Thomas Alexander has been head of Division 2, Product and Work Systems, at the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) in Germany since 2019. Prior to this, he worked at the Fraunhofer Society in various positions for 26 years, conducting applied research studies in human factors and ergonomics. Thomas Alexander originally studied safety engineering and obtained his MSc in 1994, and his PhD in 2002. In 2004 and 2005 was a Visiting Scientist at the NASA Ames Research Center in California. Currently, he is also Vice President of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA). His research topics include the impact of innovative technologies such as AI on present and future work systems, and the various effects and implications of climate change on future work systems, especially on occupational safety and health.

Carita Aschan is the Director of TTL Services at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health; from 2015 onwards she has been engaged in various leadership positions at the Institute. She has also served in several trusted roles within various organizations and steering committees. She holds a Ph.D. in Physics (1999) and EMBA (2019). 

Pierre Belingard is an electrotechnical engineer with over ten years’ experience in product testing and validation across various industrial sectors, including automotive, defence and security. After this professional background, he joined EUROGIP, where he is now responsible, on behalf of the French authorities, for coordinating French Notified Bodies under the Machinery Regulation and the Personal Protective Equipment Regulation. Working closely with the French Ministry of Labour and the French Ministry of Agriculture, he also deals with European regulatory matters. In addition, he participates in standardisation activities in the machinery sector and represents the positions of prevention stakeholders.

Jean-Christophe Blaise completed his degree in production engineering in 1996, and his PhD in automated production in 2000. At INRS, he is currently Head of a laboratory in charge of machinery and automation issues and of a project related to the safety of flexible and connected production systems. He is also a coordinator within the French network for machine safety prevention and a member of the ISO TC 199 standards committee on safety of machinery. 

 

Clémentine Borgeot is an occupational safety expert at the French National Research and Safety Institute (INRS). Her expertise focuses on the prevention of risks related to driverless trucks and automated storage and retrieval systems. She provides technical support through assistance missions and is involved in standardization committees related to safety of machinery.

Dr. Michael Bretschneider-Hagemes is an OSH expert with many years of experience in the fields of research and politics. His research focused on mobile work and digitalization; at the time he founded the occupational safety session at the leading international conference on human-computer interaction and chaired it for many years.
In later political roles he specialized in AI, machine safety, human-machine interaction, and psychological stress. Today he is a representative of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) in the EU Commission's Machinery expert group within DG Grow and an expert in standardization committees related to occupational health and safety, particulary ergonomics and mental stress and related human-machine interaction. In the EU Commission's Advisory Committee for Safety and Health at Work he is a member of the workers' interest group within the Working Party Standardization. At national level he works for the German trade unions at the Commission for Occupational Health and Safety and Standardisation (KAN).

Otto Görnemann is an expert for machine safety, industrial safety standards and regulations at SICK AG in Waldkirch, Germany. He is a member of several technical committees at ISO, IEC, CEN, CENELEC, DIN and AENOR and holds several patents in the area of ​​protective devices. He is a certified trainer and auditor for functional safety and a member of the ISSA Machinery Section. He is the chair of ISO TC 199 and CEN TC 114 for Machine Safety.
Otto Görnemann has been a trainer at universities of applied sciences (Aachen, Bochum, Düsseldorf, Fulda, Heide, etc.) and several German social accident insurance institutions. He has also given lectures for OSH authorities in Brazil (Ministry of Labour, Fundacentro), Israel (IIOSH), Japan (JNIOSH), and OSH institutions in Chile (ACHS), China (SAC), Singapore (SISO), Colombia (CCS) and Portugal (CATIM). He has been appointed as an expert by the European Commission for sectoral dialogues with the Brazilian government. 

Rafał L. Górny is a full professor of medical sciences. He is currently head of the Laboratory of Biohazards at the Central Institute for Labour Protection – National Research Institute, Warsaw, Poland. He is also head of the Biological Agents Expert Group at the Interdepartmental Commission for Maximum Admissible Concentrations and Intensities for Agents Harmful to Health in the Working Environment, Warsaw, Poland. In the last 30 years of professional work, he has been engaged in numerous studies devoted to health-related aspects of exposure to particulate (including biological) and fibrous aerosols in occupational and non-occupational environments. Since 2002, he has been working as and adviser for the World Health Organization, European Commission, and International Labour Organization in the field of biological agents.

Esa Kivisoja is the Chairman of the Finnish Work Safety Association (Suomen Työturvallisuuden Liitto, STYL ry), which was established in 1973 and whose membership includes all major companies manufacturing, importing and distributing PPE and other safety or well-being equipment in Finland. STYL aims to improve safety at work through different on-site and/or web-based trainings and represents the interest of the trade toward authorities, notified bodies and other relevant organizations. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the European Safety Federation (ESF), which resperensts the interests of its members towards the European institutions and other relevant stakeholders organizations (notified bodies, market surveillance authorities, standardization, OSH community…). He has held several positions in PPE sales for multinational companies since 1996 and currently works at Ejendals Suomi Oy, a manufacturer of safety shoes and gloves.

