WHO: GPA Objective 4
Managers: Dr. Jo Harris-Roberts/Ed Robinson
(www.hsl.gov.uk/cwh)
CC Network Meeting
October 2009
HSL and the WHO
• Invited to become
a CC in 1995
• Hosted European
Network Meeting
(Buxton 2007)
GPA Objective 4
To provide and communicate
evidence for action and practice
GPA Objective 4
Priority 4.1: Encourage practical research on emerging issues, including nano-materials and
climate change
Output: Research reports and communication strategies with low- and medium income
countries on interventions to ensure workers' health
Support:
CC Initiative leaders: Nano-materials: Rosemary Gibson HSL, UK and Vladimir Murashov,
NIOSH USA
Climate change: Ed Robinson, Jo Harris-Roberts, HSL, UK
WHO/HQ: Ivan Ivanov
Priority 4.2: Further develop the global research agenda for workers’ health
Output: Research report matrix to identify relevant gaps in research
Support:
CC Initiative leaders: Ed Robinson, Jo Harris-Roberts, HSL, UK
WHO/HQ: Ivan Ivanov
GPA Objective 4
61 Projects
34 Organisations
Topics include:
-Reporting schemes for occupational
disease/accidents and fatalities
-Worker compensation schemes
-Establishing health surveillance systems
-Tools for evaluating occupational disease
registration schemes (provide essential
information for preventative policies)
GPA Objective 4
Topics include:
- Promoting initiatives for occupational safety and
health
- Occupational health risk factors and the health
impact (issues: including cardiovascular disease
and bladder cancer)
-Physical agents directive on noise
-Transport/ maritime health issues
-Pesticide exposure/back pain/
-sleep deprivation/stress
GPA Objective 4
Topics include:
-Interventions to reduce back pain/risk factors for
lumbar disc degeneration
-Occupational asthma
-Evidence based guidelines/diagnostic tools
-Workability and well being issues
-Long working hours
-Mental disorder/health risks
-Quality of life
-Shift work
-Many other important and interesting topics
Progress
•Facilitating projects identified and defined
•Projects ‘mapped’ to the priority areas
•Compendium updates (incl. new projects into
GPA4)
•HSE resource support secured for facilitating
project on climate change
•Additional (external) support:
Vladimir Murashov (Nano)
Tord Kejellstrom/ (Climate)
HSL ‘Futures’ team (Research Agenda)
Priority 4.1: Encourage practical research
on emerging issues, including nanomaterials and climate change
Nanomaterials - Nanometer-scale atomic structures
Use e.g.: Clothing, surface coatings, paints
Outputs 2012 include:
- Best practice for working with nanomaterials
-Exposure limits
-Monitoring
-Engineering controls
-PPE
Nanomaterials
- In vitro toxicology tests for nanomaterials
- Health surveillance protocols and exposure matrix
- Information portals (dissemination)
-Guidance for handling nanomaterials in laboratories
-Many low and medium-income countries lag behind
in introducing occupational health and safety
guidance for nanotechnology
Nanomaterials
– Potential future activities – Examples
-Developing global health and safety standards for
nanotechnology
-Practical guidance and communication mechanisms
for nanotechnology workplace risks and solutions
-Hazard grouping for nanomaterials
-Health surveillance and exposure registries
Climate Change
-Mitigation: limit overall damage (including
sustainable usage of waste
-Adaptation: Minimise negative impact
-Heat stress
-Extreme weather events (Affect transport,
telecommunications, farming/growing seasons
-Vector- borne diseases
-Some groups more sensitive to climate change
and have lower capacity to adapt
Climate Change
– Potential futures activities - Examples
-Review current evidence workplace heat exposures
and impacts on health status
-Global/WHO position on climate change and suggested
next steps
Priority 4.2: Further develop the global
research agenda for workers’ health
-Understand key current and future research
areas - Strategy to identify research areas and ‘gaps’ –
Do we know what we don’t know?
-E.g.: Identify current areas (3 from each CC?) to look
for potential knowledge sharing and collaboration
opportunities
-E.g.: Identify main gaps in research (2 from each
CC?)
Next steps…
• Define steps to achieve priority objectives
(workshops)
• Identify barriers to success and steps to overcome
these
• Communicate this plan with CC’s
• Work with CC’s to encourage activities in the key
priority/project areas
• Report on all facilitating and contributing project
activities/progress to WHO (WHA)
• Promote the excellent work of WHO and the CC’s!
Thank you for your support