Ann. occup. Hyg . Vol. 36, No. 6, pp. 669-674, 1992 Printed ID Great Britain.
00G3-4S78/92 S5.00+0.00 Pcrgamon Prew Ud British Occupational Hygiene Society
SHORT COMMUNICATION EUROPEAN INITIATIVES AND THE OCCUPATIONAL HYGIENE PROFESSION*
(Received in final form 7 July 1992) Abstract—This paper summarizes the development of occupational hygiene in Europe where the recognition of this profession is still not adequate especially at the political and governmental level. The role of international organizations or associations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Occupational Hygiene Association (IOHA) is emphasized and illustrated by a few examples. Although not promoting the occupational hygiene profession as such, the European Community is playing a significant role in the development of this discipline by its active policy in the field of health and safety at work. The other relevant actors in this respect are the International Labour Office (ILO) and the dynamic and proficient national societies such as the Italian Association of Industrial Hygjenists and the British Occupational Hygiene Society. A few of the most relevant challenges in the development of this indispensable discipline are finally presented. One of the highest priorities is training and education since a profession cannot evolve and continue to grow without fresh blood.
INTRODUCTION
THE objective of this paper is to present recent developments in the occupational hygiene profession by emphasizing the role of international organizations. This overview is not intended to be comprehensive and unbiased since it is based only on the author's experience in Switzerland and as Past President of the International Occupational Hygiene Association (IOHA). It will also be limited to European countries with a national occupational hygiene society and to a few important international organizations. Eastern Europe is focusing on environmental problems and no national occupational hygiene has been identified in these countries.
DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROFESSION HALE et al. (1986) published a paper entitled "The Development of Occupational Hygiene and the Training of Health Professionals" which is still relevant. They compared the health and safety professions to biological species competing against each other to survive in a hostile environment. This comparison is especially accurate
*Summary of a presentation at the annual BOHS Conference and Exhibition in Edinburgh, 6-10 April 1992. 669
Downloaded from http://annhyg.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Birmingham on August 29, 2015
M . P . GUILLEMIN Institute of Occupational Health Sciences, Rue du Bugnon 19, CH-1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
670
Short Communication
BIRTH AND GROWTH OF IOHA
Under the joint patronage of the Commission of the European Community, the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Commission on Occupational Health and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) an international conference and workshop was held in 1986 in Luxemburg on "Education and Training in Occupational Hygiene". This was the first international meeting of this stature dedicated to occupational hygiene (ACGIH, 1988). At this conference the idea of an international association to promote occupational hygiene was born, and the IOHA was created the next year in Montreal (Fig. 1). IOHA is a federation of national societies. At present, the 18 national societies which participate represent 20000 members from 16 countries spread over four continents: as a result of IOHA efforts three new national societies were founded, in Belgium, Germany and France; an exchange of information has started through an IOHA Newletter; a code of ethics has been elaborated and will soon be issued; the first IOHA international conference will be held in Brussels in December 1992; and several other projects are in progress with the objective to stimulate collaboration between occupational hygienists of different countries. The 12 European countries represented in the IOHA constitute a solid platform with the potential to harmonize strategies and politics at the European level. The IOHA therefore is truly responsive to the demands of the European Community. There has been active collaboration with the WHO from the outset, in order to obtain international recognition of the occupational hygiene profession and to promote the support of developing countries by developed countries in this field. The IOHA is a young association whose future depends on the enthusiasm of its Board Members and on the support of the national societies.
Downloaded from http://annhyg.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Birmingham on August 29, 2015
because the health and safety fields have such an overlapping and multidisciplinary character. HALE et al. (1986) also state that, in order to retain an occupational niche, health and safety professions compete for control of the knowledge base. Furthermore, in order to survive, the biological species, or professions, must also adapt to constantly changing environments. Occupational hygienists, for example, in an effort to retain their niche, which is the exposure assessment of occupational hazards, must adapt to meet the needs of industries which are continually evolving through technological developments. Although occupational hygiene is still not adequately recognized at the political and governmental levels in Europe, the situation has greatly improved at the corporate level. The survival and development of this discipline is now assured because it has been recognized as the appropriate science to manage long-term occupational risks. Occupational hygiene has historically been considered quite differently in the different European countries, either included in occupational medicine, in safety, or even in the environmental protection field. Now the identity crisis is over and, since the creation of IOHA in 1987, an international consensus on the definition, the scope and the objective of this profession is rapidly spreading out to all the European countries.
