Michael Spallek

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Michael Florian Spallek (born July 29, 1957 in Steinbach near Ottweiler ) is a German occupational physician who has been employed by Volkswagen AG since 1988 . From at least 2009 to 2017 he was Managing Director of the European Research Association for Environment and Health in the Transport Sector (EUGT).

Life

Spallek studied sport and human medicine in Saarbrücken and Frankfurt a. M. After clinical work in the greater Frankfurt area and further training in occupational medicine at the airport in Frankfurt a. M., he acquired a specialist in occupational medicine with additional qualifications in environmental medicine, chiropractic medicine, sports medicine and a certificate of qualification in rescue medicine. In 1988 he moved to the Volkswagen AG plant in Kassel, and in 1995 to Wolfsburg. Since 1997 he has been the senior company doctor at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles in Hanover.

In 2010 he completed his habilitation at the Institute for Occupational Medicine at Charité Berlin in the subjects of occupational and environmental medicine under David Groneberg on the functional examination of the musculoskeletal system in occupational medicine. The cumulative habilitation consisted of previously published individual articles.

Spallek published on the subject of work-related and work-related musculoskeletal disorders and was quoted on the subject in a dapd report. Michael Spallek's research areas are primarily in the areas of clinical occupational medicine , environmental medicine and sports medicine . One of Spallek's main research areas is carpal tunnel syndrome as an occupational disease. He is a speaker at the Institute for Work and Health of the German Statutory Accident Insurance.

From at least 2009 (until 2017) he was Managing Director of the European Research Association for Environment and Health in the Transport Sector (EUGT). In 2016, Spallek identified himself on the EUGT website only as a "specialist in occupational and environmental medicine" and not as an employee of Volkswagen, although he was, among other things, head of health protection at VW Commercial Vehicles in Hanover and the "Foreign and Government Relations Department".

Spallek had been sent to the EUGT by Volkswagen as her paid managing director. When the EUGT was preparing controversial diesel exhaust inhalation tests on monkeys, Spallek was responsible for communication with the automotive companies in his role as managing director and passed Volkswagen's wishes on to the researchers.

In 2018 Spallek published a study in the Zentralblatt für Arbeitsmedizin, Arbeitsschutz und Ergonomie in which he named the Institute for Occupational Medicine, Social Medicine and Environmental Medicine of the Goethe University Frankfurt as an affiliate. On researchgate, his institution is in Baunatal, where the VW plant in Kassel is located.

Work on the effectiveness of environmental zones

Together with Peter Morfeld and David Groneberg, Spallek planned a study in which "the influence of driving bans (level 1) for vehicles in pollutant group 1 (without badge) on the pollutant concentration in selected environmental zones should be investigated". In March 2013 Morfeld and Spallek presented the results at the 15th Technical Congress of the VDA. At the same time, the EUGT published a press release with the headline: "Hardly any fine dust reduction through environmental zones". The Regional Administrative Court of Styria rejected the introduction of an environmental zone in Graz and justified the rejection with the EUGT publication. The ADAC also justifies its negative stance on environmental zones with the EUGT publication.

A study co-authored by Spallek that questioned the usefulness of environmental zones was cited in a study by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on the effectiveness of environmental zones.

criticism

In 2015, the Times questioned the independence of Spallek's academic work . The ergonomist Wolfgang Hien named Spallek as an example of an "industry-related" scientist. The health scientist Joseph Kuhn speaks of a "belittling debate" in Spallek's assessment of premature deaths from NOx emissions as a "theoretical construct [...] with no practical or real significance for the individual".

Fonts

Book contributions:

