Established on June 1st 2018, the Swedish Agency for Work Environment Expertise (SAWEE) is a government agency under the Ministry of Labor and Employment. We spread knowledge to those who will realize tomorrow’s good work environment, follow the developments and make policy evaluations. Ultimately, we take the work for a better working environment into the future.
SAWEE disseminates knowledge of what constitutes a good work environment and how that correlates with employee-health, company productivity, profitability and attractive workplaces. Our primary task is to serve as a coordinating function that collects, compiles, and communicates work environment knowledge so that it will be easier to assimilate and apply in practice. Another important part of our mission is to look ahead and compile knowledge of the working life and work environment of tomorrow.
We are the only national knowledge center for work environment in Sweden. Regularly, the agency is assigned, via the government’s letters of appropriation, commissions that must be completed within a set period and then reported to the government.
Our mission
- Collect, compile and spread research based knowledge about the working environment in order to make knowledge more accessible and practically useful.
- Evaluate and analyze effects of implemented reforms and government initiatives.
- Follow and encourage knowledge building in the European Union (EU) and internationally and support the Swedish government in international work environment work.
- Follow and encourage development of occupational health care.
- Identify and address knowledge gaps and development areas.
A scientific council, consisting of researchers in a variety of disciplines working at different universities, provides advice and suggestions for quality assurance of the agency’s knowledge compilations, evaluation reports and other activities.
The agency was appointed by the government to be the Swedish Focal Point in relation to EU-OSHA in April 2019 and also represents Swedish research institutions at the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Working Environment Committee.
On an annual basis, the agency contracts a large number of researchers from different Swedish universities and research institutes to participate in research projects commended by, or on behalf of, the agency.