Title: About your organisation
Author: plauriola
Last saved by: Ivan Valenčík
Company: Arpa

Title: Strengthening skills and awareness among employers on the role of socio-economic evaluation for decisions  aiming at improving health at work.

Health programme area(s):
Health Promotion

Priority areas: 
Promote healthier ways of life and reduce major diseases and injury by tacking health determinants

Information about organization:
The primary task of the Institute is to conduct research and development activities and provide expertise on health hazards arising from occupational and environmental exposure to noxious agents. The multidisciplinary nature of the research performed at NIOM makes it possible to solve complex problems of the work environment and workers health. The Nofer Institute promotes healthy lifestyles among Polish workers with the main goal of improving the quality of life and having a positive impact on workers'' health, work environment and work capability. It has been involved in post-graduate training, editorial activities, and regulatory activities with respect to occupational safety and health and environmental health hazards. It is thanks to the impressive scope and extent of its activities as well as the professional qualifications of the staff and the technical capacity that NIOM is a unique institution for occupational health research in Poland and within the Central and Eastern European region. The major research areas of NIOM comprise occupational medicine, environmental health, public health, occupational hygiene, radiation protection, occupational pathology, prevention of occupational and work-related diseases with special regard to occupational allergy, diagnostics and treatment of acute poisonings. Toxicology, including toxicometry, toxicity assessment of chemicals and methodology of exposure assessment of chemical hazards in the work environment. Epidemiology of occupational diseases and other health effects of exposure to physical, chemical and psychosocial hazards. Assessment of health risk from environmental exposure to hazardous agents, physiology, psychology, sociology of work and ergonomics, and health promotion in workplace. The Institute also deals with management and economics of occupational health services and health-based criteria of vocational selection and capability for work.

Summary:
The new Community Strategy for 2007-2012 aims to achieve reduction of occupational accidents and diseases in the EU. It sets out a series of actions at European and national level. It is confirmed that companies investing in OSH obtain tangible results. These results can be obtained by using different methods and tools at the enterprise level. One of them is economic evaluation of investment in occupational safety and health. The awareness of its role depends on a lot of different factors of historical, economical, social, and political nature. There is a need for a better understanding of the economic evaluation tool.
The main objective of the project is to disseminate knowledge of the theoretical and practical aspects of socio-economic evaluation for health at work improving among employers through education processes.  

Specific objectives:
•	To establish a scientific network of research and other relevant centers in the area of  occupational health management for exchange of knowledge, building business cases and dissemination of good practice in socio-economic evaluation of  activities improving health at work 
•	To study and assess existing training programs for employers and their representatives aiming at improving health at work in EU countries
•	To build a training program on socio-economic evaluation of  activities improving health at work for occupational safety and health professionals, employers representatives or other interested parties

Methods:

•	To develop a web platform for current communication and dissemination of knowledge among partners, experts, trainees
•	to perform training (3-4 meetings) for mainly 100-120 employers and for other interested parties
•	to provide examples of best practices in socio-economic evaluation of programs improving health at work, training materials

Expected outcome:
•	transfer of knowledge on best practice in socio-economic evaluation to the given group of employers
•	final report of the project including: guidelines of performing socio-economic evaluation for improving health at work for employers; verified training program according to employers’ comments  included in training evaluation questionnaire

Contact person: 
Katarzyna Kalska 
Telephone:  48 42 631-48-39
Email: kkalska@imp.lodz.pl