Modernet meeting Tampere
September 10-11, 2026
Venue: Tampere University, Linna building: Kalevantie 5, Tampere
Bridging the gap: from OSH research to policy solutions
DAY 1
8.30 – 9.00 Welcoming and registration
9.00 – 9.15 Opening
Prof. Riitta Sauni
9.15 – 10.15 Plenary 1.
The EU Early Warning and Action System. Bastian Zeiger, Expert at the EEA working on the Chemicals Early Warning System. Presentation held remotely.
10.15 – 10.50 Plenary 2.
Mental health at work in EU. Dr. Jaana Vastamäki, Senior Specialist
Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Department for Work and Gender Equality
10.50 – 12.00 Coffee Break & Poster Viewing
• Wim van Hooste: A narrative review of occupational health among dock workers
• Karolina Mrazova: Lumbar spine disorders in the Czech Republic in 2023–2024
11.20 – 12.00 Plenary 3.
EU policy and decision making, “big picture”. Dr. Sirkku Saarikoski, Ministerial Adviser, Ministry of Social Aff airs and Health, Department for Work and Gender Equality
12.30 – 13.30 Lunch Break
13.30 – 14.30 Research on asbestos (presentations 15 minutes each)
• Alenka Franko: Gene-environment interactions and occupational diseases: the case of asbestosis
• Fabiano Barbiero: Lung cancer screening with LDCT in individuals exposed to both asbestos and tobacco smoke: intervention design and preliminary results in the Site of National Interest (SIN) of Trieste
• Francesca Rui: Lung cancer screening with LDCT (Low-Dose Computed Tomography) in high-risk individuals exposed to both asbestos and smoke: occupational and extra-occupational asbestos exposure and preliminary radiological findings
• Kirsi Koskela: Asbestos-related diseases – still relevant occupational diseases
14.30 – 14.45 Short Coffee Break
14.45 – 16.15 Chemical research (presentations 15 minutes each)
• Nur Töreyin: Occupational Exposure Types are Associated with Distinct Patterns of Lung Function in ILD
• Federico Maria Rubino: Response to work in extreme environments: glutathionyl-hemoglobin as a biomarker of resilience to oxidative stress in exemplary hyperoxia and hypoxia conditions
• Daniela Pelclova: Could toxicological informations centre help to find new occupational intoxications?
• Pavlina Klusackova Occupational diseases caused by isocyanates – reality versus legislation, can we do more?
• Heikki Frilander: Shipyard Work as a Risk Factor for Invasive Pneumococcal Disease
16.15 – 17.00 Modernet Annual Meeting
Walking tour + Dinner
DAY 2
8.30 – 9.00 Welcoming and registration
9.00 – 10.30 Mental health at work/ risk assessment (presentations 15 minutes each)
• Vladimira Lipsova: Burnout syndrome in relation to work: possibilities for recognition as an occupational disease in the Czech Republic
• Mohammedgezali Ibrahim Tura: Risk detection and assessment in small-scale metalworking industries of southwest Ethiopia
• Claudio Collosio: Multidimensional Assessment of Occupational Strain Associated with Personal Protective Equipment Use in ICU Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Dick Spreeuwers: Periodical medical screening after exposure to ethylene oxide
• Marcella Mauro: Hydration and Early Kidney Damage Biomarkers in Heat-Exposed Agricultural and Vineyards Workers
10.30 – 11.00 Coffee Break & Poster Viewing
11.00 – 12.30 Musculoskeletal disorders and work/ policy issues (presentations 15 minutes each)
• Henk van der Molen: Company-specifi c risk communication to prevent work-related musculoskeletal disorders
• Jolinde Kettelarij: Occupational exposure to chemical substances or products not covered by REACH or OSH
• Nicole Palmen: From potential to regulated New and Emerging Risks of Chemicals (NERC): the process and some examples
• Ville Ojanen: The Burden of Occupational Diseases in Productivity-Adjusted Life Years – a Finnish Nationwide Registry Study
• Lode Godderis: Pandemic preparedness; lessons learned from Covid-19
12.30 – 13.30 Lunch Break
13.30 – 14.30 Interactive workshop
Sharing insights on knowledge and policy gaps, and turn ideas into regulatory action.
14.30 – 15.00 Closing session with a discussion on collaboration