1215 The contribution of research to the future of work: a global perspective

Introduction Between 2014 and 2016, within the project ‘Futures’ developed by the Partnership for European Research in Occupational Safety and Health (PEROSH), the authors surveyed a panel of more than 100 European OSH researchers using a modified Delphi technique. The study aimed at providing an overview of knowledge gaps to be filled by OSH research in the forthcoming years to address the effects of societal, economic and technological change on working conditions and to make the research in this field able to contribute to the European sustainable development strategies. With the present study, the authors will try to understand if and how the OSH research priorities identified at European level are consistent with OSH research needs in other geographical areas. Methods The questionnaire developed for the European study will be submitted to a panel of researchers identified among different networks of OSH institutions, such as the Global network of WHO Collaborating Centres for Workers’ Health, the Asia-Pacific Occupational Safety and Health Organisation, the Asian Occupational Safety and Health Research Institutes network and others covering different regions of the world. The researchers will be asked to assess and rate the importance of the OSH research priorities identified in the European study on a scale from 0 to 5. An open-ended question will be added to the survey to allow participants to identify other OSH research priorities specific to their geographical area and development scenario. Results and discussion The results of this study will allow a comparison between OSH research needs in different geographical areas. It will also provide some insightful information both to draft a global OSH research agenda for the next years and to highlight eventual specific areas of OSH were joint efforts at global level can support the improvement of working conditions within the frame of a sustainable development.