Occupational Health
“Paid employment is an important determinant of health and health inequalities. Our research aims to contribute to creating an inclusive labour market for all social groups.”
Paid employment is an important determinant of health and health inequalities. It is an important challenge to enable persons to work longer in good health, in particular for vulnerable groups. Our research aims to contribute to creating an inclusive labour market for all social groups. Important questions addressed by our research are: How does work affect health and how does health affect work? Which factors determine work ability and sustainable employment during the working life? How can workers with chronic diseases remain productive at work? What interventions and policies enhance sustainable employability? How (cost-)effective are these interventions and policies?
Highlights
of Occupational Health in 2020
Re-integration in BOLD cities
Municipalities need more insight in the effectiveness of their employment services on entering paid employment among unemployed persons. By making use of big, open and linked data (‘BOLD’) and a quasi-experimental study design, we evaluated the effectiveness of re-integration activities for unemployed persons in Rotterdam. Similarly, the effectiveness of employment services will be investigated in The Hague and Amsterdam. Data from the municipality registers and Statistics Netherlands are used to get insight in 1) what works for whom, and 2) the effects of employment services on sustainable employment, income and health. In addition, data dialogues are conducted among welfare recipients, to discuss the conditions under which the use of big data and data analytics to improve employment services is meaningful and acceptable.
PerfectFit@Night
Working in night shifts can have a negative impact on workers’ health behaviors and health. However, in some sectors night work is inevitable. In the Netherlands, one in four healthcare workers regularly work during the night to ensure continuity of care. It is a challenge to enhance sustainable employability of workers with night shifts in the healthcare sector. In collaboration with the Erasmus MC occupational health service the PerfectFit@night intervention will be developed to enhance sleep, recovery and sustainable employability of healthcare professionals working in night shifts. The intervention focuses both on individual characteristics and the social and physical context by providing an e-learning on working healthy during the night, a power-nap bed, the provision of healthy food during the night, and coaching sessions for employees with sleep problems and fatigue.
