GOHNET NEWSLETTER N 26

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1 IMPROVING WORKERS' HEALTH WORLDWIDE: Implementing the WHO Global Plan of Action on Workers' Health August 2017 GOHNET NEWSLETTER N 26 Inside this issue News from WHO News from WHO collaborating centres and partners Publications Upcoming events Useful WHO links Dear Reader, GOHNET is back! In this issue, we provide you with recent updates from the WHO Worker Health Team, international workshops and projects. We appreciate the special support of CDC NIOSH Global Programme in preparing this issue. We hope you enjoy your reading and we promise to maintain our efforts to deliver GOHNET to you more frequently. WHO Workers Health Team

2 News from WHO New members of the WHO Global Worker s Health Team Dr Frank PEGA, a citizen of Germany and New Zealand, holds a PhD in epidemiology and health economics, with a specialisation in interventions for healthy environments. He is a Technical Officer in the WHO Global Programme on Workers Health, where he is responsible for workers health metrics and monitoring, estimating burden of disease from occupational risk factors, and strengthening linkages between workers health and the social determinants of health, including a programme on the health of workers in the informal economy. Frank Pega Dr Shubhendu MUDGAL is from India and holds a MD with post-graduate specialization in occupational safety, health and development. He has served as Occupational Health and Safety Coordinator in WHO Country Ofdfice in Liberia during Ebola Response in and is now associated with the WHO as a consultant. His main tasks are developing tools and building capacities for occupational health and safety of health workers and responders in acute public health events and emergencies. Shubhendu Mudgal Ms Aubrey MUSNGI-ANOUAR is from the Philippines. She provides administrative assistance to Workers Health and other teams in the WHO Interventions for Healthy Environments Unit. Aubrey Musngi-Anuar The other members of the WHO Workers Health Team are: Dr Ivan D. Ivanov Team Leader and Dr Evelyn Kortum Technical Officer, who has resumed her full time functions on workers health after serving for 2 years as President of the WHO Staff Association Committee. 2

3 News from WHO (cont.) WHO Workshop on capacity building on occupational safety and health in outbreaks and public health emergencies in Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa To enhance capacities of many African countries in preparedness of their country health systems against occupational safety and health hazards and risks during emergencies and outbreaks, an inter-country workshop on occupational safety and health (OSH) in the preparedness and response to outbreaks and public health emergencies was organized in at Johannesburg, South Africa, from 14 to 16 June, The workshop was organized by World Health Organization with inputs from the International Labour Organization, and the WHO collaborating centres for Occupational Health at the National Institute of Occupational Health, South Africa, US National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and the University of Maryland. The overall purpose of the workshop was to enable high priority African countries to organize the protection of safety and health of emergency responders and health workers in the case of outbreaks and public health emergencies. The specific objectives of the workshop included: centres and research partners from Benin, South Africa, Tanzania and the United States, as well as WHO and ILO experts. The training sessions were conducted by experts from WHO, ILO and WHO collaborating centres on Occupational Health. The sessions were interactive and focussed on practical problems faced by African countries that were discussed during various training sessions. The sessions on the first two days covered OSH aspects such as the need for protection of health and emergency workers in emergencies and outbreaks, overview of OSH hazards and risks faced in health facilities and community during outbreaks and other emergencies, prevention and control strategies and actions etc. The third day of the workshop focussed on awareness creation among participants through HealthWISE, the training and capacity building tool on work improvement in healthcare facilities, developed jointly by WHO and ILO. to build countries capacities for integrating occupational safety and health in the preparedness and response to outbreaks and public health emergencies, and to strengthen the collaboration between national occupational health programs and the mechanisms for preparedness and response to train national public health officers in developing national programs for occupational safety and health of health workers and to implement tools for workplace improvement in healthcare facilities. The workshop was attended by national public health officers responsible for occupational safety and health and for outbreak response from 17 countries (Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Tanzania and Togo), WHO collaborating Submitted by: Shubhendu Mudgal Meeting facilitators from WHO: Adrienne Rashford, Nada Osseiran and Ivan Ivanov 3

