Announcement
8TH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM OF THE
ISSA RESEARCH SECTION
In the framework of the Greek presidency of the European Union, ELlNY AE (Hellenic Institute for Occupational Health and Safety) is to organise in Athens, from 19 to 21 May 2003, the 8th international symposium of the ISSA Research Section:
“Tools for the application of European Directives on health
at the workplace – The example of chemical risk”
Athens (Greece 19–21 May 2003)
Objectives. Companies have to comply with national regulations stemming from European
Directives on the prevention of occupational risks, including those resulting from exposure to
hazardous chemicals. Hereby they find it difficult to identify risks and assess exposure. The
symposium will provide a forum for an exchange of experience based on a review of the problems
encountered at the workplace.
Tools have been developed to help prevention specialists in their work. The purpose is to
report on the latest developments in risk monitoring, in particular as regards chemical risks, to
get a better understanding of the problems in order to guide future research efforts, and present
the solutions that have proven effective.
The changes currently underway in the world of work are also giving rise to risks that are
harder to monitor, and that are placed in a new organisational, social and technological context.
These risks, whether physical (musculo-skeletal disorders, ageing) or psychological (stress,
mobbing) in nature, call for methods, approaches and instruments for use by prevention specialists
that can adapt to recent developments. They will be reviewed at the end of the symposium, when
considering the future outlook.
The symposium will deal with three main themes:
– Legal bases and practical considerations in the prevention approach, especially in SMEs
– Chemical risk prevention tools
– Outlook and new challenges for prevention
Languages. Contributions can be given in English, French, German and Greek, with simultaneous translation in the four languages.
Call for papers. Contributions may be submitted in the form of an oral or poster presentation. Authors must send an abstract (maximum 200 words) to the symposium secretariat, preferably via e-mail, by 15 September 2002, in one of the official symposium languages. All abstracts in French, German or Greek must come with a translation in English. Authors' names and their organisation or company should be indicated.