June Vol 19 No 1

NEWSLETTER
Contents
1

Letter from the Editor

1

News from IOHA

3

News from Member Associations

5

News from ICOH

7News from WHO

8

News from WHO Collaborating Centers

10News from ILO

11

News from the European Union

12

International Actions

14

Contributions from Readers

Letter from the Editor
Dear Colleagues,

duty. Two of these heroes, workers of Tokyo Electric Power
Company (TEPCO), were only 21 and 24 years old.
As you remember, in the last issue you were asked for ideas on
how to promote our field to a higher level in international andnational development and environmental agendas. Well, on thisissue I am presenting to you some ideas (under Contributions
from Readers) and invite you to discuss them. An exchange inthis respect would be most valuable to all of us, therefore,
please, do send your comments even if short ones.
If we speak about greater visibility for occupational hygiene, weare speaking about the importance of primary prevention. One
noteworthy point in the contribution from Japan is the mentionof how the focus went from a passive approach – treatment ofoccupational diseases, to a proactive approach, emphasizing
primary prevention, practiced under multidisciplinary teams. It
was also very rewarding to see that the WHO Conference on
Occupational and Environmental Cancer gave due emphasis tothe fundamental importance of primary prevention, as you may
see in this issue.

I would like to start this letter with a message to our colleagues
in Japan, as we are all sad by the tragic events there, resulting On many occasions we have had articles about the PIMEX
from the Tohoku Pacific Earthquake. I am sure I speak for all of method and in this issue we have, as promised, articles on
us when I say that we have admired calm and dignity of the excellent and practical uses of this technique in theJapanese people in face of such terrible loss and suffering. Netherlands; these are examples to be followed.
Moreover, we should pay tribute to the brave workers, whoworked under extremely difficult and hazardous conditions, As always, I would like to thank all who contributed to this issue
risking their lives, to repair the seismic damage to the and reinforce my request to colleagues from all over the world
Fukushima Nuclear Power Stations, in order to avoid a greater to send news on their work or to express any professional
disaster, not only for Japan but for the world. As we know, the concerns. Should you have any comments and suggestions formassive earthquake triggered the devastating Tsunami and this the Newsletter, I would be glad to receive them
resulted in the halting of the emergency diesel power
generators and the pumps supplying seawater to the coolingBest greetings to all
system. In fact, although these workers are protected by
Occupational Safety and Health Law regulations and took
Berenice Goelzer
precautions, some of them lost their lives while fulfilling theirberenice@goelzer.net

NEWS from IOHA
Report from the IOHA Board Meeting, - 3 April 2011, Stratford upon Avon, UK
Sent by Sandi Atkinson, IOHA Executive Secretary E-mail: sandi.atkinson@ioha.net
The meeting was held to coincide with the Annual Conference Sandi Atkinsonof the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) in the fromthehistorical town of Stratford upon Avon, most famous for being Secretariat was
the birthplace of William Shakespeare. IOHA Board Members in attendancefrom the Australian, Canadian, Dutch, Finnish, French, Italian, and apologies
Norwegian, Southern African, Swedish, Swiss and Taiwanese forabsenceorganisations were in attendance and a warm welcome was had
been
extended to the new British representative Dr Karen Niven. received fromIOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 1, June 011
1both American associations, the Brazilian, German, Irish, IOHA’s President Elect, Mr Noel Tresider has been invited toJapanese, Korean, Malaysian and Polish associations.
give a plenary session at the 30th Congress of the International
Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH) in Cancun, Mexico.
At the request of the President, Luc Hamelin, the Board
observed a one minute’s silence out of respect for our Japanese Membershipcolleagues.
There has been some progress in Eastern Europe, specifically
Turkey, and IOHA are hopeful that they will successfully form an
IOHA 8th International Scientific Conference
association and be in a position to join IOHA in 2012 closely
Dr Cottica presented a debrief of the conference organised by followed by Macedonia. Further information on Macedonia will
the Italian Industrial Hygiene Association (AIDII) held in Rome in be forthcoming following a scheduled meeting with theirSeptember 2010. The conference was a great success attracting representatives in Pavia, Italy in the coming weeks.
around 1,000 delegates over the four days with a significant
number taking advantage of the reduced registration rates An application form for membership of IOHA has been received
offered to those from developing countries. Really positive from the Occupational and Environmental Health Society
feedback was received on the structure of the programme and (OEHS), Singapore. This is currently under review by thethe combination of scientific sessions and workshops.
Membership Committee and will be put before the Board attheir next meeting in October.
The President and the Board congratulated Dr Cottica and the
Italian Association on an excellent conference and an Important information now available
outstanding achievement of attracting such a high number of You will now find on the IOHA website, guidance on how an
abstracts and delegates from over 50 countries.
association can join IOHA along with ‘Model Rules for a National
Occupational Hygiene Association’ giving important help and
IOHA 9th International Scientific Conference
advice for those wishing to form an association. You will find
The Malaysian representative was unable to attend the meeting this information at www.ioha.net/joinioha.html
but did send an update on the organisation of this conference
for presentation to the Board. The website is now live
New appointment to the Executive Committee
www.miha2u.org and the call for abstracts will be open in July. Mr Dalrymple stepped down as the
IOHA Secretary Treasurer at the end of
IOHA 10th International Scientific Conference2010 leaving a need to appoint a
After much discussion at the meeting around the potential clash replacement in the interim period untilwith other international conferences in 2014, the Board have the next AGM when one can be
now invited bids from member associations to host the 10th nominated for the full two year term.
International Scientific Conference in 2015. If your association Mr Tresider proposed the newis interested please contact Sandi Atkinson at the IOHA Secretary Treasurer be Andrea
Secretariat in the first instance at sandi.atkinson@ioha.net for Hiddinga of the Dutch Occupational
more information.
Hygiene Society. This motion was seconded by Mr Nærheim
and the Board voted and agreed unanimously. The President
IOHA Representation at External Conferences
welcomed Andrea into her new role.
IOHA will be sending a representative to the XIX World Congress
on Safety & Health at Work due to be held in Istanbul, Turkey The next meeting will be hosted by Statoil in Singapore on
on 11-15 September 2011.
Monday 10 October 2011. The Annual General Meeting will
also be held to coincide with this meeting and nominations forthe next President Elect and Secretary Treasurer will be sought.

9th IOHA International Scientific Conference
Sent by Norhazlina Bt Mydin E-mail: norhazlina_m@petronas.com.my
The Malaysian Industrial Professional Development Courses (PDCs) will take place on 15Hygiene Association (MIHA) 16 September 2012 and the Scientific and Technicalis proud to host the 9th Presentations, during the Conference. During this time, a
IOHAInternational wealth of occupational (industrial) hygiene and other health andScientific Conference, to be safety topics can be discussed and shared among participants.
held in Kuala Lumpur from Colleagues who have conducted studies established invaluable
17-19 September 2012. As occupational (industrial) hygiene programs and above all those
one of the leading Industrial who would like to share their knowledge and experiences are
Hygiene associations in the region, with the strong support and welcome to submit their Abstracts to the organizers. Experts
co-operation from the government, NGOs, various industries may also further contribute with their experience by conducting
and international partners, we believe this Conference will be PDCs.
an unforgettable experience for all our distinguished delegates.
The theme “Growing the Seeds of Occupational Hygiene” is The Conference will be held at the prestigious Kuala Lumpur
chosen to reflect occupational hygiene as a new field that Convention Centre, in the vicinity of world’s tallest twin towers,
begins to be recognized and in demand within the region.
the PETRONAS Twin Towers, and delegates will be able to enjoy
IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 1, June 011
2the spectacular view of the vibrant city. The organizing
committee will also offer several tour programs that will enable
participants to enjoy Malaysia, Truly Asia.
Please contact us for any related queries via
admin@miha2u.org or visit www.ioha2012.net and watch out
for our key dates!

Important Dates for IOHA 2012:
July 2011 Call for papers
Dec 2011 Deadline for abstract submissions
Dec 2011 Open for IOHA 2012 registration

See you in 2012!

News from Member Associations
AIHA - 2011 William P. Yant Award
by Berenice Goelzer
One of our outstanding colleagues, I am particularly grateful to Trevor for his valuable
Dr Trevor Ogden, from the UK, has collaboration, when I was in charge of occupational hygiene
been honoured with the 2011 activities in the World Health Organization (and thereafter), notWilliam P Yant Award. This is so only with his knowledge but also his insight and writing skills,
well deserved as Trevor has been a both in the discussions and the finalization of key documents asgreat leader in our field and a fine hereby exemplified. As BOHS president he actively participatedcolleague, always ready to share in the meeting that led to the 1992 WHO publication
his knowledge and wisdom “Occupational Hygiene in Europe –Development of thewhenever one of us needs him. He Profession”, which reflected the consensus reached, among key
has been a remarkable Chief Editor occupational hygienists, on the profile of the occupationalof the Annals of Occupational Hygiene, since 1997.
hygienist, the required areas of knowledge for occupational
hygiene training at a high level, and, the importance of
Last year, Trevor shared the IOHA Lifetime Achievement Award professional certification. Trevor was Chairman, co-editor andwith Brian Davies.
wrote the Executive Summary for the 1999 WHO publication“Prevention And Control Exchange: PACE - Hazard Prevention
The theme of his Yant Lecture is “Can we show that exposure is and Control in the Work Environment: Airborne Dust”.
really below the limit? Some developments in samplingstrategy.”
Congratulations Trevor !

