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

NEWSLETTER
Volume 18, Number 1
April 2020
ICOH Newsletter ICOH Congresses
Published by the International
Commission on Occupational Health ICOH has a continuous cycle of organising the ICOH Congress processes.
We successfully completed the ICOH 2018 Dublin, we are now in full swing
Editors
of planning ICOH 2021 Melbourne. In Rome in December 2019 we had finally
Editor in Chief
Eun-A Kim reached a deal with ICOH 2024 Marrakesh Congress organisers, and as a result
toxneuro@kosha.or.kr we had a Contract signing ceremony during the ICOH Board Midterm Meeting
Manuscript Editor in Rome by mid-February 2020. This took place at INAIL Headquarters by
Kyoung-jin Sim Professor El Kholti and Dean of Faculty, Professor Aboumaaruf of the University
overseas@kosha.or.kr of Casablanca who were the signatories in addition to ICOH represented by the
Editorial Board Secretary General and myself. In the middle stand vitrine we’ll have the original
Seong-Kyu Kang version of Bernardino Ramazzini’s famous book, see picture enclosed. We will
sk.kang@gachon.ac.kr be soon starting to plan the location of the next Congress in 2027 and for that we
Sergio Iavicoli do have brand new Guidelines for organising ICOH Congresses.
s.iavicoli@inail.it
Suvi Lehtinen
suvi.a.lehtinen@outlook.com
Christophe Paris
christophe.paris@nancy.inserm.fr
Rosa M. Orriols
orriols@bellvitgehospital.cat
Edoardo Santino
edoardo.santino@gmail.com
Max Lum
mrl1@cdc.gov
Stephane Vaxelaire
stephane.vaxelaire@inrs.fr
Reviewed and Edited by
KOSHA(Korea Occupational Safety
& Health Agency)
The electronic version of the ICOH
Newsletter on the internet can be
accessed at the following address:
http://www.icohweb.org/site/newsletter.asp
The responsibility for opinions What about the Workers
expressed in signed articles, studies
and other contributions rests solely
with their authors, and publication A Conference on the above title topics was organised by Cardiff University
does not constitute an endorsement of U.K – or rather Wales. The celebrity was Professor David Walters who just
by the International Commission on retired from his job at the University but we believe not from occupational
Occupational Health of the opinions
expressed in them. health and safety. I recall a wonderful report he and his team made for ILO on
The ICOH Newsletter contents the celebration of 100 years of ILO’s work on occupational health and safety,
may freely be translated into other among many other great projects, see further https://www.ilo.org/safework/
languages and disseminated among events/safeday/WCMS_686645/lang--en/index.htm.
ICOH members.
ⓒ International Commission on Occupational Health, 2020
ISSN 1459-6792 (Printed publication)
2 ICOH Newsletter Vol.18 No. 1 ISSN 1795-0260 (On-line publication)
 Talking about ILO the ILO Global Coalition proposed at the ILO-ISSA World Congress in Singapore in 2017 and
adopted by the ILO Director General was finally launched at the Vision Zero Conference in Helsinki in last November.
The first expanded Steering Committee was subsequently held in early February this year at ILO in Geneva. ICOH has
been a founding member from the start and we sincerely hope to see concrete projects coming up within this framework.
ICOH collaborates with ILO, EU and others in selected projects, in particular, in those linked to data and knowledge.

ICOH Midterm Board and Scientific Committee Meeting and Conference on Future of Work re
Occupational Safety and Health in Rome
I must really congratulate ICOH
General Secretariat and INAIL for the
wonderful arrangements within the
INAIL and historical premises in Rome.
The ICOH-INAIL Conference was held
right at the Centre of Rome in between
the Forum Romanum and the Vittorio
Emmanuele II Monument on top of the
Roman Campidoglio hill.

In the picture the only woman is Ms. Nunzia

Catalfo, Minister of Labour and Social Policies
of Italy. She was accompanied by INAIL Director
General and European Commission Director.
Great technical presentations followed.

Infectious Diseases at Work

Having had several interesting events in the near past and seeing progress we’ll still have a lot of work to do for better
protection of workers and eliminating risks at source. We were lucky to complete all our events in Rome while today
Italians have a lot to do with covid-19 virus at work and at large. And a number of people all over the world, in particular,
in China are seriously affected not just by the disease but also caused by the measures taken by authorities to prevent
spreading of the disease.
While covid-19 may cause a less severe disease for most, the global character and widening infection process of the
virus appears to be quite quick. This is also supported by the global physical movement of people – and poorly informed
or ignorant people.
We are still far away from the risks caused by seasonal “normal” influenza viruses that have caused annually some
600,000 thousand deaths and millions of getting sick. However, the process of containing the virus is much more
efficiently taken care by developed countries. The main disaster my start when less developed countries are affected
which have really a limited capacity, skills and means to fight such problems.
ICOH role could be to provide support and knowledge to workplaces, employers and workers, and we have already
started to look on how past documentation, such as the ILO guidelines made in view of the sister corona virus causing
SARS, could be relatively quickly updated for today’s epidemic and other comparable infectious diseases. ILO may be
involved in this process along with ICOH and IOHA. Let’s work on that issue! We may know much more when this
Newsletter is out.

March 2020
Jukka Takala
President of ICOH

April 2020 3
News from the Secretary General

Dear ICOH member,

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

ICOH Officers, Board members and Representatives of the Scientific

Committees gathered to share and discuss the ongoing activities according to
ICOH triennial work plan. Additionally, updates on the forthcoming ICOH
Congresses, with particular regard to ICOH 2021 (Melbourne, Australia) and ICOH 2024 (Marrakesh, Morocco) were delivered
by the Chairs of Organizing Committees, respectively. On this occasion, a contract for the organization of the ICOH 2024
Congress was signed between ICOH and the local organizing committee.

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

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

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

Prof. Sergio Iavicoli

ICOH Secretary-General

4 ICOH Newsletter Vol.18 No. 1

Message from the Editor

Dear Members, Changes of Addresses

While working on the first number of ICOH newsletter in
2020, there have been big challenges on the public health and
occupational health, outbreak of COVID-19
On 11 March, WHO Director General characterized
COVID-19 as a pandemic. I believe, most of ICOH members
have been already working on the prevention of the infection,
especially on the minimal transmission in the workplace.
Many health care workers have conditions that elevate risk
for severe infection or death if they become infected with
COVID-19, so ICOH will also need to communicate our
experience and information.
I want to encourage member to send updates on upcoming
events in their scientific committees, current events in our
field, and other important news/information that can be
included in our newsletter.
The ICOH Newsletter is published in two versions: in hard
copy and electronic format. All active ICOH members, who
paid membership receive it by e-mail and postal mail. To
receive both versions, both the e-mail address and the postal
address registered with the ICOH Secretariat need to be
correct. Please inform ICOH of any changes to your addresses,
by communicating with the Editorial Office (toxneuro@
kosha.or.kr, toxneuro@gmail.com) or the ICOH Secretariat
(icoh@inail.it).
Eun-A Kim
Editor-in-Chief,
ICOH Newsletter

The editorial planning of the ICOH Newsletter

For 2018 and 2020:

1) Vol1: 1st APRIL
(deadline for article submission: 10th FEBRUARY)
2) Vol2: 1st AUGUST
(deadline for article submission: 10th JUNE)
3) Vol3: 1st DECEMBER
(deadline for article submission: 10th OCTOBER)

