The proposed meeting, 30th International Congress on Occupational Health for All: From Research to Practice is to be held March 18-23, 2012 in Cancun, Mexico This Congress is the triennial meeting of the International Commission on Occupational Health, the only international body of scholars and practitioners in the field. Worldwide, workplace fatalities, injuries, and illnesses remain at unacceptably high levels and involve enormous and unnecessary health burden, suffering, and substantial economic loss. The ILO reports there are two million work-related deaths globally and the trend seems to be rising. In addition, each year there are some 268 million non-fatal workplace accidents in which the victims miss at least three days of work as a result, as well as 160 million new cases of work-related illness. The most common workplace illnesses are cancers from exposure to hazardous substances, musculoskeletal diseases, respiratory diseases, hearing loss, circulatory diseases and communicable diseases caused by exposure to pathogens. In many industrialized countries, where the number of deaths from work-related accidents has been falling, deaths from occupational disease, notably asbestosis, is on the rise. In the U.S, NIOSH reported in 2008 that private industry employers reported 4.2 million work injuries and 363,000 cases of occupational illness and on average 16 American workers die each day from injuries on the job. Occupational injuries and deaths have cost approximately $123 billion in wages and lost productivity, administrative expenses, health care and other costs. This does not include the cost of occupational disease.
The specific aims of the proposal are to 1. Provide an opportunity for the international gathering of occupational safety and health scientists and practitioners for education and training in occupational health and safety. 2. Share knowledge about: current and emerging issues related to safety and health at work advances in the science in occupational safety and health, translation of research to practice, and best practices in occupational health and safety that support implementation of the evidence-based science. 3. Support opportunities for occupational safety and health professionals from underserved and underrepresented areas to acquire knowledge and information about the science, education and training, and practical aspects concerned with health and safety at work. More than 200 symposia will be held in addition to 40 keynote and semi-plenary sessions reflective of the NORA.
This conference will provide a forum to discuss evidence-based occupational safety and health state-of-the-art and emerging topics worldwide. This information will provide occupational safety and health researchers and practitioners the skills and tools needed to address changing global public health needs related to work and working conditions.
