Centre for Occupational Health at the National Institute of Public Health, Prague, Czech Republic
Project title
Czech National Occupational Health Profile. Indicators of Exposure and of Health Outcomes
Keywords
Exposure to occupational risk factors, carcinogens, occupational diseases, country profile, indicators, registries, OHS policies, global burden of disease
Project leader
Email address
Assoc. Prof. Pavel Urban, M.D., Ph.D.
pavel.urban@szu.cz
Partners (of the CC Network)
WHO Collaborating Centers in Occupational Health which participated in the Taskforce 15 of the previous Work Plan
Other partners
ILO, EUROSTAT/EODS
Funding
State budget, grant projects
Objective of the project
To survey indicators providing comprehensive description of exposure to occupational health risks and of their health outcomes
To provide Czech national data for a multinational study of the global burden of occupational diseases
On the basis of the results, to implement measures improving workers’ health
Project outcome(s) and deadline(s) for completion of the project
Czech country profile of exposure to various occupational health risk factors
Incidence of occupational diseases as a measure of health impact of the exposure to occupational health risk factors
Suggestion of preventive measures to improve the situation
Target group and/or beneficiaries
Ministry of Health, Ministry of Labour, OHS specialists, Trade Unions
Summary of the project
The Czech Republic meets prerequisites for comprehensive collection of valid data on occupational exposures and their health impact. The exposures are surveyed in the System for Categorization of Working Activities, covering the whole work force. A special interest is paid to carcinogens. As a health outcome, the incidence of occupational diseases is surveyed. The collected data are available for multicenter or multinational studies assessing the global burden of occupational diseases. The data can serve as an empirical base for decision makers to convert the knowledge into action and to introduce effective policies for improving workers’ health.
Dissemination
WHO/ILO/EUROSTAT documents, research studies, the media
Impact (global or regional)
National, potentially contributory to a global impact
The collection of data on occupational exposures to risk factors and on occupational diseases has continued. The nationwide coverage includes all sectors of economic activity.
The data are stored in three information systems: Categorization of Working Activities, Registry of Exposure to Occupational Carcinogens, and Registry of Occupational Diseases.
In 2008, approximately 445 thousands persons (14,367/100,000 employees) were exposed to occupational hazards. A total of 1,403 occupational diseases (30.7/100,000 employees) were reported. The risk of cancer was increased in the health care providers (HR=1.49, 95% CI=(1.05-2.10), p=0.024) and in subjects simultaneously exposed to more than two carcinogens (HR=2.35, 95% CI=(1.15-4.83), p=0.019).
Annual reports on occupational diseases in the CZ in 2006, 2007, and 2008 were published in the Czech Journal of Occupational Medicine and on the internet: (http://www.szu.cz/publications-and-products/data-and-statistics/occupational). The data were also passed on the EUROSTAT, WHO, and ILO.
List of additional outcomes expected from this project by 2012
Annual Reports on Occupational Diseases in the CZ in 2009-12
2009-2012 Work Plan Number
GPA4.20f
Formerly AA2:NP18
GPA Objective
Objective 4: To provide and communicate evidence for action and practice
CC or NGO Name
International Centre for Pesticides and Health Risk Prevention
Project title
Development Of Public Health Indicators For Reporting Environmental/Occupational Risks Related To Agriculture And Fishery (DIRERAF 2004-2007).
Project leader and email address
National Kapodistrian University of Athens (Project Coordinator), Greece
Partners
-National Kapodistrian University of Athens (Project Coordinator), Greece
-Medical University of Sofia, Bulgaria
-Nofer Institute of Occupational Health, Poland
-Charles University of Prague, Czech Republic
-Institut Municipal d' Investigacio Medical (IMIM), Spain
-Dresden University of Technology, Germany
-Institute of Preventive Medicine, Environmental and Occupational Health (Prolepsis), Greece
- Finnish Institute of Occupational Health Country: Finland
We foresee to involve other international experts in the field of Agricultural and Fishery OHS for the evaluation of the set of indicators.
Funding
EU-DG Sanco
Issues to be addressed
Health and Safety policies and practices in the sectors of Agriculture and Fishery.
Project outcomes
To identify and review existing policies and practices regarding data collection for occupational and environmental health risks at the agriculture and fishery sectors.
To identify and categorize production specific risks for different types of production in the agricultural and fishery sectors
To develop a minimal set of public health risk indicators with regards to occupational and environmental risk and rural health
To break down the above mentioned indicators by socioeconomic and demographic criteria.
To apply indicatively some indicators and collect data on a pilot base so as to test their feasibility and adaptability.
To evaluate the collected data and assess the results of the evaluation.