April 2020 5
Announcement
COVID 19: Occupational Health
We are currently facing challenges at work and in society
with the Covid-19 pandemic that are unprecedented in our
working lives. ICOH and Occupational Health generally has
an important part to play in this emergency, both in protecting
health workers and ensuring the business continuity of health
care services and supporting non-healthcare workplaces - to
protect the health and safety of their workers and those
affected by their operations. Do look at the guidance from the
WHO https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/09-03-2020-
covid-19-occupational-health.
It is important we support each other. We often work in
professional isolation. Covid is likely exacerbate this. We
need to work with each other and use technology to do that
having visual meetings via phone and video conferencing
(see https://www.som.org.uk/technology-and-covid-19). It is
likely that most we will be inundated with requests for
decisions on whether employees are fit to come to work and
what the ever-changing government advice means for an
organisation and its workforce. There will be pressure from
employees to stay at home as well as pressure from managers
to bring them into work. If the wrong decision is made, this
may lead to unnecessary exposure of vulnerable individuals
to Covid-19 with consequential loss of life as well as
damaging organisational reputation. There might be an
increase in abusive emails and phone calls from individuals
who are not in agreement with advice they have received.
Professor Neil Greenberg has offered the following advice to
staff who are worried:
a. Ensure that you rely on trusted authorities for information
about the pandemic and what to do. In an uncertain time,
people should try to ‘stick to the known facts’ rather than
focus on speculation and possibly unhelpful stories of
dismay or sorrow.
b. Proactively reach other to other people and check on how
they are doing using phones, WhatsApp, Skype or similar.
Physical isolation should not mean social isolation.
c. Whilst you might feel that there is currently ‘no point’ in
sticking to a healthy lifestyle, in fact it is now more
important than every to do so.
d. If you do get to the point of feeling unable to cope, reach
6 ICOH Newsletter Vol.18 No. 1
out to someone for help.
He also added some tips to support people to stay well while
self-isolating:
a. You should advise people who self-isolate to stay connected
to their usual social network. Furthermore, they should try
to keep to their usual routine as much as possible. When
limiting physical social contact, people should stay
connected via e-mail, social media etc.
b. those in isolation should try to keep to their usual routine
as much as possible. This should mean working as much as
they can, and this is best done through liaison with their
line manager.
c. people who self-isolate should be advised to pay attention
to their own needs and feelings and to engage in healthy
activities that they enjoy and find relaxing. Encourage
them to exercise regularly, keep to regular sleep routines,
eat healthy food and limit unhealthy behaviours.
d. you should advise isolating individuals to keep repeated
exposure to a never-ending stream of news to a minimum.
This can cause anyone to feel anxious or distressed.
Regarding use of remote consultations:
a. It is very likely that you will be asked to minimise your
contact with others. If you do not have experience of
conducting remote consultations, then you should get up to
speed with doing so in terms of practicalities and working
out what technology will help.
b. Remote consultations can be carried out via telephone
calls, Skype, WhatsApp or similar platforms.
c. When using a remote connection, consideration should be
given to any potential limitations of the medium used and
clinicians should continue to meet their obligations in
Good Medical Practice. Furthermore, pay attention to your
immediate environment and ensure that patients can only
see you working in a professional environment.
Finally, keep yourself psychologically healthy
a. Staying connected, limit over exposure to news articles,
adhering to a healthy lifestyle and so on.
b. Should you have a dilemma about what decisions to make,
reach out to your colleagues and share your concerns.
Where ambiguity continues to exist, return to the official
Government advice and apply it to the best of your ability.
c. Before the crisis reaches its peak, reflect on the potential
moral dilemmas you may face in terms of your decision
making. They may be no easy answers and you should not
feel that the burden of the crisis is on your shoulders alone.
The current crisis is likely to force many healthcare
professionals to have to make tough decisions be they
about life and death or about the success, or failure, of a
business and the consequential impact on the lives its
employees.
d. If you find that you are ruminating over decisions to be
made or those you have made, once again share them with
a colleague.
This is an opportunity for us all to demonstrate to our
organisations and society the value of Occupational Health. I
am sure ICOH will do all it can to support members during
this time, to promote the role of occupational health, distribute
relevant research and also share experiences from the front
line.
Nick Pahl
CEO
Society of Occupational Medicine
Call for nominations for the election of ICOH
Officers and members of the Board for the
triennium 2021-2024
According to the current ICOH Bye-Laws the names of
the candidates shall be submitted to the Secretary-
General (ICOH Secretariat General c/o INAIL - via
Fontana Candida, 1, 00078 Monte  Porzio  Catone  candidats doivent être soumis au Secrétaire général
(Rome)  -  Italy  Tel:  +39 0694181506 E-mail: icoh@
inail.it) no later than June 21, 2020 12:00 GMT.
1) Nominees have to be supported by at least 10 members in
good standing for the Board candidacy and at least 15
members in good standing for the Officers candidacy.
2) Candidatures have to be accompanied by the written
agreement of the nominee that he/she is willing to serve if
elected and a curriculum vitae of no more than 150 words.
3) Candidates have to duly complete the Declaration of
Interest Form (form available on the website) along with
the Curriculum Vitae.
4) A member of the ICOH can be a candidate for one post
only at a time.
5) Candidates must be in good standing at least twelve months
before the International Congress.
6) The curricula will be published in the website and in the
2nd Newsletter 2020. The candidates must be eligible
under Article 5, section 2 and 8 of the ICOH Constitution.
The Officers and the members of the Board shall be elected
as set forth in the Bye-Laws for the triennial period
separating sessions of the General Assembly.
They may be re-elected to the same office for no more than
one additional term, with exception of the Secretary-General,
who may be elected for more than one additional term. The
newly elected Officers take office at the General Assembly
convened immediately after the ICOH 2021 Congress.
Based on the received candidatures, the Secretary-General
will prepare the ballot form, with the names of the candidates
for each office in random order. For further information
including consultation of ICOH Constitution and Bye-Laws
and next step information about election procedures, please
visit the ICOH webpage http://www.icohweb.org/site_new/
ico_core_documents.asp.
Appel à candidatures pour l’élection des
directeurs de l’ICOH et des membres du
Conseil pour la période triennale 2021-
2024
Selon les statuts actuels de l’ICOH, les noms des
(Secrétariat général de l’ICOH c/o INAIL, via Fontana
Candida, 1, 00078 Monte Porzio Catone (Rome), Italie ;
Tél. : +39 0694181506, E-mail : icoh@inail.it) au plus
tard le 21 juin 2020, 12:00 GMT.
1) Les candidats doivent être soutenus par au moins 10
membres en règle pour la candidature des agents et au
moins 15 membres en règle pour la candidature au poste
de directeur.
2) Les candidatures doivent être accompagnées de l’accord
écrit du candidat déclarant qu’il/elle est prêt(e) à servir
April 2020 7
 s’il/elle est élu(e) et d’un curriculum vitae de 150 mots
maximum.
3) Les candidats doivent dûment remplir le formulaire de
déclaration d’intérêt (formulaire disponible sur le site
Web) avec le curriculum vitae.
4) Un membre de l’ICOH ne peut être candidat qu’à un seul
poste à la fois.
5) Les candidats doivent être en règle au moins douze mois
avant le Congrès international.
6) Les programmes seront publiés sur le site Internet et dans
la 2ème Lettre d’information de 2020. Les candidats
doivent être éligibles en vertu de l’article 5, sections 2 et 8
de la Constitution de l’ICOH. Les directeurs et les membres
du Conseil sont élus conformément aux statuts pour la
période triennale séparant les sessions de l’Assemblée
générale.
Ils peuvent être réélus au même poste pour un mandat
supplémentaire au maximum, à l’exception du Secrétaire
général, qui peut être élu pour plusieurs mandats
supplémentaires. Les directeurs nouvellement élus entrent en
fonction à l’Assemblée générale convoquée immédiatement
après le Congrès de l’ICOH en 2021.
Sur la base des candidatures reçues, le Secrétaire général
préparera les bulletins de vote, avec les noms des candidats
pour chaque poste dans un ordre aléatoire. Pour plus
d’informations, y compris la consultation de la Constitution
et des statuts de l’ICOH et des informations sur la prochaine
étape concernant les procédures électorales, veuillez visiter
la page Web de l’ICOH : http://www.icohweb.org/site_new/
ico_core_documents.asp
ICOH 2021-Sharing Solutions in Occupational
Health
We invite you to join us for the 33rd International Congress
on Occupational Health 2021 (ICOH 2021) to be held in
8 ICOH Newsletter Vol.18 No. 1
Melbourne, Australia from 21-26 March 2021. The Australian
and New Zealand Society of Occupational Medicine
(ANZSOM) in partnership with the International Commission
on Occupational Health (ICOH) is proud to be hosting the
Congress and we look forward to welcoming you to
Melbourne.
The triennial Congress is
recognised as the major
Congress in the world for
occupational health
professionals, policy
makers, academics and
researchers across a
multitude of disciplines.
ICOH 2021 will bring to
Melbourne the world’s
leaders in occupational
health and safety to share
their knowledge, discuss
best practice and share solutions for better worker health
worldwide.
Planning is well underway with ANZSOM and ICOH
collaborating with other occupational health organisations
and experts to ensure the Congress showcases the most
effective solutions being undertaken in occupational health
locally, regionally and globally. To download a copy of the
Second Announcement visit http://www.icoh2021.org.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
The Congress will focus on the theme: Sharing Solutions in
Occupational Health: Locally, Regionally, Globally
throughout the 5 day program.
The combination of plenary, semi-plenary, special and oral
sessions, policy forum and poster presentations will examine
a wide range of the latest solutions in occupational health and
safety issues.
Highlights of the program include the Global Policy Forum,
which will focus on the important issue of mental health in
the workplace, special sessions being organized by ICOH
Scientific Committees and Working Groups and other bodies
affiliated with ICOH or ANZSOM, semi-plenary
presentations, worksite visits, Poster Pitch sessions and
regional Round Tables to discuss occupational health issues
of relevance to different regions of the world. There will also
be an active program focused on early and midcareer Dr. Frank Pega
delegates, including a student prize, capacity building and World Health Organization Geneva
networking sessions and social program. ILO/WHO estimates of occupational
The extensive and interactive program will enable local, disease and injury burden
regional and global initiatives and research to be shared with
the delegates from all around the world to build networks and
legacies that will extend beyond the 2021 Congress. Professor Jorma Rantanen
Finnish Institute for Occupational Health
KEYNOTE AND PLENARY SPEAKERS Finland
We are proud to announce the opening Keynote address will Globalisation and the implications for
be given by Professor Sir Michael Marmot who has been a worker health
leader in the social determinants of health and workplace
health inequalities. Sir Michael was originally from Australia,
but has spent most of his career in the UK. We also have an Dr. Elisabete Weiderpass
outstanding faculty of international plenary speakers who International Agency for Research on
Cancer France
will be sharing their extensive knowledge and experience
Programs for workplace cancer prevention
with delegates throughout the Congress.

Professor Alistair Woodward

Professor Sir Michael Marmot
University College London UK
Health Inequalities in the Workplace
University of Auckland New Zealand
Worker health and safety in a changing
climate

Professor Paul Blanc

Dr. Margaret Kitt
University of California San Francisco
National Institute for Occupational Safety USA
and Health USA
The past as prologue: how the history of
Emerging workplace health and safety occupational illness and injury teaches us
threats about today

Mr Franklin Muchiri Professor Frida Marina Fischer

International Labour Office University of Sao Paulo Brazil
Preventing infectious diseases in the Impact of the 24 hour work cycle on
workplace worker health and safety

Dr. Karen Nieuwenhuijsen Associate Professor Hanifa Denny

Coronel Institute The Netherlands Diponegoro University Indonesia
Mental health, sickness absence and return Effectiveness of basic occupational health
to work services in the informal sector

April 2020 9
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS IS NOW OPEN
You are invited to play an active role in the program
discussion, by submitting an abstract for an oral or poster
presentation. Accepted abstracts will be published in an
online supplement of Occupational and Environmental
Medicine. Don’t miss this opportunity to contribute to the
global dialogue that will bring about solutions in occupational
health. The opportunity to apply for a grant to support
attendance and present a paper will be available for early and
mid career delegates from low and middle income countries.
You are invited to play an active role in the scientific program
by submitting an abstract for consideration as an oral or
poster presentation. Those abstracts accepted for a Poster
session may also be offered the opportunity to do a ‘Rapid
Poster Presentation’, where the author can do a one minute/
one slide overview presentation of their poster at a relevant
session. Accepted abstracts for oral and poster sessions will
be published in an on-line supplement of Occupational and
Environmental Medicine, the major international journal in
its field and part of the BMJ Group. This means that authors
will be able to add a citation for their abstract to their CV.
For information on how to make a submission please visit the
website http://www.icoh2021.org
Submissions close on June 30 2020.
10 ICOH Newsletter Vol.18 No. 1
REGISTRATION – EARLY BIRD SAVINGS
Registration is now open offering some valuable early bird
savings. To secure your place, please visit the website for
more information on registration fees, accommodation, travel
and tour options.
Substantial discounts are being offered to ICOH members,
students and to those delegates from developing countries.
Savings are available with the early bird offers, so we
encourage you to book now!
Visit www.icoh2021.org for further information.
DISCOVER MELBOURNE, DISCOVER
AUSTRALIA
In addition to the dynamic program, the social program will
enable you to network and make connections with fellow
professionals whilst you enjoy the vibrancy of Melbourne.
We also hope you’ll stay a few days longer to discover more
of our great city and visit the diverse cities and regions that
Australia offers you. Visit the website www.icoh2021.org.au
for further information.
We encourage you to put 21-26 March 2021 into your diary
and look forward to welcoming you to Melbourne for what
promises to be an outstanding ICOH Congress.
Next Events

18th National Congress of Occupational policy of Serbia will guarantee participation even from
Medicine, 30th April 2020 developing countries and other countries usually
underrepresented at ICOH events.

ISBM12 is of great importance for Serbia and its Society of

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

The symposium will bring together the world’s leading

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

Currently running projects, working groups, and societies

which would like to organize their own meetings during the
https://congresso.anamt.org.br/ ISBM12 are welcome to contact the organizers by email:
office@isbm12.rs.

