The legislative backgrounds of workplace health promotion in three European countries : A comparative analysis

Publisher Copyright: © 2015 Šidagytė et al.; licensee BioMed Central.Background: This article investigates the legal database and theoretical basis of workplace health promotion (WHP) in three European countries: Finland, Latvia and Lithuania, and aims to find insights into effective WHP implementation. Methods: In November 2013, a stakeholders' survey was carried out. The questionnaire included questions about legal documents and non-legislative measures relevant to WHP, institutions and other bodies/organizations working in the field, WHP conception/definition, and implementation of WHP activities according to the enterprises' size. Results: Only Finland has adopted a specific law on occupational health care (separate from occupational safety). ILO conventions No. 161 (Occupational Health Services Convention) and No. 187 (Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention) are ratified only in Finland. In Finland, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health acts as one ministry, while two Baltic countries have two separate ministries (one for health and another for social affairs). None of the countries has legally approved a definition of WHP. Latvia and Lithuania tend to separate WHP from other activities, whereas Finland integrates WHP into other occupational health and safety elements. Conclusions: Finland has a more extensive legislative and organizational background to WHP than Latvia and Lithuania. In defining WHP, all the countries refer to the Luxembourg Declaration on Workplace Health Promotion in the European Union. Finland's practice of integrating WHP into other occupational health and safety elements is important.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Assessing the opportunities of landfill mining as a source of critical raw materials in Europe

Many of the metals in landfill constitute valuable and scarce natural resources. It has already been recognised that the recovery of these elements is critical for the sustainability of a number of industries. Arsenic (which is an essential part of the production of transistors and LEDs) is predicted to run out sometime in the next five to 50 years if consumption continues at the present rate. Nickel used for anything involving stainless steel and platinum group metals (PGMs) used in catalytic converters, fertilisers and others are also identified as critical materials (CM) to the EU economy at risk of depletion However, despite the increasing demand, none of this supply is supported by recycling. This is due to the high cost of recovery from low concentrations when compared to conventional mining. As demonstrated by the two pilot case studies of this study, mining landfill sites only for their metals content is not expected to be financially viable. However, other opportunities such as Waste-derived fuels from excavated materials exist which if combined , form the concept of ‘enhanced landfill mining’. have the potential to be highly energetic. The energy potential is comparable to the levels of energy of Refuse-Derived Fuels (RDF) produced from non-landfilled wastes

Geophysical methods in impact crater hunting : Case Summanen

Non peer reviewe

Summanen structure : Further geological and geophysical evidence of a meteorite impact event in Central Finland

The Summanen structure is located in Central Finland and is one of Finland's 12 known meteorite impact structures. In 2017, the discovery of Summanen was based on numerous shatter cone boulders with planar deformation features (PDFs) and a circular electromagnetic anomaly, which is 2.6 km in diameter. The site was revisited in 2020 and 2022, and shatter cone-bearing outcrops were discovered. PDFs and feather features were identified in samples from these outcrops. A total of 38 PDF sets in 27 quartz grains resulted in rational crystallographic orientations concentrating on {10 (1) over bar4}, {10 (1) over bar3}, {10 (1) over bar2}, and {11 (2) over bar2}, implying shock pressures of 2-20 GPa. Gravity measurements were taken, and the electrical conductivity of the structure was studied. The gravimetric results revealed a circular negative anomaly of about 4 km in diameter, with an amplitude of -3.5 mGal. Excluding the gravitational effect of water and Quaternary sediments reduces the anomaly to -1.6 mGal. A bowl-shaped conductive layer, likely containing relict saline water in the impact-fractured bedrock, was identified to a depth of 240 m. Topographic and bathymetric data were combined to determine the impact's effect and interpret the level of erosion. Cobbles of sedimentary sand- and siltstones were found on the coastline of Lake Summanen. Based on their similarity to those found in the Soderfjarden impact crater with a Cambrian age, it is likely that these rocks and post-impact infill are also of a similar age.Peer reviewe