Short Communication
671
ROLE OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
Both at the worldwide level through its general headquarters in Geneva and at the European level through its regional office for Europe in Copenhagen, the WHO is playing a significant role in the development of occupational hygiene. From Geneva a series of activities has been carried out through a network of collaborating centres and through meetings of experts. Useful documents on gases and vapours, dust, heat stress, etc., have been issued as well as documents published in collaboration with other organizations such as the ILO. In Copenhagen an effort has been made to improve the exchange of information between and within countries through a network of occupational hygiene centres which should soon be set in place. Priority has been given to education and training in occupational hygiene, and with this in mind a joint WHO-IOHA meeting of experts (also attended by a representative of the CEC and of the ILO) was organized in July 1991 in Geneva to define the education at university level required for an occupational hygienist. The result of this consultation will be issued in a document outlined in Table 1. This represents a very important step towards the recognition of the occupational hygiene profession. There was some controversy about the way training should be done. The solution adopted represents a long-term target with the objective to parallel the occupational physician education. In fact, there is no conflict with other forms of training and education (such as modular training) as long as the scope and objective of the profession fit in with the general consensus and are comparable to the standards required for other academic professions. A good example of successful professional recognition (occupational niche) in the field of health and safety is that of ergonomics. The International Ergonomy Association (ROOKMAAKER et al., 1991) recently agreed on an educational programme
Downloaded from http://annhyg.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Birmingham on August 29, 2015
FIG. 1. The International Occupational Hygiene Association (IOHA). On each continent the number of countries with societies is indicated in parentheses.
672
Short Communication TABLE 1. OUTLINE OF THE DOCUMENT ENTITLED "THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE OCCUPATIONAL HYGIENIST IN EUROPE" WHO-IOHA MEETING, JULY 1991
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Introduction Importance of Occupational Hygiene Emerging Issues and Trends Role and Function of the Occupational Hygienist Areas of Knowledge Approaches to Training Accreditation and Certification Conclusions and Recommendations
OTHER ACTORS
The indirect role of the European Community (EC) in promoting occupational hygiene is of utmost importance and is being carried out through 'Directives' which describe what has to be done to detect, evaluate and control hazards at the workplace. In other words they simply require that the principles of occupational hygiene be applied in the working environment without designating the experts by their specific names (i.e. the occupational hygienists). For example it is stated in the directives related to health and safety at work, that "measurements and assessments must be competently planned and carried out". This is a requirement of professionalism, in other words an implict recognition of occupational hygiene. In Switzerland the effort to adapt laws to the European framework signifies a drastic and fundamental change. The implications for standardization, certification and accreditation are very important. Health and safety at the workplace are two of the priorities of the EC. Two examples illustrate this: (1) the European year of safety, hygiene and health protection at work from March 1992 to February 1993. During this year, European countries will take action to promote the prevention of accidents and of diseases originating in the workplace; and (2) the creation of a European Agency for Health and Safety at Work in 1992. This agency will strengthen the role of the EC in developing harmonized politics, actions and standards in this field. The importance of the conventions of the ILO, which have played and are still playing a very significant role, but whose impact on national legislations has not always been successful must not be underestimated. These conventions specify the minimum requirements either to control specific hazards (such as asbestos) or general hazards (such as the carcinogens), or to develop the necessary structure or 'preventive tools' (occupational health services for instance). They are usually adopted by many countries in the world. National societies have also been very active in the international efforts to harmonize methods, to contribute to the dissemination of scientific and technical knowledge, and to assist developing countries. Here are a few examples: —The Italian Association of Industrial Hygienists organized in November 1990 a
Downloaded from http://annhyg.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Birmingham on August 29, 2015
which probably will be accepted at the European level and give newly trained ergonomists the title of European Ergonomists.
Short Communication
673
CHALLENGES
Table 2 summarizes a few of the most relevant challenges in the development of occupational hygiene. TABLE 2. CHALLENGES
—Better recognition of occupational hygiene in all the countries. —Harmonization in training and education. —Better integration of occupational hygiene in the environmental protection: waste management; effluents in air, water and soil; assessment of environmental impacts of new technologies; prevention of major accidents. —Adaptation to changes: new technologies (biotechnology, robotics, new materials); new strategies and approaches; management by objectives. —Increasing the synergism of the multidisciplinary approach. —Promotion of the Occupational Health Team (OHT): better integration of occupational hygiene in the OHT; improving the collaboration with occupational medicine.
