ICOH OIA WG

OCCUPATIONAL INFECTIOUS AGENTS WORKING GROUP

INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

History:

The Occupational Infectious Agents Working Group (OIAWG) was created in February 2003 at the ICOH Board meeting in Iguassu Falls during the 28th ICOH Congress by the ICOH President Professor Jorma Rantanen, who appointed Dr. Ruddy Facci as the Chair and Dr. Kari Reijula as Secretary (periods 2003-2005/2006-2008).

Initially the aim was to define guidelines and rules for worker’s preventivon related to SARS, HIV-AIDS, HEPATITIS and TUBERCULOSIS.

Aims and Approach of the Working Group on Occupational Infectious Agents

1. Advise the Officers and the Board on matters related to occupational infectious agents;
2. Identify priority occupational infectious agents and groups of exposed workers to develop relevant guidelines and fact sheets to promote prevention and management of occupational infectious diseases;
3. Provide the Editor in Chief of the ICOH Newsletter with information on the activities of the WGOIA and developments in the field of occupational infectious agents;
4. Provide and disseminate information and generate action on occupational infectious agents through participation in national and international occupational health events and media;
5. Liaise with relevant ICOH Scientific Committees (SCs) regarding prevention of diseases by occupational infectious agents of common interest.

The approach to the triennial activities has been to research what is already available and collaborate with relevant ICOH SCs and organisations to acquire or develop a range of materials and obtain best available evidence on protecting workers from OIA. The WGOIA identified three important aspects of exposure to OIA at work which underlay the activities: ‘Fitness for work’, ‘Risk assessment’ and ‘Health surveillance’.

Tasks:

Professor Kazutaka Kogi, ICOH President, assigned the following tasks to the WGOIA for the period 2009-2011

1. Make recommendations on advancing protection from occupational infectious agents (OIA);
2. Examine the needs for protection against occupational infectious agents and produce fact sheets on how to protect workers against these agents at work in any work environment – specifically mentioned was the development of effective training materials based on good practices in different industries and countries for managing the H1N1 pandemic in the workplace; and
3. Draft specific ICOH guidelines for HIV/AIDS at the workplace.

OIAWG Activities during the 30th ICOH Congress in Cancun

OIA Business Meeting

 Time: 17h45 – 19h00 Monday 10 March 2012  Venue: Bacalar 2

Free Paper Session Occupational Infectious Agents (F37)

Chair: Mary Ross

 Time: 16h00 – 17h30  Wednesday 21 March 2012  Venue: Costa Maya 3

Fleur Champion De Crespigny (Australia), Leone Leyshon, Caroline Reid: "Biological hazards in Australian workplaces: findings and policy implications of a survey of Australian workers' exposures to biologial hazards.

Tomoshiro Ishimaru (Japan), Takashi Maruyama, Teppei Imai, Toshiaki Higashi, Yoshitaka Miyamura, Norihide Nishinoue, Masamichi Uchara, Koji Wada, Keita Morikane, Ken Takahashi, Kohi Mori: "Measures against pandemic (H1N1) 2009 in the Japanese workplace: Follow-up surveys in large-scale enterprises.

Thuthula Balfour-Kaipa (South Africa):"Advocay for TB, HIV/AIDS and silicosis in the South African mining industry."

Maria Cristina Pantano (Argentina): "Study of 2 years on biological hazards Staff household refuse collection."

Vincenzo Nicosia (Italy), Sabatino De Sanctis, Alfonso Gelormini, Massimo Consentino, Cesare Gialdi, Andrea Sguera: "Prevention of infectious diseases in the long term travellers. The strategic role of Occupational Health Department.

Betty Bisdorff (Luxembourg), Janina Scholhölter, Katja Claussen, Matthias Pulz, Dennis Nowak, Katja Radon: "MRSA-ST398 in livestock farmers and neighbouring residents in a rural area in Germany"

ICOH2012 Special Session SS075 Occupational Infectious Diseases

Time: 14h15 – 15h45   Thursday 22 March 2012       Venue: Costa Maya 1

Chair: Mary Ross  Co-Chair: Claudina Nogueira

Kari Reijula: "The Working Group on Occupational Infectious Agents adn Priorisation of Occupational Infectious Diseases"

Claudina Nogueira: "Collaborations in Occupational Health and Safety - linkages with and between global organizations"

Mary Ross: "Occupational Infectious Agents and Travel Medicine"

Jill Murray: "Infectious Diseases and Health and Safety in the South African mining industry"

Claudio Taboadela: "Occupational Infectious Diseases in Argentina"

Future Meetings

9^th International Conference on Occupational Health for Health Care Workers

SENAC University Center São Paulo, September 23-26, 2013

ICOH JOINT CONGRESS

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON OH FOR HEALTH CARE WORKERS

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON OH AND DEVELOPMENT

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON OH NURSING

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON OCCUPATIONAL INFECTIOUS AGENTS

President: Dr. Ruddy Facci

Office Bearers

Chair: Dr. Mary Ross (South Africa) barrym@mweb.co.za

Secretary: Dr. Kari Reijula (Finland) Kari.Reijula@ttl.fi

Actual Members

Dr. Stefano Porru (Italy)

Dr. Mario Bonciani (Brazil)

Dr. José Carneiro (Brazil)

Dr. Ruddy Facci (Brazil)

Dr. María Cristina Pantano (Argentina)

Dr. Hugo Salgueiro (Argentina)

Dr. Claudia de Hoyos (Argentina)

Dr. Claudio Taboadela (Argentina)

Dr. Laura Flores (Paraguay)

Dr. Robert Orford (USA)

Dr. Claudina Nogueira (South Africa)

Dr. Verónica Herrera (Chile)

Dr. Peter Leggat (Australia)

Dr. Koji Wada (Japan)

Dr. Ken Takahashi (Japan)

Dr. Toru Yoshikawa (Japan)

Dr. Jaspal Ahluwalia (USA)

Additional member joined at Business meeting Cancun

Yun Kyung Chung (Korea)    

Presidential nominated member for Triennium 2012-2015

David Koh (Singapore)