Actually, we have a pretty good idea what the 8 (or ten) top global trends and issues are in EHS. The issues are addressed in several chapters in a recent book (30+ authors): “Global Occupational Health” (Oxford University Press, 2011). 

They essentially boil down to: 

1)       Providing basic occupational health services and dovetailing with the primary health care system in each country ("Basic Occupational Health for All" is a World Health Organization campaign)

2)       Globalization and coping with globalized competition (real, perceived, and used as an excuse) which puts pressure on EHS protection to lower standards

3)       Emerging hazards of unknown consequence for which we don't know what to do (e.g. nanotechnology)

4)       Conventional hazards that are not satisfactorily controlled for which we know what should be done but don't do it (e.g. silica)

5)       The macroeconomic impact of occupational injuries, illness, disability, and incapacity (unfit for duty) - collectively, these can be seen in economic terms as employers externalizing costs to society

6)       Management of community health risk in occupational settings (particularly malaria)

7)       The aging workforce and demographic transition

8)       Income insecurity and microeconomic consequences of being injured at work

Plus these 2:

1) Women in the workplace - especially in Muslim nations

2) Global epidemic of workplace stress and resultant epidemics of anxiety and depression

Last 2 trends added by Rick Lippin MD, FACOEM