4 News from WHO (cont.) Advancing the Regional CAREX project in Latina America and the Caribbean and the evidence on occupational cancer The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) is the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization. Its mission is to coordinate and conduct research on the causes of human cancer, the mechanisms of carcinogenesis, and to develop scientific strategies for cancer control. IARC s 50 th Anniversary Conference was held on June 7-10 in Lyon, France. The Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) presented on the advances of the Regional CAREX project. The project focuses on creating national occupational carcinogen exposure matrixes and surveillance systems in the region (objective #4, WHO Global Plan of Action on Workers Health [WHA 60.26]). A total of seven national CAREX projects from Latin America and the Caribbean were summarized in the poster presented by PAHO. Workplace exposures to cancercausing agents (solar radiation, diesel exhaust, tobacco smoke, silica, benzene, pesticides, asbestos, etc.) are pervasive in this region. This was the first time multi-country results showed how many workers are exposed, in which industry and at what levels. Using the CAREX methodology, data will allow PAHO to characterize exposed workers, inform the primary prevention of occupational cancer, and support specific initiatives like the WHO s global campaign to eliminate asbestos-related diseases. The project involves multiple government and academic organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean with the support of research and technical expertise from the Occupational Cancer Research Centre (OCRC), a WHO Collaborating Centre on Occupational and Environmental Cancer (CAN-89), and the CAREX Canada project. The OCRC had a strong presence at the IARC conference where Dr. Paul Demers and his team led or co-authored ten posters and four oral presentations, including their Summited by: Julietta Rodriguez, regional advisor on workers health, Pan-American Health Organization, WHO Regional Office for the Americas contributions for the poster presented with and by PAHO. Other presentations (clarify whose presentations) addressed key issues such as pesticide exposures and lymphatic and hematopoietic cancers, the burden of cancers attributable to occupational radon and solar ultraviolet radiation exposures, and case studies from CAREX Canada s knowledge translation programme on preventing occupational and environmental carcinogen exposures. These projects are relevant to implementing PAHO s regional Action Plan and WHO s Global Plan of Action on Workers Health. Julietta Rodríguez-Guzmán (L) Paul Demers (R) 4 4

5 News from WHO (cont.) The America s Action Plan on Workers Health PAHO s Workers Health Team/ Sustainable Development and Health Equity Special Program (SDE) published a progress report on the Regional Action Plan on Workers Health from This work led to update of the America s Action Plan on Workers Health plan taking into account the the challenges and changes in the world of work in the XXI Century, and their impact on workers health and productivity for the regional workforce. (cont) The plan aims to strengthen the health sector s response, in coordination with other stakeholder sectors, in order to provide comprehensive workers health services, improve work environments, increase efforts to promote workers health, and reduce health inequalities by implementing updated policies, plans, and regulations. To achieve this goal, Member States committed to strengthen their technical and institutional capacities; their initiatives to prevent and control the conditions that cause occupational injuries, diseases and deaths; and the promotion of health and wellbeing in the workforce. The leadership of the health authorities, in harmony and collaboration with the ministries of labor and other economic sectors, will make it possible to lay the groundwork health in all policies, close the inequality gaps in workers health, and improve universal access to health and universal health coverage for all workers. To address the issues highlighted in the situation analyses, the plan contains the following strategic lines of action to support member States, as appropriate, taking into account their context, needs, and priorities: Promote health, wellbeing and healthy work in the workplace (advocating for wellbeing and life quality for productive adults during their life course). Strengthening diagnostic capacity, information systems, epidemiological surveillance and research in the field of occupational diseases, injuries and deaths (trying to fill the data gap of our region). These lines of action have specific objectives and goals, all of which are in harmony with the global policies of WHO and ILO; and with the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 (particularly SDG-1, SDG-3 and SDG-8). It also seeks to advance on the construction of information systems capable of recording all damages caused to workers health, the inequities they face, and some positive indicators including workers satisfaction, motivation and productivity. At country level, PAHO and WHO are jointly working with Member States to build Workers health national outlooks, that will determine the baseline of the situation of workers health. Based on their results, countries will be able to design and implement National Action Plans on workers health. PAHO s Workers health team as part of the Special Program on Sustainable Development and Health Equity provides technical assistance and all the support necessary so that Members States can achieve their mission of safeguarding workers lives, Health and wellbeing, and Develop and update legislation and technical regulations on workers health (in harmony with ILO Conventions and WHO recommendations, and promoting national multi-sectorial approaches). Identify, evaluate, prevent and control hazardous conditions and exposures in the workplace (Four sectors were identified by their critical impact on workers health; and the programs agreed with ILO for elimination of silicosis, asbestos related diseases, occupational cancer, mental health mental y workplace violence, etc. will be pursued). Increase access to and coverage of health services for workers (addressing the right to health and ILO s basic rights at work). Summited by: Julietta Rodriguez, regional advisor on workers health, Pan-American Health Organization, WHO Regional Office for the Americas 5

