Dear Colleagues,

We are proud to present the 5th edition of the eNewsletter of the ISSA Special Commission on Prevention. We can look back on a particularly eventful and successful year, marked by the 23rd World Congress on Safety and Health at Work, in Sydney, Australia, 27–30 November 2023 – a shared milestone in creating safe workplaces for everyone - and we have exciting topics ahead.

The Prevention Sections were actively involved in the delivery of various events, making a significant contribution to the programme of the 23rd World Congress. We organized symposia and technical sessions with compelling and relevant topics focusing on mental health, sustainable health and safety at work and digitalisation, including: 

• Vision Zero for Mobile Workplaces – How to create a safety culture at non-stationary workplaces
• Vision Zero in the Construction Sector
• Digital Transformation and the Human Factor in Machine and System Safety – Opportunities and Risks
• Education and Training towards a culture of Zero Harm
• Walk the line: One VISION ZERO for Global Supply Chains
• Collaboration is Key: Success Factors for a Cultural SHW Change at Global Workplaces by Vision Zero. 

We also held the 12th International Media Festival for Prevention (IMFP) with creative and very inspiring films and multimedia products submitted from all over the world. Each project represented a whole lot of work and commitment to raise awareness of occupational safety and health around the world. Taken together, they were all a great success, and the effort was well worth it. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the participants and volunteers before and behind the scenes for their dedication and commitment to making these amazing and very important prevention highlights a reality.

Looking ahead to the upcoming months, we are excited about the opportunity to launch an array of impactful initiatives including:

• Various cultural diversity "rendez-vous": a webinar in March, part of the "Let's talk about OSH – Have you ever..." series, an international symposium in May, followed by an audio podcast.
• The Forum Prävention 2024 in June, focusing on prevention, worker protection, safety technology and personal protective equipment.
• In June, an international symposium on managing hazardous substances in maintenance.
• In September, the international conference of the Working on Safety (WOS) network will explore strategies to prevent work-related accidents and diseases.
• In October, an international symposium focused on global supply chains will focus on safety, health and well-being.

 It is encouraging to see that all Prevention Sections are actively involved in our key Vision Zero theme, and a there is a new Practical Guide on Vision Zero in Trade and Goods Logistics. You can also read more about Vision Zero activities in the ISSA Annual review. When it comes to safety at work, this newsletter also includes an article on explosion safety of bulk material plants.

Sustainability and supply chains strongly support this strategy, which is worth the effort throughout all countries, regardless of their standard of living. In addition, digitalisation and artificial intelligence are at a key stage to facilitate the work. They will certainly change many processes – not always in a positive way. Nevertheless, it is crucial to prioritise workers’ protection benefit from a much-improved trading position.

All over the world, the impacts of climate change on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) are now undeniable. The more clearly the risks arising from heat, drought, storms and floods can be seen the greater will be the demand for the development of new concepts. Therefore, safeguarding employees remains paramount, and the returns on such investments are evident. Let us go on gradually working towards this goal.

Thank you again for the articles from the Prevention Sections that contribute to making this another colourful and lively newsletter for everyone. Enjoy reading.

Yours,
Jens Jühling