Following an International Labour Organization report stating that nearly three million people die annually from occupational incidents and disease, Iranian HSE specialists and regulators called for stronger safety culture, standardized industrial processes and full employer compliance with Articles 85 and 91 of Iran's Labour Law.
1. The global safety crisis and its human and economic costs
ILO assessments cited in the report estimate 2.93 million worker deaths annually from work-related incidents and chronic occupational disease. A further 395 million nonfatal occupational incidents cause temporary and permanent disability, major insurance-system treatment costs and lost national productivity.
Since 2022, a safe and healthy working environment has been recognized as the fifth fundamental principle and right at work. HSE investment is therefore a requirement for sustainable development and human dignity rather than an additional expense.
2. Legal requirements and worker protection in Iran
– Article 85 requires all workplaces, employers and workers to follow protective and health instructions approved by the Supreme Technical Protection Council and Ministry of Health and Medical Education.
– Article 91 requires employers to provide standard PPE free of charge and continuously supervise correct use.
– Article 95 places responsibility for implementing technical and occupational-health requirements on employers, with civil and criminal consequences for failure.
National incident reviews identify construction, civil projects, mining and small workshops as leading sectors for fatal and disabling incidents. This reinforces the need for safety management systems such as ISO 45001.
3. Emerging risks: climate, heat stress and new technology
The cited ILO report states that more than 2.41 billion workers are exposed to climate-related and heat-stress risks. In southern and central Iran, extreme heat particularly threatens oil and gas, petrochemical, agricultural and outdoor workers.
Controls include:
- Moving work shifts to cooler hours;
- Continuous wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) monitoring;
- Shade and hydration/rest stations;
- Periodic medical monitoring of at-risk workers.
These measures can help prevent severe heat illness, cardiac emergencies and incidents associated with reduced concentration.
4. A systematic strategy to reduce incident frequency and severity
Safety engineers emphasize:
– Hazard identification and risk assessment, including HIRA/JSA, before operations, with controls selected through a risk matrix;
– Active technical protection and occupational-health committees, regular Article 93 meetings where applicable and HSE inspection;
– Preventive training, including toolbox talks, work at height, electrical safety, confined spaces and emergency response;
– Near-miss reporting and analysis to prevent later serious incidents.
Conclusion
Decent work requires safe infrastructure and a strong organizational HSE culture. Every occupational death signals a serious oversight failure. Protecting human resources requires government regulation and inspection, employer infrastructure and resources, and worker-organization participation in safety monitoring, so every worker can return home safely and in good health.
Source links: www.ilo.org
Original publication date (Solar Hijri): 1405/06/18
Author: Dibagostaran Sanat