [email protected]

Unemployment, Job Insecurity and Health

Chair: Dr. Minha RAJPUT-RAYEmail: [email protected]: Dr. Anna SURAYAEmail: [email protected]

Vibration and Noise

Chair: Dr. Renata SISTO Email: [email protected]: Dr. Enrico MARCHETTIEmail: [email protected]

Women Health and Work

Chair: Dr. Marcia BANDINIEmail: [email protected]: Prof. Igor Jesus BELLO Email: [email protected]

Work and Vision

Chair: Dr. Agueda Rossangella MUÑOZ DEL CARPIO TOIA

Email: [email protected]: Dr. Miguel Sergio KABILIOEmail: [email protected]

Work Disability Prevention and Integration

Chair: Dr. Johannes Regnerus ANEMAEmail: [email protected]: Dr. William Stanley SHAWEmail: [email protected]

Work Organisation and Psychosocial Factors

Chair: Prof. Akihito SHIMAZUEmail: [email protected]: Ms Tessa Susanna BAILEYEmail: [email protected]

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30 ICOH Newsletter Vol.18 No. 1

National Secretaries Triennium 2018-2021Country/Area Secretary E-mail

ARGENTINA Dr. Claudia María DE HOYOS [email protected]

AUSTRALIA Prof. Lin FRITSCHI [email protected]

AUSTRIA Prof. Eva SCHERNHAMMER [email protected]

BELARUS Dr. Tatsiana Rybina [email protected]

BELGIUM Simon Bulterys [email protected]

BRAZIL Dr. Rosylane ROCHA [email protected]

BULGARIA Dr. Milena TABANSKA-PETKOVA [email protected]

CHILE Marta Cabrera [email protected]

COLOMBIA Dr. David Andres ALVAREZ RINCON [email protected]

COSTA RICA Dr. Marco Antonio GARCIA SAENZ [email protected]

CROATIA Dr. Milan MILOSEVIC [email protected]

CZECH REPUBLIC Dr. Sergej ZACHAROV [email protected]

DENMARK Dr. Inger SCHAUMBURG [email protected]

ECUADOR Gonzalo Francisco ALBUJA [email protected]

EGYPT Prof. Abdallah Amani WAHEED EL-DIN [email protected]

FINLAND Dr. Jarmo HEIKKINEN [email protected]

FRANCE Dr. Quentin DURAND-MOREAU [email protected]

GERMANY Prof. Volker HARTH [email protected]

GHANA Dr. Fred Yaw BIO [email protected]

GREECE Mrs Styliani TZIAFERI [email protected]

GUATEMALA Dr. Ovidio Roberto HERMOSILLA C. [email protected]

HUNGARY Dr. Judit Simon [email protected]

INDIA Dr. Ashish MISHRA [email protected]

INDONESIA Dr. Nuri PURWITO ADI [email protected]

IRAN Dr. Mehdi JAHANGIRI [email protected]

IRELAND Dr. Anne DRUMMOND [email protected]

ISRAEL Dr. Eric AMSTER [email protected]

ITALY Prof. Alfonso CRISTAUDO [email protected]

JAMAICA Mrs Janice Alisa GREEN [email protected]

JAPAN Dr. Toru YOSHIKAWA [email protected]

KENYA Dr. Kipkemoi Kibor KEITANY [email protected]

LUXEMBOURG Dr. Elisabeta PLETEA [email protected]

MALAYSIA Dr. Victor CW HOE [email protected]

MALI Dr. Birama DIALLO [email protected]

MEXICO Prof. Aida Lucia FAJARDO MONTIEL [email protected]

MONTENEGRO Dr. Milenka USCUMLIC [email protected]

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April 2020 31

Country/Area Secretary E-mail

MOROCCO Dr. Khalil KINANI [email protected]

NEW ZEALAND Dr. David MCLEAN [email protected]

NIGERIA Dr. Uche Josiah ENUMAH [email protected]

NORTH MACEDONIA Mr. Sasho STOLESKI [email protected]

NORWAY Dr. José Hernan ALFONSO [email protected]

P.R. CHINA Dr. Junming DAI [email protected]

PANAMA Dr. Edgar Alberto MORENO AROSEMENA [email protected]

PARAGUAY Dr. Derlis NICOLICCHIA KURTH [email protected]

PERU Dr. Aquiles MONROY [email protected]

PHILIPPINES Dr. Margaret Lazaro LEACHON [email protected]

POLAND Prof. Konrad RYDZYNSKI [email protected]

PORTUGAL Dr. Teresa Mariana FARIA PINTO [email protected]

Rep. of KOREA Prof. Jaechul SONG [email protected]

ROMANIA Prof. Carmen BUSNEAG [email protected]

RUSSIAN FEDERATION Dr. Evgeny Evgeniyevich SHIGAN [email protected]