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
The VI Brazilian Congress on Occupational Hygiene (CBHO) and measurements alongside a lack of training equipments andthe XVIII Brazilian Meeting of Occupational Hygienists will take practice in laboratories followed by field training. The result is aplace in São Paulo, on 22-24 august 2011. This year, the VI CBHO shortage of competent professionals to effectively act inwill gather ideas and foster discussions on “Education and workplaces.
Training in Occupational Hygiene, as a contribution tosustainable management”. This will provide a unique One consequence of the lack of adequacy and quality inopportunity to bring together, in Brazil, occupational hygienists occupational hygiene training is that very often officiallyand other professionals interested in education, in order to required workplace interventions are too focused on
discuss and propose solutions for emerging problems related to evaluations giving secondary emphasis, if any, to primarytraining in the fields of occupational health and safety.
prevention integrated into efficient programmes. The ultimate
aim of occupational hygiene, that is, the prevention and control
As in many other countries, one concern in occupational of occupational risk factors for the protection of workers’
hygiene training, in Brazil, is the lack of harmonization and health, is sometimes overlooked in many activities and ABHO
differences in quality among existing courses. Frequent feels that it is urgent to correct this situation.
drawbacks in training activities include narrow scope, lack ofsound content in hazard prevention and control, reliance on Another problem is that, due to the increased importance ofsometimes dated legislation, too much emphasis on management systems, many professionals are trained in their
IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 1, June 011
3application to occupational health programmes without the Furthermore, it is also important to elaborate strategies to raise
required background in occupational hygiene. The disastrous awareness on the importance of occupational hygiene and toresult is that some professionals are “managing” occupational promote understanding of its principles, for other audiences,
health and safety programmes without the necessary including managers and workers, so that a truly
knowledge on the very fundamental tasks of recognizing multidisciplinary approach may be achieved.
occupational hazards and determining what should be done toprevent them, which is essential to establish relevant and Many Brazilian occupational hygienists are concerned with thecomprehensive programme goals. While for manufacturing or above and it is hoped that, from the discussions during theservices, the goals to be achieved by good management may be Congress, a strategy to overcome this unsatisfactory situation
obvious, in the case of occupational hazards, much knowledge will emerge. The VI CBHO will seek out contributions with theand experience are necessary to establish what should be objective of answering relevant questions, so that educational
managed and which goals must be achieved for the protection initiatives in this field in Brazil may be improved or developed inof workers’ health and the environment. One of the reasons for the right direction and responding to our real needs.
this state of affairs is the lack of adequately trained
professionals; therefore, the ABHO Congress will also draw Moreover, this event will present an opportunity to update andattention to this problem, thus reinforcing the critical need for expand knowledge on many specific occupational hygiene
more and improved occupational hygiene training. So that the areas. It will also aim at disseminating studies and research
importance of this task is fully understood, it should be carried out on the recognition, evaluation, prevention andconsidered that occupational hygiene can and should make a control of occupational risk factors by both national and foreign
crucial contribution to the process of sustainable management, specialists.
as its practice aims at protecting human, natural and financial
resources.

VI ABHO Congress in 2010 addressed OELs regulatory update
Sent by Mario Fantazzini, ABHO E-mail: mfantz@uol.com.br
The V ABHO Congress on Occupational Hygiene, held in São The statement received contributions from ABHO Board
Paulo, Brazil, in September 2010, addressed an exhortative members and was fully supported by the Congress plenary.
statement to the government regarding the update of the Thereafter, the statement gained further support fromofficially accepted occupational exposure limits (OELs). The outstanding Brazilian occupational safety and healthoriginal law on this subject was issued in 1978 and has not been professionals, and other stakeholders, such as the National
really updated since. Some of the values under the Brazilian law Occupational Medicine Association (ANAMT), the National
exceed by 100 times some current ACGIH TLVs. The statement Confederation of Industry Workers (CNTI) and several Workers’
was based on observed relevant impacts on workers’ health and Unions of the State of São Paulo, including Chemical and Safety
the financial overload in workers’ compensation due to illnesses Technicians bodies.
not adequately prevented, as well as on data from acomprehensive comparison study prepared by Irene F. Souza As an association of professionals dedicated to the protection of
Duarte Saad (ABHO CIH #001). The basic rationale and workers’ health, it was important for ABHO to assert the urgent
wording was prepared by Mario Fantazzini (ABHO CIH #005). need for this legislation update.

From Japan
Japan Association for Working Environment Measurement (JAWE) - Joint Conference and Exhibition
on Occupational Hygiene and Working Environment Measurement 2010, Tokyo
Sent by: Shigeru Asuka, Executive Director JAWE, E-mail: s_asuka@jawe.or.jp
Norihiko Kohyama, E-mail: kohyama@toyo.jp
and Masayoshi Karasawa, Special Adviser, JAWE, E-mail: m19419k@yahoo.co.jp
The Japan Association for Working Environment Measurement manufacturers/dealers of measuring equipment and other(JAWE), whose Chairperson is Mr. Shigeru Oshita, Managing interested people with a good opportunity to discuss andDirector, Nippon Steel Corporation, and the Japan Occupational exchange views on their daily technical issues.
Hygiene Association (JOHA), whose chairperson is Dr. Isamu
Tanaka, former Professor of University of Occupational and As the Joint Conference and Exhibition marks 50th anniversary ofEnvironmental Health, held their 13th “Joint Conference and JOHA, the commemorative ceremony was performed besides
Exhibition on Occupational Hygiene and Working Environment the annual programme of scientific presentations, special
Measurement 2010” in Tokyo, from 17 to 19 November 2010, in lecture sessions and exhibits.
metropolitan Tokyo, after an interval of 6 years.
This event provided over 350 participants of researchers,
technical experts in working environment control,
IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 1, June 011
4diseases. Then the importance of a preventive approach tooccupational risks, involving engineering techniques, wasgradually realized. In the wake of this, JOHA was established byleading figures from related disciplines including science,technology and medicine.
After Dr. Honma’s lecture, Dr. Norihiko Kohyama, Professor of
Toyo University, Tokyo, and the incoming President of theassociation, lectured on its future course. In his lecture, Dr.
Kohyama emphasized the need to revitalize the activity of
JOHA, as there are many challenges in occupational health inJapan where many workers are waiting with eagerness for thecontributions by researchers/experts.

Special lecture sessions

There were altogether 69 scientific presentations and casestudies by researchers and experts (10 more than last year),including 32 presentations on chemical analysis and 19 on
working environment improvement. Other outstanding themes
were analytical technology on mineral dusts (13 presentations),
organic solvents (8), specified hazardous chemicals (6),measuring methods of formaldehyde (7), asbestos (8) and nanoparticles (4).
There were 13 manufacturers’ presentations on theircommercially available models.

Exhibition at the JAWE/JOHA 2010 ConferenceThis year’s joint conference and exhibition was highlighted by
the special lecture by Dr. Haruhiko Sakurai, Professor emeritus
of Keio University on “Ideas and procedures for risk
management of chemicals”. His lecture was very
comprehensive, covering both technical aspects of chemical risk
management and legislative matters, as well as internal andinternational issues. In Japan, fostering voluntary safety andhealth management among employers is a top priority of thesafety and health administration, and one of the key issues ischemical risk management. In this context the topic was very
timely and Dr. Sakurai’s lecture attracted as many as 150
participants. Around 50 participants were standing, and intently
listening, during the 90-minutes lecture in a room with capacity
for a hundred persons.

At the commemorative ceremony, the history of theassociation, along with that of occupational hygiene in Japan,
was to be reviewed by Dr. Shigeji Koshi, former president andone of the founders of JOHA; however, due to health problemson the day of the ceremony, his paper was presented, on hisbehalf, by Dr. Katsunori Honma, former secretary general of theassociation. In his paper Dr. Koshi explained that Japanese The next Joint Conference and Exhibition will be held in
occupational health in between 1950s’ and 1960s’ was November 2011 in Utsunomiya city, located about 100 km
characterized by pathology and diagnosis of occupational northeast from Tokyo.

NEWS from ICOH
Mid-Term Meeting of the ICOH Board in Milano, Italy, 2-4 February 2011
Sent by Michel Guillemin, ICOH Board E-mail: michel.guillemin@gmail.com
IOHA is related to ICOH (International Commission on
Occupational Health) by the fact that these two associations are
NGOs of the ILO and WHO and participate to their occupational
health and safety programs as sister societies together with the
IEA (International Ergonomics Association). Therefore it isimportant to maintain and promote the contacts and exchange
information about the running activities. This is the reason ofthis short report.

IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 1, June 011
5

At the beginning of February this year, the ICOH Board had its
three days “mid-term meeting”, in Milano at the Clinica delLavoro of the Milan University. This is in the middle of the three
years period during which the Board members and officers areappointed.
The first day was devoted to the reports of the President, the
Scientific Committees, the National Secretaries, the FinanceCommittee, 3 Task Groups and 5 Working Groups. Moreover thelocation of the next Conference (ICOH 2012) was discussed in 3.
depth (see below). The second day was a joint meeting with the
ICOH Officers, Board members and Scientific Committees during
which 3 breakout sessions were organized on the following
topics:Membership campaign including young member
recruitment;
4.
Interaction and integration among Scientific Committees(SCs);
SCs outputs and dissemination strategy.

Discussion about the results of the breakout sessions as well as
on future SCs gave rise to interesting proposals. The last day
was again for the Board and beside the usual items, theInternational Communication and Information Technology
Network for OSH and the review of the Code of Ethics andTransparency was presented and discussed.
The most important decision taken at this meeting was tochange the previously planned location for the next ICOH
Conference in 2012 in Mexico. For security reasons it has been
decided to move the ICOH Conference from Monterrey to
Cancun. It was difficult to take this decision because thecommitment and the work of the people from Monterrey werevery important to ICOH. The Monterrey organizers made apresentation to the Board expressing their disappointment andtheir concern that the decision was subjective (negative traveladvice from governments and travel agencies) rather thanobjective (statistics about security in different cities).
Among the relevant issues which can be of interest for IOHA,
five are summarized here:
1.

2.

5.

why the number of members is not increasing
significantly. This point is related to the first one andimplies that promotion campaigns have to be organized
and that every opportunity (conferences, seminars,
workshops, etc.) should be used to encourage OHS
professionals to become ICOH member. To strengthen
this community is beneficial for all the professions
concerned.
The topic of nanomaterials being more and more
important, it has been decided to create a Working
Group (WG), led by Paul Schulte from NIOSH. The task
and the challenge ahead of this Working Group are toshow the added value offered by ICOH on this topic. At
the next Board meeting, the results of this WG will be
evaluated and it may become a Scientific Committee.
The Communication network, led by Max Lum from
NIOSH is promoting “Twitter” as a promising additional
medium to enhance the communication and diffusion of
information among ICOH members.
The Working Committee on Ethics and Transparency,
leaded by Peter Westerholm from Upsalaa University(Sweden) is in charge to update the ICOH International
Code of Ethics for Occupational Health Professionals
whose last version has been issued in 2002. This work is
progressing well and it is aimed to have the new edition
ready for the ICOH Conference in 2012. Among the mostimportant updates of the future Code are the aspects
related to research, independency and conflict ofinterest, and the consideration of the different cultural
approaches on Ethics and Transparency among thedifferent parts of the world (Africa, South America andAsia). It should be stressed here that this is an update,
and the structure of the Code will remain recognizable,
because the Code of Ethics of ICOH is really a worldwide
reference for all OHS professionals and has beenendorsed by many countries, societies and different
bodies. The most recent group to adopt is the UN
Medical Directors Group which issued a statement in
October last year to align itself with this Code.

