International Cooperation
We at the Israel Institute for Occupational Safety and Hygiene (IIOSH) are convinced that international cooperation is an essential part of our efforts to promote safety and health at work in our country. IIOSH operates as a part of the global network of safety and health institutions, coordinated by the International Labour Office (ILO) with its Information Centre (CIS). Their activities are covered by the CIS NEWS monthly bulletin, hosted by the Australian NOHSC.

Our wish to share knowledge and experience with the colleagues abroad makes IIOSH a willing partner in various international projects. The most notable among them are:

International Hazard Datasheets on Occupations

In this endeavor, supported by ILO and involving such participants as NIOSH (USA), CIOP (Poland), BIA (Germany) and others, IIOSH is playing a pivotal role, including the project leadership. We coordinate, under the supervision of the International Steering Committee, the preparation and publication of hundreds of datasheets that are becoming an important information resource for occupational risk analysis and prevention.

In May 2000, IIOSH was pleased to welcome the members of the International Steering Committee at their meeting in Jerusalem.

Additional information on this project, together with numerous datasheets in English and a link to their Russian translations, may be found here.

Training of Palestinian labor inspectors

IIOSH, jointly with other Israeli and international organizations, has conducted - mostly in English - a comprehensive training course for Palestinian engineers and physicians who were to be appointed labor inspectors in the Palestinian Authority. The contents and level of training were then highly appraised by the Authority's officials, by the trainees themselves, and by the representatives of the Government of Denmark, which took an active part in this project.

We hope that professional collaboration and knowledge exchange with our Arab neighbors will further develop and contribute to safety, health and peace in our region.

ILO Encyclopaedia of Occupational Health and Safety - 4th Edition

A number of our colleagues at IIOSH have actively participated in the preparation of this fundamental compendium of OSH information. You may found their contributions in Chapters 55 and 103.

Dissemination of safety information among foreign workers in Israel

Being concerned with the safety and health of agricultural workers from Thailand, of whom thousands are employed in Israel, IIOSH has established contacts with our Thai colleagues. The materials kindly provided by them were used for the preparation of a Thai-language pamphlet containing basic safety guidelines. It was then freely distributed among the workers. Similar pamphlets were also prepared for Chinese, Turkish, Romanian, and Russian construction workers.

... and more

Exchange of information and ideas with our foreign counterparts became an indispensable part of many IIOSH activities. A few examples:

  Close international contacts with British, Australian and other colleagues helped us in developing the Israeli Safety Management standard - IS 18001.

  The new Noise training class owes much of its concept to German specialists.

  Our activity in the field of Transport of Dangerous Goods is coordinated with the British HSE and other European organizations.

  An important part of our technical book "Working with VDU" was based on the materials provided by the fellow institutes from Finland and New Zealand.

IIOSH is a national center for Israel of the CIS/ILO and is actively engaged - as shown above - in their activities. We are open to suggestions and proposals for professional collaboration, either bi-national or multi-national, at any level: regional, European, or international. For this purpose, please contact our Director, Mr. Menachem Schwartz, at: menachem@osh.org.il.

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