• Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey UK has been fined £800,000 after a teenage apprentice was injured when a temporary stairwell covering collapsed.
• A Health and Safety Executive investigation has found the company failed to install critical safety propping, a measure detailed in its own safety manual.
• The company pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act and was sentenced at North Somerset Magistrates’ Court on 3 June 2025.

In detail:

Housebuilder, Taylor Wimpey UK Limited, has been fined £800,000 after a 17-year-old apprentice suffered multiple injuries when a temporary stairwell covering collapsed on a construction site in Somerset.

Charlie Marsh, a bricklaying apprentice from Whitchurch, Bristol, was less than a year into his career when the incident occurred at the company’s Meadfields development in Weston-super-Mare, where around 450 new homes were under construction.

HSE inspector Derek Mclauchlan said: “Everyone working in construction has a responsibility to ensure people are safe. 

“Any work involving structural stability is potentially high risk and proper planning and implementation should be given.”

On 22 August 2023, Marsh had been loading concrete blocks onto the first floor of one of the houses. The blocks, stacked in groups of 10 to 20, were placed near or on a timber sheet covering a stairwell opening. 

The covering, made of timber sheets laid across joists, was a temporary feature intended for removal once the staircase was installed.

As the blocks were being positioned, the unsupported covering gave way. Marsh and an estimated 20kg of blocks fell more than two metres to the ground floor. He sustained injuries to his fingers, wrist, hand and shoulder.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation revealed that the joists beneath the temporary covering had not been properly back propped – a critical safety step that had been highlighted in Taylor Wimpey’s own health and safety manual. 

The omission on that specific plot was found to be the cause of the collapse.

The HSE cited guidance under L153 – Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, which requires that all practicable steps be taken to prevent structural collapses. 

It also referred to the duty of care under Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, which mandates that employers protect those not in their direct employment from health and safety risks.

Taylor Wimpey UK Limited pleaded guilty to breaching this section of the 1974 Act. 

The company was fined £800,000 and ordered to pay £6,240.25 in costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge at North Somerset Magistrates’ Court on 3 June 2025.

Mclauchlan said: “This incident could have been avoided had the right steps been taken. The failures of Taylor Wimpey resulted in a young man at the very beginning of his career being injured. 

“Charlie was lucky those injuries were not far more serious. Lessons should be learned.”

The prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Samantha Tiger, with support from paralegal officer Rebecca Withell.

The post Teen apprentice injured in fall leads to £800k fine for housebuilder first appeared on OSHAssociation.

• Chemstar Paints in Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to staff welfare, pledging over N20m (£10,500) annually for employee health and safety.
• The company has held its Health & Safety Week 2025, which included medical check-ups, safety lectures, and practical fire drills for its employees.
• This initiative has aimed to foster a strong safety culture and empower staff with the knowledge to manage their health proactively.

In detail:

Chemstar Paints Industries Nigeria Limited has pledged to invest over N20m (£10,500) annually into employee health and safety initiatives as part of efforts to improve staff welfare.

Group managing director Adedayo Paseda made the announcement at the company’s recent Health & Safety Week 2025, which took place at its head office and factory in Casso, Agbado, Lagos.

As reported by The PUNCH, THISDAY, and The Guardian Nigeria, the three-day event – held under the theme “Health Is Wealth” – featured medical check-ups, safety lectures, investment talks and fire drills. 

Praising the company’s health maintenance organisation (HMO), Paseda said: “The management spends over N20m yearly on the staff HMO Health Insurance, aside from other health and hospital issues of members of staff that need to be attended to urgently, without waiting for HMO.” 

He added that health and safety remained a year-round priority and that resources were consistently invested in personal protective equipment such as helmets, boots and nose masks.

Paseda cited the value of preventive care, noting that regular health checks empower workers to understand and manage their health proactively. 

He said: “Through the yearly health and safety exercise, every staff member knows his or her health status, which will guide us in how we live and conduct our health affairs.”