6 News from WHO (cont.) Scaling Up Workers Coverage with Essential Interventions and Basic Occupational Health Services in Asia The 60th World Health Assembly in 2007 adopted Resolution WHA Workers Health: Global Plan of Action and urged the Member States to work towards full coverage of all workers, and particularly farmers, migrants, and workers in small enterprises and informal sector to essential interventions and basic health services for the prevention and control of occupational and work-related diseases and injuries. The ILO Convention No. 161 on Occupational Health Services also calls for the organization of occupational health services for all working people in the world. However, according to the International Commission on Occupational Health more than 80% workers worldwide do not have access to occupational health services. Thailand has accumulated a wealth of experience in organizing the provision of essential interventions for occupational health to farmers and workers in the informal sector through the network of primary care units, including capacity building, working tools and methods and supervision. Other developing countries in Asia, such as Viet Nam, China, Sri Lanka and Indonesia have also embarked on reforming their occupational health and primary care services to reach out to uncovered workers in the informal sector and small enterprises. The purpose of this workshop, held in Bangkok 29 August-1 September 2017, was to contribute to scaling up the coverage of workers with essential interventions and basic health services for occupational health protection in Asian countries. The particular objectives were: to review progress made and countries experience in providing workers, particularly in farms, informal sector, small enterprises and migrants with essential occupational health interventions and basic services, to develop recommendations for scaling up coverage of workers with essential interventions and basic occupational health services for prevention and control of occupational and work-related diseases and injuries in countries. The participants were national experts from Asian emerging economy countries dealing with planning and delivery of occupational health and primary care services and experts from relevant international organizations and WHO collaborating centres for occupational health. Dr. Amnuay Gajeena, Director General of Department of Disease Control, Thailand, convened and chaired the meeting of over 30 participants from 10 countries. Participants Submitted by: Leslie Nickels, NIOSH included representatives from ministries of health and labor. Highlights from the meeting included a presentations from Suwit Wibulpolprasert, Public Health Specialist, Thailand Ministry of Public Health on universal coverage and the need for advocates from civil society and enablers from government agencies; Dr Somkiat Siriruttananpruek from Thailand described their project for providing occupational health services through primary care units; and each country presented on their activities, progress, and needs with particular consideration for informal work and scaling up workers health. The final highlight of the meeting was a visit to two PCUs in Suphanburi Province and in Samuthprakarn Province, that primarily serve agricultural communities. The PCUs had staff with expertise in workplace health and provided a clear vision for the importance of how work relates to health. The meeting recommended strategic actions by WHO and the health systems to further protect and promote health of working people in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG1 on poverty elimination, SDG 3 on health and wellbeing, SDG 8 on decent work and economic growth and SDG 13 on climate change. 6

7 News from WHO collaborating centres and partners Coordination group of the global network of WHO collaborating centres for occupational health In 2016 WHO published the document Global network of WHO collaborating centres for occupational health: Ways of Working to provide guidance on the mission, composition, meetings, coordination and collaborative workplace of the network. This document is part of an effort to maintain and strengthen the network of collaborating centres for occupational health (CCs). The Ways of Working document specifies that NIOSH, along with the WHO Global Workers Programme, coordinate the Global network of WHO collaborating centres for occupational health. As part of this coordination effort, In September of 2017 NIOSH hosted the first meeting of the Coordination Group, representatives from CCs responsible for coordination of the priority areas and the WHO responsible officers, in Washington, D.C. During this meeting members of the coordination group discussed the implementation and evaluation of the priority areas outlined in the Global Plan of Action on Workers' Health, The coordination group also discussed effective mechanisms for engaging and informing CCs of new, tools and information. This newsletter is a platform for this information and NIOSH is pleased to serve as the guest editor and looking forward to coordinating and promoting future engagement opportunities. NIOSH applauds WHO for its commitment to improving worker health around the globe, establishing the Coordination Group, and engaging the CCs in the process. migration, and climate change, and social determinants of health Members of the Coordination Group Italian National Insurance for Work Accidents and Occupational Diseases (INAIL) - ITA-81 University of Maryland, School of Medicine - USA-334 National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health - USA-150 Great Lakes Center for Occupational & Environmental Safety & Health, School of Public Health USA-216 National Institute for Occupational Health - SOA-27 WHO NIOSH s work with WHO supports its commitment to improving worker health both domestically and internationally. The Coordination group will hold regfular online meetings. The next step will be the consolidations of the technical workplan in the individual priority areas. The coordination group will start also work with WHO to develop the next global master plan to implement the WHO commitments for action on workers health in line with the Sustainable Development Golas and the ongoing WHO global initiatives, such as universal health coverage, health employment and inclusive economic growth, preparedness and response to public health emergencies, prevention and management of non-communicable diseases, health and Meeting of the CC Coordination Group in Washington, D.C., USA, September 2016 Submitted by: Margaret Kitt, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), WHO collaborating centre for occupational health 7

