OSH Occupational Safety and Health

Our work on Occupational Safety and Health prioritises worker’s health and wellbeing. To maximise healthy working years, we seek to strengthen the capacity of the relevant stakeholders to promote occupational safety and health.

Working careers are longer than ever before and workplaces are becoming more diverse. With the changing world of work, new forms and methods of work have arisen. The concerns for the safety, health and welfare of people at work are many and varied. Therefore, high quality occupational safety and health services are needed so that everyone can receive the best standard of occupational care.

Our Expert Group on Occupational Safety and Health has previously studied the existing barriers to identification and reporting of the occupational and work-related diseases. The results shed light on the emerging work-related health and safety risks and the areas in need of further policy development. To complement this study, the group works on identifying the shortages of competencies among OSH professionals in the changing world of work.

OSH Expert Group projects

• Mental Health First-Aid Kit has been developed as a part of the project MentalHealthMatters as a joint work by experts from Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Norway and Poland. The project was co-funded by the European Union and receives financial support from Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme 2021-2027.
• The EPIC project aims to enhance cooperation on health-related emergency preparedness and crisis response across the Nordic-Baltic region, drawing on the expertise and experiences of the NDPHS Partner Countries and Ukraine.

OSH Expert Group news and articles

2026

• Helsinki EPIC Workshop develops three ideas for transnational cooperation on crisis preparedness (25 September, 2026)
• From Preparedness to Recovery: Rethinking Workforce Resilience in Times of Crisis (24 March, 2026)

2025

• European Week for Safety and Health at Work: NDPHS Bridging Knowledge and Policy in the Baltic Sea Region (22 October, 2025)
• A Holistic Look at the Work Environment. MentalHealthMatters project at the conference on approaches to enhance employees’ well-being (24 September, 2025)
• Building a Healthier Workforce: New policy recommendations and a digital tool boost mental health for resilient teams (9 June, 2025)
• The MentalHealthMatters project culminates in Vilnius (16 April, 2025)
• Entering the final quarter of the MentalHealthMatters project (5 March, 2025)
• The silent threats in our workplaces: A call to action for the Nordic-Baltic countries (21 January, 2025)

2024

• MentalHealthMatters project partners explore social innovations related to psychosocial risks at work (29 October, 2024)
• Harnessing Collective Strength to Advance Occupational Safety and Health in the Baltic Sea Region (9 April, 2024)
• The MentalHealthMatters project uncovers the gaps and opportunities in education and training on psychosocial factors at work during a workshop in Helsinki (4 April, 2024)
• Mental health at work high on the political agenda (29 January, 2024)

2023

• MentalHealthMatters partners tackle challenges and gaps related to mental health at work (28 September, 2023)
• The MentalHealthMatters project’s kick-off (21 August, 2023)
• Mental Health Matters – an NDPHS project on mental health at work selected for funding (28 April, 2023)