November 2011 Vol 19
No 2

NEWSLETTER
Contents
1

Letter from the Editor

2

News from IOHAth4

The 9 IOHA International Scientific Conference

5News from Member Associations

Training is also a key issue. One problem in many countries is thatoccupational hygiene is not officially recognized, therefore
universities and other institutions do not receive enough support or
guidance to develop high level courses in this field, and quality of
training cannot be enforced.

Just to give an example in one country: in Brazil, occupational
medicine and safety engineering are officially recognized
8News from WHO
professions, requiring for their practice, besides the respective
university degrees, graduate courses ranging from 400 to over
10
News from WHO Colloborating Centers for
1,000 hours (plus considerable practice) for the former, and 650 toOcupational Health
750 hours for the latter. As to occupational hygiene, although
11News from the ILO
several universities have good courses at the graduate level (usually
12News from ISSA/ILO
around 400 - 450 hours), these are not enough and the result is thatsome “occupational hygienists” are trained through a patchwork of
13
News from the European Union
short courses, whose relevance, within a comprehensive
14
Contributions from Readers
framework of required knowledge, and quality control cannot belegally enforced, as for the other occupational health professions.
Letter from the Editor
Although some of theses short courses are very good, others leave
much to be desired and there is no possibility to officially regulate
Dear Colleagues,
them. Similar situations occur in many other countries, where there
It amazes me how often more importance is given to the are excellent occupational hygienists, but also poorly trained ones
assessment of unhealthy working conditions and their and this jeopardizes the profession.
consequences than to their prevention, including in occupational
health research, studies and publications. Even when preventive In this respect, I would like to quote a great occupational hygienist,
actions are taken, not enough emphasis is given to actually avoiding a great colleague and a dear friend, R. J. Sherwood: “It does nothazards; in fact, there is more control than real prevention. seem consistent to require high standards of education and
Therefore it is great to see an initiative like “Prevention through experience for those studying the medical effects of failure of
Design”, presented under News from NIOSH in this issue. This is an control systems, while leaving the more important preventive work
example to be promoted and followed everywhere. It is time that open to people with no prescribed standard of competency.” Thisdecision makers, who can influence what is done in institutions and was a quarter of a century ago, but unfortunately is still relevantat the workplace, learn to dedicate a larger share of resources to today in many places !
prevent rather than only assess exposures or deal with theirunfortunate consequences.
Continuing with the Brazilian example, it is paradoxical that there is
an official Norm that requires from employers to elaborate andObviously, for improved prevention there is a need for increased implement hazard prevention programmes, indicating that thispolitical will and for competent professionals, that is, occupational should be achieved “through the anticipation, recognition,
hygienists, when dealing with occupational diseases.
evaluation and control of occupational risks that exist or will occur
in the workplace, taking into account the protection of the general
As to promoting occupational health and occupational hygiene, it is environment and natural resources”, while occupational hygiene isimportant to mention the recent book by Michel Guillemin, one of not recognized as a profession, hence there are no official
the most prominent occupational hygienists today and a fighter for guidelines for its development. It was very rewarding to see thatour profession (see notice in this issue). This book goes beyond the Brazilian Association (ABHO) Congress dedicated its 2011technical and scientific dimensions, covering a range of issues annual Conference to “Education and Training in Occupational
involved in the lack of attention to a field so vital for workers, Hygiene”, as you may see in this issue. This is a matter to besociety and countries. I was very proud to write the Preface to this carefully considered by all our professional associations as they arebook that I see as a milestone in raising much needed awareness as in a position to play a key role in ensuring professional competence,
it presents a thorough study on the evolution of work, its many even in the absence of official guidelines, for example, by
facets and implications, and on what is happening, or better, not promoting, supporting and advising on reliable training principles
happening with regard to hazard prevention. The causes for and activities, as well as through certification schemes.
indifference and inactivity vis-à-vis prevention are analyzed, so thatthey may be questioned and eliminated. Many of us who have I believe it is important to bring to your attention two recent
been fighting for a wider recognition and development of international meetings, namely the ISSA/ILO XIX World Congress on
occupational hygiene feel discouraged with our slow progress. Safety and Health at Work, which took place in Istanbul in
Perhaps, after reading and thinking over this book, instead of giving September, and the WHO World Conference on Social
up, we will renew our will to fight in order to overcome the various Determinants of Health, which just took place in Rio. In both events
obstacles to the full understanding of our profession and its high level decision makers from all over the world met and topics
unquestionable need. As Michel wrote in his book: “To dare dream related to workers’ health were discussed, as you may see in theof a better world is a step towards its achievement.”
respective notices in this Newsletter. It was gratifying to see
working conditions considered as undeniable health determinants
IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 2, November 20111

and the need to strengthen occupational health and safety continuous exchanges of ideas.
emphasized.
In this issue we have a number of very interesting contributions on
I take this opportunity to wish to our colleague and friend Jukka practical aspects of occupational hygiene practice, from many
Takala a very happy retirement from EU-OSHA and congratulate different countries; thanks to all authors! Please, continue to send
him on his remarkable achievements. Fortunately he will continue news about your work. Comments and suggestions for theto push IPWL from Tampere University of Technology in Finland improvement of this Newsletter are also welcome.
(new e-mail: jstakala@gmail.com).
At the same time,
congratulations and wishes for success to the new EU-OSHA As this is the last Newsletter of the year, I wish to all of you a very
joyful Holiday Season followed by a New Year of 2012 full of
Director, Dr Christa Sedlatschek.
happiness and successes.
Once more I would like to ask readers for views, concerns andBest greetings to all
experience on the promotion of occupational hygiene as an
Berenice Goelzer
indispensable component of workers’ health, as well as onberenice@goelzer.net
occupational hygiene training. These are matters that require

NEWS from IOHA
IOHA Report from the IOHA Board Meeting, - 10 October 2011, Singapore
Sent by Sandi Atkinson, IOHA Executive Secretary E-mail: sandi.atkinson@ioha.net
The meeting was held to coincide with the first AIHA Asia Pacific
OH & EHS Conference in Singapore and the Board meeting wasvery kindly hosted by Statoil.

President Noel Tresider and Dr Gregory Chan of OEHS Singapore

Group photo of IOHA Board members who attended the meeting in
Singapore

On behalf of the Board, the IOHA President, Mr Hamelin extended
a very special welcome to IOHA’s newest members, theOccupational and Environmental Health Society of Singapore,represented at the meeting by their President Dr Gregory Chan and
Mr Alvian Tan.

IOHA 9th International Scientific Conference and 25th Anniversary
Mr Zainuddin (MIHA) and representatives from the organisingcommittee of this conference delivered a comprehensive update of
their progress in the organising of this very special conference for
IOHA.
Abstracts are currently being received and the deadline for these is
16 December 2011. More detail of what you can expect from theconference in Malaysia can be found on page 4 of this issue.

IOHA 10th International Scientific Conference
The British Occupational Hygiene Society submitted a formal bid to
The meeting was also attended by representatives from the host this conference in 2015. The outline proposal was agreed inAustralian, Canadian, Dutch, Hong Kong, Italian, Japanese (JAWE), principle by the Board and will be developed in collaboration with
Korean, Malaysian, Norwegian, Southern African and Taiwan the IOHA Board and BOHS over the coming months.
associations.
IOHA Representation at External Conferences
Japanese (JAWE) representative, Mr Asuka took the opportunity to XIX World Congress on Safety & Health at Work, 11-15 September
thank the Board for their very kind wishes and thoughts conveyed 2011, Istanbul, Turkey, Dr Cottica (AIDII) and Dr Chen (TOHA)
after the last meeting for the people of his country following the represented IOHA at this conference. The conference attracted
over 3,000 delegates from over 60 countries and IOHA will bedevastating earthquake.
developing plans to collaborate with the organisers of the next
conference due to take place in Frankfurt, Germany in 2014.
IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 2, November 20112

ICOH 2012, Cancun, Mexico
Mr Tresider (AIOH) IOHA’s new President will be delivering aplenary session at this conference ‘describing the paradigm shift intraining’ it will be his intention to promote IOHA and OHlearning.
Membership
In addition to the newest members from Singapore, IOHA havereceived an application for membership from the Macedonian
Association of Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Health(MAIHOH) which is currently being reviewed by the Membership
Committee.
The IOHA website www.ioha.net now includes guidance on how
an association can join IOHA as well as help and advice for thosewishing to form an association.
http://www.ioha.net/
joinioha.html
Capitation Fees
IOHA has been in existence for 24 years and the fees charged to its
member associations have remained static during that time. The
Secretary Treasurer, Andrea Hiddinga of the Dutch Association
conducted a review of IOHA’s finances and realised that theincome IOHA receives from member associations in the form ofcapitation fees is no longer covering the running costs of IOHA.