Finally a success of a joint proposal of ICOH/IEA/IOHA,ICOH is growing older ! The average age of the members presented at the WHO Executive Board Meeting in May 2010is increasing with time. This means that ICOH has to regarding child injury prevention has to be emphasized by theattract more young scientists so that the future can be fact that The Executive Board passed in January 2011, the EB
built by the new generation of OHS professionals 128/19 Child Injury Prevention resolution, including all of thecommitted to defend our values on multidisciplinarity, insertions regarding young workers and child labor suggested inquality, ethics and transparency. IOHA is defending the our common statement. This will go to the World Healthsame values and should help ICOH in recruiting young Assembly in May 2011 for passage. It will provide a goodfoundation for continued WHO/ILO activities on young workers,
scientists.
The benefits to become ICOH members are not clear particularly via the Joint WHO/ILO Technical Committee on
Protecting Young Workers, and of course for all countries andenough for the OHS professionals, possibly explaining
our WHO Collaborating Center Network.

ICOH 2012 Congress March 18-23: Venue moved to Cancun, Mexico

The International Commission on Occupational Health hosts an person to advance research of mutual concern, special topics
international Congress every three years on protecting workers, for working sessions, etc. The 30th ICOH Congress was scheduled
providing an opportunity for international partners to meet in to be held in Monterrey, Mexico. However, concerns about
IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 1, June 011
6security issues in the Monterrey area in Mexico expressed by programwill
remainthesame
http://ICOH members and travel cautions issued by some government www.icohcongress2012cancun.org/. Details regarding theinstitutions led to the decision of the ICOH Board during its hotels and other information about Cancun are online at the
February 2011 meeting to move the ICOH 2012 Congress venue Congress website.
to the city of Cancun, Mexico. The dates and the scientific

NEWS from WHO
International Conference on Environmental and Occupational Determinants of Cancer:
Interventions for Primary Prevention
Sent by: Ivan Ivanov, WHO E-mail: IvanovI@who.int
Worldwide, cancer is the second leading cause of death. In 2011
http://www.un.org/en/ga/president/65/issues/
2008, there were 7.6 million deaths from cancer, alongside 12.7 ncdiseases.shtml.
million new cases. Roughly 19 per cent of all cancers are
estimated to be attributable to the environment, including work The 2004 WHO Comparative Risk Assessment Study found thatsettings. Environmental and occupational interventions are occupational risk factors in accounted for some part of thetherefore vital to reduce cancer incidence; and decreasing burden of disease from selected non-communicable diseases exposure to carcinogens can be cost-effective and contribute to 13% of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), 11% of
the overall well-being of communities.
asthma, 9% of lung cancer and 2% of leukaemia.
The first WHO international conference on the primary The latest WHO report on the global status of nonprevention of cancer through environmental and occupational communicable diseases provides evidence on the burden ofinterventions took place in Asturias, Spain, on 17-18 March, disease and the risk factors for asthma, chronic obstructive
2011 (?) hosted by the Government of Spain and Government of pulmonary disease, cancer, cardiovascular diseases andthe Principality of Asturias.
diabetes. Below are some of the interventions for prevention of
non-communicable diseases listed in the report:
The Conference was opened by HRH Crown Princess Letizia of
Spain who called for more health protection at the workplace. 1.
bans on the use of asbestos to reduce mesothelioma and
The conference attracted substantial political, media and expert
lung cancer
attention to environmental and occupational risks factors for 2.
higher awareness and more strict regulation ofcancer and to the opportunities to prevent cancer
occupational hygiene and workers protection
though environmental and workplace interventions.
3.
bans on smoking at the workplace4.
providing active and safe methods of travelling to and
The WHO Director for Public Health and Environment Dr Maria
from workplaces
Neirahighlighted
the
fact
that
thoughthere 5.
multicomponent programmes promoting physicalis compelling evidence about occupational and environmental
activity at the workplacecauses of cancer and other chronic diseases, the investment inprevention of such causes remains far too low compared to the The full text of the WHO report on NCD is available atpotential for saving lives and ill-health and that disease control http://www.who.int/chp/ncd_global_status_report/en/
remains remains disconnected from environmental and index.html
occupational health.
The First Global Ministerial Conference on Healthy Lifestyles and
The resulting Asturias Declaration is an important milestone in Noncommunicable Disease Control (NCD) held in Moscow fromthe prevention of occupational and environmental cancer and is 28 to 29 April 2011 emphasized the need to rapidly implementtranscribed at the end of this article.
policies to address behavioural, social, economic andenvironmental factors associated with NCD. The conference
All conference materials and the Asturias Declaration can be called for paradigm shift in dealing with NCD challenges "asfound at the WHO website: http://www.who.int/phe/news/ NCDs are caused not only by biomedical factors, but also caused
events/international_conference/en/index.html.
or strongly influenced by behavioural, environmental, social andeconomic factors."
This event was an important milestone in the lead to the
Ministerial conference on healthy lifestyles and non- The full text of the Ministerial declaration is available at:communicable diseases that will take place in Moscow at the http://www.who.int/nmh/events/moscow_ncds_2011/
end
of
April
http://www.who.int/nmh/events/ conference_documents/moscow_declaration_en.pdf
moscow_ncds_2011/en/ and the Special Session of the UN
General Assembly on non communicable diseases in September The contribution of occupational health experts to the efforts

IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 1, June 011
7on prevention and control of NCDs is important in raising Occupational cancer:
awareness about the role of occupational risk factors for cancer, http://www.who.int/occupational_health/publications/
respiratory and cardio-vascular diseases and the role of newsletter/gohnet11e.pdf
workplace measures for primary prevention, surveillance and Psycho-social hazards:
control of non-communicable diseases.
http://www.who.int/occupational_health/publications/
WHO publications on occupational health related to hazardpsychosocial/en/index.html
the agenda on non-communicable diseases can be found at:
Fitness of employees:
Asbestos:
http://www.who.int/occupational_health/ http://www.who.int/occupational_health/publications/publications/asbestosrelateddisease/en/index.html
eurfitness/en/index.html
Silicosis:
http://www.who.int/occupational_health/ Healthy workplaces:
publications/newsletter/gohnet12e.pdf
http://www.who.int/occupational_health/healthy_workplaces/
en/index.html
Asturias Declaration: A Call to Action
Twelve million cancers are diagnosed each year worldwide, and each year over 7 million people die of cancer. The majority of allcancers occurs in low- and middle-income countries, and this proportion is increasing. A substantial percentage of all cancers iscaused by environmental and occupational exposures. Pregnant women, fetuses, infants, children and workers are especiallyvulnerable.
Many cancers caused by environmental and occupational exposures can be prevented.
Primary prevention - prevention of the exposures that cause cancer - is the single most effective means of prevention. Primaryprevention keeps cancer from ever occurring. Primaryprevention saves lives and saves billions of dollars. Primary prevention depends absolutely on independent, publicly-funded researchon environmental and occupational causes of cancer.
The Asturias Declaration calls for the primary prevention of environmental and occupational cancer in countries around the world.
The following are key recommendations:1.

Prevention of the environmental and occupational exposures that cause cancer must be an integral component of cancer control
worldwide. Such prevention will require strong collaboration across sectors - the health, environment, labour, trade and financial
sectors and among countries, and also with civil society and the media.

2.

WHO to develop a global framework for control of environmental and occupational causes of cancer that concentrates on
occupational and environmental causes of cancer identified by IARC as proven or probable carcinogens.

3.

WHO to lead development of measurable indicators of exposure and disease to guide cancer surveillance in countries around theworld.

4.

All countries to adopt and enforce legislation for protection of populations, especially the most vulnerable populations, against
environmental and occupational cancers.

5.

All countries to develop communication campaigns that educate populations about environmental and occupational causes ofcancer and about preventive strategies.

6.

Corporations to comply with all rules and regulations for prevention of environmental and occupational cancers and to use thesame protective measures in all countries, developed and developing, in which they operate.

7.

Research to discover still unrecognized environmental and occupational causes of cancers so as to guide future prevention.

News from WHO Collaborating Centers for Occupational HealthProtecting Workers from Potential Risks of Manufactured Nanomaterials
Sent by Vladimir Murashov, NIOSH Email: vem8@cdc.gov
WHO is developing Guidelines on “Protecting Workers from to nanomaterials in a broad range of manufacturing and social
Potential Risks of Manufactured Nanomaterials” (WHO environments.
NANOH). These Guidelines aim to facilitate improvements in
occupational health and safety of workers potentially exposed
IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 1, June 011
8Workers in all countries face new risks from manufacturing Global Network of Collaborating Centers in Occupational Healthapplications of rapidly advancing new technologies based on have selected manufactured nanomaterials as a key focus of
nanometer-scale atomic structures known as nanomaterials. their activity.
The growing list of nanomaterial applications includes
cosmetics, food packaging, clothing, disinfectants, surface The WHO NANOH Guidelines will provide the basis for thecoatings, and paints. Most of these nanomaterials are produced development of an Implementation Guide of user-specificwith simple processes and often in low and medium-income guidance and recommendations for four target groups: country
countries. Toxicological laboratory studies in animals have ministries of health and labor; Occupational Safety and Healthshown adverse effects such as inflammation and fibrosis in the agencies and professional associations; Occupational Healthlungs of animals resulting from exposures to some and Hygiene professionals; workers and management.
nanomaterials. Although strong human studies of exposure andresponse to engineered nanomaterials are not currently As part of the WHO NANOH Guidelines development, WHO is inavailable and more research is needed to predict the effects of the process of identifying scientific knowledge and expertise on
exposures in humans, sufficient information is available to nanomaterials and health to contribute to this initiative.
provide interim recommendations and guidance about prudent Applications from experts wishing to participate in thedevelopment of these guidelines were submitted through theapproaches to nanomaterial handling in the workplace.
month of February, 2011. Declarations of interest in supporting
Many low and medium-income countries lag behind in this project through other contributions are welcome and canintroducing occupational safety and health guidance for be sent to nanohealth@who.int. Further information about thisproject is available online at: http://www.who.int/
nanotechnology.
occupational_health/topics/nanotechnologies/en/.
The World Health Assembly identified the assessment of healthimpacts of new technologies, work processes and For more information, contact Dr. Vladimir Murashov, Special
products as one of the activities under the Global Plan of Action Assistant to NIOSH Director (vem8@cdc.gov)
on Workers Health, adopted in 2007, and WHO and the WHO