Additional detailed information regarding ISBM12 will be

12 International Symposium on Biological
th available soon on http://www.isbm12.rs.
Monitoring, July 2021

The 11th International Symposium on Biological Monitoring

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

Belgrade is one of Europe’s oldest cities with a 7000-year-old

history, but is also proud and famous for its modern
metropolitan lifestyle. Easy access from more than 60
European cities and affordable congress packages will allow
a larger audience for ISBM12. Adding the very liberal VISA

April 2020 11
Members’ Activity
Activity of Scientific Committees
SCOHSSEIS reaches out for OH in small
enterprises and informal workers
Mahinda Seneviratne (Chair) and Somnath
Gangopadhyay (Secretary)
Small enterprises are recognized as a large and important
component of the global economy while the informal sector
accounts for most workers in many low to middle income
countries. The growth of migrant workers, from both internal
and external is also drawing attention to how their occupations
affect long-term health.
The Scientific Committee on Occupational Health in Small
Scale Enterprises and the Informal Sector (SCOHSSEIS)
expanded its links with three major countries which have
recognized the importance of the occupational health of their
growing small business sectors and of informal and migrant
workers within. We share with ICOH members a brief report
on these recent engagements.
1. Russian Federation: National Conference on
Occupational Health at Samara (24-25
September 2019)
SCOHSSEIS participated in the XV Russian National
Congress on Occupational Health at the invitation of National
Secretary Dr. Evgeny Shigan. The international symposium
in English was attended by over 150 delegates from major
universities and institutions across Russia as well as from
several neighboring countries such as Uzbekistan.
Dr. Sara Arphorn(Mahidol University, Bangkok) spoke about
migrant farm workers in Thailand and (right) with Russian
professors in occupational health and other presenters from
Canada and Netherlands.
12 ICOH Newsletter Vol.18 No. 1
2. Turkey: 1st International and 10th National
Occupational Health and Safety Congress at
Çukurova University, Adana (23 - 26 October 2019).
SCOHSSEIS secretary Prof. Somnath Gangopadhyay
delivered a Plenary Lecture on the health and ergonomic
issues related to different informal sectors and how to increase
the productivity by applications of low/no cost ergonomic
and health interventions. His lecture was highly appreciated
and opened up possibilities for future collaborations.
The Congress in Turkey has become a very effective platform
to build collaboration between occupational health experts in
different domains. It was organized by UCTEA Chamber of
Mechanical Engineers Adana Branch. Over 450 delegates,
including WHO and ILO representatives, participated.
Several scientists and trade unionists from Macedonia,
Germany, England, USA, Iran and Switzerland also presented
papers. In addition, a short film competition was held within
the scope of Congress activities and a photo exhibition was
also organized.
3. China: 6th Annual Conference of Occupational
Diseases and Poisoning Medicine in Hunan
Province held in Changsha, Hunan (20-21
November 2019).
Hunan is a province with 70 million population and has the
largest occupational disease institute in China with facilities
in Changsha and Changde. This Conference was organised
by the occupational medicine executive of the Hunan
Provincial Medical Association.
On invitation from Professor Yirui Zhang, Director of the
Hunan Institute for Prevention and Treatment of Occupational
Disease (HIPTOD), SCOHSSEIS Chair Mahinda Seneviratne
delivered a keynote on “Improving the Working Environment
of Migrant Workers to prevent Pneumoconiosis”.
About 100 participants, mainly respiratory physicians and
scientists from across China participated. Presentations
included improving diagnosis of pneumoconiosis to prevent
misdiagnosis as TB and a report on silicosis cases among
artificial stone benchtop makers in Shanghai.
Dr. Yin, Deputy Director HIPTOD (second from right), Professor
Erik Wang (Tsing Hua University, Taiwan) and senior respiratory
medicine specialists from Hunan with SCOHSSEIS Chair. RIGHT:
The Institute had well-equipped occupational hygiene facilities
for dust exposure assessment.
The above events drew SCOHSSEIS attention to the fact that
several important work in occupational health among SME
and informal sectors are presented and published only in
languages other than English. With the efforts of translators
and interpreters, we need to promote such engagements
regularly and make a wider reach of our SC’s work to other
regions.
ICOH Scientific Committees
Meetings
International Conclave on
Occupational Health,
January 2020 at Mumbai
Developing international criteria for work-
related musculoskeletal diseases
Dr. Ashish MISHRA, National Secretaries of India
The Indian Association of Occupational Health hosted an
International Conclave on Occupational Health which
incorporated Scientific & Business Meetings of 8 Scientific
Committees of ICOH and the 70th National Conference of
IAOH.
Eight ICOH scientific committees were represented at the
Conclave in Mumbai from January 28-30, 2020 integrated
with the 70th National Conference of IAOH and 68th Annual
Conference of IAOH Mumbai Branch. These were
SCOHDEV, SCETOH, MinOSH, MEDICHEM,
SCOHSSEIS, SCRH, SCEOHS and SCOHCI. Over sixty
international delegates and more than hundred and fifty
national delegates attended scientific deliberations over three
days organised in collaboration with the Indian Association
of Occupational Health (IAOH) – OCCUCON 2020. About
twenty-five countries and six continents were represented at
this event.
Preparation for the conclave was an intensive affair beginning
over seven to eight months in advance through virtual
meetings with respective scientific committees, coordinated
by Dr. Frank van Dijk and supported by Dr. Stefania Curti
and chairpersons and secretaries of the scientific committees.
Scientific events commenced with a formal inaugural event
presided over by IAOH President, Dr. Sidram Raut and guest
of honour, Ms Claudina Noguiera, ICOH Vice President.
Forty-eight oral and poster presentations were presented in
various committee deliberations with some sessions by
invited speakers, twelve keynote addresses, six joint sessions,
three special sessions including one on prevention of silicosis
and another on basic occupational health services and six
thematic workshops.
Dr. Seong-Kyu Kang was the guest of honour at the IAOH
Conference, OCCUCON 2020. Ms Nogueira delivered the
Work Safe India oration during OCCUCON 2020. Prof.
Malcolm Sim, introduced the ICOH Triennial Congress at
Melbourne 2021.
April 2020 13
Some of the prominent speakers at the event were Prof. Carel
Hulshof, Dr. William Murray Coombs, Dr. Ramnik Parekh,
Dr. Astrid Sulistomo, Dr. Somkiat Siriruttanapruk, Prof. Gert
van der Laan, Prof. Pierluigi Cocco, Prof. Stefano Mattioli,
Dr. Max Lum, Dr. Erik Jørs, Dr. Tsuyoshi Kawakami, Prof.
Karl-Heinz Noetel, Prof. Somnath Gangopadhyay, Prof.
Lutgart Braeckman, Prof. Vidhya Venugopal, Dr. Praveen
Vemula and Dr. Garth Manning. There were some sessions
with virtual presentations namely, Dr. Paul Weihé, Dr. Marilyn
Fingerhut, Dr. Stephan Bose-O’Reilly and Stefan Rakete, Dr.
Jinky Liu and Dr. Elizabeth Dias & Dr. Marcia Bandini.
Prof. Hulshof explained the rationale for evidence-based
medical practice in occupational health with Dr. Coombs
positing the sustainability matrix for chemical industry. Prof.
Gert van der Laan detailed occupational risks in agriculture
and challenges for workers’ health in this sector while Dr.
Erik described the risks associated with mercury exposure in
artisanal gold mining through an epidemiological cohort
study. Prof. Karl-Heinz Noetel spoke about the trend towards
Vision Zero for OSH and its seven principles. Dr. Braeckman
postulated synergies in evaluation for quality and effectiveness
of OSH education and Dr. Manning held forth on integration
of workers’ health with primary care. Dr. Kawakami
represented ILO at the conclave speaking about the
participatory research and action experiences in informal
sector enterprises and Dr. Gangopadhyay referred to
interventions in informal sector. The thematic plenary session
on BOHS had three speakers, Dr. Ramnik Parekh sharing the
India experience; Dr. Astrid spoke about Indonesia’s
engagement of OSH with primary care and Dr. Somkiat
shared insights from the successful Thai model of BOHS.
14 ICOH Newsletter Vol.18 No. 1
BOHS workshop was in continuation with the Dublin briefing
to create sustained interest in this area and work towards
greater prominence to the theme presumably, towards
formalising a core working group on this topic to generate
global collaborations.
There were country presentations from India, Brazil, South
Africa, Iran, Indonesia, Thailand, Netherlands, Australia and
Finland describing the challenges and barriers in execution of
BOHS or sustaining successful models. ILO, WONCA,
ICOH representatives offered valuable insights and comments
on the presentations. The workshops on engaging with
Wikipedia, online search for OSH, role of PH physicians in
moving precautionary agenda and core values at work were
well-received. Another successful event was the IAOH
Mumbai Branch Orientation to Contemporary Occupational
Health themed workshop for over fifty safety and engineering
professionals from large and SME manufacturing sectors.
There was a mix of national and international faculty
employing both didactic and participatory learning
technologies. Scientific session presentations highlighted
diverse areas in OSH namely, ergonomics, informal sector
workers’ health hazards, transformation of OSH at workplace,
agricultural hazards, risk assessment in chemical industry,
mining hazards, silicosis and tuberculosis, health workers’
risk mitigation measures, gamification and other adult
learning initiatives, climate change and heat stress, evaluation
of education, environmental toxicology and safe chemical
production etc. in diverse country settings.
Sessions on pesticide associated toxicity and interventions to
minimise the risk, health hazard communication, social
security communication gaps, usage of IT to reduce risks,
respiratory risk assessment program and air pollution besides,
sickness absenteeism, job satisfaction, worker cognitive
skills and perceptions influencing safety were widely attended
events. IAOH Mumbai Branch had emphasised sustainability
as common underlying theme and focussed upon specific Go
Green initiatives to reduce the carbon footprint partnering
with Good Earth, sustainability partner. The conclave had
some prominent knowledge partners, like National Institute
of Occupational Health and Indian Council of Medical
Research, premier research institutions in the field of
occupational health, National Safety Council, Indian Institute
of Public Health and Public Health Foundation of India,
Indian Association of Preventive & Social Medicine.

