This is my last introduction to our Newsletter. My second term as the chairman of PEROSH will come to an end this year. As of 1st of January 2019, Inger Schaumburg, the Director General of the Danish National Research Centre for the Working Environment, will be PEROSH’s new chair for the coming two years. I welcome her and Georg Effenberger from Austria, the head of AUVA’s department for the prevention of accidents and occupational diseases, who will act as the new vice-chair of PEROSH.
We celebrated our 15th anniversary in Bonn last year in June. The members signed a new Statute on collaboration for the coming 5 years. Moreover, PEROSH has agreed on a new strategy for the coming years. Our joint efforts will be more focused to realize our mission: ‘PEROSH creates and exchanges new knowledge and practice on occupational safety and health (OSH) and makes it accessible to policy makers, workplaces and other stakeholders in Europe.’
In doing so, we contribute to our vision: ‘Policy makers, workplaces and other stakeholders across Europe are inspired by and use knowledge generated by PEROSH in their efforts to develop innovative and sustainable workplaces which are healthy and safe. PEROSH seeks impact and adds value through the exchange of knowledge and good practices across Europe to the benefit of all.’
In doing so, we contribute to our vision: ‘Policy makers and workplaces across Europe are inspired by and use knowledge generated by PEROSH in their efforts to develop innovative and sustainable workplaces which are healthy and safe. PEROSH adds value through the exchange of knowledge and good practices across Europe to the benefit of all.’
We have approved recently four new research projects which brings the total of ongoing PEROSH joint research projects at 10 this year. The project coordinators of these new projects introduce themselves in this newsletter. Meanwhile PEROSH has produced a considerable number of articles, technical reports, overviews, tools and scientific posters and/or abstracts. Recently, one of our articles achieved an award of best paper on ergonomics. More information on this, you will find also in this newsletter. To find more easily all these PEROSH products, we have set up a repository on the PEROSH website. Through several search filters, all PEROSH output can be found there. Please have a look.
Let me end with this quote from Zora Neale Hurston (January 7, 1891– January 28, 1960), an influential US author of African-American literature and anthropologist.
“Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.”
PEROSH’s purpose and one of the core activities of our group is to provide the evidence base that informs and underpins decisions by national and European policymakers on safe and healthy working lives.
Dietmar Reinert
PEROSH CHAIRMAN