Inclusion of Young Workers in WHO Executive Board Resolution 128/19 Child Injury Prevention
Sent by Marilyn Fingerhut, Co-Coordinator WHO Global Network of Collaborating Centersin Occupational Health E-mail: maf2@cdc.gov
The World Health Organization (WHO) Executive Board passed Initially, the draft Resolution on Child Injury Prevention did not
the EB 128/19 Child Injury Prevention Resolution on January 24, address child labor or adolescent workers. Therefore, a Joint
2011 which includes wording to remind countries of their Statement of the International Commission on Occupational
obligations to prevent child labor and to address risks at work Health (ICOH), the International Ergonomics Association (IEA)
encountered by youth under the age of 18. This wording is due and the International Occupational Hygiene Association (IOHA)
to recommendations of the non-governmental organizations in was presented during the WHO Executive Board Meeting held
the WHO Network of Collaborating Centers in Occupational on 22 May 2010 in Geneva, on behalf of the three organizations.
Health and to insertions of the Executive Board delegates from The statement described the magnitude of the problem andthe United States and Brazil that were endorsed by the Board.
noted that policies, enforcement of policies, and services geared
to working children less than 18 years of age are limited. ICOH,
The global population in 2008 included about 1.5 billion children IEA, and IOHA offered to assist WHO and ILO to develop
ages 5-17 years, of whom almost 20% were engaged in some guidance, and to share, implement and evaluate practices forform of work (305,669,000). About 115 million of these children recognizing work-related injuries of children and for preventing
were involved in types of work or working conditions likely to and reducing injuries especially in the age group 14 up to 18
affect their physical, mental, psychological or moral well-being, years where there has been a sharp increase in hazardous work
defined in ILO Convention 182 as one of the ’worst forms of in the last few years. A number of tools are available from thechild labor.’ This convention, carrying the obligation to remove ILO, ICOH, IEA, IOHA, EU-OSHA, the WHO Collaborating Centers,
children from hazardous work as a matter of urgency, has been and other partners. These tools are geared towards workplaces,
ratified by 173 countries.
schools, educating parents, and engaging the public healthsector in addressing risks to working children.
A World Health Organization Resolution on Child Injury
Prevention was discussed in May 2010 by the World Health Discussion continued at the WHO Executive Board meeting on
Organization Executive Board, the leadership group of WHO January 24, 2011. In this meeting, the delegate from the United
countries responsible for preparing the draft content of States and the delegate from Brazil recommended critical
Resolutions to be brought to the May 2011 World Health wording insertions in the Resolution to address the issues of
Assembly for discussion and endorsement by the Health young workers and child labor, and the Executive Board passed
Ministers of the 193 WHO Member States. Non-governmental the EB 128/15 Child Injury Prevention resolution, including all oforganizations in official relationship to WHO are permitted to the insertions.
address the Executive Board.

IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 1, June 011
9

The wording in the EB 128/15 Child Injury Prevention Resolution This resolution will go before the World Health Assembly in May
now includes reference to ILO Conventions C182 (Worst Forms 2011 for passage and it will provide a strong foundation forof Child Labor) and C138 (Minimum Age Requirement) in the continued activities of WHO, ILO, and partners to assist alllisting of conventions to remind the Member States of their countries to reduce hazards to young workers. The WHO EB
existing commitments. In the paragraph calling for plans of Resolution is available online at: http://apps.who.int/gb/
action, the wording now adds a reminder to take actions to ebwha/pdf_files/EB128/B128_R15-en.pdf
prevent child labor and to set requirements for legal adolescentemployment. In the paragraph calling for awareness-raising, From NIOSH site, under: Collaborating Centre Connection there is a reminder to include employers and to address March 2011–link:
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ccc/
workplace hazards.
CCCnewsV2N2.html

NEWS from ILO
World Day for Safety and Health at Work – 28 April 2011
Valentina Forastieri, ILO E-mail: forastieri@ilo.org

The ILO celebrates the World Day for Safety and Health at Work The 2011 World Day for Safety and Health at Work focuses on
on 28 April, with the objective of promoting the prevention of the implementation of an Occupational Safety and Healthoccupational accidents and diseases globally. It is an awareness- Management System (OSHMS) as a tool for continual
raising campaign intended to focus international attention on improvement in the prevention of workplace incidents andemerging trends in the field of occupational safety and health accidents. The ILO has prepared a report to serve as aand on the magnitude of work-related injuries, diseases and background to this theme, a poster and other promotional
fatalities worldwide.
materials for the occasion and invites you to join us inpromoting this important day.
The 28th of April is also a day in which the world's trade union
movement holds its International Commemoration Day for An OSHMS is a preventive method to implement safety andDead and Injured Workers to honour the memory of victims of health measures which consists of four steps and incorporates
occupational accidents and diseases and to organize worldwide the principle of continual improvement. Its principles are based
mobilizations and campaigns.
on the PDCA Cycle: PLAN, DO, CHECK, ACT. Its purpose is toestablish a comprehensive and structured mechanism for joint
The celebration of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work action of management and workers in the implementation ofis an integral part of the Global Strategy on Occupational Safety safety and health measures. OSHMS can be an effective tool for
and Health of the ILO and promotes the creation of a global the management of hazards specific to a given industry, process
preventative safety and health culture involving all or organization.
stakeholders. In many parts of the world, national authorities,
trade unions, employers’ organizations and safety and health The ILO prepared a report, a poster and other promotional
practitioners organize activities to celebrate this date.
materials for the occasion that can be found online at: http://
www.ilo.org/safework/events/safeday/lang--en/index.htm

ILO-IPEC World Day Announcement for IOHA Newsletter
Sent by: Halshka Graczyk, ILO E-mail: g8ipec@ilo.org
It's official: the theme for the International Labour society, employers and workers unions, and millions of children
Organization's (ILO) World Day Against Child Labour for 2011 and adults throughout the world to highlight the plight of young
will be "Warning! Children in Hazardous Work.”
workers and advocate for change. This year, the event will shedlight on the occupational dangers faced by millions of young
Since 2002, the ILO has marked June 12th the World Day Against workers trapped in hazardous work.
Child Labour, a day that calls attention to the global extent ofchild labour and the efforts needed to eliminate it. Every year, By ILO definitions, hazardous work refers to occupational tasks
the World Day brings together national governments, civil that may harm or compromise the health, safety, or morals of
IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 1, June 011
10children. While certain industries (like mining or construction) developmental effects of exposures to occupational hazards at
carry particular risks, any form of child labour may contain young ages. Moreover, the limited knowledge of thehazards or become hazardous due to working conditions. For psychosocial impacts of hazardous work on young people
example, young workers may be directly exposed to specific remains a serious concern. While it is known that exposure towork hazards such as sharp tools, poisonous chemicals, various forms of abuse, isolation, and excessive work hours (justextreme temperatures, and open flames. But they may also to name a few) contribute to undermining the dignity and selfparticipate in hazardous tasks, such as working underground esteem of young workers, the true impact of hazardous work
while mining, carrying heavy loads on farms, or working at tall on social, psychological, and cognitive development has yet toheights on construction sites. Other hazards for young workers be fully investigated.
may be less apparent, such as the risk of abuse or problems
resulting from excessive hours of work.
That is why this year, on World Day, in addition to raisingawareness and promoting advocacy to eliminate child labour,
Around the world, the ILO estimates that more than 115 million we make a special plea to governments, universities, researchchildren and young people are engaged in hazardous work – institutions, and donors to give priority attention to filling thethis constitutes more than half of all child labourers worldwide! knowledge gaps of hazardous child work through new research
Of particular concern has been an alarming 20 percent increase initiatives. Together, we can create the necessary mechanism
in hazardous work among the 15 to 17 year age group. This needed to influence public policy and ensure a healthier andtranslates to 10.5 million more adolescents working in the more productive future for young workers worldwide.
dangerous jobs or conditions, a rise from 52 million to 62
million young workers over a period of only 4 years (1).
Join with us and add your voice to the worldwide movement
against child labour. For more information about World Day
Not only do we know that the number of young workers and how you can contribute, visit the website at
http://
engaged in hazardous work is increasing, national surveillance www.ilo.org/ChildLabourWorldDay.
data suggests that this cohort faces a disproportionate risk of
suffering from work-related health events. Data from the US (1) “Global child labour developments: Measuring trends fromshows us that the rate of work-related injury for 15-17 year olds 2004 to 2008," SIMPOC-IPEC, 2010is nearly twice that of workers 25 years and older (2). European
data also confirms this trend, demonstrating that young (2) CDC (201). Occupational Injuries and Deaths Amongworkers (15 to 24 years) face higher non-fatal and fatal work Younger Workers --- United States, 1998—2007. Morbidity andrelated accident rates than older workers. The European Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). April 23, 2010 / 59(15);449
Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) in fact -455. Available at:concluded that young workers are at least 50% more likely to http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/
be hurt at work than older people and more likely to suffer mm5915a2.htm
from an occupational illness (3).
(3) OSH in Figures. Young Workers: Facts and Figures (2006).
While we have some evidence of the impact of hazardous work Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, for the European
on young workers, we face severe knowledge gaps on this issue Agency for Safety and Health at Work. Available at: http://
given the gravity of the situation. In particular, we lack a osha.europa.eu/en/publications/reports/7606507
concrete understanding on the long term health andNEWS from EUROPEAN UNION
News from EU-OSHA
Sent by: Birgit Müller, EU-OSHA E-mail: muller@osha.europa.eu
EU-OSHA continues to act in many occupational health and Press release at: http://osha.europa.eu/en/press/presssafety areas. Some examples of its work are presented below. releases/workplace-violence-and-harassment-on-the-increaseMuch more information, in many languages, may be found at in-europe-1
the EU-OSHA site: http://osha.europa.eu/
Full report ‘Workplace Violence and Harassment: a European
Workplace violence and harassment on the increase in Europe Picture’ (English) at:http://osha.europa.eu/en/publications/Third party violence and harassment affect from 5% to 20% of reports/violence-harassment-TERO09010ENC/view
European workers according to EU-OSHA’s new report‘Workplace Violence and Harassment: a European Picture’. In Case studies to prevent work-related MSDs in agriculture
many European countries there is still not enough recognition Agriculture is the sector where musculoskeletal disordersof workplace violence, with few specific initiatives dealing with (MSDs) and exposure to MSD risks are the most common.
the issue.
Majority of agriculture workers report being exposed torepetitive hand and arm movements, tiring or painful positions,
IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 1, June 011
11carrying or moving heavy loads. The rates of backache and illustrating how safety and health risks associated withmuscular pain in this sector are twice higher than the average.
maintenance can be managed. Many companies, insurers andauthorities have successfully developed solutions to improve
The good practice case studies collected under this project safety and health during maintenance.
provide practical information on how to prevent MSDs in
agriculture, thus also contributing to implementation of the The new approaches presented in this report demonstrate‘European agreement on the reduction of workers’ exposure to clearly that good occupational safety and health (OSH)the risk of work-related MSDs in agriculture’.
management practices are at the heart of reliable and safe
maintenance. All initiatives are also individually displayed in our
See these and other the case studies at:case-studies database to offer you a more convenient
http://osha.europa.eu/en/practical-solutions/case-studies/
illustration.
index_html/
Further information at the EU-OSHA site; one direct link:
Future health and safety risks in green jobs - your views http://osha.europa.eu/en/teaser/safe-maintenance-in-practiceneeded
read-our-latest-report-collecting-successful-solutions
The first phase of the foresight of emerging risks from newtechnologies in green jobs has been completed. The report, REACH - Implementing aims in practicewhich contains a list of 16 drivers of change likely to shape On 6 December 2010, an international workshop was held atgreen jobs in 2020 and create new risks to workers, is available. the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Berlin,
EU-OSHA is now seeking inputs to the second phase of the Germany, on the new EU internal market legislation on
project, which is the identification of new technologies that chemicals, better known by the abbreviation REACH. The topic
could be found in green jobs in 2020 and their potential impact of the workshop was the issue of how safety information
on workers’ safety and health. If you would like to give your relating to chemicals, which manufacturers and importers are
views on which will be the key emerging technologies in green required to provide under the new legislation, can be used bestjobs, please respond to the web survey; link:in terms of occupational safety and health. The workshop wasattended by some 130 participants from 17 European countries.
http://osha.europa.eu/en/teaser/future-health-and-safety-risks Further details at:-in-green-jobs-your-views-needed
http://osha.europa.eu/en/teaser/reach-implementing-aims-inSafe maintenance in practice - read our latest report collecting practice-eu-workshop-on-6-december-2010-in-berlin
successful solutions
The new EU-OSHA report “Safe maintenance in practice”
provides information on successful initiatives in the workplace,