The programme was described by the Paseda as “very rewarding and result-oriented,” with medical personnel offering targeted advice to staff regarding necessary lifestyle changes, medication and dietary improvements. 

Large numbers of employees reportedly participated in the check-ups.

Another key aspect of the Week was a fire safety lecture and drill led by the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service. 

Chief fire officer Johnson Funmilayo and deputy director of training Babajide Adepoju supervised the session, which aimed to equip staff with practical firefighting skills and raise awareness of fire risks in the workplace.

According to The Guardian Nigeria, the fire drills formed an integral part of the company’s holistic safety strategy. 

Paseda emphasised the importance of maintaining a workplace culture that views health as essential to both productivity and peace of mind. 

He said: “Health is not only wealth, but peace of mind, strength and joy.

“It is not all about what we are providing, but also to lay a culture and consciousness of good health in the minds of our staff that health is paramount.”

The post Nigerian company commits N20m yearly to staff safety first appeared on OSHAssociation.

• The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has researched the widespread use of AI across UK industries, identifying numerous applications in maintenance, safety management and operational control.
• While AI offers significant safety benefits, the HSE’s findings have also highlighted new dangers, including worker over-reliance, stress and the potential for system inaccuracies or failures.
• Industry has begun to implement mitigation strategies, and the HSE will use this deepened understanding to inform its regulation of AI in workplace safety.

In detail:

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has lifted the lid on how AI is being used  across the industries it oversees – from construction and manufacturing to offshore energy and waste – and what new dangers AI can introduce. 

Its research has identified around 250 real-world cases where AI is reshaping maintenance, equipment control, safety management and worker monitoring.

Among the four big categories of use identified, AI-powered maintenance was found to lead the charge: drones using computer vision to inspect hard-to-reach areas like bridges or confined spaces, predictive maintenance analysing industrial data to flag repairs, and AI scanning images or video to catch early signs of equipment failure.

The research identified AI use in health and safety management tools, including AI analysing past accident reports to uncover hidden hazards, generative AI writing risk assessments and training materials, and large language models answering live safety questions.

In equipment control, AI was found to be managing the movements of quarry vehicles, farm machinery and warehouse robots, preventing dangerous bin lifts and optimising how process plants run. 

For occupational monitoring AI has been found to watch workers’ use of protective gear, track proximity to vehicles, scan for spills and even analyse fatigue or exposure to vibration.

But while many of these new tools promise faster inspections, predictive repairs, driverless machines and automated risk assessments, the HSE’s findings have revealed a darker side too. 

Anonymous industry feedback gathered by the regulator highlighted major health and safety concerns that come with handing control to algorithms.

Workers risk becoming too reliant on AI systems, the survey revealed, leading to reduced human attention and even “deskilling” of the workforce. 

Some reported rising stress levels from algorithmic management and “warning fatigue” triggered by constant system alerts.

Technical fears were just as stark. Industry voices flagged inaccurate AI safety assessments, systems behaving unpredictably when pushed beyond design limits, failures to warn about real dangers – or false alarms that erode trust. 

The risk of hackers breaching AI systems or biased, flawed data driving unreliable safety decisions also loomed large.

To mitigate the risks, companies surveyed said they were trialling AI in controlled conditions, using diverse data sets, encrypting systems, setting up fail-safes, training staff and auditing performance. 

But challenges persist, the survey has found, from integrating AI with outdated equipment to winning over wary employees.

Looking ahead, the HSE has found that firms are aiming to increase real-time incident monitoring, expanding predictive maintenance, rolling out fully autonomous machines and harnessing AI for live building occupancy tracking.

The HSE said its deepened understanding would help it regulate AI in industrial settings and shape the future of workplace safety.

The post From drones to driverless machines: HSE questions AI’s wins and risks first appeared on OSHAssociation.

In brief:

• Global and UK health organisations have urged action to reduce exposure to asthma triggers as many of the over 450,000 annual deaths worldwide are preventable.
• The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has highlighted the ongoing risk of occupational asthma from substances like flour, wood dust, and particularly respirable crystalline silica (RCS) in industries such as stone fabrication.
• Employers have been advised by the HSE to implement preventative measures, including tailored guidance for high-risk jobs and considering pre-existing conditions in risk assessments, as workplace exposures can cause or worsen asthma.