IAOH Mumbai Branch has initiated two awards for scientific
presentations at the ICOH meeting assessed by a panel of
eight judges nominated by various scientific committees with
one IAOH representative, finally selecting the nominations
after a review meeting on the final day. Significantly, the
mobile application launched for conclave happenings
engaged with the audience through some audience poll
questions recommended by six committees, however proved
to be less effective for communication for overseas delegates.
Post-scientific events there were social options for networking
and mingling of delegates. ICOH had generously offered
subsidy funding for delegates from developing countries with
over six nominations approved by four committees to cover
travel costs. Business meetings of respective scientific
committees were attended by chairpersons/ secretaries - Dr.
Diana Gagliardi, Dr. Ganapati Prabhu, Dr. Shyam Pingle, Dr.
Frank van Dijk, Dr. Mahinda Seneviratne, Dr. Somnath
Gangopadhyay, Dr. Krishna Nirmalya Sen, Dr. Erik Jørs, Dr.
Coombs & Dr. Stefania Curti and other delegates. Dr. Seong-
Kyu Kang and Dr. Claudina Nogueira appreciated scientific
deliberations and talked of ways of tapping synergies between
IAOH and ICOH.The event was followed by formal closing
ceremony which involved audience participation, observation
and comments. Organisers were commended for a seamless
and successful organisation of the event! Drawing on the
success of the International Conclave and OCCUCON 2020
it is felt that knowledge sharing and exchange of best practices
between IAOH and ICOH as well as its subcommittees, on an
ongoing basis will go a long way in strengthening Interface
between IAOH & ICOH
Organizing Committee
International Conclave on Occupational
Dr. Shrinivas Shanbhag (Chairman Org. Com)
Dr. T Rajgopal(Chairman Sc Com)
Dr. Suvarna Moti(Convenor Sc Com)
Dr. Ashish Mishra(Organising Sec)
International Conclave on
Occupational Health A
Report from ICOH SC in the
Construction Industry
Dr. Krishna Nirmalya Sen
(Chair of SC Construction Industry)
ICOH SC Committee in the Construction Industry was
actively associated with International Conclave on OH in
Mumbai and contributed to several sessions including a
Plenary Session on Vision Zero which was delivered by Prof.
Dr. Karl-Heinz Noetel on 29th January. This session was
jointly chaired by Dr. Diana Gagliardi and Dr. Krishna
Nirmalya Sen (KNS) Chair of the SC OH in Construction
Industry.
On the same day i.e., 29th January 2020, during a dedicated
oral session on Occupational Health in the Construction
Industry, five papers were presented on wide ranging topics.
This session was chaired by KNS.
A joint Session by SC OH in Construction Industry and SC
Rural Health, Agriculture was also held on 29th January 2020
afternoon. This was co-chaired by Prof. Pierluigi Cocco and
KNS where he also made a paper presentation.
In another joint session on 30th January, coordinated by SC
small scale Enterprises & Informal Sector, SC OH and
Development, SC Mining OSH and SC OH in Construction,
a technical paper was presented by Dr. Divyang Shah on
April 2020 15
Medical Fitness criteria for workmen in small scale/informal
sector.
In addition to the above, ICOH SC in construction industry
organized a technical workshop on 30th January 2020 titled
“Ergonomic Assessment of Construction Tasks” with
Faculty support from Prof. Somnath Gangopadhyay for
which a separate report recently submitted .
Workshop on Ergonomic
Assessment of
Construction Tasks
Dr. Krishna Nirmalya Sen
(Chair of SC Construction Industry)
At the International Conclave on Occupational Health in
Mumbai, one workshop on Occupational Health and
Ergonomics with the theme: “Ergonomic Assessment of
Construction Tasks” 2020 was organized by ICOH Scientific
Committee in Construction Industry on 30th January 2020.
Dr. Krishna Nirmalya Sen, Chair of the Scientific Committee
with faculty support from Prof. (Dr.) Somnath Gangopadhyay
delivered this workshop to easily enumerate ergonomic risks
related to some of the common construction tasks. During the
workshop, participants were briefed about the various
ergonomic assessment methods and applications of ergonomic
principles at workplaces.
Around 25 participants, from various domains of Occupational
Health and Safety participated in this workshop.
A table-top exercise was planned to familiarize participants
with practical hands-on assessment of construction tasks
applying Ovako Work posture Assessment System (OWAS).
Through this workshop, the participants were equipped with
the required knowledge to perform a practical assignment
using the resource material provided to them. Sample
resource material on OWAS used during the workshop can be
found at: https://youtu.be/gP6OiMwv78w
16 ICOH Newsletter Vol.18 No. 1
ICOH Scientific Committee
on Rural Health:
Agriculture, Pesticides and
Organic Dusts
Dr. Sashikala Chandrasekar (Chair: SC Rural Health)
The International Conclave on Occupational Health
(OCCUCON 2020) was held from January 28 - 30, 2020 at
the Nehru Centre in Mumbai, India. It was a successful
collaboration of eight Scientific Committees (SCs) of ICOH
supported by the Indian Association of Occupational Health
(IAOH). The theme of the Conference was “Keys to
sustainable OSH - Evidence, Practice and Collaboration”.
The SC Rural Health was one of the eight SCs which
collaborated in this successful joint event. The SC Rural
Health sessions were dedicated to global warming and
climate change and a badge inscribed - “Stop Global
Warming” was given to the delegates who attended the SC
Rural Health Sessions.
Prof. Gert van der Laan (Netherlands), Past SC Chair, was
the keynote speaker from SC Rural Health on Tuesday, 28
January and he delivered a presentation titled “Keys to
Agricultural Workers’ Health: Some challenges ahead”.
The first part of the SC Rural Health Session on Wednesday,
29 January, was dedicated to the hot topic ‘Global Warming
and Climate Change’. The Chair of SC Rural Health, Dr.
Sashikala Chandrasekar (India) kicked off this session by
giving an overview presentation on the causes and impacts of
global warming and climate change. Ms Claudina Nogueira
(South Africa), ICOH Vice President for SCs, was invited by
the SC Rural Health to contribute to the programme, and
delivered the second presentation titled ‘The myriad faces of
climate change: Lessons for occupational and public health’,
which focussed on impacts on health and the environment,
some examples from developing countries, as well as
suggestions for preventive measures which can be applied to
reduce the effects of global warming. A short video on the
effects of global warming was screened between the first and
second presentations of this session, for creating awareness
about this important subject; the screening was appreciated
by the delegates, even though it delivered a sombre ‘take-
home’ message and sounded many alarm bells in the room. In
the second part of this session, members from the SC Rural
Health presented on their topics of expertise and interest, as
indicated below.
Dr. Erik Jørs (Chair of SC Mining Occupational Safety and
Health, Denmark) presented examples on how and why local
small-scale OSH interventions in agriculture can suddenly
have national impact; Dr. Mahinda Seneviratne (Chair of SC
Small-Scale Enterprises and the Informal Sector, Australia)
presented on health hazard communication; Prof. Pierluigi
Cocco (Italy) presented on lymphoma risk following exposure
to organic dusts in agricultural occupations; Prof. Susan
Brumby (Australia) delivered a presentation titled “I didn’t
think it mattered - Needlestick incidents in the livestock
sectors in Victoria, Australia”;
Dr. Praveen Vemula (India) presented on prophylactic
technologies to prevent pesticide-induced toxicity and
mortality; and Dr. Sara Arphorn (Thailand) delivered a
presentation titled “Farmer’s health: Working conditions and
behaviours”.
In the Joint Session of SC Rural Health and SC Small-Scale
Enterprises and the Informal Sector on Tuesday, 28 January,
the speakers and their topics were as follows: Prof. Gert van
der Laan – New and emerging occupational diseases; Dr.
Susan Brumby – Farmers’ suicide literacy and stigma: The
‘Ripple Effect’; and Prof. Vidhya Venugopal (India) – Climate
change and impact of heat on rural workers.
In the Joint Session of SC Rural Health and SC Occupational
Health in the Construction Industry on Wednesday, 29
January, the speakers and their topics were as follows: Dr.
Sashikala Chandrasekar – Pesticide issues in India and means
of mitigation; Prof. Pierluigi Cocco – Health effects of long-
term exposure to pesticides; Dr. Krishna Nirmalya Sen (Chair
of SC Occupational Health in the Construction Industry,
India) – Promoting OSH in construction through information,
education and communication; and Indranil Chakraborty
(India) – Rural mass in construction, OSH challenges and
mitigation.
Indian Science Congress :Science &
Technology: Rural Development
Dr. Sashikala Chandrasekar (Chair: SC Rural Health)
The 107th session of Indian Science Congress, was held in
January, 3 - 7, 2020 at University of Agricultural Sciences,
Bangalore. Nobel laureates, scientific luminaries, policy
makers, scholars and academicians from India and many
countries across the world participated in this Congress. Dr.
Sashikala Chandrasekar, Chair, SC RH represented the ICOH
Scientific Committee on Rural Health in the Congress.
Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi inaugurated the
Congress and urged the young scientists to work for rural
development. Experts from different agriculture sectors
discussed on the themes - Farmers innovation on integrated
agriculture and entrepreneurship for doubling farmers
income; Climate change, bio-diversity, conservation,
ecosystem services; farmers empowerment, Agrarian distress
and rural bio-entrepreneurship. Farmers were encouraged to
practice organic farming to reduce the ill effects of agro
chemicals and pesticides. Development of different types of
organic farming systems in niche areas was also announced.
The main objective of the summit was to bridge the gap
between farmers and tech-developers and innovators. It had a
special focus on rural development through science and
technology. The innovations, technology & devices which
were in display in the scientific exhibition will improve the
quality of Occupational Health and Safety of rural workers.
The role of IT enabled technology, Geo tagging and data
science in the timely completion of several rural and urban
projects was highlighted. Besides this, digitization, advent of
e-commerce, internet and mobile banking has played a huge
role in the rural development in the recent days.
April 2020 17
The Mining Occupational Safety and
Occupational Health (MinOSH) has had a
roster of successful events
Prof. Jinky leilanie LU (Secretary: SC MinOSH)
In the recent Mumbai Conference last January 28 till February
1, 2020, MinOSH committee actively participated to promote
occupational safety and health in mining and related work.
The Mumbai Conference was participated by 8 scientific
committees (SCs) of ICOH. It was indeed fruitful for the
various scientific committees of ICOH to come together and
share our research findings and novel developments in our
respective fields, and weave or revisit our common goal of
achieving occupational health in working populations.
In the Mumbai Conference, we had a keynote by Erik Jors, an
oral session and a special session on mining OHS, as well as
TB and silicosis in mining in collaboration with other SCs.
Our sessions were well participated with good attendance.
Please see program at this link. http://occuconindia.com/
scientific_programme_icoh.html
MinOSH had several presentations on webex and video
presentation by our esteemed colleagues who were not able
to physically attend. We will try to make it possible to
videotape keynotes and semi-plenaries in future conferences
to provide opportunities for those who are not able to come to
still present their significant researches and advocacies.
In the Bali Conference of MinOSH held last October 6-8,
2019, we had an opportunity for a business meeting to discuss
the agenda of MinOSH. A proposal was raised in that meeting
to include extractive gas/oil OHS as a sub-committee of
MinOSH. This will be taken up in our scientific committee
meeting in Australia during the ICOH mother conference.
Last February 11-12, 2020, the Rome Mid-term meeting was
held for ICOH and SC executive committee to brainstorm
about OSH agenda and direction. The theme was “future of
work”, which is timely considering that in our new society,
work is characterized by various work arrangements- working
from home, teleworking, IT-intensive, output-based over
need for physical presence, flexible work-time involving
18 ICOH Newsletter Vol.18 No. 1
3-day compressed workweek, among others. Integral to this
new form of work is also the need on how to frame correctly
the form of OSH services that will be needed, and how OSH
can become relevant.
Above all, we would like to extend our Greatest and Deepest
Appreciation to Erik Jors, our Chair, for the excellent, bright
and encouraging 6 years of leadership.
Thank you Erik for birthing this scientific committee, along
with other founding members. You were at the forefront, and
you had the right experience and temperament to lead us
from our humble beginnings to a great MinOSH with a large
network all over the globe. We now have around 115
members; we had two successful International Conferences
in 2017 in Odense Denmark, and in 2019 in Bali, Indonesia.
Our network has grown across memberships and across other
institutions and scientific committees.
You were a towering leader, which lives up to your true
physical stature- a towering person! We had great fun while
doing our work under your leadership and guidance. A true
Viking, who sailed the world not to conquer territories, but to
conquer lands to become a better workplace through the
programs, networks, and advocacies of our scientific
committee. You are a true ambassador of OSH, specifically
mining Occupational Safety and Health. A medical doctor
who has not chosen the gilded walls of big hospitals in
metropolitan centers, but you walked the rugged terrains of
Africa, Latin America, and Asia as a community doctor for
the major part of your productive years in order to bring
health to the underserved populations of the world. Part of
mining-the artisanal and small scale- is categorized as dirty,
traditional, and hazardous. And you also lent your expertise
and passion to make work in mining more humane and safe.
Erik’s term will soon end as the term of office is only for 6
years. The Secretary will step up as Chair. And we would like
to take this opportunity to invite members of MinOSH who
may be willing to be the Secretary. For those interested,
please email Erik and/or Jinky, and the execom will discuss
the matter.
11th JOINT CONFERENCE ON OCCUPATIONAL
HEALTH for HEALTH WORKERS
Dr. Gwen Orr BRACHMAN (Chair of SC OHHW)
More than 180 participants, scientists and doctors from 41
countries attended the 11th Joint Conference on Occupational
Health for Health Workers in Hamburg, Germany (Oct. 21-
25) at the invitation of the SCOHHW (Scientific Committee
for Occupational Health for Health Workers).
In light of a global shortage of health workers, the conference
focused on the risks to health workers in situations of armed
conflict, humanitarian and economic crises and the migrations
these situations cause. Forced migration currently affects
approximately a third of the world’s population, and some
57% of countries are impacted by these corresponding crises.
At the same time, the health care sector is one of the fastest
growing industries worldwide with a workforce that is 80%
female, according to the WHO.
“Cases of occupational injury and illness among health care
workers are among the highest of any industry sector,”
explained Gwen Brachman, Chairperson of SCOHHW. In
addition, the daily work of healthcare personnel generally
puts a considerable strain on their mental health and their
musculoskeletal systems. A further risk is the danger of
infection, e.g. with TB, HIV or hepatitis, as well as exposure
to violence. It is important to remember that there can be “no
effective health care system without a healthy workforce.”
Ms. Christiane Wiskow from ILO, a keynote speaker noted
that women work predominantly lower down in the hierarchy,
and this gap is also reflected in their lower salaries compared
to men. Almost everywhere there are disparities in access to
health care services. These disparities exist
especially in poorer countries, where there are not enough
health workers; this is even more pronounced in rural areas.
The goal for everyone must be to create “productive jobs
with freedom, safety and social dignity.”
Dr. Stefan Brandenburg, managing director of the
Berufsgenossenschaft für Gesundheitsdienst und
