ServiceNow/ServiceLine and Slop at the EPO is Becoming a Health Risk to Staff
2024-25:
- Occupational Health, Safety and Ergonomics Committee (LOHSEC) at the European Patent Office (EPO)
- EPO's Local Occupational Health, Safety and Ergonomics Committee (LOHSEC) in The Hague: Workers Are Getting Sicker, Conditions in Which to Assess Patent Applications Deteriorate
- Local Occupational Health, Safety and Ergonomics Committee (LOHSEC) in The Hague: Staff Representation Surprised at "Recent Changes in the Staffing of OHS Occupational Health Services (OHS)"
Earlier this week the Local Staff Committee The Hague (LSCTH) circulated a report that speaks of the health of staff, citing the findings and observations of the Local Occupational Health, Safety and Ergonomics Committee (LOHSEC).
For a bit of background, revisit: Central Staff Committee Explains the Upper Limb Disorder (ULD) Crisis at the EPO | The Sickness of the EPO – Part VII: 40% of EPO Workers Have Upper Limb Disorder (ULD), Battistelli Covers That Up
The latest report is dated Tuesday; it speaks of "emergency indications and first aid information" among other things, not cocaine use by EPO management. Cocaine is OK when your sister is romancing with the President.
Here is the entire report:
Staff Committee The Hague
Comité du personnel de La Haye
Personalausschuss Den HaagRijswijk, 14 July 2026
sc26018hpReport on the meeting of the LOHSEC The Hague
On 4 March 2026, Staff Representation met with the administration at the 78th Local Occupational Health, Safety and Ergonomics Committee (LOHSEC) in The Hague. The meeting addressed workplace inspections and ergonomics, sickness statistics and COHSEC feedback, recurrent low temperatures in the New Main building, the recycling pilot, the renovated bicycle shed and ramp conditions, emergency indications and first aid information, mobile telephone antennas near the New Main building, and the functioning of the new ticketing system.
The members appointed by the President who were present were F. Brunelle (Chair), F. Zacca, K. Lievens, M. Moritz, E. Schmitz, Mehdi Vosooghi Dizaji, A. Versluis, N. Johnstone and J. de Bruin.
The members appointed by the LSCTH who were present were Iñaki Larrañeta Reclusa and L. Müller-Kirsch.
The minutes from the Administration were taken by Anne-Cathrine Crignon and will be published subsequently.
During the meeting, the following points were raised by members of the Administration:
1. The action point concerning the evacuation exercise of 18 September 2025 was closed. A follow-up tour had taken place, but it was not possible to reproduce the exact flow of staff during the evacuation. Staff Representation was invited to attend the next tour of evacuation routes. The Chair underlined the usefulness of evacuation drills.
2. The action point concerning the ergonomic issue1 in a training-room was closed. The problem was considered to be an IT/software issue rather than a LOHSEC matter.
3. Occupational Safety (OS) presented a summary of workplace and ergonomic visits in 2025. Office-wide, 1 368 OS workplace visits and 1 399 OH ergonomic evaluations were completed, meeting the target of covering 25% of workplaces or employees. In The Hague, 467 OS workplace visits were completed. The most frequent general safety finding was that the emergency number was not known.
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1 see LOHSEC report of 10 th of June 2025
In response to the finding on emergency numbers, Staff Representation suggested making the emergency number visible near the emergency kits on each floor. OS indicated that it was looking into adding floor plans above the emergency phones and stickers with the number on the boards.
4. The Administration reported on the COHSEC meeting of 19 February 2026. Sick leave statistics for January to December 2025 showed an increase in the share of staff with zero sick leave absences from 33.7% to 35.6%. Short-term sick leave decreased by 5.5%, from 4.33 to 4.09 days per person, returning to or even below pre-pandemic levels. Long-term sick leave increased by 15.4%, from 2.47 to 2.85 days.
In The Hague, the trend was consistent with the national trend in 2024 and the figures were even lower. Total average sick leave showed a slight decrease in The Hague, compared with a slight increase in Munich.
The Occupational Health and Safety workplan 2026 was presented for information. It covered OHS objectives, awareness campaigns, training, AI-assisted workload, and improved software and ergonomics.
Other COHSEC topics mentioned included the Staff Engagement Survey, where Staff Representation requested access to raw data to assess the KPIs; harassment, sexual harassment and sexual violence in the workplace, where Staff Representation requested a dedicated survey; IT issues with section H of the Cigna portal; the Cigna local network; and the 2025 ISO 45001 audit, for which all objectives were achieved, with the EPO being fully compliant (see EPO announcement here).
5. Occupational Health informed the Committee that the new occupational nurse, Zoi Papadatou, had started in February and would be introduced to Staff Representation in a dedicated coffee meeting organised by OH.
6. The Administration stated that the termination of the contract between Erasmus MC and Cigna, as well as questions concerning the Cigna providers’ network, are Office- wide matters that were discussed in COHSEC and will be dealt with by PD43.
7. Regarding preventive medical examinations with Artemis Health, the Administration explained that staff have priority. Around 400 staff appointments had already been scheduled and feedback was positive. Due to high demand, spouses were temporarily excluded from the service in 2026, but OH expects capacity to be increased so that spouses can be included again next year.
8. Concerning first aid points and emergency telephones, OS explained that it is investigating whether labels with the security number can be printed internally and added to the boards. Regarding defibrillators, OS considered that calling Security would be faster than looking for the nearest defibrillator and suggested adding “call security / 2222” to emergency evacuation plans.
9. On the mobile telephone antennas on the building opposite the New Main building on Veraartlaan, OS explained that such installations require an environmental permit and must comply with Dutch and EU safety regulations, including checks on radiation levels by the competent authorities.
The following points were brought forward by the the Staff Representation:
10. Staff Representation again raised the recurrent problem of excessively low temperatures in the New Main building during winter. It underlined that the issue has persisted for several years, with Mondays often being particularly problematic, and that it affects staff wellbeing and working patterns. The Administration confirmed that this is a recurrent issue and is being treated as a warranty case with the construction company, with urgent individual cases being dealt with separately. The Administration aims to have the problem resolved by next winter, although the exact timing depends on the warranty process.
11. Staff Representation asked about the recycling pilot in the New Main building. The Administration explained that the pilot is being conducted on floors 5, 7 and 26 until the end of April and tests several separate waste streams depending on the type of waste.
12. Staff Representation welcomed the renovated bicycle shed next to the New Main entrance, in particular the stable new stands and the bike repair station. It nevertheless raised concerns that the ramp could become slippery in wet weather. The Administration explained that the ramp has an anti-slip coating and complies with the relevant standards; the canopy has also been extended to better protect the ramp from rain and snow.
After two accidents following the renovation, corrective measures were introduced. The delay before the door closes was extended to avoid staff rushing, and a more absorbent mat was placed at the entrance. The situation will continue to be monitored. Staff Representation suggested warning signs on specific bad-weather days and asked whether a second card reader could be considered. The Administration preferred to monitor the effect of the measures already implemented before deciding on further adaptations.
13. Staff Representation raised concerns about the ServiceLine’s new ticketing system. It described the ServiceNow procedure as cumbersome and warned of “ticketing fatigue”, with staff potentially ceasing to report technical or facility problems. The Administration acknowledged that the transition to an AI-based online ticketing system is still under way and indicated that feedback on tickets is being monitored. The comments will be raised with PD44 and forwarded to the project group.
Kind regards,
Your staff representatives
PD44 has historically been the oppressor at the EPO [1, 2, 3]. █