In detail:

Marking World Asthma Day on 6 May, Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) have urged governments, industry leaders and employers to take action to reduce exposure to known triggers, especially in occupational settings.

Despite advances in treatment, asthma continues to claim more than 450,000 lives each year worldwide, with the majority of these deaths considered preventable, according to GINA. 

GINA has further stressed the need for increased awareness and prevention strategies, especially in light of the availability of effective treatment using inhaled corticosteroids. 

In the UK, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have issued a renewed warning about occupational asthma, a condition caused or worsened by breathing in hazardous substances at work. 

Using numbers from the Labour Force Survey, HSE has estimated that there have been 20,000 new cases of self-reported ‘breathing or lung problems’ caused or made worse by work averaged over the last 3 years.

HSE cited the ongoing threat posed by respiratory sensitisers such as flour, wood dust, isocyanates and respirable crystalline silica (RCS), a hazardous component found in stone, bricks and concrete.

Exposure to RCS, even in small amounts, can lead to serious lung diseases including occupational asthma and silicosis. 

Workers in stone fabrication, particularly those manufacturing and fitting kitchen worktops, are considered at high risk. 

To address this, HSE has released tailored guidance developed in collaboration with the industry, outlining practical measures to limit dust exposure for these workers.

Occupational asthma develops when the body’s immune system reacts to a substance in the workplace, leading to inflammation and narrowing of the airways. 

HSE has warned that once the lungs become hypersensitive, further exposure even at quite low levels, may trigger an attack. Common signs include coughing, wheezing and breathlessness. 

Although not all sensitised individuals develop full-blown asthma, the consequences can be long-lasting or life-threatening if undiagnosed or unmanaged.

Certain occupations continue to report high rates, including bakers and vehicle paint sprayers. 

Isocyanates, used in spray paints and foam products, remain the most frequently cited cause, followed by flour dust in food processing environments.

For those with pre-existing asthma, work-related exposure to irritants such as chlorine, general dust and even cold air can also exacerbate symptoms. 

HSE has urged employers to consider this in their workplace risk assessments, ensuring that vulnerable individuals are not exposed to unnecessary triggers

The new worktop installer guidance and a summary list of asthmagens can be found on the HSE website. 

The post Is your job hurting your lungs? Experts highlight occupational asthma risks first appeared on OSHAssociation.

In brief:

• Training for over 100 gas engineers has been set in motion this year at the newly launched centre.
• The training has been specifically designed to directly support SGN’s H100 Fife trial, which will supply green hydrogen to homes.
• Engineers have been provided with a clear path to gain an official hydrogen qualification, vital for the UK’s net-zero transition.

In detail: 

The UK’s first dedicated hydrogen training centre for gas engineers has been officially opened at Fife College’s Levenmouth Campus in Scotland, a collaborative effort between the college and energy network SGN. 

The facility has been established to equip Gas Safe registered engineers with the essential skills and certifications needed to safely install, test and maintain hydrogen appliances and heating systems in homes, marking a significant step in the nation’s shift towards greener energy sources.

This initiative is directly linked to SGN’s pioneering H100 Fife project, which is scheduled to commence later this year and will be the first in the UK to supply green hydrogen for heating and cooking to homes through a new, purpose-built network. 

The centre aims to train over 100 engineers in its first year, ensuring a qualified workforce is ready for this trial and the broader adoption of hydrogen technology. 

The development of these courses has been a two-year collaborative effort involving SGN, Fife College, and key industry stakeholders including the certification body BPEC, Energy & Utility Skills and the Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers (IGEM).

The opening has been welcomed by industry leaders as a crucial development for the energy sector’s workforce. 

GMB General Secretary, Gary Smith, said: “The opening of this hydrogen training centre is a milestone for the gas industry and its workforce. As we transition to a net-zero economy, it’s vital that we not only protect jobs but also ensure that workers are upskilled for the future.”