8 News from WHO collaborating centres and partners (cont.) The contribution of the International Centre for Rural Health to the implementation of the WHO global plan of action The Terms of Reference (ToR) for collaboration between WHO and the International Centre for Rural Health of the San Paolo Hospital of Milano focus on criteria for diagnosis and compensation of occupational diseases, implementation of pilot projects for the provision of occupational health in agriculture and rural areas, and support the promotion of worker s health in agriculture. The Centre had significant activities for each ToR; a collection of sheets addressed at defining criteria for diagnosis and prevention of diseases listed in the new ILO list, and completion of selected ICD codes, has been delivered to ILO and a comprehensive book is in preparation. International Congress on Rural Health was organized from 8 to11 September, 2015, in Lodi, Italy. It was attended by 244 delegates from 30 Countries from all the corners of the world, with the participation of the International Commission on Occupational Health (collaborating with the organization of the Event with 3 Scientific Committees), of the World Association of Medical Doctors (WONCA) and the International Association of Rural Medicine and Health (IARM). On this occasion, IARM held its World Congress. In order to join the International Congress on Rural Health, the Safety Health and Welfare in Agro-Food System SHWA Congress was moved by the organisers from Ragusa (Sicilia, Italy) to Lodi. Opening Lectures were provided by Ivan Ivanov (WHO Headquarters, Geneva) speaking about Universal health coverage for rural and agricultural workers. Dr, Shengli Niu (ILO, Geneva) provided a lecture on The three D jobs in rural areas and the ILO initiatives. Among other keynote speakers were Kurt Streif (IARC), Tania Pekez Pavlisko (WONCA), Jorma Rantanen and Sergio Iavicoli (ICOH). The Congress ended with the adoption of The New Lodi Declaration on Rural Health, published in the book of abstracts (ISBN WEB). The Lodi Declaration mainly addresses universal coverage and incorporation of Occupational Health in primary health care, which are part of the ToR of the Centre. In this specific field, the Centre has continued its pilot experience of health care provision to rural workers of the Region of Lombardy, with a specific effort to promote collaboration with Rural GPs. The creation of an Epidemiologic Observatory is under discussion, with the aim of building a tool addressed at providing better estimates of the burden of disease for risk factor of the regional rural workers and at harmonizing the health surveillance approach, with a particular interest in migrants and seasonal workers. As part of its work to support WHO in protecting and promoting workers health in agriculture, ICRH is developing tools adequate for low-cost high-impact prevention. To date, it is working on exposure and risk profiles for major hazards in agriculture. Part of the effort is invested in pesticide exposure and risk profiles, which are developed starting from original field studies, and can be used for basic preventive risk assessment. Moreover, to face the high burden of musculoskeletal diseases in agriculture, ICRH is developing risk profiles for workers biomechanical overload. In particular, as part of the World Dairy Consortium, the Centre, in collaboration with the Colorado State University, is conducting several studies on biomechanical risk in the dairy sector. Submitted by: Claudio Colosio, Stefan Mandic-Rajcevic and Federica Masci, International Centre for Rural Health of the San Paolo Hospital of Milano and Department of Health Sciences of the University of Milan, WHO Collaborating Centre for Occupational Health 8