NAR Committee Workshop Attendees

FarewellDr Cottica declared this was to be his last meeting of the Boardand expressed his thanks for their support during his time
representing the Italian association (AIDII) and as President. Mr
Hamelin in response, thanked Dr Cottica for his time, attention,
support and dedication to IOHA.

IOHA Fourth Annual General Meeting (AGM)
The Board have discussed this at great length over recent The IOHA Board held its fourth AGM immediately after the close of
meetings and at this meeting in Singapore took the decision to business of the Board Meeting.
increase the fees by 25% from 1 July 2012. In monetary terms foreach association this means:
The business of the meeting, chaired by the President, Luc
Hamelin, included accepting the minutes of the third AGM and re£1.25 GBP each for the first 1000 members of their appointing Sibbalds Chartered Accountants as the auditors.
The election process had taken place in the run up to the Board
organisation
meeting and nominations were received for Secretary Treasurer•£0.63 GBP each for all members over 1000
and President Elect.
The total annual capitation fee payable by any one member
organisation will not exceed 25% of the total capitation fee Andrea Hiddinga of the Dutch Occupational Hygiene Society(NVvA) is the Secretary Treasurer for 2011 to 2013.
income received in the previous financial year.
Jakob Nærheim of the Norwegian Occupational Hygiene
Association (NYF) is the new President Elect for 2011 to 2012.
Recognising National Accreditation Schemes
The National Accreditation Recognition (NAR) Committee held a Having declared the meeting closed, Luc Hamelin handed the
Association’s gavel over to Noel Tresider of the Australian Instituteworkshop on 9 October, the day before the Board meeting.
The Dutch (NVvA) association’s scheme has now been recognised of Occupational Hygiene (AIOH), who will be President of IOHA for2011 to 2012.
for a further five years.
In addition, subject to the agreement of the respective The next meeting of the Board will be held on 17 June 2012 inassociations the UK and Swiss NAR representatives were Indianapolis, USA to coincide with the AIHce.
appointed for a second three year term to commence from theconclusion of their first term. With the IOHA board’s concurrence,
the nominations from Italy (Domenico Cavallo), US ABIH (Torey
Nalbone), and Australia AIOH Gerard Tiernan, were appointed as
the new representatives for those Certification Boards.
Mr Tresider confirmed he was now stepping down as Chair of the
NAR Committee to be replaced by Mr van Vuuren of the Southern
African Institute for Occupational Hygiene (SAIOH). The new
representative for Australia would be Mr Tiernan who will officiallyreplace Mr Tresider in April 2012. Thanks also went to Dr Cottica(AIDII) who has stepped down from the NAR Committee after
serving six years and to Mrs Laszcz-Davis (ABIH) who also steppeddown.
The President thanked Mr Tresider for his contribution and great
achievements during his time as Chair of the NAR committee
which has seen the number of recognised schemes grow from six
to eleven during his tenure.
Handing over the Gavel, Immediate Past President Luc Hamelin to
President Noel Tresider
IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 2, November 2011
3

IOHA Board Meeting

Professional Development
Courses (PDC)

Podium Presentation

Poster Presentation

Exhibition

IOHA25th Anniversary Gala DinnerTechnical Tours

Social Tours

IOHA 2012 Call for Papers
IOHA 2012 Scientific & Technical Committee welcomes your presentation submission to shareyour expertise and experience to further inspire and provides solutions and best practices tocontinuously improve IH practices globally.
Topics:*Nanotechnology*Asbestos*Sustainable OH & Safety
Management Systems*PPE*Human factors engineering*Noise & hearing conservation
program*Emergency response androles of IH*Managing safety & health inworkplace*Globally harmonized system*Exposure Assessment
Strategies*Indoor environmental quality*Health risk assessment*Occupational epidemiology*OH issues in constructionindustry*Exposure monitoring & lab
capability*IH capability & trainings*Control banding*Health management andpromotion*Industrial ventilation*Ergonomics*Toxicology*Psychosocial*Environmental health*Managing biological hazards*Confined spaces*Ethics

Conference Fee Structure

USD

Normal Conference Fee

980.00IOHA Member Country (15% off)*

833.00Developing Countries (35% off)*

637.00Speakers (35% off)*

637.00Undergraduate Students

200.00IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 2, November 20114

News from MEMBER ASSOCIATIONS
From BOHS, UK
International scientific conference on the science of exposure assessment in Edinburgh on 2-5 July2012

The British Occupational Hygiene Society is hosting aninternational scientific conference on the science of exposure
assessment in Edinburgh on 2 – 5 July 2012 (X2012). This is the 7th
meeting in a series that has focused predominantly (but not
exclusively) on exposure assessment for occupational
epidemiological studies and which has had a seminal impact on
advancement of occupational exposure assessment science overthe last three decades. The first in the series of “X” conferences
was held in 1988 in Woods Hole, USA, followed by conferences in
Leesburg, USA (1990); Lyon, France (1994); Gothenburg, Sweden(2001); Utrecht, The Netherlands (2004); and Boston, USA (2009).


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occupational, consumer and environmental sources
Measurement strategies and methods for epidemiology andother applications
Dermal and inadvertent ingestion exposure
Non-chemical exposure (e.g. noise, EMF, work posture,
psychosocial factors)
Exposure assessment in developing countries
Cumulative / aggregate exposure assessment in occupationaland non-occupational situations.

The following keynote speakers have already confirmed:

The main motive of the conference is to address the challenges toimprove our understanding of exposure and how it impacts onhuman health and to identify opportunities provided by recent
advancements in methodologies to characterize, model, andestimate the exposure to chemical, physical and biological agents
but also psychological factors. In order to achieve this, X2012 willbring together world leading experts in the field of exposure
assessment and related sciences. As with previous meetings,
X2012 will contribute to the developments in state-of-the-art
methodologies and practices in this field, and thereby improve ourknowledge base to effectively control exposure to hazardous
agents in the work environment, at home and elsewhere in thegeneral environment.

Dr Roel Vermeulen (IRAS, University of
Utrecht, NL) : Use of omics technology
in occupational exposure assessment

The conference committee has identified the following themes thatare of particular interest:

Prof Richard Wakeford (University ofManchester,UK):
Exposure
assessment following catastrophic
events - the example of Fukushima








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

Dr Dhimiter Bello (University of
Massachusetts Lowell, US): Exposure
assessment for nanomaterials

Nanotechnology and other new technologies or industries
Exposome and exposure biology
Recent advances in exposure modelling
Dr Erik Tielemans (TNO, NL):
Application of novel sensors, including the use of mobile
Advancementsinoccupational
phone technology, for exposure assessment
exposure modelling
Biological monitoring, use of ~omics technologies
Exposure assessment methods for population-based
occupational epidemiological studies
Dr Melissa Friesen (NCI, US):Advancements
inexposure
Exposure assessment following man-made and naturalassessment for population-based
disasters
occupational case-control studies
Application of GIS and other tools for occupational exposure
assessment
Further keynote lectures will be selected from abstracts submitted
Combined exposure assessment for hazardous agents fromto the conference.

IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 2, November 20115

The call for abstracts is now open; the deadline for submission is 10 linked to specific themes of the conference to stimulate discussions
January 2011. We welcome contributions from specialists in not just during but also before and after the meeting.
occupational and environmental health and safety. Please visit
http://www.x2012.org/ to find more information on the On behalf of the Organising and Scientific Committees, we lookconference and also to submit your abstracts. In addition, we forward to welcoming you to the historic city of Edinburgh to help
have set up a LinkedIn group specifically on the X2012 us make this a stimulating and memorable conference.

conference(http://www.linkedin.com/groups/X2012-7thInternational-Conference-on-3675496), so if you are interested
in this conference and would like to be kept up-to-date, pleasejoin this group. We are also considering setting up subgroups

Martie van Tongeren , X2012 Organising Committee Chair
Frank de Vocht X2012 Scientific Committee Chair

From Brazil
ABHO - VI Brazilian Congress on Occupational Hygiene
Sent by Maria Margarida T. Moreira Lima, ABHO Vice-president for Public Relations E-mail:margarida.abho@gmail.com
As mentioned on the last Newsletter, the VI Brazilian Congress on
Occupational Hygiene (CBHO) took place in São Paulo, on 22-24
August 2011 and was very successful, gathering 232 participantsfrom all regions of Brazil. The choice of the theme “Education andTraining in Occupational Hygiene, as a contribution to sustainable
management” was very timely.

Panel 1 - Education in Occupational Hygiene, coordinated byRoberto Jaques, ABHO Vice-presidente for Training and Education,with participation by professors from various Brazilian universities
that already have OH training, namely: Medical Sciences School of
the University of Minas Gerais (FCMMG), University of Caxias do Sul(UCS), Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), State University ofCampinas (UNICAMP) and University of São Paulo (USP), as well as
FUNDACENTRO. On this occasion participants received thetranslation into Portuguese of the PAHO/WHO publication“Occupational Hygiene in Latin America: a guideline for its
development”.

