Fernando G. Benavides

Group website

Research Outline

CISAL investigates occupational health issues with major implications for workers, companies and governments. CISAL research and transfer focuses on work-related health problems that include musculoskeletal disorders, work injuries, workplace prevention programs and the determinants of absence due to illness and temporary/permanent disability. Its research also emphasizes groups of vulnerable workers, with a focus on the aging population, women, migrants and precarious employment. CISAL is involved in the development of new measurement tools for the working population and surveys of working conditions and health. It is also involved in ongoing research collaboration with universities in Europe, North America and Latin America.

Current projects

• WORKss project: To evaluate the impact of social protection benefits on the relationship between labor trajectories and health in a cohort of affiliated of the Social Security in Spain (2006-2019). IP Fernando G. Benavides. ISCIII FIS PI20/00101 and PI17/ 00220. 

• CEPS project: To study the burden of occupational disease treated in 10 public hospitals in Spain. IP: Consol Serra. ISCIII FIS PI16/00061.

• MATER project: To describe the use of social protection benefits during maternity Woman, Work and Maternity. IP Consol Serra. ISCIII FIS PI19/ 00060.

• INTEVAL-Plus Project: A cluster-randomized controlled trial of a multicomponent workplace intervention to improve musculoskeletal health in hospital workers. IP: José M. Ramada. ISCIII FIS PI17 / 00779.

• COSAMar project: PSMar COVID-19 health cohort (Consol Serra and FG Benavides). Fundación Prevent.

• COST ACTION CA19117: ReMO on mental health in researchers (MC Spain: Elena Ronda, FG Benavides)

Team during 2019-20

PhD students: Julio C. Hernando Rodríguez, Mercè Soler Font, Amaya Ayala García, Giovanny Michael Silva Peñaherrera, Cristina Alvarado Oviedo

Postdocs: María López Ruíz, Mónica Ubalde López, Laura Serra Saurina, Rocío Villar Vinuesa, Cristina Portellano Ortiz, Mireia Utzet Sadurní

Technicians: Montserrat Fernández Busquets 

Senior scientists: Consol Serra Pujadas, José María Ramada Rodilla, Jordi Delclòs Clanchet, David Gimeno Ruíz de Porras 

Selected publications 

• Villar R, Serra L, Serra C, Benavides FG. Working conditions and absence from work during pregnancy in a cohort of healthcare workers. Occup Environ Med. 2019 Apr;76(4):236-242. doi: 10.1136/oemed-2018-105369. Epub 2019 Jan 23. PMID: 30674607.

• March AN, Villar R, Ubalde-Lopez M, G. Benavides F, Serra L. Do birthrates contribute to sickness absence differences in women? A cohort study in Catalonia, Spain, 2012-2014. PLoS ONE 2020;15(8): e0237794. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237794.

• Coggon D, Ntani G, Walker-Bone K, Felli VE, Harari R, Barrero LH, Felknor SA, Rojas M, Cattrell A, Serra C, Bonzini M, Solidaki E, Merisalu E, Habib RR, Sadeghian F, Kadir MM, Wickremasinghe AR, Matsudaira K, Nyantumbu-Mkhize B, Kelsall HL, Harcombe H. Associations of sickness absence for pain in the low back, neck and shoulders with wider propensity to pain. Occup Environ Med. 2020 May;77(5):301-308. doi: 10.1136/oemed-2019-106193. Epub 2020 Feb 20. PMID: 32079717; PMCID: PMC7231440.

• Ferrer J, Granados G, Hernández S, Cruz MJ, Sampol J, Álvarez Simón D, Ramada JM. Validation of an Asbestos Exposure Questionnaire (QEAS-7) for Clinical Practice. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Dec 8;17(24):9167. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17249167. PMID: 33302485; PMCID: PMC7764759.

• Silva-Peñaherrera M, Lopez-Ruiz M, Merino-Salazar P, Gómez-García AR, Benavides FG. Health inequity in workers of Latin America and the Caribbean. Int J Equity Health. 2020 Jul 1;19(1):109. doi: 10.1186/s12939-020-01228-x. PMID: 32611402; PMCID: PMC7329389.

Other relevant information 

Keynote speaker: “Safe and healthy work” Fernando G. Benavides. Workshop: "The Future of Work" organized by the Department of Labour, social affairs and families of the Generalitat de Catalunya. April 12, 2019.

Keynote speaker: "Occupational diseases, current status and proposals for improvement" Fernando G. Benavides. Workshop: "Occupational Diseases in the spotlight" on the occasion of the International Day of Health and Safety in the Work. Organized by UGT of Catalonia. April 25, 2019.

Keynote speakers: "A paradigmatic canvi in the focus of occupational health: the total welfare of the treballador". Jordi Delclòs / Consol Serra. Remembering Dr. Francesc Arró i Triay: past present and future of Occupational Medicine. Organized by the Barcelona College of Physicians. May 23, 2019.

Keynote speaker: New strategies to identify and recognize occupational diseases. Conference on Comprehensive Management of Occupational Diseases: Consol Serra. Organized by: Coordination of Studies and Research on Health at Work (CEISAT-SRT). Buenos Aires (Argentina) Date: July 3th and 24th, 2019.

Hernando-Rodriguez JC, Serra L, Benavides FG, Ubalde-Lopez M. Sickness absence trajectories following labour market participation patterns: a cohort study in Catalonia (Spain), 2012-2014. BMC Public Health. 2020 Aug 27;20(1):1306. doi: 10.1186/s12889-020-09396-9.