A Global Safety Evidence Centre research priority area.
Despite these high figures, it isn’t high on the list of things most people worry about.
This is why Safe Work is one of the Centre’s research priorities; we aim to contribute to the evidence base, and support work to promote safe working environments. This work supports the Sustainable Development Goal, target 8.8, specifically in promoting 'safe and secure working environments for all workers'.
of the global workforce have experienced harm at work in the past two years.
A review of the state of the evidence shows that safety terms are poorly defined, and that interventions are inconsistent and often not evaluated. We are therefore looking to bring together the relevant knowledge, tools and methods to help improve safety outcomes at work. We want to:
We are especially interested in sharing and growing global knowledge on:
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The first report from the Perspectives programme captures key takeaways from an event hosted by Lloyd's Register Foundation in December 2025, where OSH experts explored what is needed for a more effective global evidence base to improve worker safety.
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The Global Safety Evidence Centre partnered with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to assess the role of leadership and governance in occupational safety outcomes.
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We wanted to understand how new technologies are revolutionising the world of work and how they have the potential to transform how we support the safety of workers.
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We wanted to understand how climate change affects worker safety in different sectors around the world, and the evidence gaps that still need to be filled.
Explore all the publications from the Centre and our partners related to the Safe Work programme.
The Safe Work projects from both Global Safety Evidence Centre grant programmes
Training in construction workplaces in Southern Asia and Northern Africa. Building and Wood Workers International (BWI), Switzerland. This project team are improving construction safety in countries with high accident rates such as Pakistan and Tunisia by combining targeted OSH training with hands-on risk assessments and incident reporting. By showcasing real examples from major construction projects, it aims to demonstrate how tailored training and incident reporting can make workplaces safer.
Technological change and occupational safety. The University of Groningen, Netherlands. This project team are leveraging World Risk Poll data to examine how technological advancements, such as AI and information and communication technology, affect workers’ perceptions and reporting of occupational risks across the world.
OSH Connect: The Global Occupational Safety and Health Data Platform. Monash University, Australia. This project team are integrating World Risk Poll data with other international OSH data sources, to create a single-source global database of country-level workplace safety statistics. Accessible via an interactive dashboard, it aims to improve risk management, worker and community health by providing practical insights for policy and action.
How does inequality shape the risk of unintentional injury at work? The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), United Kingdom. This project team are analysing World Risk Poll data to better understand the difference in actual risk and perceived risk of workplace harm across the world. Through cross sectional analysis of different demographic groups, this research will provide a global perspective on the link between socioeconomic factors and workplace injuries.
Protecting the Mental Health of Disaster and Emergency Responders. Society of Occupational Medicine, United Kingdom. This evidence review and synthesis project is conducting a systematic review of global evidence on interventions designed to protect and improve the mental health and wellbeing of disaster and first responders. The review is examining the effectiveness of different approaches, identifying the features of successful interventions, exploring barriers and enablers to implementation, and capturing responder perspectives. The findings will help inform policies, programmes and workplace practices that strengthen mental wellbeing, workforce resilience and operational effectiveness in high-risk emergency response settings.
Safe work and safety interventions for seafarers. Institute of Applied Research, and the Regional Maritime University, Ghana. This evidence review and synthesis project will examine interventions to promote occupational health and safety (OSH) of seafarers, identifying what works, for whom, why, and under what conditions. It will combine a mixed-methods systematic review with stakeholder interviews and analysis of maritime accident data in Ghana. It will support the development of a practice guide to enhance the implementation of actionable recommendations to promote safe work.
Organisational capacity building safety culture in the garment sector. Nirapon, USA and Bangladesh, and Columbia University, USA, and the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), BRAC University, Bangladesh. This research, evaluation and trials project will test whether Nirapon's approach to building factory capacity through education and capability-building, strengthens occupational safety and health (OSH) culture and performance in Bangladesh's manufacturing sector. Using a randomised controlled trial with more than 300 manufacturers, mostly garment factories, the research will measure the effects of Nirapon's Safety Management Program on worker and workplace safety management systems, safety culture and awareness, and business performance.
Building safer maritime futures in a changing climate. De La Salle University, Philippines. This data and analysis project is seeking to improve maritime safety and climate resilience in the Philippines by integrating shipping, fishing, accident and climate data to identify current and future risks, and provide practical tools for evidence-based decision-making.
Safe work for essential workers during extreme weather events. Monash University, Australia. This evidence review and synthesis project considers the protection of the safety of frontline workers during, and in the aftermath of, extreme weather events. This focus not only supports the safety of essential workers, but the safety of the wider community whom they serve. The team at Monash University will find and map what is known globally about how extreme weather events impact the health, safety and function of essential workers and how to best prevent and manage these impacts.
Safe qualifications for migrant workers in high-risk sectors, including construction and maritime. Social Service of Industry - Paraná (SESI Paraná), Brazil. In this evidence review and synthesis project, the team will examine safety interventions within high hazard industries with an increasingly reliance on migrant workers; examining critical knowledge gaps in what works, for who and under which conditions. This project will synthesise scientific, regulatory and practical evidence alongside an analysis of the Brazilian context to identify evidence gaps and highlight opportunities to improve safety outcomes for migrant workers.
Safety science is knowledge about safety and risk related issues. It considers how to assess and manage these issues, and how individuals, organisations and communities understand, assess, measure and manage safety. The problem is that presently, safety terms can be poorly defined, while interventions and measures are inconsistent and are often not evaluated.
With this other research priority area, we aim to build an evidence base to understand, assess, communicate and manage safety.
