The Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine (NIOM), Lodz, Poland, was founded in 1954. Over fifty years of its history, it has evolved from a small unit at the Medical University of Lodz into an independent complex research and development centre.
The Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine (NIOM), Lodz, Poland, was founded in 1954. Over fifty years of its history, it has evolved from a small unit at the Medical University of Lodz into an independent complex research and development centre with activities covering various areas of occupational and environmental health. Presently, NIOM provides background research and expertise to the Ministry of Health and serves as an advisory body to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and numerous governmental agencies, including State Sanitary Inspectorate and State Labour Inspectorate, and also to local administration, trade unions and industry.
It promotes healthy lifestyles among Polish workers with the main goal of improving the quality of life and having a positive impact on workers’ health, work environment and work capability. It has been involved in post-graduate training, editorial activities, and regulatory activities with respect to occupational safety and health and environmental health hazards. It is thanks to the impressive scope and extent of its activities as well as the professional qualifications of the staff and the technical capacity that NIOM is a unique of its kind institution for occupational health research in Poland and within the Central and Eastern European region.
The primary task of the Institute is to conduct research and development activities and provide expertise on health hazards arising from occupational and environmental exposure to noxious agents. The multidisciplinary nature of the research performed at NIOM makes it possible to solve complex problems of the work environment and workers health.
A dynamic development of international collaboration has also proceeded. Our cooperation with WHO has always been essential. Since 1975 the Institute has acted as the WHO Collaborating Centre in Occupational Health and recently it has been granted the status of the WHO Leading Institution in Integrated Workplace Health Management. Several international seminars, training courses and conferences were jointly organized, and the Institute participated in the implementation of a number of research projects e.g. coordinated by the WHO Regional Office for Europe and International Agency for Research on Cancer. At present, the Nofer Institute participates in different activities initiated by WHO, ICOH, MEDICHEM, IARC, EUROTOX, IUPAC, and ACGIH, NCI, and ATSDR in the US. The staff of the Centre is frequently invited to participate in WHO missions as WHO Temporary Advisers, IAEA/ICRP experts and others.
SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
The School of Public Health (SPH) was established in 1992 to provide postgraduate training to health care professionals as well as conduct research activities and advisory work. It offers a two-year programme with lectures and classes on the following subjects:
- public health,
- health care organisation, management and economics,
- environmental determinants of health;
- environment, health and safety management
SPH also organises highly specialised monographic courses in occupational hygiene, radiological protection, toxicology, risk assessment, environmental health, health promotion in workplace, health care management and delivery systems, negotiation and communication skills as well as advanced courses for physicians applying for speciality in occupational medicine. Apart from that, it runs a four-year PhD programme.


SPH is highly involved in the process of integrating with the Schools of Public Health in the EU Member States and has been classified as one of the six leading European Schools of Public Health, the founding members of the AESCULAPIUS Network. SPH is a founder and member of the Executive Board of the European Association of the Schools of Occupational Medicine (EASOM), and member of the Association of the Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER) and the European Union of Public Health Associations (EUPHA).

The activities of the Polish Central Institute for Labour Protection - National Research Institute (CIOP-PIB) focus upon research into and improvements to working conditions, in consideration of the mental and physical capacity of workers. CIOP-PIB's chief objective is the search for new technological and organisational measures for the improvement of working conditions, and the creation of a scientific basis for public social and economic policy in this area. Amongst other activities, the institute creates subject-matter and materials for the national education system and postgraduate training in the areas of occupational safety, health and ergonomics.