At the opening, ABHO President, José Manuel Gana Soto,emphasized the importance of this topic and quoted Jesse C.
Ducommun: “It should not be necessary for each generation torediscover principles of process safety, which the generation before
discovered. We must learn from the experience of others rather
than learn the hard way. We must pass on to the next generation a Panel 2 - Occupational Hygiene in the Oil Industry, coordinated byrecord of what we have learned.”
ABHO Technical Adviser José Gama de Christo, with presentations
by João Gonçalves Ferreira from PETROBRAS and Paulo Sérgio
The keynote speech “Occupational Hygiene Training”, by Berenice Moraes from TRANSPETRO.
Goelzer, who was responsible for occupational hygiene at theWorld Health Organization for 25 years, drew attention to the Panel 3 - Occupational Hygiene in Mining, coordinated by Mario
importance and urgency of developing adequate and sufficient Luiz Fantazzini, ABHO Vice-president for Studies and Research, withhuman resources in this field, if the health of our workers and a presentation about the Brazilian Program of occupational safety
general environment are to be protected, thus ensuring a healthy and health in mining (MinerAÇÃO) by Cláudia Pellegrinelli, fromand sustainable development for our country. The acute need for IBRAM (Brazilian Mining Institute).
adequate and efficient preventive interventions requires
competent professionals, hence adequate training. Berenice The Programme included very relevant lectures, for example:
Goelzer finalized her speech with a suggestion that ABHO Board “Research and educational actions for dust control in the ceramic
welcomed and that was the preparation of a reference document tile sector”, by Maria Margarida Moreira Lima, occupationalon Occupational Hygiene Training, by ABHO in collaboration with hygienist and researcher at Fundacentro; “New advances in passive
relevant universities and institutions, including topics such as: sampling: performance, standards, technology and applications”, bydifferent levels in the professional occupational hygiene practice; Debbie Dietrich, SKC, USA; “Evaluation of the efficiency of portableproposal for a comprehensive programme for OH training, taking ventilation systems and respirators in controlling welding fumes”,
into consideration the PAHO/WHO recommendations for Latin by Sérgio Caporali, University of Puerto Rico; “Guideline for OSH
America; discussion on training approaches, aiming at models that Management: Norms ABNT and NR-35”, Leonídio Francisco Ribeiro
are realistic and feasible in Brazil, and, reliable sources of Filho, Paulista University; “Technology for essays in noise dose in
information and educational materials. The steps for this exercise Call Centres workers”, by Samir Gerges, Federal University of Santa
would include establishment of a working group, peer consultation, Catarina; “Occupational Exposure to Benzene: history in Brazil, newmeetings and search for partnerships, for example, from IOHA, ILO international paradigms and OELs for carcinogenic agents”, by Ana
and PAHO/WHO (particularly their Collaborating Centres).
Cláudia Moraes, Fluminense Federal University and PETROBRAS.
Certification was also discussed and Barbara Dawson, AIHA Additional activities included two full days of PDCs (attended by 201
President elect, delivered a lecture on “Professional Certification professionals), preceding the Congress, and a Poster Session.
for Occupational Hygienists by ABIH, USA”.
The 2012 ABHO Congress will be held, in August in São Paulo,
At the end of the Opening Session, ABHO Board presented an together with the IV Pan American Congress of Occupational
homage to Berenice Goelzer for her valuable contribution to the Hygiene.
development of occupational hygiene in Brazil and internationally.
Further details (in Portuguese) are presented at the ABHO site:
The Programme included many Panels, namely:
http://abho.org.br/
IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 2, November 20116

From Japan
Message from Mr. Takayoshi Meiga, President of JAWE
Dear Colleagues in the whole world,
On behalf of the Japan Association for Working Environment
Measurement (JAWE), I would like to address my profoundgratitude for your sympathy for the tragic disaster, resulting fromthe Great East Japan Earthquake and the devastating Tsunamis
occurred on 11th March 2011 and associated nuclear accidents in
the Fukishima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power plant, as well as your praise
for the calm and dignity of the Japanese people in face of suchterrible losses and suffering, as posted in the IOHA Newsletter, June
2011.

I am aware that there are still many difficult tasks in thesechallenges; however we, the Japanese people, will certainly
overcome these difficulties. On this occasion, I would like to ask allof you for continuous support for the efforts of the Japanese people
for the recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake, as well as
the nuclear accidents.
I would like to thank all of you so much again for your sympathy
and encouragement to the Japanese people.
With my best greetings,

Now, more than six months after the Great East Japan Earthquake,
we, the Japanese People, are still facing many challenges
concerning recovery from this disaster, as well as the control of thenuclear accidents, including Cool Down of the Nuclear Reactors,
Containing the Spread of Radioactive Substances (sea, soil andatmosphere), Rigorous and Intensive Monitoring, and Ensuring the
Safety of Food and Products.

Takayoshi Meiga
President, Japan Association for Working
Measurement
Managing Director, Nippon Steel Corporation

Environment

Japan Association for Working Environment Measurement (JAWE): 2011 General Meeting
Sent by Masayoshi Karasawa, Special Adviser, JAWE E-mail: m19419k@yahoo.co.jp
and Shigeru Asuka, Director General, JAWE E-mail: sasuka@jawe.or.jp
The Japan Association for Working Environment Measurement subjects were approved unanimously in the General meeting. The
held an Ordinary General Meeting of the fiscal year 2011, on 26 Meeting was attended by 654 full members of JAWE, including the
May 2011, in Tokyo. In the Meeting, Mr. Takayoshi Meiga (picturedleft), Managing Director, Nippon Steel Corporation, was elected as
the New President of JAWE, succeeding Mr. Shigeru Oshita(pictured right), former Director, Nippon Steel Corporation, ,Immediate Past President, whose dedicated work for over two
terms (total of two years) was highly appreciated. At the same time,
the Board of Directors of JAWE, decided to have Mr. Shigeru Oshita
as JAWE Chief Adviser, because of his great achievements in thefield.

ones who entrusted the proxy vote to the President.
At the beginning of the Meeting, all the participants prayed silently
for the dead victims in the Great East Japan Earthquake, on 11th
March, 2011. Next, Mr. Shigeru Oshita, President of JAWE,
presented the opening address. First of all, he mourned for thedead victims in the Earthquake and addressed his sincere sympathy
for the sufferers of the Earthquake, as well as his conviction of theresuscitation from Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster by theJapanese people. At the same time, he introduced JAWE’s
emergency responses to the Earthquake as follows:

The Meeting was held with the objective of approving the business
report and the accounting report for the fiscal year 2010, the JAWE
programme and the budget for the fiscal year 2011, as well as
holding a new election of President and other Directors of JAWE,
who retired from their positions in the middle of their term. These

upon request from the Ministry of Environment, JAWE
organized the voluntary measuring system of asbestos in
the area affected by the Earthquake, with full participationof JAWE members, including registered working
environment measurement agencies, in order to measureasbestos concentrations in the air and/or asbestos contents
in weight of construction materials and other bulk samples,
free of charge or by a low price. Up to the present, morethan seventy working environment measurement agencies
nationwide, as full members of JAWE, joined this system,
JAWE offered voluntary collaboration from its full members,in order to provide consultancy for measuring radiation
intensity, as well for other related matters, upon requestfrom local governments and others concerned withcountermeasures against seismic damage of the nuclear
reactors of the Fukushima Daichi Nuclear Power Station.
JAWE started to collect contributions for the relief of the
Earthquake sufferers.

IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 2, November 20117

Next, he stated that JAWE conducted successfully all the projects Moreover, he explained that, in the business programme for thethat were planned for the fiscal year 2010, including the General fiscal year 2011, the following projects have been incorporated:
Accuracy Cross Check Project.
A. Application to have the IOHA NAR (National Accreditation
Mr. Shigeru Asuka, Director General of JAWE, then explained the
Recognition System) status for the JAWE programme ofbusiness report and the accounting report for the fiscal year 2010,
Certification of Occupational Hygienists.
as well as the business programme and the budget for the fiscal B. A General Accuracy Control Project conducted independently
year 2011 of JAWE. Among other activities, in the fiscal year 2010,by JAWE, as before,
JAWE:
C. An advanced training course on the Evaluation of Asbestos in
Bulk Materials, as well as an accuracy control project, by cross1. Trained 858 Occupational Hygienists in the field of Working
check of bulk blind samples (e.g., construction materials
Environment Measurement (about 15 % decrease compared
containing asbestos) and airborne blind samples.
with the last fiscal year) as the activity of the Registered
Training Institution under the Working Environment At the end of the General Meeting, the new President of JAWE, asMeasurement Law.
well as supplementary Directors of JAWE, were elected; Mr.
2. conducted the forth Accuracy Cross Check Project concerning Takayoshi Meiga is the new President of JAWE. Finally, Ms. Noriko
the Evaluation of Asbestos in Bulk and Airborne Samples (see Kamezawa, Director, Office of Working Environment Improvement,
article on the April 2009 issue of the IOHA Newsletter, under Department of Occupational Safety and Health, Labour Standards
Contributions from Readers) in which 509 Licensed Industrial Bureau, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, who attended theHygienists in the field of Working Environment measurement General Meeting as a distinguished guest, addressed aor other competent analytical specialists participated.
congratulatory message.
3. Conducted the Professional Occupational Hygienists Training
Course in which 38 Licensed Industrial Hygienists in the field of JAWE, as an association, would like to contribute as much as
Working Environment measurement or other competent possible to the improvement the Working Environment, thespecialists participated; in addition, JAWE certified, for the first prevention of occupational diseases as well as the resuscitation
time, 9 specialists as “Certified Occupational Hygienists”, who from Great East Japan Earthquake.
completed 93 units/hours of course and passed successfully
the required examination.

From the USA, AIHA
Translations of the German IH MOD and IHSTAT
Sent by Kathryn Grandstaff, AIHA E-mail: kgrandstaff@aiha.org
In June, the American Industrial Hygiene Association® (AIHA)
announced the development of the German translation of IH MOD
and IHSTAT. This translation was made possible by a collaborationof the AIHA Exposure Assessment Strategies Committee and theInstitut universitaire romand de Santé au Travail (Institute for Workand Health) in Lausanne, Switzerland.
IH MOD and IHSTAT are flexible spreadsheets, available for freedownload on the AIHA website, that implement many basicmodeling and statistical analysis algorithms and help industrial
hygienists both understand and use modeling and statisticalanalyzing as aspects in exposure assessments. The spreadsheets
provide for a transparent understanding of each algorithm’sfunction, parameters, and results

Industrial hygienists engaged in initial and on-going occupational
exposure assessment work will benefit by having an easy to use
implementation of mathematical modeling and analysis methods.
IH MOD also has utility for downstream user and consumer
exposure assessments, which are relevant in the European REACH
efforts and other regulatory-based exposure and risk control
programs.
IH MOD is available in English and French versions as well. IHSTAT isalso available in English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Hindi, Spanish,
Chinese, and Czech.
To download the IH MOD and IHSTAT programs and users guide
visit the Exposure Assessment Strategies Committee page at http://
www.aiha.org/insideaiha/volunteergroups/Pages/EASC.aspx.

News from WHO
Connecting Health and Labour: what role for occupational health in primary health care ?
Sent by: Ivan Ivanov, WHO E-mail: IvanovI@who.int
This International Conference, organized by WHO in collaboration
with TNO Work and Health and the Dutch Government, will takeplace in The Hague, from 29 November to 1st December 2011.
About half of the world population spend at least one third of theirtime at the workplace. Fair employment and decent work areimportant social determinants of health and a healthy workforce isan essential prerequisite for productivity and economic
development. However, only a small proportion of the global
workforce has access to occupational health services for primaryprevention and control of occupational and work-related diseases
and injuries.

IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 2, November 20118

Currently, a number of countries are reforming their health systems
based on the values and principles of primary health care. This is
expected to improve service delivery and cost-efficiency, andensure equity in access and coverage of health service.
National debates on health reforms often touch upon theinsufficient collaboration between health and labour sectors, theorganization of preventive and curative health services for working
populations, and their relation to primary care. Employers,businesses and private sector ever more engage in providing healthservices to workers and communities.
Certain global health problems, such as non-communicablediseases, result in increasing rates of long term sickness absence
and permanent work incapacity. This requires an integrated
response by primary and occupational health care andempowerment of workers.

health into primary health care at the local, regional and national
levels. In particular, it will address the following issues:

 factors of success and obstacles for integrating occupational
health in primary health care in countries

 opportunities and challenges for occupational health arisingfrom primary health care strategies, such as universal coverage,
people-centered health care, participatory health governanceand health in all policies
strategic directions for delivery of occupational health services
in the context of integrated primary health care

The conference will bring together, by invitation, members ofgovernment of public health and labour, occupational healthexperts and primary care providers, researchers, social partners,
and experts in financing.

The purpose of this conference is to identify policy options, For more information, contact: workershealth@who.int
strategies, mechanisms and partnerships to integrate occupational

World Conference on Social Determinants of HealthThis global Conference, convened by WHO and hosted by theBrazilian Government, was held on 19-21 October 2011, in Rio deJaneiro, to build support for the implementation of action on social
determinants of health. The conference brought together Member
States and stakeholders with the objective of sharing experienceson policies and strategies that aim to reduce health inequities andof providing a global platform for dialogue on how therecommendations of the WHO Commission on Social Determinantsof Health (2008) could be taken forward.

health at all levels. Based on the experiences shared at thisConference, we express our political will to make health equity anational, regional and global goal and to address current challenges,
such as eradicating hunger and poverty, ensuring food andnutritional security, access to safe drinking water and sanitation,
employment and decent work and social protection, protecting
environments and delivering equitable economic growth, throughresolute action on social determinants of health across all sectors
and at all levels. We also
acknowledge that by addressing social determinants we can
The conference was attended by Ministers of Health, foreign affairs, contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development
the environment and other sectors; representatives of international Goals.”
agencies, philanthropic institutions and civil society organizations;leading academics and technical experts, and, representatives from The need for action was stressed and, among many pledges, there
the private sector. The conference's outcome document, the Rio was one addressing specifically occupational health and safety:
Declaration, will hopefully help to build high-level international
backing for the further development and implementation of “Strengthen occupational health safety and health protection andnational policies to address social determinants of health.
their oversight andencourage the public and private sectors to offer healthy working
Rio Declaration on Social Determinants of Healthconditions so as tocontribute to promoting health for all”.
Heads of Government, Ministers and government representatives
emphasized a number of key issues concerning health The Heads of Government, Ministers and government
determinants, including work, working conditions and occupational representatives reaffirmed their “resolve to take action on social
health.
determinants of health to create vibrant, inclusive, equitable,
economically productive and healthy societies, and to overcome
The full Declaration is available online at:national, regional and global challenges to sustainable
development.”
http://www.who.int/sdhconference/declaration/
Rio_political_declaration.pdf
At the same time they called upon “the World Health Organization,
United Nations agencies and other international organizations toand some excerpts, relevant to workers’ health, are hereby advocate for, coordinate and collaborate with us in thepresented.
implementation of these actions.”“Health inequities arise from the societal conditions in whichpeople are born, grow, live, work and age, referred to as social
determinants of health. These include early years' experiences,education, economic status, employment and decent work, housing
and environment, and effective systems of preventing and treating
ill health.”

They also stated that “Our common values and responsibilities
towards humanity move us to fulfill our pledge to act on social
determinants of health. We firmly believe that doing so is not only amoral and human rights imperative but also indispensable topromote human well-being, peace, prosperity and sustainable
development. We call upon the international community to support
developing countries in the implementation of these actions“We recognize that we need to do more to accelerate progress in through the exchange of best practices, the provision of technicaladdressing the unequal
assistance and in facilitating access to financial resources…”
distribution of health resources as well as conditions damaging to
IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 2, November 20119

News from WHO Collaborating Centers for Occupational Health

WHO 9th meeting of the Global Network of CCs for Occupational Health
Sent by Evelyn Kortum, WHO E-mail: kortume@who.int
This meeting will be held in Cancun, Mexico, on 15-16 March partnerships and networks for the implementation of the2012, prior to the ICOH triennial conference, with the following identified priority initiatives under the new strategic work plan,
objectives:
as well as the creation of synergies between the work of the
WHO and the Global Network of CCs, at the global and the
to review the progress made by WHO and its CCs in regional levels.
implementing the GPA, andto develop and agree upon a strategic work plan for Invited participants will be directors and experts from the WHO
further implementation of the GPA objectives for the CCs, WHO experts from headquarters and the regional offices,
representatives of the NGOs in official relations with WHO, andperiod 2012-2017.
the ILO.
The expected results include new projects, working groups,

