Margrethe Schøning’s (STAMI) tenure as Chair of the PEROSH Scientific Steering Group has been extended, reflecting her steady leadership and the progress achieved under her guidance. Her continued chairmanship is anticipated to further enhance the collaboration between the 15 occupational health and safety institutes in the PEROSH network. Schøning’s commitment to advancing scientific knowledge and her ability to foster effective partnerships have played a key role in addressing important occupational health and safety issues across Europe. Her ongoing role will help ensure the continued impact and development of PEROSH’s initiatives.
The following is a brief interview with her, where she shares her insights and experiences on various topics. We delve into her background, career achievements, and future aspirations. Margrethe is also Department Director Corporate Governance at STAMI the Norwegian OSH research institute and longtime member of PEROSH.
Could you tell us more about STAMI’s missions and research priorities in occupational risks? What are the specific features of the Norwegian working environment regarding health and safety?
STAMI focuses on improving working conditions by prioritizing topics based on prevention potential, scientific relevance, and the prevalence and severity of occupational diseases. Our goal is to ensure our work benefits stakeholders and workers across all sectors.
Research examines workplace exposures related to psychological, organizational factors, and physical, chemical, and biological agents. We aim to understand the connections between these determinants and exposures. Our approach is broad, reflecting the wide scope of occupational health and safety issues. The basis for the research is data collected directly from working life where STAMI has good relations and access. In addition, researchers have access to extensive data sets from national and Nordic registers and large cohorts, some managed by STAMI.
STAMI’s vision is of a working life that prevents illness, promotes good health, and generates value through the creation of sustainable working environments. Can you tell us more about what your institute is doing to achieve this?
This vision forms the foundation for all STAMI’s actions, including both research and other activities. Research supports the overall objective and complementary activities, such as monitoring occupational health issues, supporting authorities, education and dissemination of results. All activities are mutually reinforcing, with significant scientific, legislative, and societal impact.
STAMI has an academic impact due to its scientific contributions and a legislative impact as the results provide a knowledge platform for regulatory decisions. Equally important, the knowledge gained from STAMI assists companies, workers, and social partners in implementing preventive measures for occupational diseases and injuries, and in promoting overall occupational health.
Several collaborations are currently underway at the European level, notably as part of the PEROSH partnership, of which you are the chair of the scientific steering group. What is your assessment of the cooperation between researchers from the 15 institutes that make up this network over the past twenty years?
Cooperation between the 15 occupational health and safety institutes in the PEROSH network has become a key part of the European occupational health and safety landscape. The strength of PEROSH collaboration lies in the mutual sharing of scientific knowledge. There are other impacts too, including influencing various stakeholders in charge of European-level regulation. Recent examples include asbestos and optical radiation regulations. Another project example is the analysis of existing training courses on nanomaterials safety in Europe, completed in 2023, which provides valuable information for establishing such courses.
PEROSH also organizes workshops on a range of topics, focusing increasingly on emerging issues. For instance, the “ALMA-AI: Exploring the impact on OHS of algorithmic management and AI-based systems” project exemplifies this focus. In the organizational and psychosocial field, the “Well-being at Work” collaborative network has been successful for many years, with conferences held every two or three years across Europe.
Based on this overview, PEROSH significantly impacts occupational health and safety. As chair of the network’s scientific steering group, I note the positive interaction, high-quality scientific results, and increasing activity. INRS’s Director of Studies and Research, Louis Laurent, has played a central role in strengthening these links in recent years.
What do you see as the next challenges for research into occupational risk prevention at the European level?
Large-scale change factors such as technological development, climate change, green transitions, globalization, immigration, and population aging will influence everyone’s working lives, creating new knowledge needs. STAMI’s activities are linked to the needs of the working world and these changes. Existing challenges like chemical and/or biological exposures and issues related to the physical, psychosocial, and organizational work environment will persist. Addressing these challenges requires both comparative perspectives and cooperation with recognized research communities globally.
The National Institute for Occupational Health (STAMI) is Norway’s research institute for all aspects of the working environment. Reporting to the Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion, the institute provides occupational health knowledge and combines research, monitoring, consultancy, and training activities for the benefit of Norwegian working life. It employs 150 staff who contribute to 60 research programs each year.
Contact: postmottak@stami.no
Site: www.stami.no