by Brianna Crandall — April 28, 2014—The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) has identified key priority areas for occupational safety and health (OSH) research that will help Europe reach its 2020 goals and that reveal issues about the changing workplace that can affect human health, safety and well-being. Priorities have been set around four major themes: (1) demographic change; (2) globalization and the changing world of work; (3) safe new technologies; and (4) new or increasing occupational exposure to chemical and biological agents.
Setting priorities will allow better coordination of research activities and more efficient allocation of resources in the coming years, notes EU-OSHA, adding that this is vital in helping to translate OSH research into practical and accessible workplace solutions that will have an impact on the safety and health of workers.
EU-OSHA’s response to the challenges currently facing Europe are detailed in a report entitled Priorities for Occupational Safety and Health Research in Europe: 2013—2020. The report emphasizes the fact that OSH research can contribute to meeting the goals set by the Europe 2020 strategy and the Horizon 2020 program for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.
Taking into account the latest developments in scientific knowledge in the field, changes in the world of work, and trends that have an impact on OSH, the report considers challenges such as the ones listed below.
Demographic change — As the population of Europe ages, the challenge is to enable older workers to remain active and productive for longer and increase the proportion of older workers in employment. An increase in female employment rates brings the need for a better understanding of the OSH issues that specifically affect women. Migration is also adding to the diversity of the workforce. A better understanding is needed of how to adapt workplace design and work organization to address these changes in the make-up of the workforce.
Globalization and the changing world of work — Restructuring of organizations, the spread of information and communications technology, and a shift from manufacturing to services have all led to job insecurity, work intensification, new working patterns and often unsociable working hours. These increase workers’ exposure to psychosocial risks. A better understanding is needed of the links between psychosocial risk factors and morbidity and mortality to develop effective prevention strategies.
New technologies — As Europe progresses towards a greener, more sustainable economy, there is an increased focus on renewable energy technologies and on waste management and recycling. These relatively new and still progressing industries bring new risks, for example exposure to electromagnetic fields or to biohazards. A better understanding is needed of these risks to ensure that OSH research is integrated in the design and development of all new processes and technologies—prevention through design.
Exposure to chemical and biological agents — Fatal occupational accidents are decreasing, but fatalities arising from occupational diseases are increasing. The development of innovative products and materials and the shift towards a resource-efficient, low-carbon economy has led to new technologies, and this has brought about new OSH challenges. Workers are exposed to an increasing number of biological and chemical agents, endocrine disruptors, new technologies such as nanotechnology, and the combined or mixed exposures to dangerous substances. Improved detection and identification methods are needed to ensure the safe use of these chemical and biological agents.
The full report (in English) and the summary (in English) are available from the EU-OSHA Web site. Presentations and speeches from the related seminar in Brussels in October 2013 are also available upon log-in.