To recommend the set of indicators as a policy tool at the national and European level.
Dissemination
Dissemination activities will include: communication of progress and results among the partners and the panel of experts; a project's web-site; presentation of the results from the application of the indicators (on a pilot base) on a public health scientific meeting; presentation of the results and parts of the final report in press conference, continuous press releases; scientific announcements to international congresses and publications at scientific journals; briefing with policy recommendations addressed to national and European policy-makers on the need to collect data according to the methodology proposed so that indicators can be estimated for all Member States
Impact
Regional, National and European Level policies.
Progress on Project
WP2 "Identification and review of existing policies and practices among 25 EU MS": Data collection is complete and report written. Partners are progressing with WP3 and WP4.
The DIRERAF project will be showcased in a recent article submitted to the Journal of Public Health with contributions from other partners.
Further links are in progress and pending outcomes from other WP’s, the development of a list of indicators (WP5) will begin. The DIRERAF project ended December 2007.
List of outcomes already achieved by this project
Existing policies regarding data collection (for occupational and environmental health risks at the agriculture and fishery sectors) have been identified.
A minimal set of public health risk indicators with regards to occupational and environmental risk and rural health has been identified.
Some indicators have been applied and data have been collected on a pilot study.
An article has been submitted to the Journal of Public Health with contributions from other partners
List of additional outcomes expected from this project by 2012
To evaluate the collected data and assess the results of the evaluation.
To recommend the set of indicators as a policy tool at the national
2009-2012 Work Plan Number
GPA4.20g
Formerly AA2:NP19
GPA Objective
Objective 4: To provide and communicate evidence for action and practice
CC or NGO Name
Research Unit of Maritime Medicine
Project Title
Surveillance of occupational accidents aboard Danish merchant ships and fishing vessels
To gather information from existing databases into one register, thus improving the surveillance facilities and improving prevention of occupational injuries in merchant seafaring and fishing.
Project outcome: Completion of the project:
Annual updating of the register, and an annual report. Scientific papers.
Target group and/or beneficiaries
Seamen and fishermen, and their organizations respectively. Safety professionals in the maritime area.
Summary of the project
Background: Prevention of occupational injuries among seafarers and fishermen is highly important. This demands a well documented overview of the character and magnitude of all types of injuries by a valid surveillance system.
Method: Data are gathered from existing databases: 1)Occupational injuries should legally be reported to the Danish Maritime Authority, and when compensation is expected additionally to the 2) insurance companies, and the 3)National Board of Industrial Injuries.
Dissemination
Seaman’s and fishermen’s news, oral presentations nationally at relevant organizational meetings as well as internationally at scientific congresses, scientific papers, web-sites.
Impact (global or regional)
Global
Progress on Project
Updating of databases is ongoing.
We are preparing a paper concerning fatal occupational accidents in Danish fishery vessels 1989-2005, based on register information gathered from the Danish Maritime Authority.
This paper will be followed by a paper concerning a follow up
on occupational accidents aboard merchant ships focusing on accidents causing permanent disability presumably for the period 1998-2002.
List of outcomes already achieved by this project
Related paper published reporting on fatalities aboard fishing vessels:
List of additional outcomes expected from this project by 2012
2009-2012 Work Plan Number
GPA4.20i
Formerly AA2:RS2
GPA Objective
Objective 4: To provide and communicate evidence for action and practice
CC or NGO Name
Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA), Germany
Project title
Elaboration of a European Guide to support the new European Directive 2003/10/EEC on the requirements regarding the exposure of workers to the risks arising from the physical agent noise
Keywords
Project leader
Email address
Dr. Patrick Kurtz (2.6)
Kurtz.patrick@baua.bund.de
Partners (of the CC Network)
Other partners
INRS, CIOP und HSL
Funding
The project is funded by the European Commission.
Objective of the project
Project outcome(s) and deadline(s) for completion of the project
Target group and/or beneficiaries
Summary of the project
To support the new European Physical Agents Directive on Noise the European Commission sponsors a project to prepare a guide helping employers and employees to comply with the requirements of the Directive to reduce the noise exposure of workers. The task to prepare such a guide was given to a consortium of different OHS institutions of the member states. These institutions are the INRS from France, CIOP from Poland, HSL from the UK and the BAuA from Germany. The guide will be finalised in 2006 and deals with subjects like: Basis of acoustics, measurement and exposure evaluation, design of the workplace, techniques of noise reduction, hearing protectors, hearing damage, purchase of quiet machines, noise reduction in the entertainment sector, etc.. A list of keywords guides the reader through the text. The whole guide is written in a plain style including a respective glossary explaining technical terms. Although the guide is prepared to support the European Directive it can be used as a general information about noise reduction at workplaces.