Wohlfahrtspflege (German Employers’ Liability Insurance
Association for Medical Services and Welfare Work – BGW)
referred to the ethical aspects when it comes to recruiting
health workers from abroad, which many countries do. To
avoid a “care drain,” the WHO has published the Global
Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health
Personal, which is also binding for the German Federal
Government.
Health workers and migration
Given the forced migration flows triggered by crises, it is
time to rethink health care systems, particularly across
national borders, according to Dr. Fouad. M. Fouad from the
American University of Beirut. The UN Refugee Council
estimates that the majority of refugees are in low-income
countries. Far too often, health care benefits are attached to a
person’s citizenship. Access to health care services is also
made more difficult by financial hurdles. At the same time,
migrant health workers are often not given an official permit
to be able to practice their professions.
This often leads to a complex “shadow economy,” in which
“informal health services” are offered by migrant health
workers, but the responsibilities, rights and protections are
not clear. It is important to clarify migrants’ rights in different
countries, to define how migrant health care workers can
safely and legally provide services to migrants who have
limited access to the health care system and to resolve how
health care systems and migration influence each other.
Lack of resources
The skills shortage in the health care industry is even evident
in higher income countries in the face of demographic change.
In poorer countries, it is frequently caused by a “brain drain,”
where specialists emigrate to countries with better working
conditions or those forced to migrate; the receiving countries
the benefit from “brain gain” Dr. Acran Salman Navarro from
the NYU School of Medicine, USA, and Dr. Igor Bello from
the Venezuelan Society on Occupational Health discussed the
changing migrant health worker migration patterns in South
America.
Dr. Tawanda Nherera of BOC Zimbabwe discussed an overall
lack of resources. There are too few workers in many hospitals
in the country, partly due to the complex and long official
application procedure that hospitals face when they want to
April 2020 19
hire doctors or nurses. Not only are human resources scarce
but also medicines and equipment. Essential items are
lacking, such as drinking water, syringes and disposable
gloves. Doctors are not paid a living wage, and positions for
training courses are allocated via a non-transparent selection
procedure that encourages corruption.
Violence and Gender issues
The increase in violence against health workers and
weaponizing health care facilities was a shocking revelation
to many of the conference participants. “Health care facilities
are often the target of attacks in the course of armed conflicts,
threatening the lives of medical personnel in particular,”
according to Dr. Rima Habib from the American University
of Beirut. Women and men have different experiences in
conflict settings: Women are more often the victim of sexual
violence. At the same time, working conditions in the health
care sector also affect their private lives, resulting in a rise in
divorce rates, among other hardships. Shift work is considered
a main cause of family stress.
Dr. Viviana Gómez-Sanchez from the Latin American
Association on Occupational Health emphasized the need to
both retain pregnant women at work, while protecting them
against infection with hepatitis B, whooping cough or flu by
immunizing them within an appropriate timeframe. Dr.
Danileing Lozada from the Venezuelan Society on
Occupational Health presented different ways to adapt health
work to the needs of pregnant women, for example by using
robots to move patients, introducing ergonomic desks and
chairs, and organizing work to avoid night shifts for pregnant
women.
Prevention
Protecting health workers against air-born and blood-born
infections, chemical exposures and physical accidents at
work were discussed. The special preparation needed for
deployment of medical staff in conflict zones was presented.
Other aspects to improve working conditions for health
workers include making better use of the opportunities
presented by digitization, introducing artificial intelligence,
robots for lifting patients and using exoskeletons to support
patients’ mobility. As Dr. Andrew Imada, former President of
20 ICOH Newsletter Vol.18 No. 1
the International Ergonomics Association USA, explained, a
macro-ergonomic perspective that takes into account the
employees’ entire environment can be useful to avoid the risk
of injury or the incidence of occupational diseases, and to
improve the quality of health care provision for patients.
Violence against health workers – Declaration
Participants at OHHW 2019 issued the following declaration
on violence against doctors, nurses and other employees in
the health care sector:
It is a crime against humanity
• to attack health facilities and to injure or kill health workers;
• to prevent health workers from providing patient services,
particularly in crisis situations;
• to punish health workers for helping patients in need of care
and treatment;
• to restrict migrant health workers from delivering care or
medical services to other displaced persons in need.
Therefore, the participants of the OHHW2019 Conference
appeal to all national and international organizations to
protect health workers from these crimes.
The program with abstracts of the talks can be downloaded
from the OHHW 2019 website at https://www.ohhw2019.
org. Slides from the presentations will be uploaded soon.
Contact: Prof. Dr. Albert Nienhaus
Mail to: albert.nienhaus@bgw-online.de
Organization: The OHHW Conference is organized by the
International Committee for Occupational Health (ICOH)
and its Scientific Committees (SC) for Occupational Health
for Health Workers (SCOHHW), for Occupational and
Environmental Dermatoses (SCOED), and for Woman Health
and Work (SCWHW). The International Social Security
Association (ISSA) with the Prevention of Occupational
Risks in Health Services section is a cooperating partner. The
conference is supported by the Berufsgenossenschaft für
Gesundheitsdienst und Wohlfahrtspflege (Employers’
Liability Insurance Association for Medical Services and
Welfare Work - BGW) and the International Labor
Organization (ILO).
Hot Topic
Poor Air Quality Impacts Staff Comfort and
Productivity
Janice Green
NS of Jamaica
Sophia Lindsay* is an employee in a large organization, who
for more than a year, experienced repeated sinusitis issues,
constant headaches and nausea. She also observed that her
colleagues often suffered from nasal congestion. When black
phlegm started to secrete in her mouth daily, she was
convinced that something was wrong with her work
environment.
“I never got black mucous while I’m at home or overseas,
therefore, I knew that the problem was at work,” she related.
During the period, she visited several general practitioners,
pulmonary and ENT specialists; and had to take sick leave
from time to time. Although she no longer needs to take
medication for sinusitis, she believes that the exposure to
poor air quality has caused a long-term effect on her health.
“Now I get sick, once I’m exposed to similar conditions,” she
disclosed.
Through the intervention of the occupational safety and
health team in her organization, two overhead vents, which
needed cleaning, were identified as the source for the poor air
quality. Furthermore, employees were frequently exposed to
dust, as the building is located on a busy motoring
thoroughfare. Following remedial actions, Sophia and her
colleagues are now working in a more comfortable
environment.
Janice Green, International Commission on Occupational
Health, National Secretary for Jamaica and the occupational
health and safety officer at The Jamaica National Group,
pointed out that, health and safety legislations in developed
countries make provisions for air quality control inside
workspaces.
“Employers have a duty not to expose employees to
occupational hazards in the workplace,” she stressed.
Mrs Green acknowledged that good working conditions,
such as having excellent indoor air quality, contributes to
productivity and staff engagement in the workplace.
“When employees are comfortable in their work environment,
they are likely to be more productive, in comparison to
employees, who work in conditions that are either too cold,
or hot, humid and overcrowded, and they are not provided
with suitable protective gears by the employer. Furthermore,
when the indoor air quality in the workspace is at an
acceptable standard, employees are less likely to experience
fatigue, discomfort and disengagement during the workday,”
Mrs Green outlined.
“Employees are also more likely to perceive their employer’s
effort to put safer systems of work in place, as treating them
with respect and value their contributions,” she added.
Mrs Green disclosed that Call Centres workers are more
likely than other groups of workers to be affected by poor
indoor air quality, as Call Centres are generally small and
overcrowded.
Call Centre Workers
“Call Centre workers are particularly at risk to oxygen
deficiency, thermal discomfort, unnatural ventilation and
artificial lighting. It is, therefore, imperative that business
operators in developed countries, who outsource their Call
Centre functions to developing countries, evaluate and select
contractors who have at least the minimum provisions for air
quality control inside the workplace,” she suggested.
Scientists, engineers, planners and environmental
management consultants, Conrad Douglas & Associates
Limited, explained that contributors to indoor air quality
issues include: internal and external sources of air pollutants,
the quality of the outdoor ambient air, the design, operation
and maintenance of air conditioning systems, as well as, the
overall design, use, and density of occupancy levels of
enclosed spaces.
April 2020 21
The consultants pointed out that employees can determine if
they have an internal air quality issue at work, once they
observe a persistent change, especially in their upper
respiratory system or skin that they are not accustomed to.
Additionally, a problem is likely to exist if they consistently
observe certain symptoms only while they are in specific
enclosed spaces and experience relief when they go outside
in the open air.
“Employers can ensure good indoor air quality by using and
occupying enclosed spaces as intended by design, conducting
scheduled maintenance of air conditioning systems, carrying
out the scheduled cleaning of surfaces and storage spaces,
and periodically carrying out strategic indoor air quality
assessments,” they informed.
The consultants further emphasized that employers should
take note of the types of equipment and materials they use in
carrying out their jobs and follow established practices, such
as the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) of hazardous
and toxic substances. These substances should always be
stored and handled as recommended.
The World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that, “Risks
of indoor air pollutants can be lowered by adequate natural
ventilation and by the use of healthier building materials,
including replacement or phasing out of hazardous building
substances wherever possible.”
*Not her real name
Contact: Karen Oliver l Corporate Communications
Department l The Jamaica National Group
l 2-4 Constant Spring Road, Kingston 10 l
Tel: 876-936-0288; Cell: 876-837-8298
Email: koliver@jngroup.com l January 17, 2020
22 ICOH Newsletter Vol.18 No. 1
Sleep and the workplace – SOM round table
Nick Pahl, Society of Occupational Medicine
Sleep and fatigue in the workplace
The discussion was opened by Dr. Karen Robertson. Dr.
Robertson pointed out that, although raising awareness of the
need for an adequate amount of sleep is key, it should be
acknowledged that not everyone requires the recommended
7-9 hours. PHE has produced a sleep and recovery toolkit for
employers, but the challenges organisations face to put this
into practice can be huge.
Shift work and long commutes mean that some employees
don’t even have the required 11 hours away from work that
would allow them to get 7-9 hours’ sleep. In the emergency
services, employees can be told to work on rest days, and are
sometimes required to work 24-hour shifts. There is no
‘clocking off’, and rotas are complex.
Commuting, particularly commuting home from the night
shift, is a huge issue. 20-25% of road traffic accidents are
fatigue related, and these types of accidents tend to be more
devastating. 24-hour shift workers who have just come off
shift have 55x the risk of having an accident than someone
who has just got up.
Considering the dangers of lack of sleep, is there a way we
can test for it? Dr. David Flower explained that there are
biomarkers, as for drug and alcohol testing, but there is a
question over where you set ‘What’s fit/what isn’t/what’s
enough/what isn’t’ parameters. Questionnaires were not seen
as helpful, but self-assessment tests were considered of some
use.
What is current good practice?
Christine Poulter opened a discussion about what was
considered good practice. In terms of sleep policies, there is
little publicly available. It was suggested that good practice
would mean an element of choice for the employee.
Employees should be able to access occupational health (OH)
or HR if they need to. Information, instruction and training
are important. Are people being taught what good sleep
hygiene is? No shift work is entirely safe, but 2 nights, 2
days, 4 off has been given the lowest risk factor (1) on the
HSE website.
The workplace can be brightened at night to improve
performance; however, this will shift circadian rhythm. This
raises the issue of carcinogenicity – while increasing
brightness may reduce operational risk, it may increase health
risks such as cancer. The right balance needs to be struck
between operational and health risks.
Dr. Gervais noted that changing organisational and societal
culture is central to the issue. It can’t be left to the employee
alone; employers must to ensure they’re putting things in
place to prevent and manage fatigue. Dr. Flower agreed that
it is a public health issue and should be a shared responsibility
between employee and employer. Employment constraints
against rest should be changed (e.g. long commute), and the
aim should be a just and right culture, not a culture of blame.
Facilitating collaboration
The roundtable ended with a discussion led by The Sleep
Council’s Lisa Artis. Lisa referenced the Mental Health
Ambassadors model, and asked if the same could be done for
Sleep. It was agreed there is a lack of general sleep advice.
Funding is currently focused on mental health, but sleep
looks likely to be the next big area of concern. The link
between sleep and mental health was noted, as well as the
link between sleep and physical health. Indeed, sleep is often
an indicator of people’s general state of health.
Some positive signs were identified: Sainsbury’s ongoing
Living Well index survey asks respondents about sleep, and
F1’s Toto Wolff has released a YouTube video about the
connection between sleep and marginal gains (working
against the stereotype of successful business leaders thriving
on little sleep).
Reflections on taking this forward
It was agreed that a societal change of awareness is needed.
The significance of the work and sleep interaction has not
been acknowledged, and the message hasn’t reached
employers. Dr. Orford noted that Australia is one country that
is moving to legislate on sleep and work, but we are yet to see
what will transpire there in terms of legislation and regulation.
The following next steps were proposed:
• SOM and Sleep Council develop a help sheet
• Approach PHE
•Advocacy – call for action - form steering group with
regular teleconferences and commission a report on sleep
and work.
Resources
• IOGP Publication - https://www.iogp.org/bookstore/product-
category/health/ (Reports 626; 626-1; 626-2; 626-3)
• Royal College of Physicians article on fatigue and sleep
• Sainsbury’s Living Well Index - https://www.about.
sainsburys.co.uk/about-us/live-well-for-less/living-well-
index
•Toto Wolff YouTube link - https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=2reqUtOHhY0
Participants were Dr. Alec Dobson, and Dr. Greg Harries,
from the Met Police; Emma Mamo, Head of Workplace
Wellbeing at Mind; Dr. David Flower, Occupational
Physician; Pippa Dolman, Occupational Health Manager at
B&CE; Dr. Roxane Gervais, Occupational Psychologist;
Heike Grimm, Occupational Health and Wellbeing Manager
at Multiplex; Dr. Karen Robertson, QinetiQ; Dr. Robert
Orford from the Mayo Clinic; SOM Honorary Strategic
Clinical Advisor Christine Poulter, Nick Pahl, CEO of SOM,
and Lisa Artis, Head of The Sleep Council.
April 2020 23
Résumé en français