Smith added: “This centre will empower today’s engineers to safely work with hydrogen while preparing them for roles that will shape the transition to green energy. It’s a testament to the resilience of the workforce and their ability to adapt to the changing energy landscape.”

Engineers undergoing training at the Levenmouth facility will gain hands-on experience with a variety of hydrogen appliances and systems. 

This practical training is supported by leading manufacturers such as Baxi, Worcester Bosch, Clean Burner Systems (CBS), Bosch Home Appliances, and MeteRSit. 

Upon successful completion, each engineer will receive an official hydrogen qualification, which will be added to their Gas Safe registration – a mandatory certification for anyone working on domestic gas appliances in the UK.

SGN, CEO, Simon Kilonback, commented: “The opening of the UK’s first hydrogen training centre for Gas Safe engineers is a major milestone for SGN and the energy sector as a whole.”

Kilonback continued: “We’re excited to be working with the local community as we deliver our end-to-end hydrogen network in Fife. This is a key part of our wider plans to harness the potential of green gasses like hydrogen and biomethane to help decarbonise homes and businesses.”

The training will be delivered by expert trainers with experience in gas systems, further supported by industry professionals. 

Trainees will include engineers from SGN, Baxi, Worcester Bosch, and Warmworks, who will be directly involved in converting homes for the H100 Fife trial. Staff from Fife Council are also set to be trained. 

Fife College, Principal, Jim Metcalfe, said: “Fife College is proud to be a national leader in clean energy skills as we launch this dedicated hydrogen training facility. We are honoured to work in such a deep and innovative partnership with SGN.”

He elaborated: “Through this cutting-edge centre at our Levenmouth Campus, we are working to upskill over 100 engineers with the specialist knowledge needed to support the UK’s transition to net zero. 

“This collaboration with SGN forms part of our wider commitment to sustainability, which also includes the opening of our new Dunfermline City Campus – Scotland’s first net-zero-ready vocational training campus – later this year.”

Heating in buildings currently accounts for over 20% of the UK’s carbon emissions, making the decarbonisation of heat a critical component of achieving national net-zero targets. 

Hydrogen, which produces only water when burned, is considered a key low-carbon alternative to natural gas for heating homes and powering transport, alongside other technologies like biomethane and heat pumps. 

The H100 Fife project will specifically use green hydrogen, produced via electrolysis powered by renewable energy sources such as wind, ensuring no carbon emissions in its production. 

This trial is expected to provide crucial evidence to support government decisions on the future role of hydrogen in the UK’s energy mix.

Metcalfe noted: “Together, these landmark developments place Fife College at the forefront of delivering the skills and infrastructure needed to shape a more sustainable future for us all.”

The post UK’s first hydrogen training centre to skill engineers for green future first appeared on OSHAssociation.

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are the most common occupational health problem in the world, but they are also one of the hardest to mitigate.

The world of work can be very physically demanding and outside of office ergonomics, industrial workers face the risk of manual handling injuries, sprains and repetitive strain injuries.

MSDs are injuries or pain in the body’s joints, ligaments, muscles, nerves, tendons and structures that support limbs, neck and back. The most common type of MSD is back pain, which can be caused by a variety of factors, including heavy lifting, repetitive motions and poor posture, all of which can be exacerbated by workplace practices and ergonomics – a lot of which we do without necessarily being aware of it.

Traditional approaches to preventing back pain in the workplace have focused on education and training programs and ergonomic assessments, as well as invasive monitoring technologies and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as back belts. While these methods can be helpful, they all have their limitations and rely on workers actually using them successfully and comfortably, leaving a lot of room for human error.

In recent years, there has been growing interest in the use of technology to prevent back pain in the workplace. Wearable sensors, such as accelerometers and gyroscopes, can be used to track worker movements and provide real-time feedback on posture. This feedback is claimed to help workers identify and correct potentially harmful movements before they become repetitive and lead to injury.

