Networking and collaboration in the Baltic Sea sub-region - partnerships for development of workers health

Introduction Over the past decade, key International Organizations have renewed their strategies on occupational health and safety: the International Labour Office in 2003, the World Health Organization in 2007, the European Union in 2007, and the Northern Dimension Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-being (NDPHS) in 2007. The strategies provide a strong basis for implementing occupational health and safety activities. (http://www.ndphs.org///documents/779/NDPHS_Strategy_on_Health_at_Work.pdf).

Methods Several networks – global, regional, sub-regional, national, sectoral and subject-oriented – help in putting the strategies into practice. The Baltic Sea Network on Occupational Health and Safety (BSN) was established in 1995, and operates as an informal network of occupational health and safety institutions in ten countries around the Baltic Sea (www.balticseaosh.net). The NDPHS is a policy-making network of the Ministries of Health of the sub-region.

Results Many activities for implementing the objectives of the NDPHS Strategy on Health at Work are carried out under the umbrella of the BSN, such as the preparation of regional OSH profiles; national OSH programmes; the development of the occupational health service infrastructure, including the Basic Occupational Health Services approach; interventions in e.g. transport or health care; training of occupational health experts, and strengthening of information. The Barents Newsletter on Occupational Health and Safety, established in 1997, has served as a joint information forum for occupational health and safety experts in the Barents Region. The Newsletter, published three times a year, in Russian and in English, has been used to inform of on-going activities in, e.g. OSH Profiles, Basic Occupational Health Services, and OSH in the Transport Sector (www.ttl.fi/BarentsNewsletter).  

Discussion The productive collaboration of the two networks in the Baltic Sea Region can have a positive impact on the improvement of working conditions and workers'' health, as the current challenges are approached from both the policy-making and the practical implementation points of view.