International Actions
Opportunities in global training and accreditation of occupational hygiene
Sent by: Roger Alesbury E-mail: roger@alesbury.net
David O'Malley E-mail: domalley@globalnet.co.uk

In the December 2010 newsletter, the editor initiated a conference in Rome. These include the need to provide
discussion on development of occupational hygiene education consistent quality training accepted by the occupational hygiene& training. This review of the global training and accreditation community that would be attractive to employers and otherscheme for occupational hygiene is written as a contribution to stakeholders using the scheme.
that discussion. On May 1st 2010, OHlearning.com waslaunched and, one year on, it is timely to review progress and With only 20,000 members of IOHA national associations, there-visit the origins and the basic strengths of the scheme.
occupational hygiene field is small compared to many others.
One of our biggest challenges is to maximise our limited
The global scheme for training and accreditation was developed resources and to avoid others entering the vacuum that would
over the last 5-6 years through a process of consultation and otherwise exist. OHlearning.com is a focal point that provides adevelopment with and by the global occupational hygiene means for the global occupational hygiene community to build acommunity. Its function is to provide a platform to build comprehensive scheme for occupational hygiene education,
occupational hygiene capabilities across the world and, as such, training and qualifications. Importantly, it does this by building
to further the aims of IOHA and its member organisations. The on established strengths and systems. For example, student
challenges it was designed to address are broadly those assessment is overseen by a group of 9 IOHA NAR examining
identified by the editor and others in discussions at the IOHA boards and designed to complement the existing professional
IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 1, June 011
12level qualifications - by providing lower level technician
qualifications. This opens up occupational hygiene to a muchwider audience without compromising long establishedprofessional standards.
The scheme is rapidly gaining acceptance and progress isimpressive. As it gains support, opportunities arise for further
work to improve and enhance the scheme.
We should not underestimate the potential for promoting
occupational hygiene globally. Other professions look on withamazement that our profession has worked together
internationally to deliver a scheme that can be deployedglobally and offers internationally transferable qualifications. It
may not be perfect but let's build on the opportunity.

Modules available

Level

W201 – Basic Principles in
Occupational Hygiene

Foundation

W501 – Measurement of Hazardous
Substances
W502 – Thermal Environment

Intermediate

W503 – NoiseIntermediate

W504 – Asbestos

Intermediate

W505 – Control

Intermediate

W506 – Ergonomics

Intermediate

W507 – Health Effects of Hazardous
SubstancesIntermediate

Intermediate

The global training and qualification scheme
Courses and qualifications are currently available at three levels, For those new to the subject or wishing to get a feel for theproviding stepping stones to qualifications in occupational style and content of these courses, there is an introductory
hygiene and also as courses that can be taken in isolation 'principles' course at the foundation level. This provides an(Figure 1). The awards are recognised by IOHA and overseen by introduction to the wide range of occupational hygiene issues
a qualifications group that currently includes representatives covering, chemical, physical, biological and ergonomic hazards,
from IOHA NAR examining bodies in Australia, Canada, France, their assessment and control.
Holland, Italy, Norway, South Africa, UK and USA.
At the next level up are the intermediate courses that go intomuch more depth in specific areas. They provide practical'hands on' training in specific topics, including equipment
Training
Qualifications
sessions and case studies. The courses all include a practical•Higher level study to IOHA
NAR level
Academic •Postgraduate
assessment and open book examination to test understanding.
International
Advanced
modulesmodules or may lead tomasters degree

Intermediate
modules•Intermediate study based onpractical aspects ofoccupational hygiene•One module for each topic
area

Intermediate

Principles
module•Basic study of occupational
hygiene topics•Covers the breadth ofoccupational hygiene at an
introductory level

Foundation

Advanced modules build on the application of these principles
to specific industry sectors, such as Oil and Gas; and Mining.
These advanced courses are only available at present as part ofmodular Masters programmes at certain universities. A new
course on pharmaceuticals is planned for 2011 and will be run
as a free-standing module for people wishing to learn more
about the occupational hygiene issues in that industry.

Figure 1 – Occupational Hygiene Training levels

All course materials for foundation and intermediate modules,
including a comprehensive student manual, can be downloaded
The training materials are commissioned from specialists in free of charge through www.OHlearning.com. To maintain
Universities or other experienced training organisations and are quality of teaching and practical instruction, only courses run bypeer reviewed by independent specialists from multiple Approved Training Providers (ATPs) can offer exams leading tocountries.
internationally recognised qualifications.
ATPs are thoseorganisations that have an IOHA NAR accredited hygienist as
Before publication on OHlearning.com, all courses are course director and meet other criteria for course delivery andevaluated, often in collaboration with major multi-national teaching quality.
companies and in multiple countries. The lessons learned areincorporated in the final versions of the published course The modular nature means that courses can be taken to suit anmaterials.
individual's timing and need. Completion of these courses could
also contribute to a student's preparation to sit for NAR exam
Student assessment focuses on assisting students to learn and boards' professional exams, e.g. the ABIH Certified Industrial
make practical use of course material, rather than testing Hygienist (CIH) exam.
memory recall. During the courses, there are group sessions
and/or practical exercises where students are evaluated and, at Advantages for employers
the end, there is an open book examination with short answers. The scheme is ideal for multinational companies who are
The results provide feedback not just on the students but also experiencing difficulty finding competent practitioners and/oron the success of the course in achieving learning outcomes.
suitable training to develop staff. They need consistent, highquality, relevant training and a way to recognise competent
The 8 course modules currently available as free-standing practitioners. The flexible training structure and internationallycourses are listed below. All are designed to be delivered in one transferable system of qualifications was specifically designed-week by face-to-face tuition, though providers can choose to for this purpose.
vary the format.

IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 1, June 011
13

The modular structure allows employers to select courses to Azerbaijan, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, El Salvador, India,
suit their own timescales and risk profile. Employers can feel Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Norway, Singapore, South Africa,
confident about the quality of the training because only training Spain, Thailand, Trinidad, UK, USA and Vietnam. The scheme isproviders that have demonstrated they have the technical receiving increasing global recognition with around 40 training
capability, equipment, and resources to conduct the training to events already scheduled to be run in every continent - except
an appropriate standard are approved to run courses that offer Antarctica.
the student assessment and qualifications scheme. Employers
using the scheme can access courses across the world and even Providing training and assessment in languages other thanwork in partnership with other companies to organise in-house English will be critical and a great deal of work is in progress on
training to suit their own needs. An international panel translations. Four courses have already been translated into
oversees the standard of assessment and qualifications.
Spanish, one in Norwegian, one in Russian and work is inprogress on French, Portuguese and Chinese versions.
Advantages to training providers and consultants
Examinations have been conducted in Chinese, Russian and
One of the challenges for training providers and consultants Norwegian, as well as English.
offering training is the enormous cost and time required todevelop training courses and to maintain them. This scheme has OHlearning.com
benefitted from investment of well over half a million dollars in New for 2011, is a redesigned front page with regularly updated
the development, testing and validation of course materials, recent activity and sponsors' panels. You'll find a brand newstudent assessment and the website. This funding, in both time news section, including live updates from activity on the siteand money, has come largely from major multinational and our Twitter account. Why not bookmark OHlearning.com ascompanies and occupational hygiene societies, such as AIHA, one of your favourites for news, views and information on
AIOH, BOHS and IOHA. The resulting products are free to use by occupational hygiene globally? In addition you can now follow
training providers, enabling them to concentrate their efforts on us on Twitter or sign up to our new news groupdelivery.
OHlearning@yahoogroups.com
Approved Training Providers are also authorised to badge thesecourses as supported by IOHA. This level of support makes thecourses more attractive to employers and students, as does thewidespread international acceptance of the qualifications.
Recent and planned developments
Courses have already been run or are planned in Australia,

Much
more
informationisnowavailable
atwww.OHlearning.com. Over 11,000 of you have already visitedthe website, which also includes a collaboration centre where
you can upload projects, training materials or offer commentson the scheme. Why not register and leave your feedback? We
would love to hear from you.