While these may provide some benefits, even these wearable sensors only go so far because they require specific angle and rotation measurements to operate, which may not accurately reflect the real pressure and force being exerted on the back. However, what holds the greatest promise is the nature and relentlessness of tech advancements, that no matter the current limitations, a better option is probably not far away. This is the case with a new type of wearable device for back protection from a team that paired sensors with machine learning to produce an AI-powered safety wearable.

It’s got your back

Mimicry and real human behaviour is at the core of this new type of back device; rather than correct wearers according to a set of predetermined angles, it has a closer match to a skin-muscle system to help ‘learn’ how an individual user moves. In this way, it is hoped to become a sort of personal coach, guiding each wearer on how they can perform safer movements and prevent back injuries.

The device is called Backy. Developed by work safety tech firm TacnIQ, it contains quite unusual sensing technology; the array of connected sensors form a sort of network relaying information back and forth and to the user, in a way achieving similar sensitivity to human skin. “The human sense of touch is quite exquisite,” says Dr Benjamin Tee, part of the co-team behind Backy who developed the sensing technology. “Typically in the back area of your skin, you probably have a resolution of about 1-2cm, so we try to have around the same density of sensors.”

According to Tee, these sensors don’t just measure angles and rotations as with traditional wearables, they capture the real pressure and force being exerted on the user’s back. “Many different types of sensors being deployed on wearable devices to track posture tend to have a lot of noise,” he explains, referring to how lots of unnecessary data can block out the valuable information. “By mimicking an electronic version of skin, we are able to reduce a lot of noise and really provide highly accurate data.” 

In the tech world there’s a saying, “garbage in, garbage out”, jokes Dr Harold Soh, the artificial intelligence development half of Backy’s co-team. “We have quality input,” he explains, “and then the AI’s part is really to translate that quality input into quality output. And the way to do that is essentially by predicting the posture.” The device’s AI engine is a sophisticated algorithm trained to recognise a wide range of postures and predict the risk of injury. “When the data comes in, what we try to do is predict whether it’s a good posture or a bad posture” says Soh. “We can then translate that kind of prediction into actionable information.”    

But Backy doesn’t just observe – it acts. When the AI detects a potentially harmful movement, it triggers haptic vibrations, providing immediate feedback to the wearer and continuing a real-time feedback loop the team hopes will change worker movement habits over time. “It’s a behavioural changer,” says Aashish Mehta, CEO of TacnIQ. “It provides a strong element of strict awareness behind posture correction.”

But it’s not only the immediacy that’s important here, the system’s range of data collection and its feedback process is novel and could dramatically improve accuracy. By measuring real pressure and force, it provides a distinct assessment of injury risk to a degree the team says simply wasn’t available before, and it also delivers personalised guidance to each wearer. Added to this, being AI-powered, the software behind the tool is constantly learning and adapting, ensuring that the feedback remains relevant and effective over time.

Visibility on risk

Backy’s makers claim the device’s potential benefits extend beyond the individual worker to impact the entire workplace. By reducing the risk of back injuries, workers can focus on their tasks more freely and effectively, with the result of improved worker productivity and efficiency for the person, the team and the firm. Moreover, it may have a role to play in maintaining a culture of safety awareness and continuous improvement in workplaces if the real-time feedback does indeed help workers take ownership of their safety and make better decisions. 

At the organisational level, Backy’s data collection capabilities could also support this more robust culture of safety by helping to identify bigger trends and patterns that may be contributing to back pain and injuries. This information could  then be used to develop targeted interventions, such as ergonomic adjustments or process improvements, to reduce the risk of injury.

“The data allows managers to gain visibility, to say ‘whenever this bunch of workers are doing stuff at this time and at this location, they’re always doing bad pickups – why is that?’,” Soh explains. What the team have found is that sometimes workers are not intentionally acting poorly but the ergonomics of the workplace may actually force them to have to pick up items in a certain way. 