9 News from WHO collaborating centres and partners (cont.) Implementing HealthWise: Case studies on putting HealthWISE in to action using a practical, participatory quality improvement tool for health facilities. Health services are complex work environments, which can at times be hazardous. Unsafe working conditions may lead to attrition of the health workforce. Decent work in the health sector must include workers health and well-being, since the quality of the work environment can influence the quality of care provided by health workers. HealthWISE -- a joint ILO/WHO publication -- is a practical, participatory quality improvement tool for health facilities. It encourages managers and staff to work together to improve workplaces and practices. HealthWISE (Work Improvement in Health Services) promotes the application of smart, simple and low-cost solutions leading to tangible benefits for workers and health services, and ultimately for patients. The topics are organized in eight modules addressing occupational safety and health, personnel management and environmental health issues. HealthWISE combines action and learning. The Action Manual helps initiate and sustain changes for improvement, using a checklist as a workplace assessment tool, designed for identifying and prioritizing areas of action. Each of the eight modules illustrates key checkpoints to help guide action. The accompanying Trainers Guide contains guidance and tools for a training course and is accompanied by a CD-ROM, which includes a sample PowerPoint presentation for each of the training sessions. HealthWISE is designed for use by all who are concerned with improving workplaces in the health sector, including health workers and health-care managers, supervisors, workers and employers representatives, labour inspectors, occupational health specialists, trainers and educators. Available on the web in English, French, Portuguese and Chinese at WCMS_237276/lang--en/index.htm Available on the web in English, French and Portuguese at WCMS_237278/lang--en/index.htm 9

10 News from WHO collaborating centres and partners (cont.) Adaptation on HealthWISE in Gambia The healthcare sector is considered a high-hazard industry as health workers can encounter numerous occupational health and safety (OHS) hazards within the course of their daily work. This includes exposure to biological hazards (e.g., tuberculosis, Hepatitis B), chemical hazards (e.g., sterilants, cleaning products), physical hazards (e.g., excessive noise, radiation), ergonomic hazards (e.g., heavy lifting), psychosocial hazards (e.g., shiftwork, violence) and other basic safety hazards. As highlighted by the recent Ebola crisis, failure to protect health workers from hazards such these can have significant negative consequences on the ability to provide patient care and on the healthcare system as a whole. In early 2014, before the Ebola crisis, a team from the University of Maryland Baltimore s (UMB) World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Occupational Health, led by Dr. Melissa McDiarmid, visited the Gambia to assess the status of occupational health and safety of health workers and identify interest and potential partners for addressing health worker protections. This work laid the foundation for development of a three-day training curriculum designed to build the capacity and knowledge of health workers to address occupational health and safety hazards in the Gambia using a train-the-trainer approach. The curriculum created by the UMB team was adapted from existing HealthWISE materials. HealthWISE is a joint International Labour Organization (ILO), WHO participatory tool designed to improve workplaces and practices with lowcost solutions within the health sector. In early June 2016, partially funded by the UMB s Global Health Inter-professional Education Grant Program, Drs. Melissa McDiarmid and Joanna Gaitens along with a team of two medical students (Nicole Campion and Wesley Chen), one social work student (Sarah Gregorini) and one dental student (Alyssa Ruili) visited the Gambia over a two-week period and in partnership with the Gambian Ministry of Health (MOH) and The University of Gambia School of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (UTG), delivered the adapted HealthWISE training to over 30 participants at the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH) in Banjul. Participants included officers from various departments within the MOH, staff from EFSTH, representatives from health facilities elsewhere in the Gambia and public health students from UTG. The training, while focused on preventing exposures to bloodborne and respiratory hazards, included an overview of OHS hazards in the healthcare work setting, small group case studies and a walkthrough of several departments at EFSTH to teach participants how to identify and address potential hazards. As part of the training, participants developed actionable plans for addressing selected hazards and identified indicators that could be used to gauge the effectiveness of their interventions. In addition, plans for continued communication and collaboration among participants to sustain and champion OHS prevention efforts in the health sector were made. Participants of the 3-day Workshop on OHS in the Healthcare Sector, Banjul, Gambia. Submitted by: Melissa McDiarmid and Joanna Gaitens, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, WHO Collaborating Centre for Occupational Health 10

