Occupational Risk Prevention and Ergonomics
The Occupational Risk Prevention and Ergonomics department specializes in research, professional, and practical activities in the field of occupational safety and health (OSH). It fulfills tasks arising from the national research and development strategy while also providing commercial services in the areas of risk prevention, industrial safety, ergonomics, and occupational psychology. Its scope of work further includes educational, training, and consultancy activities.
The department focuses on comprehensive risk assessment and management – from analyses and evaluations of working conditions and environments, through ergonomic workplace design, to the assessment of human reliability and error rates in task performance. It provides external audits in the fields of OSH and accident prevention, including environmental aspects, and contributes to the Safe Enterprise programme. In addition, it conducts modelling of hazardous chemical substance dispersion at injury-inducing concentrations, prepares corporate guidelines and operational regulations, and implements safety signage in industrial facilities.
A significant part of the department’s activities also involves analyses and forecasts in the areas of OSH and employment. It conducts operations research, monitors occupational accident rates, sickness absence, and unemployment, analyses their underlying causes, and forecasts the future development of selected indicators in relation to socio-economic change. The department develops tools to support occupational safety policy for small, medium, and large enterprises, and provides expert, advisory, and consultancy services.
Nanotechnology safety constitutes a specific area of expertise. The department addresses the protection of workers’ health from exposure to nanomaterials and nanoparticles in the workplace, carries out concentration measurements, designs measures to reduce exposure, and cooperates with specialist institutions in the Czech Republic and abroad. It also investigates the behavior of nanomaterials in personal protective equipment, analyses the release of nano- and microplastics into the environment, and assesses their toxicity.
By combining research, professional expertise, and practical support for enterprises, the Occupational Risk Prevention and Ergonomics Department acts as a key partner in ensuring safe and health-preserving working conditions.