As we approach the end of the year, it is a fitting time to reflect on PEROSH’s recent accomplishments and the moments that have shaped our collective progress. We hope this season brings tranquility and a renewed focus for the year ahead. We extend our sincere wishes for health, success, and continued professional growth to you and your families. With the New Year approaching, let’s remain committed to seizing the opportunities it presents with a clear and determined mindset.
Here are some highlights of achievements from the last year at PEROSH:
This year, we welcomed ELINYAE, the Greek institute, as a new member of PEROSH. ELINYAE is the main institution for research, information, consultation, support, and training in occupational safety and health (OSH) in Greece. Their membership brings added value to PEROSH, and we look forward to a fruitful cooperation.
Successful Joint Activities: In 2024, PEROSH organized several joint research projects and information-sharing workshops that highlighted our commitment to collaboration and knowledge exchange.
One of the key joint research projects, amongst many others, was the ALMA-AI project. This project, titled “ALgorithmic MAnagement & Artificial Intelligence-based systems: OSH implications at the workplaces,” aimed to understand the occupational safety and health (OSH) implications of AI-based systems, especially those used for algorithmic management. The project involves a scoping review of literature and a statistical analysis of existing surveys to identify risks and opportunities associated with AI in the workplace.
The FUTURES2 project is another important initiative within PEROSH, titled “Forecast and priority setting in OSH.” Coordinated by INAIL, the project aims to identify and prioritize emerging occupational safety and health (OSH) risks and opportunities through a Delphi survey involving researchers from various institutes. The project focuses on multidisciplinary expertise in topics such as biological and chemical risks, digital and green transition, climate change, ergonomics, psychosocial risks, and physical risks. The goal is to gather insights from a diverse group of researchers to inform future OSH strategies and policies.
Another project idea focused on the Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. This project involves collecting and analyzing country-specific reports on the measures taken during the pandemic, their effects on working conditions and health, and recommendations for future crises. The project aims to publish its findings in a scientific article and make the reports available on the PEROSH website.
During the Scientific Steering Group (SSG) meetings, several new project ideas were discussed. One notable idea was a project proposed by BAuA, titled “Exploratory analysis of working conditions and technology use in European Labour Inspectorates,” aims to gain a comprehensive understanding of the working conditions and technologies used in European Labour Inspectorates. The project involves developing a shared questionnaire on working conditions and technology use, conducting a survey among Labour Inspectors in their respective national languages, and analyzing the gathered data. The project will also include joint analyses and comparisons of the data to explore the use, limits, and future possibilities of digital technologies within Labour Inspectorates. This new project was approved and will start in 2025.
Two further projects are in their final stages; MAT, the revision of the previous German “Prevention for injury at work – index” and ICHSS-HS, a comparison of sampling strategies across Europe. All these projects are examples of successful collaboration initiatives across the PEROSH-network in 2024.
In terms of information-sharing workshops, we organized the PEROSH information-sharing workshop on interactive (service) work in Berlin on January 18th and 19th, 2024. The workshop included presentations from various PEROSH members. The discussions focused on the importance of interactive work as an interdisciplinary research topic, methods and approaches to study interactive work, and potential funding opportunities and collaborations.
We also organized the EPHOR-PEROSH workshops on October 30th and 31st, 2024. These workshops, led by FIOH, focused on evaluating two tools developed in the EPHOR EU-project: one on working life expectancy and another on health impact assessment. The workshops were valuable for gathering stakeholder feedback and improving the tools.
Another significant workshop was the PEROSH workshop on improved European ergonomic risk assessments, held on September the 26th and 27th 2024, in Oslo, Norway. This workshop brought together 22 experts from various prestigious institutions across Europe to collaborate on standardizing technical risk assessments and health outcome measures. The goal was to develop a reference database to enhance the benchmarking of ergonomic exposure measurements across Europe.
We also had the Prolonging Working Life Conference organized by TNO in Leiden, The Netherlands, on October 24th and 25th, 2024. This hybrid conference focused on various topics related to prolonging working life, including hybrid work, ergonomic and psychosocial work factors, senior policies, skills development, and new technologies. The conference provided a platform for experts to exchange knowledge and discuss strategies to support elderly workers in the labor market.
Other activities to be mentioned are the ongoing PEROSH collaborative networks “The Asbestos Platform” contributing to the development of guidelines for asbestos exposure, “Wellbeing at Work” being revised and lead by HSE, the “EPOS – European PEROSH Platform for Occupational Optical Radiation Safety” focusing on workers’ exposure to optical radiation and related safety measures, and the planning of the 11th AIRMON Symposium on Modern Principles of Air Monitoring and Biomonitoring conference in Norway June 2025.
