Today, April 28th, marks World Day for Safety and Health at Work, a global initiative dedicated to preventing workplace accidents and diseases, while promoting safer, healthier, and more supportive working environments for everyone.
Recent insights from a 2026 report from The International Labour Organisation (ILO) outlines the impact of psychosocial working environment. Beyond physical risks, there is growing recognition of the impact of psychosocial factors, such as stress, job demands, and workplace culture, on both individual wellbeing and organisational productivity and performance.
The report estimates that risks linked to psychosocial factors, including cardiovascular disease and mental health conditions, are responsible for more than 840,000 deaths each year, and account for an estimated 1.37% loss in global GDP (ILO, 2026).
What can companies do to keep their workplaces safe?
The estimates highlight the importance of bringing awareness of recognising mental well-being as an important factor of workplace safety in the modern day. By better understanding the significance, we are then able to adopt a preventative approach by putting processes in place to facilitate safe mental and physical environments. At GT Lifting, we use this opportunity to reinforce a workplace where employees feel heard, supported, and comfortable speaking up.
As construction workplaces evolve and digitalisation transforms occupational health and safety, we must also evolve our approach to safety. To support occupational health and safety and to minimise risks, here at GT Lifting we have invested over £1,000,000 in state of the art Human recognition camera systems for our entire fleet. We are constantly looking for innovative ways to better ensure safety for our employees and customers.
World Day for Safety and Health at Work encourages us all in the industry to look ahead and take responsibility, by committing to building safer, more supportive workplaces for the future.