The 17th International Congress of the SEMST and the 9th Basque-Aquitan Conference on Occupational Medicine and Nursing will bring together occupational health specialists in Bilbao

On 19 and 20 February, Bilbao hosted the 17^th International Congress of the SEMST and the 9^th Basque Aquitanian Conference, which brought together national and international professionals to analyse the main current challenges in occupational health, industrial hygiene and occupational risk prevention.

Thursday, 19 February

Thursday's inaugural session was opened by Elena Pérez Barredo, Deputy Regional Minister of Labour and Social Security, who welcomed the participants by highlighting the crucial role of occupational health in a constantly changing industrial environment.

During the day there were multiple presentations and round tables focusing on hazardous substances, new technologies, Artificial Intelligence, occupational diseases and emerging risks.

Thursday's speeches included several by Osalan staff, such as the presentation by Luis Javier Echevarría, head of Epidemiology, in the Module on dermatosis and occupational diseases due to exposure to chemical agents. Likewise, Aitor Gisasola, head of the Occupational Health Unit, took part in the International Round Table on Occupational Health (France, Spain and Portugal), providing the Basque Country's vision on prevention and the progress made by the organisation in cross-border collaboration.

Friday, 20 February

The second day was opened by Lourdes Íscar, Director General of Osalan, who stressed the importance of prevention that evolves at the pace of technological, productive and social changes, reinforcing multidisciplinary collaboration to better anticipate and manage occupational risks.

Before the inauguration, there was time for the presentation and defence of the posters, a space that allowed participants to share their projects and reflections.

One of the most important round tables on the second day was the one dedicated to occupational cancer, an area in which María Jesús Martín (a specialist in Occupational Medicine at Osalan) spoke, providing the Basque organisation's perspective on the detection, investigation and prevention of cancer exposures in the workplace. The day also included modules on reprotoxins, gender perspective in occupational health, biological risks and respiratory pathologies associated with chemical pollutants, concluding with the closing conference on the role of operational meteorology in occupational health and safety in the 21^st century.

A well-established event in the occupational health calendar

The SEMST 2026 Congress and the Basque Aquitanian Conference have once again become a reference point for the professional community, consolidating their role in the dissemination of up-to-date knowledge, the exchange of experiences and the promotion of good practices in occupational risk prevention.