SAUDI ARABIA Dr. Marwan Ahmed BEHISI [email protected]

TAIWAN, CHINA Prof. Saou-Hsing LIOU [email protected]

SENEGAL Dr. Mame Diarra FAYE [email protected]

SERBIA Dr. Jelena Djurdje DJOKOVIC [email protected]

SINGAPORE Dr. Andrew Epaphroditus TAY [email protected]

SOUTH AFRICA Prof. Daniel J. KOCKS [email protected]

SPAIN Ms Araceli SANTOS POSADA [email protected]

SWEDEN Dr. Martin ANDERSSON [email protected]

TAIWAN, CHINESE Prof. How-Ran Guo [email protected]

TANZANIA Dr. Simon Henry MAMUYA [email protected]

THAILAND Dr. Kathawoot DEEPREECHA [email protected]

THE NETHERLANDS Dr. P. Paul F.M. KUIJER [email protected]

TOGO Dr. Kokdu Silvere KEVI [email protected]

TURKEY Dr. Buhara ONAL [email protected]

UGANDA Mrs Eva KATUSABE [email protected]

UNITED KINGDOM Prof. David FISHWICK [email protected]

URUGUAY Dr. Maria Elena ALPUIN [email protected]

USA Dr. Charles Milton YARBOROUGH [email protected]

VENEZUELA Prof. Yohama Auxiliadora CARABALLO [email protected]

VIETNAM Dr. Thu Ha NGUYEN [email protected]

ZIMBABWE Dr. Blessing GARAMUMHANGO [email protected]

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PresidentDr. Jukka TakalaLintuniemennokka 33FI - 33680 TAMPEREFinlandTel: +358 33600321Email: [email protected]

Secretary GeneralProf. Sergio IavicoliICOH - Secretariat Generalc/o Italian Workers’ Compensation Authority- INAILDepartment of Occupational andEnvironmental Medicine, Epidemiology and HygieneVia Fontana Candida, 100078 Monteporzio Catone (Rome)ItalyTel: +39 06 94181506Fax: +39 06 94181556Email: [email protected]

Vice-PresidentMs. Claudina NogueiraSouth African Society of OccupationalMedicine (SASOM)P. O. Box 32Silverton 0127South AfricaTel: +27829266205Email: [email protected]

Vice-PresidentProf. Seong-Kyu KangFormer Vice President of KOSHADept of Occupational andEnvironmental MedicineGachon University Gil Medical Center21 Namdong-daero 774beon-gil,Namdong-guIncheon 21565Rep. of KoreaTel: +82-32-460-3790Fax: +82-32-460-3999Email: [email protected]

Past PresidentDr. Kazutaka KogiInstitute for Science of Labour2-8-14, Sugao, Miyamae-kuKawasaki 216-8501JapanTel: +81 44 977 2121Fax: +81 44 977 7504Email: [email protected]

ICOHBoard Members 2018-2021

ICOHOfficers

Prof. Maureen Dollard

University of South AustraliaAustraliaEmail: [email protected]

Dr. Olivier Lo

International SOSSingaporeEmail: [email protected]

Prof. Mats Hagberg

Göteborg UniversityPublic Health and Community MedicineSwedenEmail: [email protected]

Prof. Christophe Paris

Rennes 1 UniversityOccupational Medicine DepartmentFranceEmail: [email protected]

Prof. Frida Marina Fischer

School of Public Health Dept. Environmental HealthUniversity of Sao Paulo BrazilEmail: [email protected]

Dr. Rosa Maria Orriols Ramos

Hospital Universitari BellvitgeSpainEmail: [email protected]

Dr. Martin Hogan

Faculty of Occupational MedicineRoyal College of Physicians of IrelandIrelandEmail: [email protected]

Dr. Shyam Pingle

Indian Institute of Public Health GandhinagarIndiaEmail: [email protected]

Prof. Seichi Horie

University of Occupational and Environmental Health JapanEmail: [email protected]

Prof. Kari Reijula

Helsinki UniversityMedical FacultyFinlandEmail: [email protected]

Prof. Sunil Kumar Joshi

Department of Community MedicineKathmandu Medical CollegeNepalEmail: [email protected]

Dr. Paul Schulte

NIOSHUSAEmail: [email protected]

Dr. Eun-A Kim

Korean Occupational Safety and Health AgencyRep. of KoreaEmail: [email protected]

Ms. Maria Luisa Tupia Gonzales

P& G Industrial Perú-SRL PeruEmail: [email protected]

Prof. Stavroula Leka

Centre for Organizational Health and DevelopmentUniversity of NottinghamUnited KingdomEmail: [email protected]

Prof. Francesco Violante

Occupational Medicine Unit Sant’Orsola Malpighi HospitalItalyEmail: [email protected]

32 ICOH Newsletter Vol.18 No. 1