Publication
General information on the project
Taking into account the Europe 2020 Strategy and the Horizon 2020 Programme, EU OSHA developed the report “Priorities for occupational safety and health research in Europe 2013-2020“, an update of the working paper ‘Priorities for occupational safety and health research in the EU-25’ (EU-OSHA, 2005), with the aim of identifying the priorities for OSH research in the coming years.
One of the key issues on which the report is based on, is that OSH research has a key role in ensuring safety, health and well-being at workplaces. Research can provide arguments and scientific evidence upon which efficient and sustainable policies and prevention measures have to be based and can also deliver the evidence base for the development of practical methods and tools to be applied at the company level.
The report is structured around the following 4 major themes
1. Demographic change – sustainable work for healthier and longer working lives.
2. Globalization and the changing world of work – OSH research contribution to sustainable and inclusive growth.
3. OSH research for safe new technologies as a prerequisite for sustainable growth.
4. Research into new or increasing occupational exposures for the benefit of a smart and sustainable economy.
The key question is how to translate into a practical research agenda the research themes included in the 4 macro areas identified by the EU-OSHA report, in view of integrating OSH as a key contributor to the sustainable development and innovation.
Considering the central role of research on the one hand, and the key role that the PEROSH network can achieve in the frame of European research on the other, it is of utmost importance to strengthen the Network’s capacity of forecasting future research priorities and to be prepared to propose valuable research projects or to apply to specific research calls, in order to contribute to the achievement of the goals set by the Europe 2020 strategy.
The overall objective of the project is to provide a shared knowledge framework in order to define appropriate and reliable forecasting scenarios related to the 4 abovementioned priority areas and, consequently, to influence the European research agenda within the Horizon 2020 Programme.
Sergio Iavicoli, INAIL
s.iavicoli@inail.it