From Brazil - Fundacentro, WHO Collaborating Centre
Training Materials on Dust Control in Ceramic Tiles Manufacturing
Sent by Maria Margarida T. Moreira Lima, Fundacentro
E-mail: maria.lima@fundacentro.gov.br
Brazil is the second world producer of ceramic tiles, which are Ceramic Tiles Manufacturers and the related Workers’ Union. It
widely used in construction, and their manufacture constitutes was officially presented at Fundacentro in September 2011,
an important industrial sector, offering about 25.000 jobs in the with versions in Portuguese, English and Spanish.
country. Therefore this sector has received particular attention,
including in relation to occupational health and safety as well as Both the manual and the video may be obtained through theenvironmental aspects.
Fundacentro website, sub site “sílica e silicose”: http://
www.fundacentro.gov.br/index.asp?D=SES
Fundacentro, a WHO CC for Occupational Health in Brazil, hasbeen carrying out, since 2005, the project “Study ofOccupational Exposure to Silica in the Ceramic Tiles Industries”,
coordinated by Margarida Moreira Lima, occupational hygienist
at Fundacentro. The objective is to disseminate information on
the prevention and control of dust exposure in this branch ofactivity, where dust poses the risk of occupational lungdiseases, particularly silicosis. This project has focused theregion of Santa Gertrudes, São Paulo, where there is the largest
concentration of this industry in Brazil.
The Fundacentro Project represents a definite contribution to
the prevention of silicosis on this industrial sector. Studies
concerning the recognition, evaluation and control of dust
exposure in the different stages of the work processes, alongwith the characterization of related health consequences, led tothe elaboration and publication of the “Manual for Dust Control
in the Ceramic Tiles Manufacture” in 2010.
The most recent achievement is a very comprehensive
educational video on “Dust Control in the Ceramic Tiles Sector”,
prepared with support from the São Paulo Association of
IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 2, November 201110

From the USA – NIOSH
Prevention through Design
Sent by Donna S. Heidel, NIOSH, Prevention through Design Coordinator E-mail: dheidel@cdc.gov
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
hosted the conference “Prevention through Design - a new way of
doing business: a report on the National Initiative” on 22-24 August
2011, in Washington, DC. The American Society of Safety
Engineers (ASSE) was a sponsor of the event.

The goal of the conference was to take stock of the Nation’s
progress in improving worker safety and health through theinclusion of prevention methods in all designs that impact workers.
Significant progress has been made in advancing the prevention ofoccupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities by eliminating hazards
and minimizing risks to workers in the design and re-design ofSince the Conference, ASSE and NIOSH have partnered to develop facilities, work methods, processes, equipment, and products.
a webpage that includes the conference agenda, biographicalsketches of the speakers, and all of the speaker presentation The conference brought together PtD leaders from industry, labor,materials,
already
availableat:
http://www.asse.org/ academia, government agencies, and professional organizations toprofessionalaffairs_new/ptd.php
showcase their research results, engineering education
enhancements, successful stakeholder practices, and policy
The conference marked the mid-point of the Prevention through development and advancement. In addition, presentations from
Design (PtD) National Initiative, led by NIOSH, which aims to the 3 finalists in the Design for Safety and Health student contest
prevent and control occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities showcased PtD engineering student designs. A panel session thatby “designing out” or minimizing hazards and risks early in the includes PtD thought-leaders concluded the event to identify areas
design process.
that require additional focus.
The initiative promotes this concept and highlights its importancein all business decisions. A growing number of business leaders arerecognizing PtD as a cost-effective means to enhance occupationalsafety and health. Many U.S. companies openly support PtD
concepts and have developed management practices to implement
them.

Additional details on the Prevention through Design National
Initiative can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/ptd/
and athttp://www.cdc.gov/niosh/programs/PtDesign/.

News from the ILO

International Partnership for Cooperation on Child Labour in Agriculture (IPCCLA)
Sent by: Halshka Graczyk, ILO E-mail: g8ipec@ilo.org
Worldwide, agriculture represents the sector with the greatest
amount of all child labourers- approximately 60 percent. These 129
million girls and boys between the ages of 5 to 17 toil within thefarming, forestry, fishing and aquaculture, and livestock sub
sectors, often deprived of a quality education and the promise ofhealthy development. Agriculture is also one of the three mostdangerous sectors in terms of work-related fatalities, non-fatal
accidents and occupational diseases. About 59 percent (or 70
million) of all children in hazardous work aged 5–17 are in
agriculture.
The ILO-IPEC document “Children in Hazardous Work: What weknow, what we need to do” was published in 2010 and is available
online at: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@dgreports/@dcomm/@publ/documents/publication/wcms_155428.pdf
Often invisible, informal and unregulated, child labour inagriculture remains difficult to tackle due to the magnitude of the
problem, underlying economic constraints due to poverty, limitedaccess to quality education, and traditional attitudes towards
children’s participation in agricultural activities. However, this
sector demonstrates the greatest potential for turning hazardous

work of children above the minimum working age into safe anddecent youth employment in rural areas.
Recognizing the need to move beyond traditional methods, theInternational Labour Organizations (ILO) sought the collaborationof organizations with expertise in agriculture research and policy
and sectoral workers’ and producers’ organizations to confront thisissue with a new approach. Sectoral stakeholders and organizations
hold the unique ability to mainstream child labour concerns into
national policies and actions because of their close contact withnational ministries of agriculture, agricultural extension services,
farmers' organizations and cooperatives, agricultural workers andagricultural producers' organizations, among others. However,child labour is not often directly part of their organizational
mandate, or recognized as a key issue. For this reason, theInternational Partnership for Cooperation on Child Labour inAgriculture was launched in 2007 and brings together theInternational Labour Organization (ILO), Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural
Development (IFAD), International Food Policy Research Institute(IFPRI) of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural
Research (CGIAR), International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel,

IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 2, November 201111

Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations(IUF),
andagricultural
producers’organizations.
The
multidisciplinary perspective and expertise of the members of thePartnership helps develop innovative strategies to promote childlabour elimination and decent work as part of a sustainableagriculture and rural development framework.

development workshops in Malawi and Mali to strengthen
attention to child labour in agriculture in the National Action Plan
(NAP) on child labour and in current polices and programmes of
Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security andother line institutions. These workshops resulted in the formulationof priority actions for better addressing child labour in agriculture in
the context of the National Action Plan (NAP). In Cambodia, focus ofwork is child labour in fisheries and aquaculture the Partnership is
The objectives of the Partnership are to:supporting sensitization of staff of the Department of Fisheries and promote cooperation and programme and policy coherence on the identification of better fishing practices to reduce dependence
on child labour.
child labour among the Partners, especially at national level; mainstream child labour into existing activities of agriculturalorganizations and help raising awareness on how child labour The Partnership continues to diligently promote advocacy towards
elimination contributes to achieving organizational mandates of the elimination of child labour in agriculture while securing decent
work for rural communities worldwide. The last meeting of the
agricultural organizations;
 promote action and cooperation to improve rural livelihoods Partnership was held at the IUF in Geneva in September 2011 andmeeting reports are available upon request.
and alternative income-generating activities, and to ensure thatchildren do not carry out hazardous work in agriculture;
More information on the Partnership and its work can be found on
 promote opportunities for decent youth employment in the Partnership’s webpage as well as ILO’s child labour inagriculture and in rural areas.
agriculture
webpage,
namely:The Partnership actively supports collaboration between labour andhttp://www.fao-ilo.org/fao-ilo-child/international-partnership-foragricultural stakeholders at national level in Mali, Malawi andcooperation-on-child-labour-in-agriculture
Cambodia, and provides technical assistance to Egypt, Kenya,
Tanzania, and other countries upon request. In 2011, with supportand http://www.ilo.org/ipec/areas/Agriculture/lang--en/index.htm
from the Partnership, national stakeholders organized capacity

News from ISSA/ILO
The XIX World Congress on Safety and Health at WorkThe XIX World Congress on Safety and Health at Work was held in
Istanbul, Turkey, 11-15 September 2011, and was one of the largest
global gatherings of prevention and occupational safety and healthpolicy-makers and experts. The World Congress was co-organizedby the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International
Social Security Association (ISSA) and was hosted by the Ministry ofLabour and Social Security of Turkey (MLSST).

have also threatened to undermine these achievements… All
stakeholders thus need to be committed to invest in OSH, accepting
it as a vital component of good management and performance
rather than a burden on businesses.”
Concluding the World Congress, the ISSA Secretary General HansHorst Konkolewsky and Director of the ILO Programme on Safety
and Health at Work and the Environment (SafeWork) Seiji Machidacalled for a renewed commitment to a culture of occupationalsafety and health that could respond to a changing work
environment caused by demographic changes and the evolving
labour market.