Heidi Lahti is a researcher at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, currently conducting doctoral research in work and organizational psychology in affiliation with Tampere University. Her research examines algorithmic management and AI use at work from a worker-centered perspective, with a focus on job demands, resources, and employee well-being.

Stéphanie Marsteau is a senior research scientist at INRS, the French Research and Safety Institute for the Prevention of Occupational Accidents and Diseases. Her domains of research deal with respiratory protective devices, adsorption phenomena and the assessment of chemical exposure risks in the workplace. She has been a member of the CEN and ISO Respiratory Protection sector for 17 years.

Miriam Martínez Albert is a Spanish researcher and academic specializing in textile engineering. She serves as the Head of the Comfort Department at AITEX, the Textile Industry Research Association, which is a global leader in textile innovation and technology based in Spain. Miriam holds a degree in Chemistry from the University of Alicante and a PhD in Textile Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Valencia. Her research focuses on enhancing thermal performance, particularly in personal cooling systems, and developing standardised testing protocols for these systems. At AITEX, she leads projects aimed at measuring and optimizing thermal comfort in PPE, ensuring the safety and well-being of workers in demanding environments. 

Nastazja Potocka-Sionek is a Postdoctoral Researcher in European and Comparative Labour Law at the University of Luxembourg. She holds a PhD degree in law from the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence, an LL.M. degree in German law from the University of Münster, and a master's degree in law from the University of Łódź. Her current research focuses on algorithmic management, AI practices at work, platform work, OSH and well-being at work, and workers' data protection. Her publications feature in leading academic journals, e.g. Common Market Law Review, International Journal of Comparative Labour Law and Industrial Relations. She has also been involved as an expert in several projects commissioned by the EU Commission, the ILO, and national agencies. 

José Alberto Salcedo is a seasoned health and safety professional with over 19 years of international experience in the infrastructure and construction sectors. Spanning operational to corporate levels, his career includes key tenures at major global companies such as Ferrovial and Acciona. Throughout his career, J. Alberto has acted as a functional lead on numerous innovation projects, successfully managing the digitalization of OHS processes. In his current role at Acciona, he drives the technological transformation of the H&S department, specifically leading the strategic application of Artificial Intelligence and new technologies to enhance health and safety standards.

Claes-Mikael Ståhl has been Deputy General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) since 2021. His current responsibilities, among others, are social dialogue, trade as well as standardisation. He was born south of Stockholm in 1974. His first job was as a cleaner in a factory in Sweden. Claes-Mikael Ståhl has long experience in the trade union movement, particularly working as a legal advisor for the Swedish Trade Union Confederation with collective bargaining, labour law and European law. He also worked for the ETUC as legal advisor in the fight against the Services Directive almost 20 years ago. He is the author of several publications and reports on a wide range of trade union issues from democracy to full employment, including trade union training literature.

Annick Starren has been working within EU-OSHA’s Prevention and Research Unit since 2016. Her key responsibilites are coordination of EU-OSHA’s Anticipating Change and Future of Work projects, such as the Foresight on the Circular Economy and a series of Future of Work expert articles. She also manages the priority area of Smart Digital OSH systems as part of the Healthy Workplaces Campaign on Digitalisation and OSH, EU-OSHA’s VESAFE e-guide for work related traffic safety, and serves on the international scientific committee of the Working on Safety Conferences. Prior to her current role, Annick Starren worked for TNO Safe and Healthy Business in the Netherlands. She also gained experience with the Dutch Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and worked as an IT management consultant. Annick studied Work and Organisational Psychology at both the University of Amsterdam and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and holds a postdoctoral qualification in Change Management.

Jonas Stein specializes in the safety and security of machinery. He is head of the Industrial Security Section at the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV). He also leads the digital manufacturing project group of the ISSA Machine and System Safety Section, as well as the DGUV AK Security Working Group. Within the CENELEC/TC44x/WG02 standardization working group, he contributes to the EN 50742 security standard for machinery and functional safety devices. He is also a member of the Expert Group D of the European Commission, contributing to the new Machinery Regulation guide. 

Katja Tähtinen is a Professor of Practice in Sustainable Civil Engineering at Aalto University and Research Director at the Building Information Foundation RTS. Her research focuses on building longevity, reuse, and recyclability, as well as indoor environments. Her work bridges research, policy, and practice, supporting the transition toward circular, healthy, and resource-efficient built environments.