Prevention is key to reducing the number of cancer cases that occur at work. STAMI (the Norwegian Institute of Occupational Health) has now launched a Norwegian version of a European website that provides knowledge-based information on how to reduce exposure to carcinogens in the workplace.
According to the “Fact Book on Work and Health 2024,” as many as 1,000 new cancer cases in Norway each year may be linked to occupational exposure. Among the most exposed industries are manufacturing and construction. In the EU, around 120,000 cases of cancer are estimated to be caused by occupational exposure each year, and over 100,000 people die from work-related cancer. Many of these diseases develop over a long period of time, and several of them could have been prevented with the right preventive measures.
STAMI
A community for cancer prevention: European initiative with Norwegian involvement
Since 2016, the EU has been running the Roadmap on Carcinogens (RoC) initiative, in which authorities, professional communities, and labor market partners are working together to reduce the risk of cancer in the workplace. In 2024, STAMI became a Norwegian partner in this initiative. The aim of the collaboration is to disseminate knowledge, raise awareness, and support the development of measures that make workplaces safer.
The website stopcarcinogensatwork.eu is the central tool in the project – and it has now been fully translated into Norwegian. This means that anyone working in different industries can easily find information about which carcinogens may be relevant to them and what protective measures are recommended.
STAMI has been responsible for quality assurance of both the selection of substances and the translation of occupations and sectors into Norwegian. This makes the content more understandable and useful for Norwegian users.
Local perspective and the way forward
STAMI Director Therese Hanvold emphasizes that language plays a crucial role: when information is available in Norwegian, the chance that it will actually be used in practice increases. Furthermore, STAMI hosted a European partner meeting in Oslo, where representatives from several countries met to share experiences and plan joint efforts in the years ahead, until 2027.
In addition to the translated website, STAMI offers several tools for workplaces:
Stop cacinogens at work
NOA (National Monitoring of Working Environment and Health), with statistics and analyses
“A good day at work,” a practical tool for systematic work environment efforts in companies
These resources give companies and employees better conditions for preventing carcinogens from posing a health risk in the work environment—both now and in the future.