Message du Président soudage, voir https://www.tuni.fi/en/news/occupational-

Science et nouvelles découvertes
Au cours de la dernière
année, j’ai eu l’occasion à
l’Université de Tampere
(Finlande) de participer à
plusieurs dissertations
de doctorat d’auteurs
très talentueux venus
défendre leur thèse.
Tous avaient un lien
avec la collection
massive de la NOCCA,
la collection du Nordic Occupational Cancer par les registres
nationaux du cancer couvrant environ 14,9 millions de
personnes dans diverses professions et plus de 40 années de
suivi de l’impact négatif lié au travail, en particulier le cancer
professionnel. Encore une fois ce que j’ai appris de ces études
épidémiologiques : plus vous étudiez, plus vous trouverez.
La dernière thèse portait sur le cancer du rein et le cancer du
pelvis rénal. Les expositions liées au travail comprennent le
nickel, l’amiante, le fer, les hydrocarbures et les fumées de
exposure-and-risk-kidney-and-renal-pelvis-cancer. L’impact
déjà connu de la fumée de tabac a été ajusté afin de trouver
des risques indépendants de cancer professionnel des reins et
du pelvis rénal. Bien que ces cancers ne soient pratiquement
jamais identifiés comme des cancers professionnels, ces
facteurs autres que le tabagisme peuvent provoquer quelque
5 % des cancers du rein ou quelque 7 000 décès annuels dans
le monde. Outre le directeur de thèse de l’Université, le Dr
Eero Pukkala, l’équipe des deux pré-examinateurs et du
contradicteur de la thèse ont joué tour à tour les divers rôles
formels de la soutenance de thèse – et des célébrations
informelles également – le Dr Pesch, d’Allemagne, le Dr
Labrèche, du Canada, et moi-même.
En lien avec les substances cancérigènes, la campagne à long
terme initiée par les Pays-Bas à l’origine pour la « Feuille de
route des agents cancérigènes » a franchi une nouvelle étape
lors de la conférence de la présidence tournante de l’UE.
Après la première conférence d’Amsterdam, l’Autriche a pris
le relais et, en novembre 2019, la Finlande a accueilli le
processus, et la présidence allemande le poursuivra dans un
avenir proche.
L’histoire sans fin de l’amiante est également revenue à
Amsterdam et à Québec, où les énormes montagnes de
déchets miniers d’amiante semblent être une source attrayante
pour d’autres minéraux, en particulier pour extraire le
magnésium des terrils. Cependant, les déchets contiennent 20
à 40 % d’amiante. Donc la manipulation peut entraîner
d’énormes risques pour les travailleurs et l’environnement.
Aujourd’hui, au moins, les autorités locales du Québec
semblent conscientes des risques liés à l’interdiction de
l’exploitation minière et à la nouvelle utilisation de l’amiante
dans l’ensemble du Canada.

Photo de la réunion d’enquête sur les déchets d’amiante du
gouvernement du Québec où l’ICOH a été invité à représenter
les connaissances mondiales en santé au travail. Des
scientifiques tels que Marie-Élise Parent et France Labrèche
(organisateurs de l’EPICOH Canada), Paul Demers, Jack
Siemiatycki étaient parmi les autres scientifiques invités.
Congrès de l’ICOH
L’ICOH possède un cycle continu d’organisation des
processus du Congrès de l’ICOH. Nous avons terminé avec
succès l’ICOH 2018 à Dublin. Nous sommes maintenant en
plein essor de la planification de l’ICOH 2021 à Melbourne.
À Rome, en décembre 2019, nous avions finalement conclu
un accord avec les organisateurs du congrès ICOH 2024 de
Marrakech, et en conséquence, nous avons eu une cérémonie
de signature de contrat lors de la réunion à mi-mandat du

24 ICOH Newsletter Vol.18 No. 1

conseil d’administration de l’ICOH à Rome à la mi-février
2020. Cela a eu lieu au siège de l’INAIL par le professeur El
Kholti et le doyen de la faculté, le professeur Aboumaaruf de
l’Université de Casablanca qui étaient les signataires en plus
de l’ICOH représenté par le Secrétaire général et moi-même.
Dans la vitrine au centre, nous avons la version originale du
célèbre livre de Bernardino Ramazzini, voir la photo ci-après.
Nous allons bientôt commencer à planifier le site du prochain
Congrès en 2027 et pour cela nous avons de toutes nouvelles
directives pour l’organisation des Congrès de l’ICOH.
Qu’en est-il des travailleurs ?
Une conférence sur les sujets ci-dessus a été organisée par
l’Université de Cardiff au Royaume-Uni, ou plutôt au Pays
de Galles. La célébrité était le professeur David Walters qui
vient de prendre sa retraite de l’Université, mais nous ne
parlons pas de santé et de sécurité au travail. Je me souviens
d’un merveilleux rapport que lui et son équipe ont fait à l’OIT
sur la célébration de 100 années de travail de l’OIT en matière
de santé et de sécurité au travail, parmi de nombreux autres
grands projets, voir la page Web : https://www.ilo.org/
safework/events/safeday/WCMS_686645/lang--en/index.
htm.
En parlant de l’OIT, la Coalition mondiale de l’OIT, proposée
au Congrès mondial OIT-AISS à Singapour en 2017 et
adoptée par le Directeur général de l’OIT, a finalement été
lancée lors de la conférence Vision Zero à Helsinki en
novembre dernier. Le premier comité directeur élargi s’est
ensuite tenu début février de cette année au BIT à Genève.
L’ICOH est un membre fondateur depuis le début et nous
espérons sincèrement voir des projets concrets se présenter
dans ce cadre. L’ICOH collabore avec l’OIT, l’UE et d’autres
dans des projets sélectionnés, en particulier ceux liés aux
données et à la connaissance.
Réunion et conférence du Conseil à mi-parcours
et du comité scientifique de l’ICOH sur l’avenir
du travail concernant la sécurité et la santé au
travail à Rome
Je dois vraiment féliciter le Secrétariat général de l’ICOH et
l’INAIL pour la merveilleuse organisation de l’INAIL dans
les locaux historiques de Rome. La conférence ICOH-INAIL
s’est tenue en plein centre de Rome entre le Forum Romanum
et le monument Vittorio Emmanuele II au sommet de la
colline romaine de Campidoglio.
La réunion conjointe de l’ICO avec le conseil d’administration
et les présidents des comités scientifiques a également été très
utile et s’est tenue au siège de l’INAIL. Une documentation
détaillée des rapports est disponible sur le site Web de
l’ICOH. Il est vraiment encourageant de voir des collègues
de l’ICOH du monde entier se concentrer sur les éléments
clés de notre programme.
Les maladies infectieuses au travail
Ayant eu plusieurs événements intéressants dans un passé
proche et voyant des progrès, nous aurons encore beaucoup
de travail à faire pour une meilleure protection des travailleurs
et l’élimination des risques à la source. Nous avons eu la
chance de terminer tous nos événements à Rome alors
qu’aujourd’hui les Italiens doivent lutter contre le virus
covid-19 au travail et dans toutes leurs activités au quotidien.
Et un certain nombre de personnes dans le monde, en
particulier en Chine, sont gravement touchées non seulement
par la maladie, mais aussi par les mesures prises par les
autorités pour empêcher la propagation de la maladie.
Alors que le covid-19 peut provoquer une maladie avec une
moindre sévérité pour la plupart, le caractère mondial et
l’élargissement du processus d’infection du virus semblent
assez rapides. Cela est également soutenu par les déplacements
physiques mondiaux des personnes – et des personnes mal
informées ou ignorantes.
Nous sommes encore loin des risques dus aux virus grippaux
« normaux » saisonniers qui font chaque année quelque 600
000 morts et des millions de malades. Cependant, le processus
de confinement du virus est pris en charge de manière
beaucoup plus efficace par les pays développés. Le principal
désastre commencera lorsque des pays moins développés
April 2020 25

