Registration(English Presentations): https://forms.gle/JazXKbx1ed7LL4b56

Regulating Psychosocial Hazards and Mental Health Risks at Work: 

Experiences from Europe

Global Lounge, 

College of Public Health, National Taiwan University (CPH-NTU)

9/25/2023 (Monday) 10:10 AM ~ 13:20 PM

Stress-related illnesses caused by adverse working conditions have been a major occupational health concern worldwide. Psychosocial work hazards encompass a wide range of issues, including long working hours, shift work, lack of rest, excessive workloads, repetitive work tasks, low job control, interpersonal conflicts, social isolation, lack of salary and employment security, workplace violence, discrimination, etc. In Taiwan, the "Occupational Safety and Health Act" amended in 2013, adopted new clauses that require employers to prevent health risks caused by excessive loads and "unlawful infringement in the course of work" (that is, workplace violence). However, there are still problems with regard to its implementation and supervision. 

This workshop brings together three established researchers from the national institutes of occupational safety and health in Denmark and Germany to share their research findings on these timely issues. We hope, through these exchanges, to foster academic collaborations between Taiwanese and European scholars. 

Agenda

10:10 - 10:20 Opening Remarks & Group Photo

• Dean, Prof. Cheng, Shou-Hsia; College of Public Health, National Taiwan University 
• Director-General, Dr.  Tzou,Tzu-Lien; Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Ministry of Labor.

10:20 - 11:10 Prof. Reiner Rugulies (Chair: Prof. Yu-Liang Guo) 

Using job exposure matrices to study the impact of psychosocial occupational adversities on physical and mental health, and labour market participation over the life course in the Danish workforce

11:10 - 12:00 Dr. Birgit Aust (Chair: Associate Prof. Chen-I Kuan)

Mental Health Promotion and Intervention in Occupational Settings: Design, aims, and experiences of the digital MENTUPP Intervention for SME workplaces  

12:00 - 12:30 Lunch break 

12:30 - 13:20 Mr. Michael Ertel (Chair: Prof. Yawen Cheng)

Advances in regulating psychosocial work hazards in Europe and Germany and in recognizing work-related mental disorders

Organized by the Institute of Health Policy and Management,  Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health, Institute of Health Behaviors and Community Sciences, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University 

Introduction to the Speakers and Presentations 

Prof. Reiner Rugulies

Prof. Rugulies took the position of professor in 2009 at the National Research Centre for the Working Environment (NRCWE) of Denmark. He has been the editor-in-chief of the Scandinavian Journal of Working Environment & Health since 2019. Prof. Rugulies’s research focuses on psychosocial epidemiology, occupational health and prevention, and health inequalities. This talk will summarize key research from his group, showing how they used job exposure matrices to study the association between working conditions and health (mental health, cardiometabolic health and other chronic health conditions) in the excellent Danish registers. 

Dr. Birgit Aust

Dr. Aust has been a researcher at the National Research Centre for the Working Environment (NRCWE) of Denmark since 2002. Her research focuses on mental health promotion. Her talk at the CPH-NTU will introduce the EU Horizon 2020 funded project – Mental Health Promotion and Intervention in Occupational Settings (MENTUPP https://www.mentuppproject.eu/  ) – developed an evidence-based comprehensive, multilevel online intervention for use in small- and medium-enterprises in construction, healthcare and ICT workplaces. The intervention targets clinical mental disorders (depression and anxiety disorders), non-clinical mental health problems (stress, burnout, depressive symptoms), mental well-being, and mental health stigma. 

Mr. Michael Ertel

Mr. Ertel received training in sociology and has been a researcher at the Federal Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) in Berlin, Germany, since 1993. He is one of the Co-Chairs of the ICOH Scientific Committee 'Work Organization & Psychosocial Factors' (ICOH-WOPS) and Associate Editor of the International Journal of Workplace Health Management. His research focuses on psychosocial work hazards and their monitoring and regulation policies. Mr. Ertel also studies the health impacts of information and communication technology on working life. In the talk at the CPH-NTU, Mr. Ertel will introduce the recent development regarding the regulation of psychosocial risks at work in Germany, which is closely related to work-related mental health. He will also discuss a recent case of PTSD in a paramedic, which was recognized as an occupational disease in Germany.