SafeDay 2026 Sparks Global Dialogue on Work Safety

In 2026, the ILO SafeDay campaign focused on the psychosocial working environment, highlighting how the way work is designed, organized and managed can affect workers' safety, health and organizational performance. The campaign emphasized that psychosocial risks are preventable and can be addressed through action at policy, institutional and workplace levels.

ILO Global Event

Almost 3,000 viewers joined via ILO Live for the ILO global event, which focused on practical action for a healthy psychosocial working environment. The event brought together ministers, representatives of the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), as well as experts from academia and national OSH institutions.

Ministers shared diverse national experiences through video messages, highlighting progress made, emerging priorities and remaining challenges in addressing psychosocial risks at work. Senegal highlighted its national OSH policy, which addresses both physical and mental health, while noting the need to extend protection to workers in the informal economy. Spain stressed the importance of prevention and strong regulatory frameworks, recalling the role of ILO standards and the recognition of a safe and healthy working environment as a fundamental principle and right at work. Pakistan emphasized the links between OSH protection, productivity and decent work, including through labour inspection and targeted action in high-risk sectors. Malaysia focused on practical prevention through employer-worker collaboration, improved job design, social support and workplace communication.

• "We are talking about risks that are not always visible, but that have very real consequences and are directly linked to how work is organized. That is why prevention is key, and we need strong regulatory frameworks that protect, anticipate risks and ensure that work does not put health at risk." - Yolanda Díaz, Vice-President of the Government and Minister of Labour and Social Economy of Spain.

The IOE highlighted the business case for prevention, including productivity, engagement and sustainability, while the ITUC called for dignity at work, stronger social dialogue and collective bargaining, stressing that the protection of psychosocial health is neither secondary nor optional.

The ILO global event presented the main findings of the ILO global report, The psychosocial working environment: Global developments and pathways for action, followed by a panel discussion with experts across various regions.

Speakers highlighted growing evidence on the health impacts of poor psychosocial working conditions, while stressing that these risks are preventable. Tony LaMontagne, Professor at Deakin University, emphasized the growing role of psychosocial working conditions in work-related suicide:

• "Psychosocial working conditions are probably the largest contributor to work-related suicide."

Julia Flintrop, Senior Research Project Manager at EU-OSHA, reinforced one of the campaign's central messages, emphasizing that workplace responses should not stop or only focus on individual-level measures such as resilience training, counselling or mindfulness. Prevention must address the organizational factors that expose workers to psychosocial risks, including through measures such as reviewing working time arrangements and job descriptions.

• "It's a bit of a futile effort just to look into the individual, trying to change the individual while still exposing them to psychosocial risks."

The discussion also underscored the importance of national policy and regulatory frameworks that address psychosocial risks as part of OSH prevention, rather than treating them only as a broader mental health concern. Experts highlighted that clear legislation, worker participation, social dialogue and practical workplace tools can help translate evidence into prevention.

A key message underpinning the discussion was captured by Manal Azzi, Team Lead on Occupational Safety and Health Policy and Systems at the ILO:

"Psychosocial risks are costing lives, damaging health and undermining organizational performance. Yet they are preventable: the tools exist, the knowledge is there, and momentum is building. What we need now is to act, and to act at every level."

ILO events at the national and regional level

The World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2026 was marked by extensive outreach and collaboration worldwide. The ILO directly participated in 40 national, regional and sub-regional activities, reaching nearly 11,000 participants through in-person events. Activities included tripartite dialogues, technical seminars, conferences and webinars where psychosocial risks were discussed and the findings of the ILO global report were presented.

Africa

In Africa, SafeDay 2026 activities highlighted the importance of addressing psychosocial risks through tripartite dialogue, sectoral engagement and awareness-raising. In Tunisia, the ILO supported a tripartite event in Bizerte focused on psychosocial risks in the construction and public works sector. In Egypt, Better Work carried out OSH activities for the World Day in garment factories, while the PE4DW campaign adapted key messages from the global campaign on the psychosocial working environment for the leather tanning and marble sectors, with the campaign also supported by a video message from the Minister of Labour. In Algeria, a tripartite event brought together government, workers' and employers' representatives, alongside OSH stakeholders, to discuss the national situation and preventive approaches.

Arab States

In the Arab States, SafeDay 2026 activities promoted awareness and dialogue on psychosocial risks at work. In Palestine, a workshop organized by Palestine Polytechnic University and the ILO brought together academic, government, employer and worker representatives for a specialized national event and concluded with practical recommendations on workplace monitoring, mental health indicators, legislation and institutional coordination. A video statement from the Ministry of Labour also helped support awareness. In Qatar, a Ministry of Labour-ILO webinar focused on a healthy psychosocial work environment and recommended practical guidance, alignment with international standards and further training for employers and workers. In Dubai, the Municipality marked the World Day with an event on psychosocial health and safe, sustainable work environments, including an ILO presentation on the report findings. In Jordan, the 20th National Occupational Safety and Health Week emphasized OSH as a culture of prevention, partnership and sustainable development.

Asia and the Pacific

In Asia and the Pacific, SafeDay 2026 activities brought together governments, employers, workers, OSH professionals, students, workers and the media. In Indonesia, the Ministry of Manpower, ILO Indonesia and Timor-Leste organized a hybrid tripartite seminar attended by more than 1,430 participants, focusing on psychosocial factors, workplace risks and the role of social dialogue. In Thailand, an online event organized by the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare reached more than 500 participants and over 7,700 Facebook viewers, with discussions on psychosocial risks, workplace risk assessment and OSH expertise. In Cambodia, a national event gathered nearly 290 participants from government, employers' and workers' organizations, civil society and different sectors, while events and media outreach in China and Viet Nam further amplified the campaign message on healthy psychosocial working environments.

Europe and Central Asia

In Europe and Central Asia, SafeDay 2026 was marked through technical exchanges, national conferences and tripartite discussions. In Spain, the INSST and the ILO Office in Spain organized a technical event attended by around 120 participants, with additional online reach. In Kazakhstan, a tripartite roundtable in Karaganda explored preventive OSH approaches in the mining sector, including psychosocial risks, digitalization and the need to strengthen tripartite cooperation, while the ILO also presented the report findings at the KIOSH conference in Astana. In Uzbekistan, the national SafeDay event focused on psychosocial risks and the prevention of violence and harassment at work, while events in North Macedonia, Moldova, Ukraine and Azerbaijan broadened the regional conversation. In Baku, the 5th Annual OSH/HSE Conference, co-organized by the OIC Labour Centre and the Risk Management Professionals Society, included ILO participation and highlighted international cooperation, national policy and practical OSH tools.

The Americas

In Latin America and the Caribbean, the campaign generated strong engagement through webinars, congresses and tripartite events. Activities in Peru, Colombia and Bolivia, where the ILO report findings were presented, reached nearly 4,000 participants. The ILO Office for the Andean Countries also published a practical guide for Colombian companies on early warning signs and the management of psychosocial risks, supporting prevention at the workplace level. Events in Chile, Uruguay, Argentina and Guatemala brought together ministries, workers' and employers' organizations, OSH institutions and technical experts to discuss national experiences, challenges and ways forward.