Health and the environment - key tasks of the Vienna Ombuds Office for Environmental Protection

In many cases, environmental protection at the same time means preventive healthcare. According to the general WHO definition, health is a "state of physical, mental and social wellbeing rather than absence of illness or impairment."

The Ombuds Office works on many topics that are relevant to preventive healthcare in the sense of this definition. In particular, it focuses on fields that are badly documented and require new or better legal regulations, such as chemicals policy, nuclear protection, noise, air quality and mobile phone systems. Conserving and expanding green spaces and recreation areas in Vienna is equally part of the general health focus.

In the field of chemicals policy, the Ombuds Office has devised a database of disinfectants WIDES in cooperation with other institutions. It was created to ensure the principles of ecology and safety at the workplace are applied in kindergartens, schools and hospitals operated by the City of Vienna.

The database WIDES is used nowadays all over Europe and has been honored with a recommendation by the EU-OSHA. In the pandemic WIDES has gained importance for choosing the right disinfectant.