Participation in the XIX World Congress in Istanbul was anopportunity for decision-makers, safety and health professionals,
employers’ and workers’ representatives and other stakeholders
who are active in the field of occupational safety and health inorder to ensure close cooperation in the exchange of information
with experts from all around the world and also to explore one of The full text of their conclusions, as well as the ILO Introductory
the most famous towns and cultures in the world. One of the Report, Congress reports and documents, and the Declaration, areoutcomes was the Istanbul Declaration on Safety and Health at available online at: www.issa.int/worldcongress2011
Work.
At stated in the ILO Introductory Report to the XIX World Congress
on Safety and Health at Work: “Over the past decades significant
advances have been made in occupational safety and health (OSH)
as many more countries have realized its importance and the needto give higher priority to preventing accidents and ill-health atwork. Thus an unprecedented amount of information aboutoccupational
risks
and
how
to
manage them is now available, much of it online, and OSH appears
to be better managed in many enterprises. Consequently, numbersof serious accidents appear to be declining globally although thepicture for occupational ill-health is less encouraging…
Nevertheless, many workers globally still face unhealthy and unsafe
working conditions and the recent economic crisis and recession

During this Congress much attention was given to prevention,for example, the presentation “Proactive and Preventive Social
Security: Investing in people", by Hans-Horst Konkolewsky (ISSA
Secretary General) strongly emphasizes this important aspect.
An example of an interesting report dealing with the economic
aspects of prevention, which are important to motivate decision-makers to act preventively, was presented by the ISSA at theCongress: “The return on prevention: Calculating the costs andbenefits of investments in occupational safety and health incompanies” (available at: www.issa.int/ROP).

IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 2, November 201112

NEWS from European Union
News from EU-OSHA
Sent by: Birgit Müller, EU-OSHA E-mail: muller@osha.europa.eu
Message from Dr Christa Sedlatschek, Director EU-OSHA: “Making Europe a safer, healthier andmore productive place to work”
Safe and healthy work is a fundamental human right. It is also one Backgroundof the European Union’s most important and challenging policy Dr Christa Sedlatschek has been appointed as director of EU-OSHA.
areas.
She took up her post on 16 September 2011 and succeeds Dr Jukka
Takala who is retiring. Dr Christa Sedlatschek is a medical doctor
Workplace accidents, sickness, ill-health and death continue to (University of Vienna) and a specialist in occupational health.
exact an unacceptable toll on Europe’s workers and the economy.
Every year in the EU, more than 5,500 people die as a result of an After completing her studies she started working in the Austrian
accident in the workplace and a further 159,000 die from an labour inspectorate and moved to the Ministry for Labour andoccupational disease. This equates to one death every 3.5 minutes. Social Affairs in 1993, taking over the function as Deputy Head ofthedepartmentforoccupational
medicine.
Such rates of accidents, sickness and death have a direct impact on In 1998 she was recruited by EU-OSHA where she focused on theeconomic growth, profitability, and employment across Europe. In development and dissemination of good practice information,
fact, at least 450 million working days are lost each year at a cost to becoming the head of the working environment unit. During that
the EU economy of over EUR 490 billion per year.
time she gained an in-depth knowledge about the EU and existing
occupational safety and health (OSH) systems in the Member
Investment in safety and health helps meet two major European States.
goals: to safeguard workers’ wellbeing while strengthening
corporate competitiveness. These act as crucial economic and social In 2003 she moved to Berlin and started working in the Federal
stabilising forces that enhance Europe’s capacity to manage Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (Bundesanstalt fürchanging workforce demographics in a humane way.
Arbeitsschutz und Arbeitsmedizin - BAuA), where she became
Director of the national “Initiative New Quality of Work - INQA” in“If we are to maximise our impact, we must focus our efforts in four 2004.
areas:“INQA” was launched by the German Federal Ministry for labour
 raise awareness and disseminate information on the and social affairs as a consequence of the Lisbon Summit in 2000,
importance of workers’ health for European social and aiming at making a contribution towards creating more and better
jobs in Europe.
economic stability

 develop and disseminate practical instruments to small- andmedium-sized enterprises to help them improve working
conditions.
 provide the evidence and drive home the message thatinvestment in occupational safety and health pays off.
 mainstream occupational safety and health into other policy
areas such as education, public health, and research.”

Christa Sedlatschek has always focused her work within the field of
OSH on the transfer of research and development information to
the company level. She is convinced that the gap between existingknowledge and sustainable implementation of OSH in companies
has to be bridged and in that context EU-OSHA has a key role.

EU-OSHA launches landmark project to facilitate risk assessment in Europe’s small enterprises
The Online interactive Risk Assessment (OiRA) project, launched at
the recent XIX World Congress on Safety and Health at Work, in
Istanbul, marks the first initiative at European level to facilitate
workplace risk assessment. Developed by the European Agency for
Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), the innovative tool will help
Europe’s 20 million micro and small enterprises to improve safety
and health for their workers by assessing risks through an easy-touse and cost-free web application.

particularly for small enterprises as they lack adequate resources or
the know-how to do so effectively. The reasons companies give for
not carrying out checks are lack of expertise (41%), the belief
that risk assessments are too expensive or that they are overly time
consuming (38%). In OiRA, EU-OSHA is proud to offer a free online
tool to overcome these challenges. OiRA contributes to eliminatingor reducing the 168 000 work-related deaths, 7 million accidents
and 20 million cases of work-related disease annually in the EU 27”.

As Dr Jukka Takala, former EU-OSHA Director stated: “Experience The vision of EU-OSHA’s landmark project is to assist smallshows that proper risk assessment is the key to healthy workplaces. enterprises in putting in place a step-by-step risk assessment
Yet carrying out risk assessments can be quite challenging, process, starting with the identification and evaluation of
IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 2, November 201113

workplace risks, through to the decision-making on preventive Photos of the XIX OSH World Congress on safety and health ataction, identification of adequate measures, to continued work: http://osha.europa.eu/en/press/photos/jukka_takala/OiRAmonitoring and reporting.
OSH-world-congress-Istanbul/
Link to the full Press Release: http://osha.europa.eu/en/press/
More information on the OiRA project dedicated website: http://press-releases/
www.oiraproject.eu/about
eu_osha_launches_landmark_project_facilitate_risk_assessment_e
uropes_small_enterprises

Key technologies likely to impact on OSH in green jobs by 2020

The report of Phase 2 of the “Foresight of new and emerging risks
associated with new technologies in green jobs by 2020” identifies
a shortlist of key technologies likely to be found in green jobs andhave an impact on OSH by 2020. The list includes green
technologies in the construction, transport, manufacturing, waste
treatment and wind energy sectors; nanotechnologies; bioenergy
and biotechnology; electricity transmission and storage; anddomestic applications of emerging energy technologies. In Phase 3,
a series of workshops is exploring the potential emerging OSH risks
from these technologies in order to develop future scenarios
helping decision makers to anticipate these risks.

For further information and free of charge download of “Phase 2report on the new technologies likely to impact on OSH in green
jobs by 2020”, see:
http://osha.europa.eu/en/publications/reports/foresight-greenjobs-key-technologies/view
The “Phase 1 report on the key drivers of change likely to shapegreen jobs by 2020” is available from:http://osha.europa.eu/en/publications/reports/foresight-greenjobs-drivers-change-TERO11001ENN/view

Contributions from ReadersInternational Action
Global training and accreditation of occupational hygiene
Sent by: Roger Alesbury E-mail: roger@alesbury.net
and Steve Bailey E-mail: steve.bailey@which.net
The global scheme for training and accreditation is going from 
strength to strength. In the following update, we provide brief
information on progress, planned developments and opportunities
for you to participate in developing the forward strategy and plan. We are particularly keen to hear from anyone who may be interested in helping us to develop new courses or to translate
existing ones.
Some key facts:

5 years in development, OHlearning.com was launched May
2010, with nearly 20,000 unique visitors in total, the site isaveraging around 1400 unique users each month. OHlearning
offers free access to course materials, links to nationalorganisations, training events offered by Approved Training
Providers and an online discussion forum
OHlearning is included in the in the 2009 – 2012 Workplan for
the WHO Collaborating Center Network.
Pool of 38 registered Approved Training Providers (ATPs) and 3
Universities are signed up to deliver courses. Each ATP meetsstrict criteria before approval, including the need for NAR
professionally qualified occupational hygienists as course
directors

200 qualified occupational hygienists from IOHA members havealready volunteered to provide quality control and develop
modules
7 intermediate and one foundation training modules available.
Completion of 56 courses in 19 countries with over 500
successful exam candidates. In addition to 11 pilot courses totest development
Trial of OHlearning modules through distance learning by
University of Illinois in Chicago
New scheme to provide student scholarships launched by AIOH
and funded by Thermo Fisher Scientific Australia & Honeywell
Analytics Australia.