Contributions from Readers
From Brazil
Some considerations on the importance of workers’ health and occupational hygiene in thedevelopment agenda
Berenice I F Goelzer E-mail: berenice@goelzer.net

First of all it should be mentioned that this article refers only to environment, is often ignored in the framework of development
occupational risk factors, more particularly to their potential to strategies.
cause disease, while there are many other health determinants
not hereby covered but of great importance.
Occupational diseases, which constitute one of the “silent
epidemics”, incapacitate and kill workers every day around the
Two key issues must be considered: workers’ health should be world. According to the ILO, occupational injuries (accidents
viewed at a much higher level in national and international and diseases) kill more than 2.3 million every year;
development agendas, and occupational hygiene should be nevertheless, the attention it receives from international andviewed at a much higher level when dealing with workers’ national agencies, governments and the media is much less thanhealth and environmental issues, including climate change. The that dedicated to other very serious but not worse healthattention given to the protection of workers’ health seldom problems, for example, malaria that kills nearly one million, andreflects its true importance; the real disastrous impact of AIDS, about 2 million a year. Let’s not forget that, particularly
occupational diseases on individuals and society, as well as on occupational diseases, are significantly under reported.
the economy, is seldom duly accounted for. Moreover, the Something is wrong somewhere. And I believe that it is ouressential role of primary prevention, hence of occupational responsibility to find out why and try to contribute to correcting
hygiene, not only for the protection of workers but of the it.
IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 1, June 011
14If occupational hygiene is to attain higher visibility and support
in the framework of development and environment agendas,
there is a need for much more understanding of its potential
role with regard to economic, social and sustainable
development.

In 1859 Florence Nightingale not only spoke of the injustice ofworkers getting sick due to their job but already envisioned thecost to employers, when she wrote: “…And for this wage theworkman or workwoman has to give work, health and life. ...
And yet the master is no gainer. His goods are spoilt, his own
health and that of his family suffers, and his work is not so well
There are excellent means to protect workers’ health but their done as it would be were his people in health. ... And the time
actual use depends on some form of “green light” from a will come when it will be found cheaper to supply shops,
number of decision makers – at the governmental, enterprise warehouses and workrooms with pure air than with foul air.”and worker level - and this does not always happen! Let’s, for a We need some of that wisdom today.
moment, not worry so much about perfecting our occupational
hygiene knowledge and skills, our instrumentation and Occupational diseases and accidents do bring about immense
methodologies, but rather concentrate on strategies for costs to national social security and health systems, due toensuring better and more universal use of what we already benefits (e.g., sick leave and pay, compensation, family
have.
allowances) and medical care (e.g., medical and laboratory
exams, drugs, treatment, hospitalization, rehabilitation). In
Most readers of our Newsletter are already committed to the many countries national health systems are nearing collapse
protection of workers’ health, hence fully aware of the due to a much larger number of patients than they can possibly
importance of primary prevention. However, this is not so clear deal with. What if those with occupational diseases, that could
to all decision makers. Political will to implement prevention have been prevented, were not there? What if a fraction of therequires awareness about occupational risks and the full extent money spent to alleviate pain would be put into avoiding itof their consequences, including human pain and economic altogether?
losses, and understanding of the possibilities to avoid or controlthem.
The costs, to industry and other occupational branches,
associated with occupational injuries is greater than usually
There must be a consolidated global effort to give due perceived, in terms of productivity, quality, absenteeism (of sickrecognition to occupational hygiene, and this should be initiated workers and family members), company image, compensation
by “educating” actual and potential decision-makers. Action has and law suits, not to speak about environmental issues. Costto start at levels near to us, expanding upwards, thus reaching benefit studies, linking direct and indirect expenditures withnational and international development strategies and projects. diseases and accidents to the cost of prevention, are key to
In line with the ideas expressed in the IPWL initiative demonstrate that, besides the priceless human and social value(International Panel for Working Life; see December 2010 IOHA of preventing occupational hazards, there are definite economic
Newsletter), let’s try to follow the old WHO slogan “Think gains. Unfortunately these are needed by decision makers who
globally, act locally” and envision what we can do around us in have to prove that they are not only human but financiallyterms of raising awareness on the importance of our field, for efficient.
example: lecturing in local medium level and vocational training
schools; lecturing/talking to other professionals (e.g., managers, Consequently there has been concern about the need for
public administrators, lawyers); writing to local newspapers to methodologies to estimate the “cost of not preventing”, as wellinform/motivate the general public; contacting entrepreneurs, as the cost of effective prevention, with the objective ofjournalists and politicians, whenever possible, and so on.
demonstrating a positive cost-benefit for preventive
interventions. This is dealt with, for example, in the 2004 WHO
Some examples of arguments that are familiar to us, but may publication “Understanding and Performing Economic
come as an eye-opener to other groups, are hereby presented Assessments at the Company Level (see link below). As
as suggestions when “preaching” outside our professional circle. mentioned in this document: “Economic appraisal can help tofind better information to improve decision making, for instance,
Impact of occupational diseases on workers, their families and by showing how many (company) resources are lost due to work
society-related illnesses and which way is most cost-effective to obtain
Besides the individual suffering due to disease, incapacity and a good working environment….By means of economic appraisal,
death, the resulting damage to families may have a “domino the costs and the benefits of health, environment and safety
effect”, impacting on many lives and therefore on society. The management can be made clear at the national level, at theconsequences for children may be tragic and change the course company level and also for the individual worker. As such it canof their lives, from a hopefully productive to a shattered future. be a useful tool in advocating good practices.”
Many children are exploited because parents cannot care forthem, and the cause may be preventable. It is important that A related issue is that of prevention incentives. This is discussed,
those concerned with social issues realize the far reaching for example, in the 2010 EU-OSHA publication: “Economic
consequences of work injuries and appreciate the importance of incentives to improve occupational safety and health: a review
dealing also with their causes.
from the European perspective” (see link below), which gives an
overview, analysis and evaluation of existing systems providing
Economic impact of occupational diseases
economic incentives for OSH in Europe. As Jukka Takala pointed
In 2003, the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimated out in the Preface, “The European Union strategy 2007-12 on
the economic losses due to occupational accidents and work- occupational safety and health (OSH) recognises that there is arelated diseases to be about 4% of the global GDP; this has need to use economic incentives to motivate enterprises to apply
bases on studies in industrialized countries. In developing good practice in their prevention work. The European Agency forcountries this cost might represent an even higher percentage. Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) contributes to meeting
IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 1, June 011
15this need by providing information on the types of economic
incentives that are most likely to succeed. Research has shownthat external economic incentives can motivate further
investments in prevention in all organisations and thus lead tolower accident rates. The report of the project consists of aliterature review, a policy overview and a case study report.”

There are many primary prevention measures for hazard
elimination or control in the workplace that protect workers,
communities and the environment; examples, when dealing
with chemicals, include substitution of materials and changes inprocesses, and local exhaust ventilation with efficient air
cleaning devices. For any risk factor, important and often
overlooked measures are risk communication and training inCase studies and “real life” examples on these topics should be adequate work practices. Anticipation and avoidance of hazards
promoted and supported by institutions, universities (including is also part of occupational hygiene. Cleaner production
as subjects for research and theses) and funding agencies, as a alternatives may be at the same time less hazardous and lessmeans to enlighten and motivate decision-makers, thus paving energy intensive, for example, the membrane cell process
the way to a wider use of primary prevention.
versus the mercury-cell, in the chlor-alkali industry.
Impact of occupational hazards on the environment and Preventive programmes concerning the work environment andgeneral public
the general environment should be well coordinated; not only
there are overlapping areas, but it often happens that the
The importance of preventing and controlling hazards in the success of one is interlinked with the success of the other.
work environment goes beyond its boundaries.
Much Unfortunately the required close partnership between those inenvironmental pollution and many great disasters result from charge of workers’ health and those in charge of the generallack of prevention inside workplaces and inadequate waste environment is not yet a reality everywhere.
disposal. Industry may cause pollution, including by“greenhouse gases” thus also contributing to climate change.
The above are just a few points presented as examples. Readers
are invited to discuss this matter, bring suggestions for action
Toxic materials may leave workplaces and affect both the and share their experiences, in order to ensure that workers’
environment and the general public in many ways, via effluents, health and occupational hygiene receive right and proper
wastes and residues, as well as consumer products. As examples consideration in national and international development,
among so many, let us mention the recent case of 24 children environment and climate change agendas.
hospitalized due to lead poisoning caused by an illegal battery
factory in an east China village, or the more than 100 children Internet links:
who died of lead poisoning in Nigeria as a result from pollution
due to illegal gold digging.
WHO (2004) “Understanding and Performing Economic
Assessments at the Company Level”, Protecting Workers’ Health
Another aspect is the impact of toxic materials utilized in the Series No 2 - available online for download at:workplace on consumers as is the case of pesticide residues in http://www.bvsde.paho.org/bvsast/i/fulltext/protecting/food and lead in toys. If a toxic chemical is avoided in the protecting.pdf
workplace, it will not be present in the resulting product.
Moreover, there is their disposal. How far products go? The EU-OSHA (2010) “Economic incentives to improve occupational
Track Trash programme at MIT has demonstrated how safety and health: a review from the European perspective” incredibly far discarded products may travel. Our responsibility available online for download at:concerning what happens in the workplace goes definitely http://osha.europa.eu/en/publications/reports/beyond the protection of workers’ health. This brings us to economic_incentives_TE3109255ENC
another group of decision makers: the consumers and, in fact,
also the retail buyers. If consumers are well aware of hazards
involved maybe at least some of them will change their choices
and become more responsible.

