Modernet, a network for development of new techniques for measuring trends in occupational and work-related diseases and tracing new and emerging risks Modernet collaboration Dick Spreeuwers,

Participants of Modernet UK The Netherlands France Italy Norway Finland Germany Czech Republic Croatia Serbia

Background (1) High morbidity and mortality by OD´s High economic costs Changing working conditions cause new OD´s – Nanotechnology – New substances – Global economy EU Community Strategy on health and safety : – Ongoing reduction of occupational diseases is a prime objective

Background (2) Present monitoring and alerting for new OH risks is inadequate Need for: – reliable and comparable systems for monitoring ODs – Better methods for identifying and assessing new risks in a changing work environment – international collaboration (intelligence network)

Modernet goals 1. New and smarter techniques for early detection of trends of occupational diseases 2. Early detection of new OH risks and early search for less risky substances, technologies or working practices 3. Rapid exchange of research knowledge with the use of (new) internet techniques such as social media 4. Appropriate preventive action

Current actions and research by Modernet participants Improvement of data on occupational diseases – By use of more sources (triangulation): GP surveillance (Hussey et al, 2008) Specialist physicians surveillance (McNamee et al, 2008; Pal et al, 2009) – Improvement of physician participation (Spreeuwers et al, 2008, Lenderink et al, 2009) – Validity of the diagnoses (O’Neill et al, 2008; Spreeuwers et al, 2008) – Audit tool for the quality of registries of occupational diseases (Spreeuwers et al, 2009) – Trend analysis (McNamee et al, 2008) New methods to trace newly occurring occupational diseases (Jarvis et al, 2005; Bonneterre et al, 2008 and 2009)

Working groups WG1 Quality of data: improvement of quality of data collection in occupational diseases (WG-leader: Dr. Dick Spreeuwers) WG2 Trends Analysis: New techniques for analysis of trends in occupational diseases (WG-leaders: Dr. Roseanne McNamee and Prof. Raymond Agius) WG3 Tracing new risks: New techniques for tracing newly occurring occupational diseases) (WG-leader: Dr. Vincent Bonneterre) WG4 Dissemination: dissemination and implementation of new knowledge on occupational diseases (WG-leaders: Dr. Claudio Colosio and Prof. Helena Taskinen)

Benefits of the Action New and smarter techniques for: – Early detection of trends of ODs – hence implementation and evaluation of control measures – Early detection of new OH risks (OSH Vigilance) – Rapid exchange of research knowledge with the use of (new) internet techniques – Identification, assessment and promotion of appropriate preventive Action