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ISSA calls for a new, extended role for occupational health professionals

AISS, 20.03.2012 | Brèves

30th ICOH International Congress on Occupational Health

A new debate on the linkages between occupational health, risk prevention at work, and wider health promotion and rehabilitation efforts will be crucial to more effectively build a global prevention culture for the benefit of workers, the ISSA Secretary General has stated at the 30th ICOH International Congress on Occupational Health, which opened in Cancun, Mexico on 18 March.

Speaking during the opening ceremony of the Congress, which involved some 3,000 participants, the ISSA Secretary General Hans-Horst Konkolewsky stressed the importance of strengthening integrated approaches centred on the health and employability of workers.

“There is an increasing recognition of the positive impact of occupational health initiatives on the public health situation in society, and of the health-promoting role of work itself,” Mr Konkolewsky stated.

“While indisputably representing an important source of potential health risks, work can in fact be beneficial for physical and mental health and well-being. The current focus of occupational health on risk prevention at the workplace should therefore be extended to also include the workers personal and social setting and a more integrated view on occupational and non-occupation risk factors,” he said.

“It is time for occupational health professionals, general practitioners and social security administrators to engage in an open dialogue concerning their respective roles and collaboration in order to better promote health and employability both at work and in society,” he underlined.

Active contribution of the ISSA Special Commission and Prevention Sections

The ISSA’s Special Commission on Prevention and members of its International Sections actively contributed to the Congress programme, sharing expertise in diverse areas of prevention and occupational safety and health. The Secretary General participated in a special session of the ISSA’s International Section for a Culture of Prevention, which aims to provide a platform for cooperation to exchange knowledge and good practices to enhance a worldwide prevention culture, and is hosted by the Korean Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA). The International Section coordinates the process in support of the Seoul Declaration on Safety and Health at Work, which was adopted in 2008.

Strengthened ISSA-ICOH collaboration

Founded in 1906, the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH) is the world’s leading international scientific society in the field of occupational health. The triennial International Congresses on Occupational Health involves specialists from a range of health-related disciplines, including ergonomics, industrial hygiene, safety, occupational medicine, occupational health and occupational psychology. The ISSA has a Memorandum of Understanding with the ICOH since 2008 to promote collaboration in the field of prevention.