  • In Wolfgang Hellmann: Healthy employees as a success factor: A new way to better quality in hospitals, medhochzwei Verlag, 2007.
  • With Walter Kuhn: Function-oriented physical examination system, Ecomed, 2009.
  • In Friedrich Mehrhoff, Hans-Martin Schian: Back to work: Managing integration correctly, de Gruyter, 2009.
  • In Thomas Kraus, Stephan Letzel, Dennis Nowak: The chronically ill in employment - orientation aid for doctors in practice, clinic and company, Ecomed, 2010.
  • In Klaus Golka, Jan Hengstler, Stephan Letzel, Dennis Nowak: Traffic medicine - occupational medical aspects: Orientation aid for practice, clinic and company, Ecomed, 2011.
  • With Bernd Hartmann, Rolf Ellegast: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders: causes, prevention, ergonomics, rehabilitation, Ecomed, 2013.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Wolfgang Hellmann: Healthy employees as a success factor: A new way to better quality in hospitals . S. 144 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  2. ↑ Michael Spallek: Functional examination of the musculoskeletal system in occupational medicine. (PDF) Retrieved February 10, 2018 .
  3. ↑ Bernd Hartmann, Micheal Spallek: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Cause-prevention-ergonomics-rehabilitation. Ed .: Rolf Ellegast. 1st edition. Ecomed Medicine, Landsberg 2013.
  4. ↑ Thomas Kraus, Stephan Letzel: The chronically ill in working life. Musculoskeletal disorders . Ed .: Dennis Nowak. Ecomed medicine, Landsberg 2011, p. 188-209 .
  5. ↑ Klaus Giersiepen, Michael Spallek: Carpal tunnel syndrome as an occupational disease. No. 108 . Dtsch Arztebl Int, 2011, p. 238-342 .
  6. ↑ Motionlessness does more harm than stress. In: FOCUS Online. August 29, 2011, accessed February 27, 2018 .
  7. ↑ When the office makes you sick. In: Augsburger Allgemeine. August 21, 2011, accessed February 27, 2018 .
  8. ↑ Deutscher Ärzteverlag GmbH, editorial office of the Deutsches Ärzteblatt: Carpal tunnel syndrome as an occupational disease . ( Online [accessed April 20, 2018]).
  9. ↑ Anika Friedebold, Cristian Scutaru, Stefanie Mache, David Quarcoo, David A. Groneberg: The carpal tunnel syndrome - a clinical overview . In: Zentralblatt für Arbeitsmedizin, Arbeitsschutz und Ergonomie . tape 59 , no. 8 , August 1, 2009, ISSN  0944-2502 , p. 242-251 , doi : 10.1007 / BF03344228 .
  10. ↑ U. HoehneHückstädt, G. Schedlbauer, B. Hartmann, M. Sander, M. Spallek, F. Zagrodnik: Carpal tunnel syndrome as an occupational disease. Retrieved April 20, 2018 .
  11. ↑ Association of German factory and company doctors e. V: Regional Forum for Occupational Medicine Hannover 2009. Accessed on April 20, 2018 .
  12. ^ NDR: VW finances "independent" exhaust research. Retrieved February 14, 2018 .
  13. ↑ Management of EUGT. Retrieved February 10, 2018 .
  14. ^ Carsten Germis, Wolfsburg: After the animal experimentation affair: VW: No more research with the competition . In: FAZ.NET . February 21, 2018, ISSN  0174-4909 ( online [accessed February 24, 2018]).
  15. ↑ Emission tests with monkeys: VW lawyers influenced animal experiments . ( handelsblatt.com [accessed June 20, 2018]).
  16. ↑ Focal dystonia in instrumental musicians as an occupational disease (BK 2115), Zentralblatt für Arbeitsmedizin, Arbeitsschutz und Ergonomie, doi: 10.1007 / s40664-018-0297-2
  17. ↑ Profile Michale Spallek researchgate, accessed on January 22, 2019
  18. ↑ Peter Morfeld, Michael Spallek, David Groneberg: On the effectiveness of environmental zones: Design of a study to determine the pollutant concentration change for dust particles (PM10) and other variables through the introduction of environmental zones in 20 German cities . In: Zentralblatt für Arbeitsmedizin, Arbeitsschutz und Ergonomie . tape 61 , no. 5 , May 1, 2011, ISSN  0944-2502 , p. 148-165 , doi : 10.1007 / BF03344991 .
  19. ^ Association of the Automotive Industry: 15th Technical Congress, Program. Retrieved April 18, 2018 .
  20. ↑ Spallek, Michael: Kompakt, press release of the EUGT. Retrieved April 18, 2018 .
  21. ↑ RIS - LVwG 41.1-2572 / 2014 - Decision text - State administrative courts (LVwG). Retrieved April 18, 2018 .
  22. ↑ Jack Ewing: 10 Monkeys and a Beetle: Inside VW's Campaign for 'Clean Diesel' . In: The New York Times . 2018, ISSN  0362-4331 ( Online [accessed April 18, 2018]).
  23. ^ ADAC: Useless environmental zones. Retrieved April 18, 2018 .
  24. ^ Robert Mendick, Henry Bodkin: Revealed: How Volkswagen-funded car diesel study used by UK health officials . In: The Telegraph . February 2, 2018, ISSN  0307-1235 ( online [accessed February 24, 2018]).
  25. ↑ Alexi Mostrous and Billy Kenber: VW funds pro diesel health research . In: The Times . October 26, 2015, ISSN  0140-0460 ( online [accessed February 24, 2018]).
  26. ↑ »Often hypocritical« . In: jungle.world . ( Online [accessed June 20, 2018]).
  27. ^ Joseph Kuhn: Risky Diesel Stories at the Annual Meeting of the German Society for Occupational and Environmental Medicine - Health Check. Retrieved June 20, 2018 .
personal data
SURNAME Spallek, Michael
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Spallek, Michael Florian (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German occupational physician
DATE OF BIRTH July 29, 1957
PLACE OF BIRTH Steinbach b. Ottweiler