“If [managers] go to look at the place, they might realise that this area just has everything set up in a bad way,” he explains. “All the pickup locations are on the floor and it’s really hard for people to operate, and so they need to change that.” He believes this visibility can lead to positive outcomes for both workers and businesses.

Having this data to really dig into trends has been transformational, says Mehta who explains it originated from an anomaly. “An automatic SMS alert was sent to the operational supervisor and they had to understand a bit more and identify and assess all the different tasks being done to figure out what the problem was and to change it,” he says. “It sounds very simple,” he adds, “but there was no data to be able to react to before – that’s what we are providing.” 

Integration and personalisation

Adaptability is a key strength when it comes to changing people’s behaviour. When the team claimed that Backy acts as a personal coach, they mean the AI functionality lets it recognise and learn the behavioural and movement patterns of specific users, and then adjust its guidance for that user only. The intention is to circumvent worker resistance and instead maximise engagement. This has played a big part in the tool’s development and the feedback process includes elements of gamification to motivate workers and perhaps even generate a sense of healthy competition among workers. The thinking is, if workers can track their progress, they may compare scores with peers and strive for peak improvement.

Resistance is a real issue when companies invest in new technology, so making sure workers would actually want to use Backy took a lot of effort from the development team. According to Mehta, this effort was not in vain because user feedback suggests that workers actually like the idea of Backy sending them reminders to correct their posture because at the end of the day, protecting their backs is protecting their best interests. “You have to worry about your back to be able to just do the normal day to day tasks like picking up your children,” he says. “Your job shouldn’t ruin that future.”

Finally, successful integration into the workforce is vital, but so is integration into existing systems within the organisation. As such, it was essential that the device and its operating system would be not only able to merge with a firm’s safety protocols and softwares, but also be customisable for how the business as a whole operates. As such, the team made the data portion of the tool easy to format and integrate into various enterprise systems, so that the valuable insights would sit within existing workflows and reporting structures. 

Force-sensing technology

While Backy’s technology represents a significant leap forward in workplace safety, as with any technology, it’s not a perfect solution and workers should still err on the side of caution. One limitation of Backy’s current iteration is its primary focus on the lower back. While this is a crucial area for preventing MSDs, other body parts, such as the shoulders and neck, are also susceptible to workplace injuries. 

Mehta acknowledges this and says, “the biggest part to develop is measuring everything, right now we’re just focusing on the lower back.” However, he also reveals TacnIQ’s long-term ambitions are to eventually “map out the whole body”. 

Another concern is the potential for worker complacency. Could Backy’s real-time feedback inadvertently make workers overly reliant on the device and less mindful of their own body’s signals? While this is a valid concern, the creators believe that the opposite is true. Mehta argues the wearable “provides a strong element of strict awareness behind posture correction”, encouraging workers to be more conscious of their movements and develop safer habits. Soon, it should become second nature. 

Accounting for limitations is simply being realistic, and despite the minor drawbacks, the future for this AI-powered safety wearable is bright. Next, TacnIQ envisions a platform where force-sensing technology can be applied to a variety of applications beyond workplace safety. “We are going to provide a platform for others to be able to look into different industries,” says Mehta, hinting at the potential for Backy to revolutionise fields such as sports, healthcare, and even gaming. But for now, “we are going to focus on health and safety, of course.” 

The post Meet the smart wearable that could change the future of manual handling first appeared on OSHAssociation.

In brief:

A prominent Turkish occupational health and safety association is urging increased expert involvement in the upcoming legal revision of the “employer” definition, cautioning that unclear wording could lead to confusion.

The association, ISG-BIR, has announced plans to submit detailed recommendations, emphasizing that how “employer” is defined will directly affect both employer obligations and the responsibilities of occupational health and safety (OHS) professionals.

This appeal comes at a critical time, as Turkey faces growing concerns about workplace safety, underscored by a recent report revealing 121 worker fatalities in February 2025 alone.

In detail: 

A prominent Turkish occupational health and safety (OHS) association is urging increased expert participation in the upcoming legal revision aimed at redefining the term “employer” within the country’s national safety legislation.