Occupational hygiene and occupational medicine are quite different disciplines but with similar objectives and similar structures. Their development should be parallel as well as their level of training and education. The necessary collaboration between them cannot be efficient and harmonious if it is not balanced and placed at the same level of competence and authority. Our knowledge about long-term occupational risks is extremely limited and the main challenge for the future is to fill the huge gaps in our knowledge (for example, the effect of mixtures of substances or the assessment of exposure in epidemiological studies). In order to meet this challenge occupational hygienists and other specialists have to be educated and trained so that an adequate work-force is available to carry out the necessary studies. There is a real need for the development of occupational hygiene at national and international levels to improve the health of the working population and to contribute to environmental protection for the benefit of all the world's people.
Downloaded from http://annhyg.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Birmingham on August 29, 2015
European Industrial Hygiene Conference in Milan on the theme "Strategies in Industrial Hygiene and Environmental Protection". The purpose of the conference was to collect and compare European experience concerning methodologies for evaluation and control of workplace and environmental quality as a first step towards a unified strategy for Europe. —Through its yearly international conference and exhibition, and through its participation in the IOHA as official secretariat, the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) is playing an important role in the development of this discipline in Europe and elsewhere. —The American Industrial Hygiene Association has its European Chapter in Germany which is also serving the same cause.
674
Short Communication REFERENCES
ACGIH (1988) Training and Education in Occupational Hygiene: An International Perspective (Edited by CORN, M. W. and CORN, J. K.). Ann. Am. Conf. Govern. Ind. Hyg. 15, 1-193. American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, Cincinnati, Ohio. HALE, A R., PINEY, M. and ALESBURY, R. J. (1986) The development of occupational hygiene and the training of health and safety professionals. Ann. occup. Hyg. 30, 1-18. ROOKMAAKER, D. P., HURTS, C. M. M., CORLETT, E. N., QUEINNEC, Y. and SCHWIER, W. (1991) Proposals
and Recommendations from the Working group 'Harmonizing European Training Programmes for the Ergonomics Profession'. International Ergonomy Association, Santa Monica, California.
Downloaded from http://annhyg.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Birmingham on August 29, 2015
00G3-4S78/92 S5.00+0.00 Pcrgamon Prew Ud British Occupational Hygiene Society
SHORT COMMUNICATION EUROPEAN INITIATIVES AND THE OCCUPATIONAL HYGIENE PROFESSION*
(Received in final form 7 July 1992) Abstract—This paper summarizes the development of occupational hygiene in Europe where the recognition of this profession is still not adequate especially at the political and governmental level. The role of international organizations or associations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Occupational Hygiene Association (IOHA) is emphasized and illustrated by a few examples. Although not promoting the occupational hygiene profession as such, the European Community is playing a significant role in the development of this discipline by its active policy in the field of health and safety at work. The other relevant actors in this respect are the International Labour Office (ILO) and the dynamic and proficient national societies such as the Italian Association of Industrial Hygjenists and the British Occupational Hygiene Society. A few of the most relevant challenges in the development of this indispensable discipline are finally presented. One of the highest priorities is training and education since a profession cannot evolve and continue to grow without fresh blood.
INTRODUCTION
THE objective of this paper is to present recent developments in the occupational hygiene profession by emphasizing the role of international organizations. This overview is not intended to be comprehensive and unbiased since it is based only on the author's experience in Switzerland and as Past President of the International Occupational Hygiene Association (IOHA). It will also be limited to European countries with a national occupational hygiene society and to a few important international organizations. Eastern Europe is focusing on environmental problems and no national occupational hygiene has been identified in these countries.
DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROFESSION HALE et al. (1986) published a paper entitled "The Development of Occupational Hygiene and the Training of Health Professionals" which is still relevant. They compared the health and safety professions to biological species competing against each other to survive in a hostile environment. This comparison is especially accurate
*Summary of a presentation at the annual BOHS Conference and Exhibition in Edinburgh, 6-10 April 1992. 669
Downloaded from http://annhyg.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Birmingham on August 29, 2015
M . P . GUILLEMIN Institute of Occupational Health Sciences, Rue du Bugnon 19, CH-1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
670
Short Communication
BIRTH AND GROWTH OF IOHA
Under the joint patronage of the Commission of the European Community, the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Commission on Occupational Health and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) an international conference and workshop was held in 1986 in Luxemburg on "Education and Training in Occupational Hygiene". This was the first international meeting of this stature dedicated to occupational hygiene (ACGIH, 1988). At this conference the idea of an international association to promote occupational hygiene was born, and the IOHA was created the next year in Montreal (Fig. 1). IOHA is a federation of national societies. At present, the 18 national societies which participate represent 20000 members from 16 countries spread over four continents: as a result of IOHA efforts three new national societies were founded, in Belgium, Germany and France; an exchange of information has started through an IOHA Newletter; a code of ethics has been elaborated and will soon be issued; the first IOHA international conference will be held in Brussels in December 1992; and several other projects are in progress with the objective to stimulate collaboration between occupational hygienists of different countries. The 12 European countries represented in the IOHA constitute a solid platform with the potential to harmonize strategies and politics at the European level. The IOHA therefore is truly responsive to the demands of the European Community. There has been active collaboration with the WHO from the outset, in order to obtain international recognition of the occupational hygiene profession and to promote the support of developing countries by developed countries in this field. The IOHA is a young association whose future depends on the enthusiasm of its Board Members and on the support of the national societies.
Downloaded from http://annhyg.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Birmingham on August 29, 2015
because the health and safety fields have such an overlapping and multidisciplinary character. HALE et al. (1986) also state that, in order to retain an occupational niche, health and safety professions compete for control of the knowledge base. Furthermore, in order to survive, the biological species, or professions, must also adapt to constantly changing environments. Occupational hygienists, for example, in an effort to retain their niche, which is the exposure assessment of occupational hazards, must adapt to meet the needs of industries which are continually evolving through technological developments. Although occupational hygiene is still not adequately recognized at the political and governmental levels in Europe, the situation has greatly improved at the corporate level. The survival and development of this discipline is now assured because it has been recognized as the appropriate science to manage long-term occupational risks. Occupational hygiene has historically been considered quite differently in the different European countries, either included in occupational medicine, in safety, or even in the environmental protection field. Now the identity crisis is over and, since the creation of IOHA in 1987, an international consensus on the definition, the scope and the objective of this profession is rapidly spreading out to all the European countries.
Short Communication
671
ROLE OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
Both at the worldwide level through its general headquarters in Geneva and at the European level through its regional office for Europe in Copenhagen, the WHO is playing a significant role in the development of occupational hygiene. From Geneva a series of activities has been carried out through a network of collaborating centres and through meetings of experts. Useful documents on gases and vapours, dust, heat stress, etc., have been issued as well as documents published in collaboration with other organizations such as the ILO. In Copenhagen an effort has been made to improve the exchange of information between and within countries through a network of occupational hygiene centres which should soon be set in place. Priority has been given to education and training in occupational hygiene, and with this in mind a joint WHO-IOHA meeting of experts (also attended by a representative of the CEC and of the ILO) was organized in July 1991 in Geneva to define the education at university level required for an occupational hygienist. The result of this consultation will be issued in a document outlined in Table 1. This represents a very important step towards the recognition of the occupational hygiene profession. There was some controversy about the way training should be done. The solution adopted represents a long-term target with the objective to parallel the occupational physician education. In fact, there is no conflict with other forms of training and education (such as modular training) as long as the scope and objective of the profession fit in with the general consensus and are comparable to the standards required for other academic professions. A good example of successful professional recognition (occupational niche) in the field of health and safety is that of ergonomics. The International Ergonomy Association (ROOKMAAKER et al., 1991) recently agreed on an educational programme
Downloaded from http://annhyg.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Birmingham on August 29, 2015
FIG. 1. The International Occupational Hygiene Association (IOHA). On each continent the number of countries with societies is indicated in parentheses.