Dissemination
The guide will be disseminated in the EU in all member state languages.
Impact (global or regional)
Although the guide is supporting European legislation it provides a general tool to reduce noise at workplaces.
Progress on Project
The work on a European guide supporting the implementation of the European Physical Agents Directive on Noise 2003/10/EC officially finished in 2006. The English version is currently translated into the different member state languages. We anticipate that in mid June the member states will give a positive vote to distribute this non-binding guide to good practice for the application of the directive 2003/10/EC as an official European document. The final adoption by the Commission can then be expected towards the end of July 2007. The title of the guide will read: "How to avoid or reduce the exposure of workers to noise at work"
List of outcomes already achieved by this project
List of additional outcomes expected from this project by 2012
Official publication of the EU.
2009-2012 Work Plan Number
GPA4.20m
Formerly AA4:TM1g
GPA Objective
Objective 4: To provide and communicate evidence for action and practice
CC or NGO Name
Institute for Occupational Medicine and Maritime Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
Project title
Evidence-based guidelines for the prevention of occupational asthma
The European Respiratory Society (ERS) approved our revised project version focusing on the management of work-related asthma. Carrie Redlich (Yale School of Medicine, USA) and Paul Henneberger (National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH; USA) joined as collaborators.
Other partners
- Prof. Tor B. Aasen, Department of Occupational Medicine Haukeland, Bergen, Norway; Email: tor.aasen@helse-bergen.no
- Prof. Dick Heederik, Environmental and Occupational Health Division, Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht, Netherlands; Email: d.heederik@uu.nl
- Prof. Piero Maestrelli, Universita degli Studi di Padova Dipatimento di Medicina Ambientale e Sanita Pubblica, Sede die Medicina del Lavoro, servicio di Fisiopatologia Respiratoria, Padua, Italy; Email: piero.maestrelli@unipd.it
Prof. Torben Sigsgaard, Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Aarhus, Denmark; Email: ts@mil.au.dk
National and EU legislative bodies
Funding
Proposal for funding by European respiratory Society (ERS)
Objective of the project
The objective is the substantial improvement of the prevention of occupational asthma in order to obtain a reduction of symptoms, morbidity, mortality and expenses
Project outcome(s) and deadline(s) for completion of the project
- Evidence-based guidelines for the prevention of occupational asthma with a declaration of the levels of evidence (introduction-chapter with definitions, e.g., occupational asthma, aggravation of pre-existing asthma, background-chapter including a summary of the current knowledge on causes, prevalence / incidence, dose-response relations, risk factors of work-related asthma, objectives of prevention, economic impact, and levels of evidence)
- Booklets for the different target groups (e.g., guidelines for primary care physicians and for industrial physicians to initiate appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic measures in suspected cases with occupational asthma).
Formulate 6 key questions and several
subquestions (2008)
- Respective evidence tables based on literature search (2009)
- Formulate recommendations how to prevent and related to these key questions manage occupational asthma (2009/2010)
Target group and/or beneficiaries
The target group of the intended guideline are workers in all sectors of activity. The target audience are all health care practitioners, i.e. occupational physicians and primary care physicians for fostering education. Given legal differences in the different countries, addition to industrial physicians, workers representatives with specific responsibility for the safety and health of workers may benefit from the guideline.
Summary of the project
The objective is the substantial improvement of the prevention of occupational asthma in order to obtain a reduction of symptoms, morbidity, mortality and expenses.
The proposed output will be:
Introduction with definitions (e.g., new onset work-related asthma, aggravation of pre-existing asthma)
Background chapter (including a summary of the current knowledge on causes, prevalence / incidence, dose-response relations, risk factors, primary prevention, and diagnostic tools)
Compilation of useful information, e.g. legal framework conditions for the management of work-related asthma in the European Union
Evidence-based recommendations on the prevention and management of work-related asthma, including treatment and interventions, such as stopping/reduction of causative exposure.
Dissemination
The guidelines will be published as a long version as an internet file and as a short version in an international journal
Impact (global or regional)
Global
Progress on Project
The project asked the European Respiratory Society (ERS) to fund a task force for “Evidence-based guidelines for the prevention of occupational asthma in Europe”. In march 2007, the ERS approved a revised version focusing on the “Management of work-related asthma”. After meetings in Kopenhagen and Munich, the entire group held a third meeting on September, 19th, 2007 in Stockholm. Carrie Redlich (Yale School of Medicine, USA) and Paul Henneberger (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), USA) joined as collaborators.
List of major outcomes already achieved by this project
None
List of additional major outcomes expected from this project by 2012
Guideline which will be published in two international journals, the guideline refers to prevention and management of occupational asthma