Current projects under development

 Automated website translation. Spanish will be used for pilot
before rolling out for other languages

 eLearning platform being added to facilitate new Awareness

level material initially. This level is aimed at raising awareness ofoccupational hygiene in workers and managers and is not partof the qualifications scheme.
Upgraded collaboration centre to host working documents and

IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 2, November 201114

archive materialand 2012. These will be designed to stimulate discussion and assist

 First awareness level package on silica, with others soon to in shaping future plans and direction.
follow on asbestos and noiseFoundation level courses on silica and safety
Advanced level course on Control Banding
Translation of W501 into Spanish
Translation of W201 into Mandarin

Once again, we should stress that the scheme is entirely led byvoluntary effort and we are grateful to all those who have offered
their services free of charge to help develop the scheme and reducethe burden of occupational illness worldwide. We are also grateful
to our sponsors. There are lots of things we could do better andmore things we could do with additional help. If you are interested
These plans will take us to the end of 2012. To define the strategy in offering your services to join the team of over 200 occupational
and plan beyond this, a series of workshops are being planned at hygienists working on this project, we would love to hear from you.
major occupational hygiene conferences through the rest of 2011 email team@ohlearning.com

From Countries, CanadaNews from the IRSST, Canada
Sent by: Maura Tomi, IRSST E-mail: Maura.Tomi@irsst.qc.ca
Exploratory Study to Identify Workload Factors that have an  to ensure knowledge transfer to the workplace community.
Impact on Health and Safety - A Case Study in the Service Sector
Given the exploratory nature of this research project, it involved a
The IRSST just published an exploratory study that try to further single case study. However, it fits into a broader process aimed atunderstanding of workload by examining work activity within a conceptualizing the workload phenomenon holistically and in all its
dynamic context involving individuals, their occupational activities complexity.
and their organizational environment.
A reference model was developed on the basis of a literature
From this perspective, the study financed by the IRSST did not review. It is designed to approach workload through the daily
attempt to document either work overload or underload, but rather reality experienced by workers, and thus examines it in terms of
to understand the phenomenon on the basis of actual work three main components: prescribed workload (imposed
situations.
constraints), actual workload (actual restraints) and perceived
workload. This preliminary model provides a framework for
To achieve the overarching objective, the researchers pursued reflection as well as a reference for analyzing actual workload.
three secondary objectives:
To download the document: http://www.irsst.qc.ca/en/-irsst to define the components of workload;
publication-exploratory-study-to-identify-workload-factors-that to identify the factors that have either a direct or an indirect have-an-impact-on-health-and-safety-R-701.html
impact on workload; andProtecPo, for a better choice in skin protection
The Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité dutravail (IRSST), and its French counterpart, the Institut National deRecherche et de Sécurité (INRS) developed ProtecPo, interactive
software for the pre-selection of polymer materials used in personal
protective equipment (gloves, coveralls and boots). The goal of thetwo institutes is to provide prevention professionals and companies
with a tool to help in the choice of the best adapted materials forskin protection, mainly against solvents and mixtures of solvents.

 polymer material, allowing the user to choose from among thefive listed materials (butyl, Viton®, latex, Neoprene® and nitrile).
The application (in French and in English) is now on line on the Web
sites of both institutes: www.irsst.qc.ca/protecpo

About the IRSST: The IRSST is a scientific research organization devoted to the prevention of industrial accidents and occupational
diseases as well as to the rehabilitation of affected workers. The
The procedure followed in developing ProtecPo is based on an ap- IRSST provides its Internet users with more than 1000 researchproach to the interactions between chemical substances and poly- reports that can be downloaded at no charge. www.irsst.qc.ca
mer materials, according to the theory established by Charles M.
Hansen, the Danish scientist who collaborated in the development About the INRS: INRS is a French Institute competent in the area ofof this computer tool.
occupational risk prevention: protecting workers’ health and safety
and preventing occupational accidents or diseases. Its missions
ProtecPo performs the searches by:include: anticipating needs (with studies and research programmes), raising awareness (via information products, prevention
 solvent or mixture of solvents to obtain a list of recommended campaigns) and assistance (through technical guidance, informationmaterials;
resources, training). www.inrs.fr
 family of solvents to obtain results about the compatibility
between solvents in the selected family and the materials;
IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 2, November 201115

Pain, Depression, Disability and Rehabilitation Outcomes
The results of a new study published by the IRSST (occupational
health and safety research institute) indicate that the prevalence ofdepression in individuals referred for rehabilitation of work-related
musculoskeletal injury is as high as 40%.

In spite of limitations, the present study showed that individuals
who enter rehabilitation treatment with high levels of depression
are less likely to return to work following treatment. Of theindividuals who returned to work, depressed individuals were alsoless likely to maintain employment. Future research will need to
In previous research, depression has been shown to contribute to identify the processes by which depression impacts on disability
longer periods of work absence following injury and lower and the intervention approaches that are most effective inprobability of return to work. The researchers point out that there targeting disability associated with depression and pain.
are different processes by which depression might impact on painrelated disability. Depression might add to the burden of disability This document may be download from: http://www.irsst.qc.ca/en/associated with pain by accentuating the negative impact of the irsst-publication-pain-depression-disability-rehabilitationpain symptoms that ensue from whiplash injury.
outcomes.html

From The Netherlands
Information on Stoffenmanager
Sent by Henri Heussen E-mail: henri.heussen@arbounie.nl
Stoffenmanager Nano module 1.0: a web-based control banding representatives from Austria, Croatia, Finland, Germany, Portugal,
tool for exposure to manufactured nano-objects
Spain, Sweden and the UK discussed implementation issues andnew developments.
Stoffenmanager Nano, developed by a consortium of Arbo Unie,
TNO and Beco and funded by the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs During the morning sessions, presentations on the Dutch andand Employment aims to support small and medium enterprises International development and new version 4.5 of Stoffenmanager
with their risk assessment of working with manufactured nano and Stoffenmanager Nano were shown. In the afternoon theobjects (MNO). The tool is a separate module within the generic implementation experiences of The Netherlands (Dutch Labour
control banding and exposure assessment Stoffenmanager 4.5 tool Inspectorate), Germany (Institute for Occupational Health andand can be used for free at http://nano.stoffenmanager.nl (both in Safety), Finland (Finnish Institute of Occupational Health) andDutch and English).
Sweden (Dalarna University and Lund University) were presented
and discussed. As an outcome it is expected that more country
It is an easy-to-use web based control banding tool, using accessible versions will follow in due time.
and obtainable data on hazard and exposure parameters andresulting in a risk prioritization score and subsequent control. It Stoffenmanager is a control banding and exposure assessment tool
determines hazard potential (band A-E) based on particle size, and has been recommended in Chapter R.14 of the REACH technicalsolubility, fiber-like-properties and classification of nano- or parent Guidance document. Meaning the European committee officiallymaterial. Exposure potential (band 1-4) is determined using recognizes Stoffenmanager as a REACH instrument. The
handling categories adjusted to the life-cycle of nanomaterials. The quantitative inhalation exposure model has been accepted as
final risk prioritization (class I-III) can be iterated by selecting method to evaluate dangerous substances at the workplace by thecontrol measures. In addition an Action Plan can be drafted and Dutch Labour Inspectorate.
reports can be printed. Educational material is included in the form
Key features of the tool are:of factsheets and PIMEX-movies.
Stoffenmanager Nano is a ‘work-in-process’ online tool that reflects
the current knowledge on risks related to working withnanomaterials. It will be further adjusted when new insights
become available. More information on among others theapplicability domain and the scientific model can be found at http://nano.stoffenmanager.nl/public/background.aspx.
Just try it yourself and give us your feedback!
Henri
Heussen,
Arbo
Unie,
The
Netherlands,
henri.heussen@arbounie.nl; www.ects.nl

 Self: own responsibility of our users, do it your self management
 Simple: user-friendliness and efficiency are important Smart: broad experience and extensive knowledge is embeddedin the tool

 Safe: reliable and accepted tool
The tool is available in several languages:
1st Stoffenmanager International Implementation Workshop Dutch and English (www.stoffenmanager.nl)
German (https://gestis-stoffmanager.dguv.de/Finnish (expected end 2011).

multilingual
controlbanding and exposure assessment tool
If your country might be interested in a translated country version,
The first Stoffenmanager International Implementation Workshop
pleasecontact:
henri.heussen@arbounie.nlor
was held as part of the Dutch Stoffendag (Dutch Chemical
erika.ustailieva@tno.nl.
Substances Day) on 4 October 2011 in The Netherlands. More than
300 visitors participated in the overall “Chemical Substances day“’and some 25 participants in the implementation workshop. Country
IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 2, November 201116

Dutch Pimex movies to be translated in Chinese, Spanish and English
Sent by: Andre Winkes E-mail: andre.winkes@arbounie.nl
In the Netherlands, Pimex (Picture Mix Exposure) movies are a and knowledge, which is already available around the world. The
successful tool for risk communication and training.
selection of the movies to be translated will be done by aninternational expert group to ensure applicability around the world.
Pimex is a video exposure monitoring technique. The method is The translated movies will be presented at the IOHA conference inbased on a combined use of video recordings with measurements. September 2012 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and will become
The measurements are taken simultaneously with real-time available for free for everyone who can use them.
monitoring instruments. As a result the exposure of bad and goodpractices is visualized directly.
The project is funded by the NVvA (The Dutch industrial hygiene
society). For further information, suggestions, or offering help,
In 2012, ten Dutch already existing Pimex movies will be translated please, contact the project leader Andre Winkes.
in to Chinese, Spanish and English. The goal is to spread information

