Ergonomics and safety in societies in transfer

In Central Europe, the influence of transformation on science and practice in both ergonomics and occupational safety has been positive. The opening of markets has automatically resulted in the quality of products of various countries being compared. The comparison of the state of science has been equally revealing. The spontaneous willingness of leading world centres to co-operate in both occupational safety and ergonomics has resulted in positive changes, e.g. intensive work on creating the instruments for: implementing ILO conventions and EU directives into national laws; implementing international and European standards into national standards; accrediting testing laboratories in the field of occupational safety and ergonomics; accrediting centres for product certification for the safety mark (obligatory) and for conformity with ergonomic parameters (voluntary); and computer-aided designing and creating databases in occupational safety and ergonomics conforming to international standards. These are the laws of the emerging common market for products and services. There is still a much more difficult area of necessary changes in the approach to: the value of life and health; the belief in the possibilities and the effectiveness of initiatives towards changing the working and life environment; and the form and content of the information in occupational safety and ergonomics taught from school to adult education. Transformation has led to a renaissance in which man has become the subject of all aspects of life and activity. There is also a renaissance of occupational safety and ergonomics. The fields of research that have gained importance in this new approach in Central Europe are discussed.