Criteria for risk assessment are listed in the ordinance of the Minister of Health on harmful biological agents in the workplace and the protection of workers exposed to those agents. Accordingly, risk assessment should be based on all available information including classification of biological agents, risk groups 2-4; information on diseases which may be contracted as a result of work; information on diseases from which workers are found to be suffering and which have a direct connection with their work; recommendations from competent sanitary authorities; National Labour Inspectorate; and occupational medicine services.

This article presents new safety requirements for ladders in standard PN-EN 131-2+A2: 2017-02. They cover two categories of ladders – professional and non-professional ones – and additional cyclic fatigue tests. New ladder tests are carried out under conditions similar to those at workstations where they are used. This article discusses the compatibility of those changes with a division of those devices into categories resulting from differences in the extent and intensity of their use. It also discusses in detail new requirements for tests, and the diversity of ladders on the market. Salespersons are important as they should provide comprehensive information to companies or individuals about European standards and technical specifications of ladders.

The development of nanotechnology, observed for years now, is very good for technological reasons, but it is associated with the still not fully-known health risk. Tribology is a field in which nanotechnologies can bring particularly great economic benefits. This article discusses the most common nanomaterials used in lubricants and their possible adverse health effects. It presents proposed reference values for permissible concentrations in the air, useful in monitoring the working environment.

Age-related demographic changes in the EU, including Poland, require making best use of the potential of older people in the labor market and extending their occupational activity. This article presents selected factors which determine willingness to work beyond retirement age. It discusses demographic, social and psychological determinants at the level of the individual, i.e., values ​​and attitudes towards work. By presenting organizational determinants of willingness to work beyond retirement age, the article focuses on the psychosocial qualities of the working environment, i.e., job development opportunities, job demands, job decision latitude, social support and job insecurity.