Course leader presentation: Bjørnar Finnanger Garshol

Occupational Safety and Health – Regulation and Enforcement, 28th – 29th of November 2023, Radisson Blu Plaza, Oslo, Norway

Bjørnar Finnanger Garshol, you are the course leader for our course “Occupational Safety and Health – Regulation and Enforcement”. Can you tell us a little something about your background?

I have a bachelor’s degree in work psychology, one in physiotherapy and a master’s degree and PhD in Public Health. At present I am a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Occupational Health in Norway (STAMI), working on a project on the effects of regulatory tools on the work environment and health in the Norwegian home-care services.

Why do you think that regulation and enforcement in occupational safety and health is an important and current issue to discuss in 2023?

In the EU and in the Nordic countries, regulations are more or less ubiquitous within the field of Occupational Health and Safety. Enforcement of such regulations is considered essential both by the ILO and the WHO in order to protect employee health. As such ensuring evidence-based and effective regulations and enforcement is critically important.

In this course leading researcher in the field provide results from the latest research and from ongoing projects, while professionals from the field of OSH give their perspectives on and approaches to regulations and enforcement. Through interdisciplinary discussions we will look at some of the challenges in the intersection between research and practice in the field of OSH regulations and enforcement. One potential challenge in the field is designing solid studies to respond to the knowledge gaps and provide professionals in the field with practical knowledge. Another is how do we integrate psychosocial factors into both regulations and into enforcement? Enforcing psychosocial regulations could necessitate different approaches than enforcing regulations related to physical safety measures.    

What do you want to say to the participants of the course?

This course aims to provide participants with up-to-date knowledge on the regulation and enforcement of occupational health and safety, while at the same time providing a setting for networking, discussion and cooperation between researchers and professionals in the field.

More information: Course webpage
Registration: Course registration
Last registration date: October 23rd 2023