“Increased activities in the north together with cold indoor work places creates challenges for people working under such conditions.”

22nd of November 2018

Course leader presentation: Mariann Sandsund

Workers in the Cold, 19th – 21st of March 2019, Clarion Hotel The Edge, Tromsø, Norway

Mariann Sandsund works as Senior Scientist at SINTEF in Norway and has 24 years of research experience in the fields of work in extreme environment including health, safety and performance, clothing and protection, user centered research and innovation projects. She has a PhD in physiology (exercise and cold-induced asthma) and has worked on projects focusing on health promotion and disease prevention initiatives for different occupational groups as well as for individuals with different diseases (asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) rheumatic diseases). Mariann is responsible for SINTEFs Work Physiology Laboratory and has many years of experience in performing both field and laboratory studies with aims of better understanding how the environment influences human performance and physiology. For several years she was the coordinator of the course “Health, protection and survival in the cold” at Spitsbergen.

Why do you think that Workers in the Cold is an important and current issue to discuss in 2019?

Increased activities in the north together with cold indoor work places creates challenges for people working under such conditions. The course presents new knowledge related to work in different cold occupations such as the military, mining, petroleum, fishing and aquaculture industry. It will give insight into physiological mechanisms, as well as clinical aspects, treatment options, clothing and protective equipment related to operating in cold areas. Results from relevant projects on cold exposure will be presented, and we will discuss future perspectives related to development and evaluation of new technology providing new opportunities for prevention, treatment, protective solutions follow-up and interaction that can improve health and safety for work in cold climate.

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

It is a pleasure to be part of the team responsible for this course. The group of researchers have lots of experience in the field of cold exposure in different occupations, and the mixture of plenary lessons and physiological measurements during field experiments, followed by discussions of results is an interesting approach. I hope that you as participants will share your knowledge and expertise too, so we can all learn and improve the conditions for workers in the cold. Welcome to the course!

More information: Course web page
Registration: Course registration
Last registration date: 14th of January 2019