From Canada
Shift work linked to higher risk of work injury by UBC research teamSent by: Christie Hurrell, Communications Director, CAREX Canada
E-mail: hurrell@interchange.ubc.ca
A study by Canadian researchers based at the University of
British Columbia shows that Canadians who work night androtating shifts are almost twice as likely to be injured on the job
as those working regular day shifts.

Shift work has been associated with a range of negative healthoutcomes, including cardiovascular disease and cancer.
However, the disruption of normal sleep patterns due to shift
work can cause drowsiness or fatigue, which can lead toworkplace injuries. The new study showed that people working
The study, which is published in the peer-reviewed rotating and night shifts are more likely to experience an injury
Scandinavian Journal of Work and Health, shows that work- than those who work regular day hours (References for these
related injuries associated with shift work represent more than studies may be obtained from the author).
$50.5 million in injury claim costs to the workers’ compensation
system (1).
The study used data from Statistics Canada’s Survey of Labour
IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 1, June 011
16and Income Dynamics, which surveys approximately 60,000
Canadians per year. The study team gathered information
about work injuries and compared results between workers
involved in different types of shift work. The results show that,while the overall rate of work injuries in Canada decreased
between 1996 and 2006, the rate of injuries did not decline fornight shift workers.
The study also found that the risk of work injury associated withshift work was pronounced for women, especially for women
working rotating shifts. The study’s authors suggest that
because women are more likely to be responsible for childcare
and household work, they may have more difficulties adjusting
to shift work and maintaining regular sleep schedules.

daytime shift work, resulting in a possible increase in injuries.
Regulatory agencies and employers will need to consider
policies and programs that help reduce the risk of injuries
among shift workers.
The authors of the study are Imelda Wong, PhD Candidate in
the UBC School of Environmental Health, Chris McLeod,
Associate of the UBC Centre for Health Services and Policy
Research, and Paul Demers, Director of the Occupational Cancer
Research Centre. The lead author can be contacted via email at
imeldaw@interchange.ubc.ca and the website for the School ofEnvironmental Health at UBC is www.soeh.ubc.ca. The study
was funded by WorkSafeBC, British Columbia’s workers’
compensation board.
The study is available at http://
www.sjweh.fi/show_abstract.php?abstract_id=3124

The number of Canadians working non-standard hours has
increased dramatically in recent decades. The number of Reference:
women in rotating and night shift work increased by 95% during
the study period, primarily in the health care sector. For men, (1) Wong IS, McLeod CB, Demers PA. Shift work trends andthe increase was 50%, mostly in manufacturing and trades.
risk of work injury among Canadian workers. Scand J Work
Environ Health, 2011;37(1):54-61 Available online from:As the world increasingly moves towards a twenty-four hour
http://www.sjweh.fi/show_abstract.php?abstract_id=3124
society, more and more people will become involved in non-News from the IRSST, Canada
Sent by: Maura Tomi, IRSST E-mail: Maura.Tomi@irsst.qc.ca

Using Statistics to Improve Exposure Judgements
In this six-minute interview Mr. Logan focuses on Bayesian
The Occupational Health and Safety Research Institute Robert- techniques and how these can be used to formally combine the
Sauvé (IRSST) has released an interview with Perry Logan, professional judgment regarding a particular exposure and its
Manager, Corporate Industrial Hygiene at 3M, where he uncertainty with the statistical analysis of current exposure
explains how he is using Bayesian statistical framework for data.
improving the accuracy, efficiency and transparency of exposure
judgments. Accurate exposure assessments are critical for A video with the Perry Logan interview is available at:ensuring that potentially hazardous exposures are identified andcontrolled.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r03Z3VLoQ-o

From Germany
Business value of occupational hygiene
Sent by Kurt Leichnitz E-mail: Kurt.Leichnitz@t-online.de
In a free market economy no organization can afford cost benefit aspects. Legislation, rules and standards are taken into
without return on investment. All aspects of company consideration.
operations must be cost effective.
 Anticipation refers to the knowledge that permits theAn occupational hygiene programme in the company means
occupational hygienist to foresee the potential for diseasegenuine benefit, that is, occupational hygiene pays.
and injury, particularly in the planning stages oftechnology development and workplace design. Adaption
The goal of occupational hygiene is to protect and promote theof work to the worker.
health and wellbeing of workers through preventing actions in Recognition means that the occupational hygienist will
the work environment. According to WHO documentation, theuse his/her skills, as well as understanding of theprofessional practice of occupational hygiene work includes:
situation, derived from, for example, plans and materials,
anticipation, recognition, evaluation and prevention/control.
combined with an understanding of toxicology, chemistry,
physics, biology and statistics to determine if healthAll these actions can and should be conducted under costhazards exist.
IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 1, June 011
17




Evaluation is the process of assessing potentially harmful would not solve the noise problem for the office workers.
agents or environments and reaching conclusions about
He recognised on inspection that the LPG burner which was
the level of risks to human health.
Prevention/Control involve the development of heating the bitumen tank had been made on the site and thatthe design was poor. (1) The plate which held the burner to thepreventive strategies, such as: Selection of safe technologies, processes, equipment heater tube of the tank had two problems, (a) the burner was
off-centre and (b) the orifice through which the flame travelled
and materials;
was poorly manufactured (simply, the orifice -hole had been Source control, for example:
 Substitution (materials, processes, equipment). made by drilling many holes around a circle until the centre
removed). This resulted in a piercing high frequency whistling Modification of equipment or processes).
sound as the LP gas passed over the jagged edge of the orifice
Maintenance (machines, equipment).
(A similar effect can be obtained but blowing over a soft drink Control in the work enviroment, for example:
bottle neck). The other problem (2) was that the LPG cylinder Enclosures, closed systems
which supplied the burner had a faulty pressure reduction valve, Ventilation (local exhaust, displacement, this resulted in unburnt LP gas (liquid) intermittently entering
dilution).
the burner tube, vapourising, then igniting resulting in mini-gas
Personal measures, such as
explosions. This caused low frequency ‘booms’ and this is what
 Work practices
the office workers could hear.
 Education and training, risk communication
To confirm his assessment noise measurements were made.
 Personal protective equipment
The noise levels were around 87 dBA (Slow); however there Limitation of exposure time
were was an intermittent low frequency tonal noise (a result of Personal hygiene
the mini-explosions), and a higher frequency noise (from the Other measures, for example:
LPG burner).
 Good housekeeping
 Storage and labeling.
Hygienist’s Solution
 Warning signs, restricted areas.
With the aid of a tradesman, the burner was modified and the Reducing losses, recycling, waste disposal.
orifice plate re-aligned and the orifice edges tapered. The faulty
 Emergency procedures.
pressure reduction valve was replaced. The results were the low Record keeping.
frequency ‘booms’ and the high frequency whistling sound nolonger occurred. The noise levels were reduced to around 82
Some examples, prepared by Noel Tresider and hereby dBA. Cost <$100
presented, illustrate the financial benefit of occupational
hygiene interventions.
Management and workers were happy with the outcome.
Example 1. Noise reduction in a bitumen plant.
Occupational hygiene approach <$100 versus Management
proposed solution >$5,000
The following example illustrates how the skills as describedabove can be applied to arrive at a cost effective solution.
Problem:
A 30,000 litre bitumen tank is located at near ground levelwithin 20m of the office block of a small company. The tank isrelatively open with only a side brick wall which reflects somenoise towards the office. The tank is heated by a LPG burner tomaintain the bitumen in a fluid state for loading. The office
workers complain that the noise level is annoying andmanagement needs to address the noise problem in their work
environment.

Example 2
Avoidance of multi-million retrofit costs in themining industry in Australia
The following is an example of the value of how our skills canhave a positive impact on industry costs. This example occurredin Western Australia where the mining industry operates in the
remote regions located in arid areas hundreds kilometres fromwater ways.

Key products transported to Asia for smelting are zinc, nickel,
lead and copper concentrates. Transport for shipment to theport facility is by truck or rail which has been conductedsuccessfully for over 50 years with minimal accidents and notconsidered an environmental risk. However this was set tochange with the new transport regulations which included
aquatic toxicity. The introduction of the Class 9 Environmentally
Hazardous classification in Australian Dangerous Good Code 7thManagement’s Proposed Solution. – build a brick wall around Edition, and its alignment with the UN Globally Harmonized
the end of the bitumen tank to shield the office from the noise. System (GHS) has resulted in a review of the classification many
Estimated Cost >$5,000
chemicals and manufactured materials.
Hygienist’s Assessment; The noise problem would still exist; The 7th version of Australian Dangerous Goods Code (ADG7)
there may be a slight reduction in the noise level depending on published the reference to the OECD test methodology for Class
the noise spectrum, but no guarantee it would solve the 9, UN 3077 Environmentally Hazardous Solid. Previously mineral
problem.
concentrates were not classified by the ADG, however this new
testing for UN3077 would now be applicable. Consequently, theHygienist’s Approach:
implementation of ADG7 for Environmentally Hazardous
Applying the principles of Anticipation, Recognition, Evaluation, mineral products has raised a number of questions ofand Prevention/Control, the problem was already in existence classification for the mining industry.
but he could anticipate that the proposed management solution
IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 1, June 011
18