Sur la photo, la seule femme est Mme Nunzia Catalfo, Ministre du
travail et des politiques sociales d’Italie. Elle était accompagnée
du directeur général de l’INAIL et du directeur de la Commission
européenne. De superbes présentations techniques ont suivi.
seront touchés et auront vraiment une capacité, des
compétences et des moyens limités pour lutter contre de tels
problèmes.
Le rôle de l’ICOH pourrait être de fournir un soutien et des
connaissances sur les lieux de travail, aux employeurs et aux
travailleurs, et nous avons déjà commencé à examiner
comment la documentation antérieure, telle que les directives
de l’OIT concernant le virus corona analogue causant le
SRAS, pourrait être mise à jour relativement rapidement pour
l’épidémie actuelle et d’autres maladies infectieuses
comparables. L’OIT pourrait être impliquée dans ce processus
avec l’ICOH et l’IOHA. Travaillons sur cette question ! Nous
en saurons peut-être beaucoup plus lorsque cette lettre
d’information sera publiée.
Pour les éditeurs :
Veuillez également activer les liens Web dans la version
électronique.
Mars 2020
Jukka Takala
President de la CIST
26 ICOH Newsletter Vol.18 No. 1
Les infos du Secrétaire général
La réunion à mi-mandat de l’ICOH s’est tenue à Rome, en
Italie, du 11 au 13 février 2020. L’Institut national d’assurance
contre les accidents sur le travail (INAIL) a aimablement
décidé de soutenir l’ICOH dans l’organisation de la réunion à
mi-mandat, qui s’est tenue dans le magnifique bâtiment
historique de la Via Quattro Novembre.
Les directeurs de l’ICOH, les membres du Conseil
d’administration et les représentants des comités scientifiques
se sont réunis pour partager et discuter des activités en cours
conformément au plan de travail triennal de l’ICOH. En
outre, des mises à jour sur les prochains congrès de l’ICOH,
en particulier en ce qui concerne l’ICOH 2021 (Melbourne,
Australie) et l’ICOH 2024 (Marrakech, Maroc) ont été
fournies par les présidents des comités d’organisation,
respectivement. À cette occasion, un contrat pour
l’organisation du Congrès ICOH 2024 a été signé entre
l’ICOH et le comité d’organisation local.
Le 12 février, la Conférence internationale « L’avenir du
travail. Défis et opportunités pour la santé et la sécurité au
travail » a eu lieu dans le cadre magnifique de la salle
Protomothèque du Campidoglio à Rome. La conférence a été
organisée conjointement par l’ICOH et l’INAIL, sous le
patronage de la municipalité de Rome.
L’événement a rassemblé des experts internationaux qui ont
abordé les défis d’un monde du travail en mutation, mettant
en lumière les changements démographiques et le
développement technologique rapide. Les discours se sont
concentrés sur une analyse réelle et détaillée du contexte
actuel et ont débattu des perspectives futures dans le domaine.
Les sujets présentés comprenaient également : le travail dans
la société active 24h / 24, l’intelligence artificielle et la
robotique, l’écart entre les sexes, les travailleurs migrants, le
stress et la santé mentale, la gestion de l’âge. Les intervenants
ont souligné l’importance des conséquences liées aux
changements démographiques, au progrès technologique et à
la mondialisation des marchés.
La santé et la sécurité au travail doivent conserver un rôle
central dans ce scénario, en profitant des opportunités tout en
gérant les nouveaux besoins introduits par l’innovation
technologique.
Pour faire face à la complexité de ces processus et surmonter
les défis connexes, il est important de promouvoir la synergie
entre les autorités et la communauté scientifique, pour le
développement de stratégies et de politiques partagées pour
la promotion de la santé et de la sécurité des travailleurs.
Prof. Sergio Iavicoli
Secrétaire Général de l'ICOH
Message de l’éditrice
Chers membres,
Pendant le travail d’édition du premier numéro de la lettre
d’information de l’ICOH de l’année 2020, un grand défi pour
la santé publique et la santé au travail a surgi sous la forme de
l’épidémie de COVID-19.
Le 11 mars, le Directeur général de l’OMS a qualifié le
COVID-19 de pandémie. Je crois que la plupart des membres
de l’ICOH ont déjà travaillé sur la prévention de l’infection,
en particulier la transmission minimale sur le lieu de travail.
De nombreux travailleurs dans le domaine de la santé font
face à des conditions de travail qui augmentent le risque
d’infection grave ou de décès s’ils devaient être infectés par
le COVID-19. Donc l’ICOH s’assurera également de leur
communiquer notre expérience et nos informations.
Je souhaite encourager les membres à envoyer des mises à
jour sur les événements à venir dans leurs comités
scientifiques, les événements actuels dans notre domaine et
d’autres nouvelles / informations importantes qui peuvent
être incluses dans notre lettre d’information.
[La planification éditoriale du bulletin de la CIST]
Pour 2019 et 2020 :
1) Vol 1: 1er AVRIL (date limite de soumission des articles:
10 FEVRIER)
2) Vol 2: 1er AOÛT (date limite de soumission des articles:
10 JUIN)
3) Vol 3: 1er DECEMBRE (date limite de soumission des
articles: 10 OCTOBRE)
Changement d’adresse
Le bulletin de la CIST est publié en deux versions: une
version papier et une version électronique. Tous les membres
actifs de la CIST, qui ont souscrit au bulletin, le recevront par
e-mail et par courrier postal. Pour recevoir les deux versions,
l'adresse e-mail et l'adresse postale enregistrées auprès du
Secrétariat de la CIST doivent être correctes. Veuillez
informer la CIST au bureau de la rédaction tout changement
d'adresse (toxneuro@kosha.or.kr, toxneuro@gmail.com) ou
au secrétariat de la CIST (icoh@inail.it).
Eun-A Kim
Editrice en chef,
Bulletin de la CIST
April 2020 27
ICOH Scientific Committee Officers for
Triennum 2018-2021
Accident Prevention
Chair: Dr. Su WANG
Email: su.wang@doctors.org.uk
Secretary: To be appointed
Aging and Work
Chair: Dr. Jodi OAKMAN
Email: j.oakman@latrobe.edu.au
Secretary: Dr. Karin PROPER
Email: karin.proper@rivm.nl
Allergy and Immunotoxicology
Chair: Prof. Takemi OTSUKI
Email: takemi@med.kawasaki-m.ac.jp
Secretary: Dr. Claudia PETRARCA
Email: c.petrarca@unich.it
Cardiology in OH
Chair: Prof. Alicja BORTKIEWICZ
Email: alab@imp.lodz.pl
Secretary: Dr. Elzbieta Hanna GADZICKA
Email: elag@imp.lodz.pl
Education and Training in OH
Chair: Ms. Marija BUBAS
Email: mbubas@hzzzsr.hr
Secretary: Prof. F.J.H. VAN DIJK
Email: v.dijk.workandhealth@gmail.com
Effectiveness in Occupational
Health Services (EOHS)
Chair: Mrs. Stefania CURTI
Email: stefania.curti@unibo.it
Secretary: Mr. Jani Henrik RUOTSALAINEN
Email: jani.ruotsalainen@ttl.fi
Emergency Preparedness and
Response in Occupational Health
Chair: Dr. Alexis DESCATHA
Email: alexis.descatha@inserm.fr
Secretary: D
 r. Susanne SCHUNDER-TATZBER
Email: susanne@schunder.at
28 ICOH Newsletter Vol.18 No. 1
Epidemiology in OH
Chair: Dr. Roel VERMEULEN
Email: R.C.H.Vermeulen@uu.nl
Secretary: Dr. Damien MCELVENNY
Email: Damien.McElvenny@iom-world.org
History of Prevention of
Occupational and Environmental
Diseases
Chair: Prof. Paul BLANC
Email: Paul.Blanc@ucsf.edu
Secretary: Prof. Kjell TOREN
Email: kjell.toren@amm.gu.se
Indoor Air Quality and Health
Chair: Dr. Peder WOLKOFF
Email: pwo@nrcwe.dk
Secretary: Dr. Kenichi AZUMA
Email: kenazuma@med.kindai.ac.jp
Industrial Hygiene
Chair: Ms Lena ANDERSSON
Email: lena.andersson4@regionorebrolan.se
Secretary: Dr. Hyunwook KIM
Email: hwkim@catholic.ac.kr
Mining Occupational Safety and
Health
Chair: Dr. Erik JORS
Email: erik.joers@rsyd.dk
Secretary: Prof. Jinky leilanie del prado LU
Email: jinky_lu@yahoo.com
Musculoskeletal Disorders
Chair: Prof. Roberta BONFIGLIOLI
Email: roberta.bonfiglioli@unibo.it
Secretary: Prof. André KLUSSMANN
Email: andre.klussmann@haw-hamburg.de
Nanomaterial Workers’ Health
Chair: Prof. Ivo IAVICOLI
Email: ivo.iavicoli@unina.it
Secretary: Prof. Irina GUSEVA CANU
Email: irinacanu@hotmail.com
Neurotoxicology and
Psychophysiology
Chair: Dr. Markku SAINIO
Email: markku.sainio@ttl.fi
Secretary: Dr. Diane ROHLMAN
Email: diane-rohlman@uiowa.edu
Occupational and Environmental
Dermatoses
Chair: Dr. Sanja KEZIC
Email: s.kezic@amc.uva.nl
Secretary: Prof. Swen M JOHN
Email: sjohn@uos.de
Occupational Health Nursing
Chair: Ms Kim DAVIES
Email: davies.kim1@gmail.com
Secretary: Ms Kirsi Helena LAPPALAINEN
Email: kirsi.lappalainen@ttl.fi
Occupational Medicine
Chair: Prof. Timothy DRISCOLL
Email: tim.driscoll@sydney.edu.au
Secretary: Dr. James Alexander ROSS
Email: dingojim@hotmail.com
Occupational Toxicology
Chair: Ms Kate JONES
Email: kate.jones@hsl.gsi.gov.uk
Secretary: Prof. Silvia FUSTINONI
Email: silvia.fustinoni@unimi.it
OH and Development
Chair: Dr. Diana GAGLIARDI
Email: d.gagliardi@inail.it
Secretary: Dr. Ganapati Vasant PRABHU
Email: gvprabhu@goashipyard.com
OH for Health Workers
Dr. Gwen Orr BRACHMAN
Email: gobmd@yahoo.com
Secretary: Prof. Antoon DE SCHRYVER
Email: Antoon.DeSchryver@idewe.be
OH in the Chemical Industry
(MEDICHEM)
Chair: Dr. William Murray COOMBS
Email: mcoombs@iafrica.com
Secretary: Prof. Kenneth A. MUNDT
Email: kmundt260@gmail.com
OH in the Construction Industry
Chair: D r. Krishna Nirmalya SEN
Email: krishnanirmalya@gmail.com
Secretary: Dr. Alberto CABAN-MARTINEZ
Email: acaban@med.miami.edu
Radiation and Work
Chair: Dr. Marc WITTLICH
Email: marc.wittlich@dguv.de
Secretary: Dr. Alberto MODENESE
Email: albertomodenese1@gmail.com
Reproductive Hazards in the
Workplace
Chair: Dr. Hsiao-Yu YANG
Email: hyang@ntu.edu.tw
Secretary: Dr. Pau-Chung CHEN
Email: pchen@ntu.edu.tw
Respiratory Disorders
Chair: Dr. Rafael E. DE LA HOZ
Email: Rafael.delaHoz@mssm.edu
Secretary: Dr. Thomas KRAUS
Email: thomas.kraus@post.rwth-aachen.de
Rural Health: Agriculture, Pesticides
and Organic Dusts
Chair: Dr. Sashikala CHANDRASEKAR
Email: sashishekar@hotmail.com
Secretary: Dr. Stefan MANDIC-RAJCEVIC
Email: stefan.mandic-rajcevic@unimi.it
Shiftwork and Working Time Work and Vision
Chair: Dr. Stephen POPKIN Chair: Dr. Agueda Rossangella MUÑOZ DEL
Email: Stephen.Popkin@dot.gov CARPIO TOIA
Secretary: P rof. Claudia Roberta de Castro MORENO Email: teamproyectosganadores@gmail.com
Email: crmoreno@usp.br Secretary: Dr. Miguel Sergio KABILIO
Email: dr@kabilio.com
Small-Scale Enterprises and the
Informal Sector Work Disability Prevention and
Chair: Mr. Mahinda SENEVIRATNE Integration
Email: m ahinda.seneviratne@workcover.nsw. Chair: Dr. Johannes Regnerus ANEMA
gov.au Email: h.anema@vumc.nl
Secretary: Dr. Somnath GANGOPADHYAY Secretary: Dr. William Stanley SHAW
Email: g anguly1961@yahoo.com Email: wshaw@uchc.edu
Thermal Factors Work Organisation and
Chair: Dr. Jason Kai Wee LEE Psychosocial Factors
Email: phsjlkw@nus.edu.sg Chair: Prof. Akihito SHIMAZU
Secretary: Dr. Sirkka Maria RISSANEN Email: ashimazu-tky@umin.ac.jp
Email: sirkka.rissanen@ttl.fi Secretary: Ms Tessa Susanna BAILEY
Email: Tessa.Bailey@unisa.edu.au
Toxicology of Metals
Chair: Dr. Natalia Urszula PAWLAS
Email: n-pawlas@wp.pl
Secretary: Dr. Veruscka LESO
Email: veruscka.leso@unina.it
Unemployment, Job Insecurity and
Health
Chair: Dr. Minha RAJPUT-RAY
Email: mrr008@googlemail.com
Secretary: Dr. Anna SURAYA
Email: anna_suraya2005@yahoo.com
Vibration and Noise
Chair: Dr. Renata SISTO
Email: r.sisto@inail.it
Secretary: Dr. Enrico MARCHETTI
Email: e.marchetti@inail.it
Women Health and Work
Chair: Dr. Marcia BANDINI
Email: marcia.bandini@icloud.com
Secretary: Prof. Igor Jesus BELLO
Email: ibello.medex@gmail.com
April 2020 29
National Secretaries Triennium 2018-2021
Country/Area Secretary E-mail
ARGENTINA Dr. Claudia María DE HOYOS dradehoyos@gmail.com
AUSTRALIA Prof. Lin FRITSCHI lin.fritschi@curtin.edu.au
AUSTRIA Prof. Eva SCHERNHAMMER eva.schernhammer@muv.ac.at
BELARUS Dr. Tatsiana Rybina tanya-rybina@list.ru
BELGIUM Simon Bulterys simon.bulterys@idewe.be
BRAZIL Dr. Rosylane ROCHA rosylanerocha@yahoo.com.br
BULGARIA Dr. Milena TABANSKA-PETKOVA milena_tabanska@abv.bg
CHILE Marta Cabrera marta.cabrera@fomentasalud.cl
COLOMBIA Dr. David Andres ALVAREZ RINCON daalvare@ualberta.ca
COSTA RICA Dr. Marco Antonio GARCIA SAENZ marco.garcia@recope.go.cr
CROATIA Dr. Milan MILOSEVIC milan.milosevic@snz.hr
CZECH REPUBLIC Dr. Sergej ZACHAROV sergej.zacharov@vfn.cz
DENMARK Dr. Inger SCHAUMBURG isc@nrcwe.dk
ECUADOR Gonzalo Francisco ALBUJA imacorreo1@aim.com
EGYPT Prof. Abdallah Amani WAHEED EL-DIN amaniwaheed@yahoo.com
FINLAND Dr. Jarmo HEIKKINEN jarmo.k.heikkinen@uef.fi
FRANCE Dr. Quentin DURAND-MOREAU qu.durand@gmail.com
GERMANY Prof. Volker HARTH harth@uke.de
GHANA Dr. Fred Yaw BIO yaw_bio@yahoo.co.uk
GREECE Mrs Styliani TZIAFERI sttziaf@hotmail.com
GUATEMALA Dr. Ovidio Roberto HERMOSILLA C. roberto.hermosilla@progreso.com
HUNGARY Dr. Judit Simon ruzsase@worcare.hu
INDIA Dr. Ashish MISHRA amishra@dow.com
INDONESIA Dr. Nuri PURWITO ADI urin_id@yahoo.com
IRAN Dr. Mehdi JAHANGIRI jahangiri_m@sums.ac.ir
IRELAND Dr. Anne DRUMMOND anne.drummond@ucd.ie
ISRAEL Dr. Eric AMSTER emamster@post.harvard.edu
ITALY Prof. Alfonso CRISTAUDO alfonso.cristaudo@med.unipi.it
JAMAICA Mrs Janice Alisa GREEN janiceg@jnbank.com
JAPAN Dr. Toru YOSHIKAWA yoshikawat@jnioshwork.com
KENYA Dr. Kipkemoi Kibor KEITANY boranym@gmail.com
LUXEMBOURG Dr. Elisabeta PLETEA elisabeta.pletea@stm.lu
MALAYSIA Dr. Victor CW HOE drvictorhoe@gmail.com
MALI Dr. Birama DIALLO drbirama@gmail.com
MEXICO Prof. Aida Lucia FAJARDO MONTIEL aidalucia.fajardo@gmail.com
MONTENEGRO Dr. Milenka USCUMLIC milauscumlic@gmail.com

