Supporting tools for companies addressed to integrate gender perspective in health at work

In recent European Policy concerning health and safety at work, gender, together with age, geographical origin and contractual condition, become an important aspect to be considered in order to ensure for all workers a well-being at work, which must be jointly targeted by all of those involved. In particular, the gender perspective should imply to consider not only biological differences between male and female workers, but also the social role they really play in the current society. Description of the problem The University of Pisa, through Italian Workers’ Compensation Authority (INAIL), has carried out a scientific research with the aim of giving prevention tools in the ‘‘gender based risk assessment’’ field. The methodology was based on a multidisciplinary approach (study group composed of occupational hygienists, occupational physicians and sociologists) with the common goal of supporting employers and the companies in assessing occupational risks in a gender perspective. Results The research path has allowed us to develop processes and tools, easy to use and useful for assessing the degree of integration of gender in the risk management and prepare the document for risk assessment accordingly. To facilitate the drafting, a tool for self-evaluation of the risk assessment document in a gender perspective was designed and some maps of the area and risk fact sheets that summarize the current scientific knowledge in relation to gender were produced. These tools are being evaluated in a voluntary trial and then they will be available on the website for INAIL companies. Lessons The risk assessment must take into account all the factors, both bio-physiological and cultural, that can interact with certain agents or hazardous conditions and with risk perception itself. Only by considering all these aspects in a multidimensional way it will be possible to take preventive measures and appropriate protection for risk management in a gender perspective. Key message For the health and safety of all workers it’s important to assess the occupational risks according to a gender approach, taking into account all the peculiarities that characterize both men and women 444 European Journal of Public Health, Vol. 25, Supplement 3, 2015