Sharing experience – enhancing safety

Dear readers!

The cover and articles of the third issue of the Occupational Safety magazine are traditionally dedicated to World Day for Safety and Health at Work. This year's slogan, formulated by the International Labor Organization, translates as: “How's work? Let's take care of a healthy psychosocial work environment.”

In today's world, this slogan is particularly important, as it emphasizes not only the physical safety of employees, but also their psychological well-being, the atmosphere in the workplace, and the level of mutual support and trust in the workplace. Work should not be a source of exhaustion and anxiety, but a space for respect, creativity, development, and human dignity.

Global studies by the WHO, ILO, European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), OECD, Gallup, Deloitte, and Harvard Business School convincingly prove that the psychosocial climate at work directly affects both people's health and the economic stability of countries. According to estimates by international organizations, depression and anxiety disorders result in the loss of approximately 12 billion working days each year, and global economic losses from reduced productivity amount to nearly $1 trillion.

The conditions of war, constant stress, loss, anxiety for loved ones and the future cause additional psychological stress on employees in Ukraine. This situation is accompanied by depression, anxiety, burnout, cardiovascular disease, and sleep disorders. The negative consequences for businesses include increased injury rates, absenteeism, “presence at work without productivity,” and high staff turnover. The WHO emphasizes that the main psychosocial risk factors are excessive workload, role uncertainty, lack of control over work, job instability, conflicts, and bullying at work.

The war has caused enormous human losses, destruction, moral and psychological trauma, and prolonged stress. Millions of people are working while overcoming fatigue, anxiety for their loved ones, and the consequences of loss and hardship. In such conditions, caring for the psychosocial health of employees becomes not only a modern management practice, but also an important component of the stability of work collectives, enterprises, and the state as a whole.

The topic of psychosocial well-being is broad and at the same time very individual for each work collective and each employee. The occupational safety service plays a special role in two-way communication between the employer and the team—its knowledge, experience, and professional tools are needed to identify weaknesses in the organization of work, assess occupational risks, and continuously improve the occupational safety management system.

This knowledge base and practical solutions are born out of professional interaction and the exchange of practices between occupational safety engineers and the entire expert community—scientists, technical specialists, psychologists, doctors, government officials, and HR managers. This is precisely the function performed by the thematic platforms of the Occupational Safety magazine – conferences, webinars, training events, and discussions at the international level. The basis for specialists is the ISO 45003:2021 standard "Occupational health and safety management. Psychological health and safety at work. Guidance on the management of psychosocial risks." This is the first international standard that provides recommendations for managing psychosocial risks.

On the eve of Occupational Safety Day, the magazine, together with its partners, is preparing another exchange of knowledge and practices that will help create a healthy psychosocial work environment. We invite you to join the online marathon “Safety Relay from Specialist to Specialist: Sharing Strengthens”, which will take place on April 23, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

The topics of the relay include high-risk jobs, mental health and inclusion, changes in legislation, selection of personal protective equipment, digitalization of safety, real-life expertise, effective training, actions in emergency situations, and more.

The event is organized by the Public Association “Platform for Public Dialogue and Reforms in Occupational Safety” (SafePlatform Ukraine) and its founders – the magazine “Occupational Safety,” the European Community for Occupational Safety (ESOSH), the Ukrainian Association for Professional Safety (UAPS), and the Reforms for Business: Participation and Cooperation Association. We invite you to participate in the discussion—the microphone is open for your ideas, experiences, and practices.

The program also includes the awarding of the winners of the XV All-Ukrainian Children's Drawing Competition “Occupational Safety Through the Eyes of Children” – 2026.

So join us and share your knowledge and experience with your colleagues!