30 ICOH Newsletter Vol.18 No. 1

Country/Area Secretary E-mail
MOROCCO Dr. Khalil KINANI k.kinani@ocpgroup.ma
NEW ZEALAND Dr. David MCLEAN d.j.mclean@massey.ac.nz
NIGERIA Dr. Uche Josiah ENUMAH uchedine507wed@gmail.com
NORTH MACEDONIA Mr. Sasho STOLESKI sstoleski@yahoo.com
NORWAY Dr. José Hernan ALFONSO jose.alfonso@stami.no
P.R. CHINA Dr. Junming DAI jmdai@shmu.edu.cn
PANAMA Dr. Edgar Alberto MORENO AROSEMENA edgmorar@hotmail.com
PARAGUAY Dr. Derlis NICOLICCHIA KURTH dank@rieder.net.py
PERU Dr. Aquiles MONROY aqmonroy@yahoo.es
PHILIPPINES Dr. Margaret Lazaro LEACHON margie_laz610@yahoo.com
POLAND Prof. Konrad RYDZYNSKI konrad@imp.lodz.pl
PORTUGAL Dr. Teresa Mariana FARIA PINTO teresamfpinto@gmail.com
Rep. of KOREA Prof. Jaechul SONG jsong@hanyang.ac.kr
ROMANIA Prof. Carmen BUSNEAG carmenbusneag@yahoo.com
RUSSIAN FEDERATION Dr. Evgeny Evgeniyevich SHIGAN EEShigan@gmail.com
SAUDI ARABIA Dr. Marwan Ahmed BEHISI marwan.behisi@jhah.com
TAIWAN, CHINA Prof. Saou-Hsing LIOU shliou@nhri.org.tw
SENEGAL Dr. Mame Diarra FAYE mamediarrafaye@gmail.com
SERBIA Dr. Jelena Djurdje DJOKOVIC djokovicjelena10@gmail.com
SINGAPORE Dr. Andrew Epaphroditus TAY drtaysk@yahoo.com
SOUTH AFRICA Prof. Daniel J. KOCKS daniel.kocks@smu.ac.za
SPAIN Ms Araceli SANTOS POSADA presidente@enfermeriadeltrabajo.com
SWEDEN Dr. Martin ANDERSSON martin.andersson@envmed.umu.se
TAIWAN, CHINESE Prof. How-Ran Guo hrguo@mail.ncku.edu.tw
TANZANIA Dr. Simon Henry MAMUYA mamuyasimon2@gmail.com
THAILAND Dr. Kathawoot DEEPREECHA koccmed@gmail.com
THE NETHERLANDS Dr. P. Paul F.M. KUIJER p.p.kuijer@amc.nl
TOGO Dr. Kokdu Silvere KEVI silvereck@yahoo.fr
TURKEY Dr. Buhara ONAL buharaonal@yahoo.com
UGANDA Mrs Eva KATUSABE lynmzs@yahoo.com
UNITED KINGDOM Prof. David FISHWICK david.fishwick@hsl.gsi.gov.uk
URUGUAY Dr. Maria Elena ALPUIN malpuinsa@gmail.com
USA Dr. Charles Milton YARBOROUGH cyarborough@cyhealthassociates.com
VENEZUELA Prof. Yohama Auxiliadora CARABALLO medicinadeltrabajoucv@gmail.com
VIETNAM Dr. Thu Ha NGUYEN thuhayhld@yahoo.com
ZIMBABWE Dr. Blessing GARAMUMHANGO garamumhangob@mimosa.co.zw

April 2020 31
ICOH
Officers
President
Dr. Jukka Takala
Lintuniemennokka 33
FI - 33680 TAMPERE
Finland
Tel: +358 33600321
Email: ICOHPresident@inail.it
Secretary General
Prof. Sergio Iavicoli
ICOH - Secretariat General
c/o Italian Workers’ Compensation
Authority
- INAIL
Department of Occupational and
Environmental Medicine,
Epidemiology and Hygiene
Via Fontana Candida, 1
00078 Monteporzio Catone (Rome)
Italy
Tel: +39 06 94181506
Fax: +39 06 94181556
Email: s.iavicoli@inail.it
Vice-President
Ms. Claudina Nogueira
South African Society of Occupational
Medicine (SASOM)
P. O. Box 32
Silverton 0127
South Africa
Tel: +27829266205
Email: claudinanogueira@hotmail.com
Vice-President
Prof. Seong-Kyu Kang
Former Vice President of KOSHA
Dept of Occupational and
Environmental Medicine
Gachon University Gil Medical Center
21 Namdong-daero 774beon-gil,
Namdong-gu
Incheon 21565
Rep. of Korea
Tel: +82-32-460-3790
Fax: +82-32-460-3999
Email: sk.kang@gachon.ac.kr
Past President
Dr. Kazutaka Kogi
Institute for Science of Labour
2-8-14, Sugao, Miyamae-ku
Kawasaki 216-8501
Japan
Tel: +81 44 977 2121
Fax: +81 44 977 7504
Email: k.kogi@isl.or.jp
32 ICOH Newsletter Vol.18 No. 1
ICOH
Board Members 2018-2021
Prof. Maureen Dollard Dr. Olivier Lo
University of South Australia International SOS
Australia Singapore
Email: maureen.dollard@unisa.edu.au Email: o livier.lo@internationalsos.com
Prof. Frida Marina Fischer Dr. Rosa Maria Orriols Ramos
School of Public Health Dept. Environmental Health Hospital Universitari Bellvitge
University of Sao Paulo Spain
Brazil Email: rosemarieorriols@gmail.com
Email: fischer.frida@gmail.com
Prof. Mats Hagberg Prof. Christophe Paris
Göteborg University Rennes 1 University
Public Health and Community Medicine Occupational Medicine Department
Sweden France
Email: mats.hagberg@amm.gu.se Email: christophe.paris@inserm.fr
Dr. Martin Hogan Dr. Shyam Pingle
Faculty of Occupational Medicine Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar
Royal College of Physicians of Ireland India
Ireland Email: drshyampingle@gmail.com
Email: martin.hogan@chi.ie
Prof. Seichi Horie Prof. Kari Reijula
University of Occupational and Environmental Health Helsinki University
Japan Medical Faculty
Email: horie@med.uoeh-u.ac.jp Finland
Email: kari.reijula@helsinki.fi
Prof. Sunil Kumar Joshi Dr. Paul Schulte
Department of Community Medicine NIOSH
Kathmandu Medical College USA
Nepal Email: pas4@cdc.gov
Email: drsunilkj@gmail.com
Dr. Eun-A Kim Ms. Maria Luisa Tupia Gonzales
Korean Occupational Safety and Health Agency P& G Industrial Perú-SRL
Rep. of Korea Peru
Email: toxneuro@kosha.or.kr Email: marutupia@gmail.com
Prof. Stavroula Leka Prof. Francesco Violante
Centre for Organizational Health and Development Occupational Medicine Unit
University of Nottingham Sant’Orsola Malpighi Hospital
United Kingdom Italy
Email: s tavroula.leka@nottingham.ac.uk Email: francesco.violante@unibo.it