What is CSOA?
CSOA is a Colombian non-profit organization established in 2000 through the merger of four of the country’s scientific and academic societies: the Colombian Association of Comprehensive Safety (ASASI), the Colombian Society of Occupational Medicine (SCMT), the Colombian Ergonomics Society (SCE), and the Colombian Association of Occupational Hygiene (ACHO). This merger brought together the four classic disciplines of prevention—occupational medicine, safety, hygiene, and ergonomics—into a single entity.
It is headquartered in Medellín and has regional chapters in different parts of Colombia. It is a non-profit organization, not an ARL (Occupational Risk Administrator) or a government agency: it does not manage occupational risk insurance nor does it have regulatory or sanctioning power over companies.
The entity itself refers to itself interchangeably as the Occupational and Environmental Health Corporation and as the Occupational and Environmental Health Corporation.
Purpose and scope of action
The purpose of CSOA is to generate and disseminate knowledge about the factors that influence the health, environment, and well-being of the Colombian working population, integrating into a single organization the disciplines previously represented separately by its four founding societies. Its scope of action is Colombia, coordinated from its headquarters in Medellín and its regional chapters.
Functions and main lines of work
CSOA’s activity is organized along several lines.
- Occupational Health Week. The organization’s flagship annual event, with a reach that extends beyond the strictly Colombian sphere.
- Specialized training. Provides courses on auditing occupational health and safety management systems, planned inspections, international standards, and occupational medical examinations, among other subjects.
- Certifications. It offers specialized certifications related to the disciplines that the corporation integrates.
- Consulting. Provides advisory services to organizations in compliance with their occupational health and safety management systems.
Contribution to safety and health at work
CSOA’s contribution is that of a scientific and educational entity that brings together, under one institutional umbrella, the four classic preventive disciplines: occupational medicine, safety, hygiene , and ergonomics . In Colombia, these disciplines coexist within the Occupational Health and Safety Management System (SG-SST) that each company must implement, and CSOA’s training and consulting are specifically aimed at supporting this compliance.
CSOA does not replace the ARL of each company nor the Colombian public authority in matters of occupational risks: its role is that of a scientific, training and consulting entity, not that of an insurer or an organization with sanctioning power.
Relationship with the ORP International Foundation
CSOA joins the ORP International Foundation’s institutional advisory committee with the profile of a merger: it was founded in 2000 from the union of four Colombian scientific societies specializing in occupational medicine, occupational hygiene, safety, and ergonomics, all based in Medellín. This history of interdisciplinary integration distinguishes its contribution from that of associations specializing in only one of these areas.
Practical application
For a Colombian company implementing its Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS), CSOA’s training and consulting services are a valuable resource for addressing occupational medicine, safety, hygiene, and ergonomics in an integrated manner—disciplines that are often managed separately. For a prevention professional, Occupational Health Week and the corporation’s certifications offer a path to technical updates in these four areas.
