The call was made in a new working paper entitled Eliminating Occupational Cancer in Europe and Globally, written by Professor Jukka Takala, former Director of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) and published by the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI).  

The working paper makes the following key points.    

• Cancer at work is a serious but preventable disease which is rapidly becoming the biggest killer at places of work in most countries. Previous global estimates on occupational cancers established that 32% of the deaths in the world related to work are associated with cancers. However, the paper warns that occupational cancers are quite rapidly being globalised and in many industrialising countries, the percentage of occupational cancer deaths among all work-related deaths is approaching that of the high-income countries. For example, in the EU, occupational cancer deaths are already at 53% of all work-related deaths.    

• The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that 666,000 deaths are caused by occupational cancer globally every year, double that of occupational accidents. In the EU, 102,500 occupational cancer deaths take place each year, twenty times the number caused by occupational accidents. The UK’s share of this burden is estimated at 13,330. There is no doubt that cancer is the biggest killer at places of work in high income countries.     

• Research has shown that the ten most important occupational carcinogens account for around 85% of all occupational cancer cases in the UK. A hierarchy of elimination and control exists to protect workers and in theory occupational cancer could be completely preventable. However, cases of work-related cancer are still occurring.    

• According to the EU Carcinogen Exposure (CAREX) database, occupational carcinogens affect one in five workers in the EU whilst other research estimates that 23% of those employed in Europe are exposed to carcinogens.    

• In the UK, research by the epidemiologist Dr Lesley Rushton OBE suggests there are at least 8,000 deaths each year due to occupational cancer, with over 4,000 of these being asbestos-related. The report warns that it is not just past exposure to asbestos that creates these problems, and that asbestos will be present in European working life for “decades” in the future, requiring proper regulation, management and removal.     

Dr Adrian Hirst, President of the Chartered Society for worker health protection, said, “BOHS fully supports this important call for a more ambitious target with regard to occupational cancer. We also agree that with today’s solutions, most or all of occupational cancer deaths and lost years of life can be eliminated. In practical terms, evidence-based policies and practices have been shown to produce results in tackling occupational cancer and these can and should be implemented by means of Europe-wide and international collaboration.  For all of these reasons, Professor Jukka Takala is absolutely correct to argue that the need for further research into occupational cancer cannot be used as an excuse for doing nothing.”   

Eliminating Occupational Cancer in Europe and Globally can be accessed at https://www.etui.org/Publications2/Working-Papers/Eliminating-occupational-cancer-in-Europe-and-globally.  

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Occupational Hygiene: Shifting Paradigms for High Risk Industries

 Dear Member, SAIOH is delighted to be supporting the 2nd Annual BOHS Worker Health Protection Conference (WHPC 2015) which will be held in Abu Dhabi on 25 - 29 October 2015. Last year’s inaugural event, WHPC 2014, was a great success with over 100 senior delegates from across the region representing industry and government in attendance. With a packed two-day scientific programme, a series of professional development courses and an exhibition that showcases the latest innovations in occupational health and hygiene, WHPC 2015 is set to be an important platform for further discussions and high-profile debates focusing on:

• Managing Physical Health Risks
• Improving Regulations and Competence
• Managing Biological Health Risks
• Tackling Ergonomic Health Risks
• Addressing Chemical Health Risks
• Dealing with Human Factors

With an esteemed panel of high-profile international speakers, the 2015 edition of WHPC offers a stimulating line-up of panel discussions, presentations and Q&A. The sessions will address the key themes which are relevant to todays’ workforce in the region. It will provide a multi-disciplinary perspective, and in addition to occupational hygiene, will encompass key aspects of occupational medicine and nursing, wellbeing and environmental health.

Register Now. Special Discounted Delegate Rate for SAIOH Members

SAIOH members will receive a special 15% discount off the prevailing delegate rates. Kindly mention discount code SAIOH15 to avail the special discount.

Join us at WHPC 2015 and hear industry thought leaders discuss new and innovative approaches to worker health protection and health risk management which you can implement within your organisation.

To register online please click here

For any further assistance regarding registrations, please contact:

Wajahat Hussain Tel: +971 4 38 94 621

E-Mail: Wajahat.hussain@uae.messefrankfurt.com

For more information, please email us on conference@uae.messefrankfurt.com or call +971 4 3894500