From Switzerland
The Unsuspected Dimensions of Occupational Health
Sent by Jean Parrat, SSHT (Swiss Society of Occupational Hygiene)
E-mail : jean.parrat@jura.ch
The situation of occupational health in Switzerland, and in theworld in general, is not at its best. Between political incomprehension and lack of commitment on the part of decision makers concerning sound actions to ensure prevention, as well as the often
unclear scenario of emerging health hazards, the occupational
health professional often feels like a lonely wolf howling in the forest.

public heath aspects are also addressed in the book.
However, a high level professional as Michel Guillemin, Honorary
Professor ate the Université de Lausanne, founding member of theInternational Occupational Hygiene Association (IOHA) and of the
Swiss Occupational Hygiene Society (SSHT) and Swiss and international expert in this field, would not only describe the negative aspects of the present occupational health scenario. Therefore healso indicates possible ways to improve the present situation, forexample, he proposes that all stakeholders in occupational healthengage in a real awareness of this important issue and that eventhose of us who have the privilege of working comfortably in ourfield should strongly commit towards a better future based on theexperiences of the past.

For this reason the book “The Unsuspected Dimensions of Occupational Health” (Les dimensions insoupçonnées de la santé au travail,
Editions L’Harmattan), by Michel Guillemin, is so important andshould be disseminated. This work analyzes why occupational
health lacks so badly of recognition and resources, analyzes inconsistencies and hesitations on the part of decision makers, and emphasizes that the ones who ultimately suffer from this situation are
the working women and men ensuring the development of our This book constitutes a call for action directed to all actors someeconomies and our countries.
how involved with worker’s health issues, in Switzerland and elsewhere; it suggests a line to follow in order “to dare dream of aMichel Guillemin underlines the amazing misconception that there better world and participate in its creation”.
is a conflict between workers’ health and economic performance,
while it is obvious that one ensures the other. The author’s reason- Note: There is a notice about Michel Guillemin’s recent book in theing is very convincing as it is based on facts and sound data, clearly EU-OSHA site; direct link:
explained. Besides human suffering, the serious consequences that http://osha.europa.eu/en/news/be-new-book-published-theunhealthy working conditions have on health care costs and other unsuspected-dimensions-of-occupational-health

From the United Kingdom
Offshore COSHH Essentials
Sent by Paul Evans, Health & Safety Executive
Exposure to substances hazardous to health is a daily occurrence
for thousands of workers in the offshore oil and gas industry. Manyof these substances have the potential to cause health effects
including skin disease such as dermatitis, cancer and lung diseasesuch as asthma. In the UK, the Control of Substances Hazardous to
Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002 (as amended) place responsibilityon the employer for taking effective measures to control exposure
and protect health.

E-mail: Paul.Evans@hse.gsi.gov.uk

Although many operators applied the philosophy of COSHH prior toits extension offshore in 1995, a HSE survey in 1997/98 found that,in practice, assessments often only used the information on thesafety data sheets so that they were hazard-based rather than riskbased. More recent operational intelligence has shown that thissituation still exists and, even where the assessment reflects therisk, it is often lacking in control advice. This, along with the ‘hazard

IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 2, November 201117

approach’ tends to drive control to the provision of personal thought to be the best vehicle for disseminating good control
protective equipment (PPE) rather than following the Principles of practice offshore.
Good Control Practice (COSHH Regulation 7 and Schedule 2A).
Offshore COSHH Essentials (http://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/
Advice on the provision of PPE in the assessments is often also
industry/offshore.htm) was prepared in partnership by an HSE/
weak with examples such as “wear gloves”. Other chemical
Industry/Unions working group. It describes good control practiceassessment and control-related problems include:for controlling exposure to chemicals, for a range of common
processes and tasks in the offshore industry. The guidance is aimed

Substitution and elimination not considered.
at managers, safety practitioners, offshore medics and safetyLack of routine e.g. weekly checking of control
representatives in the offshore oil and gas industry, who havesystems, such as Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV).
responsibility for managing the control of substances hazardous tohealth.

Lack
of
(or
inadequate)
preventative
maintenance.
The guidance consists of a series of Offshore COSHH Essentials(OCE) task sheets giving practical advice on good control practiceLack of (or inadequate) thorough examination
for specific tasks and a series of Offshore COSHH Method (OCM)
and testing of control systems.
sheets, which give advice on generic COSHH issues such as PPE,Poor application and use of control measures,
health surveillance etc. These OCE and OCM series are part of aincluding supervision.
suite of guidance on offshore health risks and includes Offshore
Food Essentials (OFE) and Offshore Radiation Essentials (ORE).

Poor management of PPE/RPE and/or lack of face
fit testing.
The Offshore COSHH Essentials (OCE) task sheets were launched inconjunction with Step Change in Safety at the beginning of MarchInadequate information, instruction and training.
2011 in Aberdeen. Step Change in Safety is a UK based partnership
Lack of good quality and appropriate healthof workforce, regulator and employers in the oil and gas industry.
surveillance.
The event was very well-attended, demonstrating real support fromthe oil and gas industry and the unions. Feedback from delegates
was positive: attendees recognised that sharing good practice on
Skin exposure is also a recognised problem, especially to drilling
control of exposure to chemicals in the offshore industry ismuds, which can be extensive on the drill floor.
extremely important and Offshore COSHH Essentials will help to do
this.
The need for simple guidance on ‘good control practice’ has
therefore been recognised by industry and HSE. The COSHH
Essentials guidance has proved very effective in establishing good
control practice across a number of industry sectors and wasFrom the USA

MHSSN Wins AIHA Social Responsibility Award
Sent by Garrett Brown E-mail: garrettdbrown@comcast.net
The US-based Maquiladora Health and Safety Support Network unions and worker groups, community-based organizations,(MHSSN) has been awarded the 2011 Social Responsibility Award by women’s and human rights groups – in the field of occupational
the American Industrial Hygiene Association.
health and safety so that these organizations understand key OHS
concepts, control measures, national OHS regulations and their
Established in 2009, the AIHA Social Responsibility Award is rights under the law.
presented to an entity, group, organization, or an individual who
works inside organizations to develop and promote practical MHSSN projects began on the US-Mexico border at the time thesolutions to social responsibility issues related to industrial hygiene North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) went into effector environmental health and safety issues. Sponsored by Bureau and accelerated the transfer of manufacturing processes, and their
Veritas North America Inc., the award carries a $2,500 prize from hazards, to the developing world. The scope and scale of MHSSN
Bureau Veritas for the winning organization.
projects has grown over time to include Central America and the
Caribbean, and Asian countries such as Cambodia, China andMHSSN Coordinator Garrett Brown received the award at the Indonesia, which have become the “world’s factory floor.”
Opening General Session of AIHCE 2011 in Portland, Oregon.
Global projects have included multi-day OHS trainings in local
The MHSSN was founded in 1993 and has over 400 members languages for grassroots groups, helping worker groups exercise
including industrial hygienists, safety engineers, occupational their rights under national laws and international treaties like
physicians and nurses, toxicologists, epidemiologists, and health NAFTA, providing information and technical assistance related toeducators. AIHA members make up the largest group of MHSSN specific industries and hazards, and assisting international brands
volunteers, who live primarily in the United States, Canada and establish effective health and safety committees in their contract
Mexico.
manufacturing plants. The most recent project was to working with
The goal of the Network over the last 18 years has been to build the plant managers and the Workers Rights Consortium to establish thecapacity of non-governmental and grassroots organizations – world’s first genuinely “no sweat” garment factory in the Dominican
IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 2, November 201118

Republic operated by US-based Knights Apparel.

safer and healthier,” said Coordinator Brown. “The goal of our
profession to put worker health first and foremost, and our
MHSSN volunteers – leading professionals in their fields – donate volunteers are living proof that this goal can be accomplished.”
all their time and expertise in specific projects while their travel
and living expenses are covered by the Network.
Information on the MHSSN can be found at its website(www.igc.org/mhssn) or by contacting Coordinator Garrett Brown“I am very proud to accept this award on behalf of the many, many at garrettdbrown@comcast.net.
volunteer members of our Network who have donated tremendous
amounts of the time and energy to make the world’s workplaces

Disclaimer:
While great care is taken with the compilation of this Newsletter, IOHA, its Directors, the Editor and the authors of articles accept no
responsibility for opinions, errors and omissions that may be made in this Newsletter. The responsibility for opinions expressed in signed
articles rests solely with their authors and does not constitute an endorsement by the IOHA.

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IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 2, November 201119