Around the world, the 2025 SafeDay campaign explored how AI and digitalization are revolutionizing safety and health

In 2025, the ILO unveiled a new report on Revolutionizing health and safety: the role of AI and digitalization at work, exploring several key areas of technological change: automation and advanced robotics, smart tools and monitoring systems, extended and virtual reality, algorithmic management and changing work arrangements. 

The ILO hosted a global event, bringing together representatives of governments, workers, and employers, along with OSH professionals, academics, and international experts, in a dynamic virtual dialogue exploring how to harness AI and digitalization towards enhancing workplace safety and health, while managing associated risks through inclusive and responsible approaches. More than 9,500 participants from across the globe joined via ILO Live. 

Manal Azzi, OSH Policy and Systems Team Lead at the ILO, reflected on the dual nature of digital innovations, recognizing their potential while emphasizing the importance of using them critically and responsibly.

• “A lot of these advancements have helped us stop doing the repetitive, monotonous work and, hopefully, will allow workers to do more meaningful tasks... [However,] when we rely on technology, we cannot prevent certain glitches or failures... So, we still need humans to be very aware of what they are doing. They cannot just rely on monitors and smart devices to detect hazards, that’s very short-term thinking. We need to stay alert, aware of our different work tasks, and be [properly] trained.”

Government representatives shared real-world examples of how digital solutions are improving OSH outcomes. In Argentina, digital innovations have contributed to a steady decline in workplace accidents. In Singapore, a range of national initiatives is leveraging technology to transform traditional work practices and improve safety across sectors such as construction and logistics.

The panel included:

• William Cockburn (Executive Director, EU-OSHA)
• Rory O’Neil (Occupational safety and health adviser, International Trade Union Confederation)
• Kris de Meester (Employers’ representative)
• Silas Sng (Divisional Director, Occupational Safety and Health Division, Ministry of Manpower, Singapore)
• Leonardo Pucheta (Superintendencia de Riesgos del Trabajo de Argentina, Argentina)
• Ruth Wilkinson (Head of Policy and Public Affairs, Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH))
• Francesco Rotondi (Chair, OSH Observatory, Italian Economic and Labour Council)
• Charlotte Hutton (Expert, Safetytech Accelerator)
• Sascha Wischniewski (Head of Unit Human Factors, Ergonomics, Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA), Germany)
• Vera Paquete-Perdigão (Director, Governance Department, ILO)

While highlighting progress, speakers also stressed the importance of establishing clear and adaptive regulatory frameworks to keep pace with technological change. Experts emphasized that the design, implementation, and governance of AI and digital systems must ensure worker protection. Strong policy foundations, supported by inclusive and participatory processes, are essential to maximizing benefits and mitigating risks.

Throughout the dialogue, speakers underscored the need of aligning digital transformation with social justice, decent work, and meaningful worker participation. A central message was the need to put workers at the centre of digital transitions. As Rory O’Neill of the International Trade Union Confederation emphasized:

“We need a new system, we need an economy that benefits from this technological dividend without treating workers as a collateral damage... Whatever happens with these technologies, it should be done with workers, not to workers.”

Kris De Meester, Senior Advisor at the Federation of Enterprises in Belgium, echoed the importance of collaboration in managing the digital transition:

• “For me, the most important step is the joint exploration... [bringing] together employers and workers and their representatives... This is where you create the right support base and create the climate of trust to be able to openly discuss the opportunities and to transform your business.”

At the close of the event, the critical message of inclusive and rights-based progress was reinforced by Vera Paquete-Perdigão, Director of the ILO’s Governance Department, who stressed: 

• “Progress and protection must go hand in hand. These technologies must help build workplaces that are safer, more inclusive, and more equitable.”

Global Events

The World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2025 was marked by extensive outreach and collaboration worldwide. The ILO directly participated in 27 national and regional activities, working with constituents across Asia, Latin America, and beyond to advance awareness on the role of digitalization in occupational safety and health (OSH).

In the Asia and the Pacific region, engagement included national-level SafeDay events in Thailand, a high-level forum and panel discussions in Indonesia, and tripartite dialogues in Viet Nam and Cambodia. In Latin America and the Caribbean, the ILO presented the SafeDay report at national congresses in Peru, Guatemala, Honduras, and Costa Rica, and participated in stakeholder events with ministries, workers’ and employers’ organizations. Tripartite events in Chile and Uruguay underscored the region’s commitment to inclusive dialogue and regulatory innovation in response to AI and digital tools at work.

Regionally, outreach was further amplified through video messages and webinars, contributing to a shared reflection on how to navigate the opportunities and challenges of digital transformation in the workplace.

In addition to events featuring direct ILO engagement, nearly 75 independently organized activities were shared by employers, workers’ groups, governments, universities, and OSH professionals worldwide. These ranged from workplace campaigns and webinars to academic conferences and internal trainings. Employers from different sectors and regions, such as Orange Business (events held over 15 branches globally), Capital Health (UAE), PFO Construction Africa (Côte d’Ivoire), and Laing O’Rourke Middle East commemorated the Day with workplace initiatives and awareness tools. 

Academic institutions across Latin America, including Universidad Minuto de Dios (Colombia), and in Asia and the Pacific, such the Papua New Guinea University of Technology (PNGUoT), also hosted thematic events on OSH and digitalization. 

Additionally, OSH professionals and networks, such as the Society of Occupational and Environmental Health Physicians of Nigeria (SOEPHON), contributed through webinars and by supporting awareness-raising efforts like the Media Centre for Promotion of Safety’s lecture award.

These diverse initiatives highlight a shared, global commitment to advancing occupational safety and health, striving toward the goal of ensuring safe and healthy working conditions for all, even in the digital age.