IOM supports the ‘Clean Air? – Take Care!' campaign

On 18th March, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) launched a new campaign aimed at raising awareness amongst managers and workers of the need to employ appropriate respiratory protective equipment in workplaces where there are respiratory hazards. The campaign is supported by a wide range of stakeholder organisations, including the IOM.

To read more, go here

Advanced REACH Tool is launched

The REACH regulations place a requirement on manufacturers and suppliers of hazardous chemicals in Europe to seek registration and authorisation of these materials. One of the requirements for registration is to provide workplace exposure estimates, yet in many cases no such data exist. The Advanced REACH Tool (ART) has been developed by the IOM and a number of European collaborators, to enable users to estimate workplace exposure using a sophisticated modelling algorithm.

To read more, go here

UK Government unveils new nanotechnology strategy

March saw the publication of the UK Government's new strategy for nanotechnologies – ‘Small Technologies, Great Opportunities'. Within this document, considerable emphasis is given to the environmental, health and safety issues associated with nanotechnologies, and the need for appropriate regulation. It is clear that a number of the IOM's published studies have been influential in shaping these aspects of the government's strategy.

To access the strategy document, go here

IOM announces a series of workshops on workplace carcinogens

The IOM, together with a number of collaborators, has been engaged by the EC to review the suitability and effectiveness of European Directive 2004/37/EC, which deals with the protection of workers from exposure to carcinogens and mutagens. A series of three workshops has been organised, at which participants will be invited to discuss the risk prevention measures set out in Article 5 of the Directive.

For more information on these workshops, and how to enrol, go here

Franco-British collaboration on health and environmental risks of nanotechnology

In March, the IOM and the French Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique (CEA) organised a workshop as part of a developing collaboration on the health and environmental risks associated with nanomaterials. The meeting was co-hosted by the British Embassy in Paris and the French Embassy in London, and drew together interested parties from industry, government and academia.

For more information, go here

IOM contributes to new reports on the health of older workers; the health of healthcare workers; good practice in health impact assessment

IOSH recently published a study, carried out by the IOM, of the health, safety and health promotion needs of older workers (link). Meanwhile, the Department of Health has published a report entitled ‘Invisible Patients', to which the IOM contributed a study of the physical health of healthcare workers (link). In addition, the International Council on Mining and Metals recently published a good practice guide to health impact assessment, with IOM being amongst the main contributors (link).