672
Short Communication TABLE 1. OUTLINE OF THE DOCUMENT ENTITLED "THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE OCCUPATIONAL HYGIENIST IN EUROPE" WHO-IOHA MEETING, JULY 1991
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Introduction Importance of Occupational Hygiene Emerging Issues and Trends Role and Function of the Occupational Hygienist Areas of Knowledge Approaches to Training Accreditation and Certification Conclusions and Recommendations
OTHER ACTORS
The indirect role of the European Community (EC) in promoting occupational hygiene is of utmost importance and is being carried out through 'Directives' which describe what has to be done to detect, evaluate and control hazards at the workplace. In other words they simply require that the principles of occupational hygiene be applied in the working environment without designating the experts by their specific names (i.e. the occupational hygienists). For example it is stated in the directives related to health and safety at work, that "measurements and assessments must be competently planned and carried out". This is a requirement of professionalism, in other words an implict recognition of occupational hygiene. In Switzerland the effort to adapt laws to the European framework signifies a drastic and fundamental change. The implications for standardization, certification and accreditation are very important. Health and safety at the workplace are two of the priorities of the EC. Two examples illustrate this: (1) the European year of safety, hygiene and health protection at work from March 1992 to February 1993. During this year, European countries will take action to promote the prevention of accidents and of diseases originating in the workplace; and (2) the creation of a European Agency for Health and Safety at Work in 1992. This agency will strengthen the role of the EC in developing harmonized politics, actions and standards in this field. The importance of the conventions of the ILO, which have played and are still playing a very significant role, but whose impact on national legislations has not always been successful must not be underestimated. These conventions specify the minimum requirements either to control specific hazards (such as asbestos) or general hazards (such as the carcinogens), or to develop the necessary structure or 'preventive tools' (occupational health services for instance). They are usually adopted by many countries in the world. National societies have also been very active in the international efforts to harmonize methods, to contribute to the dissemination of scientific and technical knowledge, and to assist developing countries. Here are a few examples: —The Italian Association of Industrial Hygienists organized in November 1990 a
Downloaded from http://annhyg.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Birmingham on August 29, 2015
which probably will be accepted at the European level and give newly trained ergonomists the title of European Ergonomists.
Short Communication
673
CHALLENGES
Table 2 summarizes a few of the most relevant challenges in the development of occupational hygiene. TABLE 2. CHALLENGES
—Better recognition of occupational hygiene in all the countries. —Harmonization in training and education. —Better integration of occupational hygiene in the environmental protection: waste management; effluents in air, water and soil; assessment of environmental impacts of new technologies; prevention of major accidents. —Adaptation to changes: new technologies (biotechnology, robotics, new materials); new strategies and approaches; management by objectives. —Increasing the synergism of the multidisciplinary approach. —Promotion of the Occupational Health Team (OHT): better integration of occupational hygiene in the OHT; improving the collaboration with occupational medicine.
Occupational hygiene and occupational medicine are quite different disciplines but with similar objectives and similar structures. Their development should be parallel as well as their level of training and education. The necessary collaboration between them cannot be efficient and harmonious if it is not balanced and placed at the same level of competence and authority. Our knowledge about long-term occupational risks is extremely limited and the main challenge for the future is to fill the huge gaps in our knowledge (for example, the effect of mixtures of substances or the assessment of exposure in epidemiological studies). In order to meet this challenge occupational hygienists and other specialists have to be educated and trained so that an adequate work-force is available to carry out the necessary studies. There is a real need for the development of occupational hygiene at national and international levels to improve the health of the working population and to contribute to environmental protection for the benefit of all the world's people.
Downloaded from http://annhyg.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Birmingham on August 29, 2015
European Industrial Hygiene Conference in Milan on the theme "Strategies in Industrial Hygiene and Environmental Protection". The purpose of the conference was to collect and compare European experience concerning methodologies for evaluation and control of workplace and environmental quality as a first step towards a unified strategy for Europe. —Through its yearly international conference and exhibition, and through its participation in the IOHA as official secretariat, the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) is playing an important role in the development of this discipline in Europe and elsewhere. —The American Industrial Hygiene Association has its European Chapter in Germany which is also serving the same cause.
674
Short Communication REFERENCES
ACGIH (1988) Training and Education in Occupational Hygiene: An International Perspective (Edited by CORN, M. W. and CORN, J. K.). Ann. Am. Conf. Govern. Ind. Hyg. 15, 1-193. American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, Cincinnati, Ohio. HALE, A R., PINEY, M. and ALESBURY, R. J. (1986) The development of occupational hygiene and the training of health and safety professionals. Ann. occup. Hyg. 30, 1-18. ROOKMAAKER, D. P., HURTS, C. M. M., CORLETT, E. N., QUEINNEC, Y. and SCHWIER, W. (1991) Proposals
and Recommendations from the Working group 'Harmonizing European Training Programmes for the Ergonomics Profession'. International Ergonomy Association, Santa Monica, California.
Downloaded from http://annhyg.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Birmingham on August 29, 2015