Local news sources Halkın Sesi and Giynik Gazetesi report that on 15 May 2025, the İş Sağlığı ve Güvenliği Uzmanları Birliği (ISG-BIR), or Union of Occupational Health and Safety Experts, issued a public statement regarding proposed legal changes.

In their statement, ISG-BIR said they had thoroughly reviewed the suggested amendments to Occupational Health and Safety Law No. 35/2008.

The association emphasized that the definition of “employer” plays a crucial role in shaping employers’ legal responsibilities as well as the scope of authority and duties of OHS professionals in the workplace.

The İş Sağlığı ve Güvenliği Uzmanları Birliği (ISG-BIR), Turkey’s Union of Occupational Health and Safety Experts, has raised serious concerns about the proposed revision to the definition of “employer” under the national Occupational Health and Safety Law.

ISG-BIR warned that the current wording of the definition is ambiguous and open to multiple interpretations, which could lead to misuse and weaken the implementation of workplace safety regulations across the country.

Erkay Özgör, Chair of ISG-BIR, emphasized that a clear definition is essential not only to establish employers’ legal obligations but also to clearly delineate the responsibilities and authority of occupational health and safety professionals working on-site. He noted that any changes to this legal terminology would directly impact how OHS specialists perform their duties.

To address these concerns, ISG-BIR announced its intention to formally submit recommendations to the Presidency of the Republic’s Assembly and expressed its readiness to actively participate in the legislative process. The association also stressed the importance of including OHS experts in relevant technical committees to ensure informed decision-making.

This call for clarity and expert involvement comes amid troubling statistics on workplace safety in Turkey. A report released in early March 2025 by the labour watchdog ISIG revealed that 121 workers lost their lives in workplace incidents during February 2025 alone, including four children.

According to ISIG, the leading causes of these fatalities were traffic accidents, falls from height, and equipment failures, with the highest death tolls reported in the transportation, construction, and agriculture sectors. Vulnerable groups such as migrant and child workers were disproportionately affected, highlighting ongoing challenges related to oversight and enforcement, particularly in informal and precarious employment settings.

Notably, 96.7% of those who died were not union members, underscoring the critical role that union representation plays in promoting safer working conditions.

ISIG has reiterated its urgent call for stronger legislative measures and more effective enforcement to prevent further tragedies and improve workplace safety standards across all industries.

The post Turkish Safety Group Warns: Law Reforms Threaten Crucial Safety Roles first appeared on OSHAssociation.

Intrachem, a major explosives supplier and manufacturer in Zimbabwe, has announced plans to achieve ISO 9001 certification by the end of the year. 

The company says the move is part of a broader strategy to improve product consistency, raise operational standards, and strengthen customer trust across the mining sector.

According to Mining Zimbabwe, the announcement was made during the Association of Mine Managers Zimbabwe’s (AMMZ) first quarter technical visit to Intrachem’s manufacturing plant.

Intrachem plant manager, Owen Mupomba, said: “So, what we have done now as an organisation is we are actually embarking on ISO 9001 just to ensure that, in terms of quality, we are also certified. So that will actually boost confidence in our customers.”

He added that the company’s existing ISO 45001 accreditation for occupational health and safety has already laid a strong foundation for systems-based management, and that ISO 9001 would support further improvements in reliability and performance.

He said: “Once we are certified, I’m sure people will appreciate the quality certification.”

ISO 9001 is a globally recognised standard for quality management systems. 

For Intrachem, certification will help ensure that its explosives and blasting accessories meet consistent standards across all production batches – crucial in a high-risk sector like mining.

According to Mining Zimbabwe, the AMMZ technical visit also highlighted the strengthening relationship between mine operators and their suppliers. 

AMMZ members were given a tour of Intrachem’s production facilities, as a part of a broader industry initiative to strengthen collaboration and innovation across the mining value chain.

AMMZ representative, Gift Mapakame, told Mining Zimbabwe: “Having partnered with suppliers that are also within the mining sector and the mining network just shows how much the association is becoming more inclusive. 