These projects and workshops are examples of PEROSH activities and reflect our ongoing efforts to foster collaboration and innovation within the PEROSH network.
Innovative Summer School Format: The introduction of the new PEROSH Summer School format, which will rotate among PEROSH members every second year, is a notable achievement. The first Summer School, organized by BAuA in Berlin in 2025, will focus on psychosocial risks, mental health, and well-being at work. This initiative will provide valuable learning opportunities for our members.
Engaging Webinars and Workshops: Our webinars and workshops have seen great participation, with a notable example being the Webinar on Artificial Intelligence Insights on December 13th, 2024, which attracted more than 400 registrations and 120 actual attendants. These events have provided valuable knowledge and networking opportunities for our members.
Lastly, we held the PEROSH Webinar Young researchers (PhD) on May 17th, 2024. This engaging webinar featured presentations from promising young researchers in the field of occupational safety and health. The event included insightful talks by Stavros Kyriakidis on low back pain among eldercare workers, Julia Linke on the development and analysis of reference material for non-volatile PAHs, and Martin Westhoven on the potentials of artificial intelligence for occupational safety risk analysis.
At the ICOH 2024 conference, held from April 28th to May 3rd, 2024, in Marrakesh, PEROSH hosted a special session that showcased the latest research and developments in occupational safety and health. The session featured presentations from esteemed researchers, including Nader Ahmadi (SAWEE), Steffen Bohni (NFA), Therese Hanvold (STAMI), and Noortje Wiezer (TNO). Topics covered ranged from approaches on mental health in The Netherlands to the Norwegian surveillance system for work environment and occupational health. The session was well-received, providing valuable insights and fostering discussions among attendees.
Additionally, PEROSH presented the results of a comprehensive mapping exercise of the PEROSH network. This exercise aimed to map out the research activities and collaborations within the network. The findings highlighted the strengths and areas for improvement, providing a clear picture of the current state of occupational safety and health research across Europe. The mapping exercise also included an analysis of the scientific output, which provided valuable data on the number of articles, reports, and book chapters produced by PEROSH researchers.
On November 13th and 14th, 2024, INRS organized in collaboration with PEROSH the FOSH conference in Paris, bringing together over 140 participants from 20 nationalities to discuss foresight in occupational safety and health (OSH). The conference featured presentations and round table discussions on foresight methodologies, the integration of foresight into research strategies, and the importance of global exchange. Key stakeholders, including Business Europe, ETUI, ILO, EUROFOUND, and EU-OSHA, participated in the event, highlighting the urgency of continuing foresight exercises and feeding the results into policies. The conference provided a valuable platform for sharing knowledge and best practices in OSH foresight.
Change in the Composition of the PEROSH Executive Committee: This year, we saw a significant change in the composition of the Executive Committee. The new members have brought fresh perspectives and ideas, contributing to the dynamic and effective leadership of PEROSH.
As Louis Laurent (INRS) steps down as Chair of PEROSH, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude for his leadership and dedication. His guidance has significantly contributed to our growth and success. As we step into the new year, we welcome Steffen Bohni (NFA) and Armin Windel (BAuA) to the Executive Committee. Their expertise and leadership will be invaluable to our community. We are also pleased to announce that Margrethe Schøning (STAMI) will continue her second term as Chair of the Scientific Steering Group (SSG). Her dedication and leadership have been instrumental in our success.
Transition of PEROSH secretariat: In 2024, PEROSH underwent a significant transition as the secretariat moved from the Netherlands to France. This change marks a new chapter for our organization, with the secretariat now hosted by INRS in Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy. The transition was carefully planned to ensure continuity and smooth operations, with both TNO and INRS collaborating closely to facilitate the handover. We are confident that this move will bring fresh perspectives and opportunities for PEROSH, and we look forward to continuing our mission of advancing occupational safety and health research under the new leadership.
We are excited to announce the upcoming PEROSH 6th Research Conference in Manchester, United Kingdom, scheduled for September 4th and 5th, 2025. Organized by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in collaboration with the PEROSH secretariat, this conference will bring together leading experts and researchers in occupational safety and health (OSH) from across Europe. The conference will feature a diverse program of presentations, workshops, and networking opportunities, focusing on the latest advancements and research in OSH. We look forward to the contributions to make this event a resounding success.
Together, we will continue to strive for excellence in occupational safety and health research. Let’s make this year another successful and productive one. Happy New Year to all!
December 2024
PEROSH Executive Board