The key issue in this case was the fact that the GHS classification
was based on bioavailability and the aquatic environment. But, A determination to allow sheeted bulk containers (BK1) such as
the mineral concentrates were being transport across dry, kibbles or side-tippers and not just closed bulk containers (BK2);
barren, isolated land with no waterways.
*A BK1 is an open top bulk container with rigid bottom(including hopper-type bottom) and side and end walls, and a
So what was the outcome?
non-rigid covering, such as a tarpaulin. These containers include“sheeted kibbles”.+
From the Western Australian Department of Mines andPetroleum (DMP) “Resources Safety”
An exemption from the licensing of dangerous goods vehicles
and drivers; and an exemption from the requirement to display
Reference http://www.dmp.wa.gov.au/documents/Magazine/ emergency information panels (EIPs). Instead of EIPs, it will be
MineSafe_Oct10_DGS.pdf
necessary to placard the prime mover and any trailers on all
sides with a “Class 9 – Miscellaneous Dangerous Goods”
Individual mining companies, transport companies and the diamond. This is deemed sufficient since the mineral
Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia have concentrates have no toxic, corrosive, flammable or othermade submissions to Resources Safety to obtain exemptions chemical hazards.
from some of the dangerous goods requirements. The Minerals
Council of Australia has sought similar exemptions from the Further information is available in Chapter 2.9 of ADG 7 and thenational Competent Authorities Panel (CAP) for the transport of legislation and policy section of the Resources Safety website.
dangerous goods.
Notwithstanding the above exemptions, transporters must still
Resources Safety has examined this issue and it is clear that the ensure that their sheeted bulk containers are well maintained
additional costs and complexities introduced by the and functional in compliance with the BK1 requirements of ADG
requirements in ADG 7 to do with UN 3077 cannot be justified 7. Transporters also need to have a contract with or be an
on health, safety or environmental grounds and, indeed, may “approved emergency responder” to demonstrate their ability topose additional safety risks.
perform a quick and efficient clean-up in the unlikely event of avehicle roll-over.
As a result of some significant implementation problems facedby the transporters of mineral concentrates of UN 3077, and Conclusion: While there was no specific figure calculated, theconsistent with overseas dangerous goods transport regulations industry estimated that it avoided a multi-million dollar(see The European Agreement Concerning the International retrofitting cost to its transport infrastructure when there was
Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road), the Chief Dangerous virtually zero risk of damage to the aquatic environment withGoods Officer has granted the following determinations and the mines located in the desert, and minimal incidence of
exemptions to the dangerous goods transport industry in trucking accidents carrying concentrate.
Western Australia:

From the Netherlands
PIMEX in the Netherlands
Sent by Petra Beurskens E-mail: petra.beurskens@arbounie.nl
As already mentioned in the last IOHA Newsletter, Video PIMEX were used to train employers and employees and make
Exposure Monitoring using PIMEX has been very much short educational videos about chemical safety.
developed in the Netherlands. Arbo Unie has produced morethan 100 short educational PIMEX videos. The Expert Centre of Most of the time the videos showed the effect of some control
Chemical Risk Management of Arbo Unie was inspired by the measures on the exposure to chemicals. The subjects were
PDC of PIMEX experts Gunnar Rosen en Ing-Marie Andersson chosen by occupational branches and filmsetting was specific to(Sweden) at IOHA congress in 2002.
that trade. Differently from the Swedish technique, the input ofa camera crew was such that TV quality pictures wereFirst videos for chemical exposure
embedded into the PIMEX videos, and videos could be seen
with Dutch speaking voice over. At that time several PIMEXPetra Beurskens and Jolanda Willems shared their enthusiasm videos were made.
about the possibilities of PIMEX with the government, resulting
in a grant for a tryout and availability study of PIMEX and the Examples of subjects include:
needed material in the Netherlands in 2004. After realizing thatthe required measuring instruments and equipment were 
the effect of vacuum cleaning instead of weeping with aavailable in the Netherlands everything went very fast. At thatbroom or cleaning with air pressure;time a government subsidized program on the promotion of 
the effect of distance of the exhaust ventilation hood on
chemical safety for employers (so called VASt program) was
the exposure of welding fumes;
already running. In that program new instruments like
Stoffenmanager were developed and other instruments like
IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 1, June 011
19

the effect of PPE on the inhalation of dust (or the effectof a beard on the effectiveness of the mask).

About 15 occupational branches were involved in this project,which included construction, painters, artists, metal industry,carpet layers, health care, agriculture, etc. Each video was madein a setting of the specific trade so that employees recognize
their own working conditions.
Extension to other subjects
The government put the PIMEX videos of chemical exposure on
their website: www.arbo.nl and, in a short time, PIMEX was oneof the most viewed parts of this site. The Ministry of Social
Affairs and Working Conditions realized that this was also a
perfect way to visualize rules and laws about working conditions
for other exposures. Therefore, after this experience, more
videos were made, for example:
Video Exposure Monitoring of Nanoparticles
A second development was the launch of measuringthe effect of covering machines to reduce noise instruments for nanomaterials together with PIMEX. Various
strategies have been developed to monitor exposure of
exposure;the effect of a smooth road, or having the wheels in the nanoparticles. Observations and time/activity registrations aregood direction, in the reduction of the physical strength part of the exposure assessment strategy in many studies.
Moreover, the knowledge of the background concentration ofrequired when pulling a rolling container;the effect of lead protection from radiation in a hospital; nanoparticles is important in order to know how much thethe effect of wild driving behavior on the resulting emission from the process will contribute to the total exposure.
With the newest PIMEX software, two measuring instruments
vibrations for a fork lift truck driver;
specific PIMEX videos about pregnancy and chemical can register simultaneously, so that a video picture of the work
can be combined with both the measured data from theexposure.
personal monitor and data from the background or far field
Many more branch organizations have been using the PIMEX measurements, as desired.
videos for their own website, for example: www.5xbeter.nl,
www.pakstofaan.nl,
www.arbowonen.nl,
www.schoentechniekveilig.nl,
www.gevaarlijkestoffenzorg.nl
www.stoffenkennisnrk.nl and www.pdv.nl.
Some PIMEX videos in English are available at: see www.ects.nl
Newest developments
The PIMEX age is not yet gone; some new developments are stillgoing on as hereby exemplified.
NEPSI Good Practice Guide illustrated with PIMEX Videos
A European Network for Silica, formed by the Employee and
Employer European sectoral associations called NEPSI, would
like to illustrate the effectiveness of the NEPSI good practices in
the reduction of occupational exposure to dust. PIMEX wasperfect for that. The Good Practice Guide of NEPSI provides
tools to progressively improve workers protection, to enhancecompliance with EU and EU Member States' existing workers More wishes?
health and safety legislation and increase knowledge of the Yes of course, one of the wishes is to share all the videos
potential effects of respirable crystalline silica. Detailed Task internationally.
Sheets constitute the main part of the Good Practice Guide;
Until now a lot of PIMEX material has been produced in Sweden,each task sheet is available in 22 languages.
Finland and the Netherlands among others. However, most of
At present, nine of these task sheets are available with PIMEX the time the videos are available in one language. Maybe now it
video illustration, all of them with text in 22 languages (198 is time to share and use each other’s videos by making voiceovers in English or native languages of users. Or even better:
videos).
making more, new PIMEX videos together for European use.
NEPSI has made a good start for this.
For examples or download see:
http://www.nepsi.eu/projects/pimex-videos/introduction.aspx

IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 1, June 011
201 + 1 + 1 is more than 3, Seminar of Work Life Development
Sent by Jolanda Willems E-mail: jolanda.willems@arbounie.nl
Context

The 8th Seminar of Work Life Development was held in February
2011 in Dalarna, Sweden. During these days, a small group of
scientists and consultants from Sweden (Dalarna University),
Finland (Finish Institute of Occupational Health) and theNetherlands (Arbo Unie) met for 3 days in order to share and 
exchange experiences. This way all could benefit from theknowledge and methods developed in these three institutions
thus preventing duplication of efforts and “re-inventing thewheel” in different places. The good recipe was: a small group willing to co-operate and having the same goals (improving
working conditions), one accommodation for the whole group,
different professional backgrounds, trust in each other and an
open mind.
“Attractive Work - Work Well-being”, including: what is
important for workers, results of “attractive workplaces”
surveys, FIOH's new Workplace solutions for work wellbeing, developments on “attractive workplaces” in the
Netherlands, and, “Attractive work - a learning process”;
Successful methods and actions, including: solutions forexternal problems related to flour dust exposure,
Induspace (NOTE: PLEASE WHAT IS Induspace ?) andTools to enhance planning of future workplaces;
Dissemination of Knowledge, including the FIOH Risk
Management Database, and, use of mobile phones,
iPad, YouTube, Twitter, etc. to better get out ourmessage;
PIMEX - work environment, including Visualization ofvibration using PIMEX. It has also been discussed to use
PIMEX for visualization of exposure scenarios as a part of
REACH documentation.

Bringing science and practice together
In comparison with the previously held seminars, there was ashift from a lot of presentations to more interactive discussions.
After sharing methods and experiences, the group thought and Collaboration brings about inspiration
discussed how to developed methods, which can be really used Collaboration triggers a lot of inspiration among participants into change working situations in practice. Scientists and these seminars. The different professional and cultural
consultants in the same field shared their ideas. There was also background makes us think about our own way of approachingsome looking back into how ideas in the past have been a problem/situation, sometimes just by sharing our views. Thisdeveloped. A good example is PIMEX, developed by Prof Gunnar inspires us to approach things in a different manner when we
Rosen and Prof Ing-Marie Anderson, from Dalarna University in are back to our own country. A number of agreements were
Sweden, and practically implemented in the Netherlands and made about future activities in smaller groups with
Finland. The use of this visualization method has resulted in representatives from at least two of the countries. One such
more than 100 professionally made films in the Netherlands and initiative was to discuss with the organizers of the IOHA 2012
several workplace improvements in Scandinavia. Now Conference in Kuala Lumpur about the possibilities to arrange
collaborative work was started on “the “attractive workplaces” PDCs based on the key topics for the collaboration between theapproach. This was scientifically developed in Sweden and the three countries. Another example is to start a work to produce afirst implementation steps are being taken in Finland and the “method book” based on this collaborative work.
Netherlands.
Follow up
Focus
Collaboration between the three above mentioned
All three organizations are working in different fields in their organizations will continue in the future as an “internationalown countries. Focal points were selected for this working academic workplace”, that is, a virtual workplace where
seminar and for further collaboration. The main subjects scientists and consultants work together and where 1 + 1 + 1 is
discussed this year were:more than 3.

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 insigned articles rests solely with their authors and does not constitute an endorsement by the IOHA.

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IOHA Newsletter, Vol 19 No 1, June 011
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