“For this visit, I think we all learnt a lot. It’s not every day that you tour an explosives manufacturing plant, particularly in Zimbabwe.”

He added: “We saw amazing technology; I was particularly impressed with the layout of the facility and the level of housekeeping.”

Intrachem operations manager Walter Madzimure also welcomed the visit, describing it as a valuable opportunity to strengthen industry ties. 

He told Mining Zimbabwe: “We are looking forward to continuing our partnership with the Association as Intrachem, through knowledge exchange. Above all, these people who visit our plants are our customers.”

The post Zimbabwe Explosives Firm Moves to Raise Safety and Quality Standards first appeared on OSHAssociation.

Namibia’s growing oil and gas sector must urgently prioritise health, safety and environmental (HSE) standards to avoid derailing its energy ambitions, speakers have warned at the inaugural Offshore Safety Conference in Swakopmund last week.

Held in Swakopmund, the Erongo Offshore Safety Conference brought together government officials, industry leaders and regulators to confront the pressing need for a robust safety culture in Namibia’s rapidly expanding petroleum sector. 

The summit comes as global oil majors, including Shell, TotalEnergies and Galp, continue to invest in exploration following significant discoveries in the Orange Basin.

According to New Era, Erongo governor Neville Andre issued a stark warning during the event, stating: “Progress without protection is an illusion, and a single lapse can destroy ecosystems and erode public trust.”

He described safety as the “oxygen of sustainable progress” and stressed that it must be treated as a foundational element of the industry, not merely a compliance requirement.

He advocated for the use of modern technologies such as drones and real-time analytics, the development of a stop-work culture and human-centred training to build a resilient safety framework.

Andre also emphasised the importance of embedding safety into every decision, noting: “We must ensure that HSE is industrialised across the sector.” 

He called for stronger implementation of the 1991 Petroleum Act and greater collaboration between the mines ministry, training bodies such as the Namibia Institute of Mining and Technology (NIMT), and international partners like the International Labour Organisation.

The Namibian reported Andre as calling on all stakeholders – from government and academia to offshore workers themselves – to embrace cooperation, enforcement and innovation. 

Echoing these concerns, the conference chief strategist Knowledge Ipinge called for the establishment of an independent offshore safety regulator to oversee the sector free from political or corporate interference. 

He cited first-hand experience of worker anxieties during the Covid-19 pandemic, when long isolation periods, job insecurity and mental health challenges highlighted the human cost of offshore labour.

As reported in New Era, Ipinge said: “Workers often endure extended shifts, isolation and mental strain. They need more than just rules – they need protection.” 

He urged the industry to move away from top-down approaches and ensure employees’ voices are central to decision-making.

He also proposed a comprehensive welfare programme for offshore workers, including mental health services, financial support and family care. 

He said: “We cannot expect workers to build our economy while they suffer in silence. Safety must be about people, not just processes.”

The post No One Should ‘Suffer in Silence’: Namibia Prioritises Offshore Safety first appeared on OSHAssociation.

The summit, themed “Revolutionizing Health and Safety: The Role of AI and Digitalization at Work,” focused on how technological advancements are reshaping workplace safety protocols.

OSHAssociation highlighted the potential of AI-driven tools during the presentations delivered by the experts, such as predictive analytics and real-time monitoring systems, to proactively identify and mitigate occupational hazards. Additionally, the integration of digital platforms aims to enhance training programs and streamline compliance processes.​

Members were encouraged to adopt these innovations to foster safer and more efficient work environments. The Association also addressed the challenges associated with digital transformation, including data privacy concerns and the need for workforce upskilling.​

For further details on OSHAssociation’s initiatives and resources related to AI and digitalization in workplace safety, members are advised to consult the official website or reach out to their Country Executives for assistance and partnerships.

The post OSHAssociation Urged Members to alien with the use of AI and Digitalisation during the Global Summit on OSH held virtually recently to Mark the World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2025 first appeared on OSHAssociation.