11 News from WHO collaborating centres and partners (cont.) HealthWISE implementation in Southern Africa The protection and promotion of health at the workplace is one of the objectives of the WHO Global Plan of Action for Workers Health ( ). Seeking to target the everpresent threats of TB and HIV through both applying interventions and increasing capacity in terms of knowledge and skills, we sought partnerships with local stakeholders and developed a project in which we could study the implementation of HealthWISE in Southern Africa. HealthWISE is a participatory, quality improvement methodology for healthcare facilities developed by the ILO and WHO, that aims to improve the occupational health and safety (OHS) of health workers through implementing simple, costeffective solutions to workplace issues. Our WHO collaborating centre (CC) s HealthWISE project in Southern Africa is a three country comparative case study in selected healthcare facilities in Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe, in which we are working closely with the South African National Institute for Occupational Health (NIOH) another WHO CC. HealthWISE consists of eight modules, and this project focuses on Module 3: Biological hazards and infection control, with special reference to HIV and TB, and Module 4: Tackling discrimination, harassment and violence at the workplace. With representation from all countries involved in the project, a two-day planning meeting and site visits were conducted in Zimbabwe and abbreviated meetings and site visits were conducted in South Africa from February 1-5, These meetings served to introduce the project to key stakeholders and helped to better understand the OHS priorities for health workers in the different countries, which helped to identify areas where HealthWISE solutions and strategies might later be targeted. Key steps in the planning and development phases include strengthening partnerships with international, national and local stakeholders, engaging with local team members and participants to better understand OHS issues in their workplaces and to build local capacity, and effectively developing and communicating a feasible and sustainable plan that meets both the practical and research needs of those involved. Training of HealthWISE Champions to empower local participants with knowledge and skills to recognize and creatively address workplace issues was identified as an important factor in these phases. Training-of-trainer workshops in each country are therefore planned as the next step in this project. This project adds to the efforts of the WHO of protecting and promoting health at the workplace, and is a good example of well-coordinated international efforts aiming at promoting global health equity in occupational health. Submitted by: Stephanie Parent, Research Coordinator Global Health Research Program University of British Columbia, WHO Collaborating Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health 11

12 Publications FIOH s Cochrane Work Group produced Cochrane Reviews in following areas: Clothes and equipment for healthcare staff to prevent Ebola and other highly infective diseases, Workplace interventions to decrease sitting time at work, Interventions for improving employment outcomes in persons with HIV, Interventions to increase the reporting of occupational diseases for physicians and Interventions for improving well-being and reducing work-related stress in teachers. The Review Preventing occupational stress in health care workers was updated. In response to the outbreak of Zika virus disease WHO developed emergency guidelines to provide recommendations on essential measures to protect the health and safety of operators and other persons involved in emergency vector control of Aedes spp. mosquitoes, including space spraying of insecticides, larvicide application and, in some cases, indoor residual spraying. The document is intended to be used by vector control managers and operators, public health workers, medical professionals, district health officers and ministries of health. Available in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese at The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health jointly published Improving Workers Health Across the Globe. This booklet highlights successful contributions of the Global Network of WHO Collaborating Centres for Occupational Health to improve worker health. This success document organizes effective examples from across the globe using the objectives set in the Global Plan of Action for Workers Health, a plan created to improve the health of all workers. 12

13 Upcoming events SEPT Singapore Information session on progress made under the WHO Global Plan of Action on Workers Health ( ) on 6 September 2017, 14 : h SGT, Orchid Jr Room, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore The session will provide an opportunity for stakeholders and interested parties to learn about and provide their comments on the progress made under the WHO Global Plan of Action on Workers Health ( ) To register for the event signup/en/ More information gloabl-plan-action-worker-health/en/ April Dublin APRIL MAY th meeting of the global network of WHO collaborating centres for occupational health, April 2018, Dublin Ireland The meeting will discuss the work of WHO and its collaborating centres for occupational health to follow up the Global Plan of Action on Workers Health in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals and WHO global initiatives on universal health coverage, health employment and public health emergencies, prevention and management of non-communicable diseases at the workplace, detection and reporting of occupational diseases, health information and metrics,, vulnerable groups of workers 32 nd International Conference on Occupational Health The Congress is organized as the triennial congress of the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH). The 2017 Congress, focusing on occupational health and well being, will emphasize translating research to practice. For more information please visit: Dublin Ireland 13

14 Useful WHO links Become a GOHNET member: newsletter/en/index.html WHO CC web site: Archive of newsletter WHO publications: WHO Occupational Health web site: GOHNET NEWSLETTER TEAM WHO Editor Evelyn Kortum Technical and language editors Leslie Nickels, Deborah Hoyer and Nura Sadeghpour, CDC NIOSH Layout CDC NIOSH World Health Organization The named authors and editors alone are responsible for the views expressed in this publication. The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of WHO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Dotted and dashed lines on maps represent approximate border lines for which there may not yet be full agreement. The mention of specific companies or of certain manufacturers products does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by WHO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. Errors and omissions excepted, the names of proprietary products are distinguished by initial capital letters.