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Switzerland

Institute for Work and Health

(INSTITUT UNIVERSITAIRE ROMAND DE SANTé AU TRAVAIL (IST)

Rue du Bugnon 21, CH-1005 Lausanne, Switzerland.

Status: Independent organisation.

Principal functions and activities: IST has four main scientific fields of activity: occupational medicine, occupational hygiene, ergonomics and analytical laboratories.


International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)

3 Rue de Varembé, PO Box 131, 1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland.

Status: Non-governmental organisation

Principal functions and activities: Producing international standards and specifications.

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International Labour Organization (ILO)

International Labour Office, 4 route des Morillons, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland

International Occupational Safety and Health Information Centre (CIS)

Safework:

Status: UN specialized agency

Principal functions and activities: Formulation of international labour standards; technical assistance; training and advisory services. CIS, together with its network of National and Collaborating Centres, collects and disseminates world information on occupational health and safety and provides a computerised indexing and abstracting service. Safework brings together information on the ILO's standard-related activities.

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International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

Central Secretariat: 1 rue de Varembé, Case postal 56, 1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland

Status: Non-governmental organization

Principal functions and activities: ISO is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies at present comprising 150 members, one in each country. The object of ISO is to promote the development of standardization and related activities in the world with a view to facilitating international exchange of goods and services, and to developing co-operation in the spheres of intellectual, scientific, technological and economic activity.

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International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS)

(PROGRAMME INTERNATIONAL SUR LA SECURITE DES SUBSTANCES CHIMIQUES)

World Health Organisation (WHO), Avenue Appia, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland

Status: Formed in 1980, a co-operative programme of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the International Labour Organisation (ILO), and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Principal functions and activities: The two roles of the IPCS are to establish the scientific health and environmental risk assessment basis for safe use of chemicals (normative functions) and to strengthen national capabilities for chemical safety (technical co-operation).

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International Social Security Association (ISSA)

Case Postale 1, Route des Morillons 4, CH-1211, Geneva 22, Switzerland

Status: International organisation.

Principal functions and activities: To co-operate at international level in the protection, promotion and development of social security throughout the world, primarily through its technical and administrative improvement.

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SUVA (formerly Swiss National Accident Insurance Fund)

Fluhmattstrasse 1, 6002 Luzern, Switzerland

Status: Autonomous institute of public law with own judicial system.

Principal functions and activities: Issues regulations, guidelines and information on accident insurance. Inspects workplaces and offers an advisory service on training and education on insurance, accident prevention and rehabilitation of seriously injured persons. Suva insures against accidents of any kind and diseases at work for about two-thirds of the employees in Switzerland.

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UNEP Chemicals

Geneva Executive Centre, UNEP, 11-13 chemin des Anemones, 1219 Châtelaine, Geneva, Switzerland

Status: Established in 1976 by UNEP. One of the main components of UNEP Programmes and currently related to UNEP Environment Management Programme (EMP).

Principal functions and activities: UNEP Chemicals is the focus for all activities undertaken by UNEP to ensure the global sound management of hazardous chemicals. The main activities of Chemicals are as follows: Facilitating the development of a legally binding instrument for the application of the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure.

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