From awareness to action: Better Work Egypt supports safer garment factories

Ismailia, Egypt (ILO News)- In registered garment factories across Egypt, workers, managers and occupational safety and health (OSH) committees are taking practical steps to identify risks, address root causes and improve day-to-day safety practices with support from Better Work Egypt.

The activities come in the context of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, observed annually on 28 April, which promotes the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases and highlights the importance of building a preventive safety and health culture.

Factory representatives discuss occupational safety and health risks during a Better Work Egypt advisory session. Ismailia, Egypt, 05/2025.

The initiative forms part of Better Work Egypt's factory engagement model, which combines advisory services and training to improve compliance, workplace cooperation and continuous improvement. The programme aims to contribute to a more competitive Egyptian garment industry with decent working conditions, driven by improved social dialogue at factory and sectoral levels.

Better Work Egypt enterprise advisors work with factory management teams, workers' representatives and OSH committees to identify hazards, analyze root causes and agree on practical measures that can be sustained at the enterprise level.

A safe and healthy working environment is a fundamental principle and right at work, and essential to decent work.

Eric Oechslin, Director, ILO Cairo Office

"A safe and healthy working environment is a fundamental principle and right at work, and essential to decent work," said Eric Oechslin, Director of the ILO Cairo Office. "Through Better Work Egypt, the ILO supports workers and employers in registered factories to strengthen prevention, improve working conditions and build a shared culture of safety that benefits both people and enterprises."

Participatory awareness sessions have also been delivered for workers across factory departments, covering fire prevention and firefighting, emergency preparedness and evacuation, access to first aid, safe production practices, proper use of personal protective equipment, chemical safety and hazard awareness.

Garment workers take part in Better Work Egypt efforts to promote safer workplaces and decent working conditions. Ismailia, Egypt, 05/2025.

Using interactive presentations and practical activities, the sessions help workers better understand their role in maintaining safe and healthy workplaces, while supporting managers and OSH committees to address risks at their source.

Our objective is to help factories move from awareness to sustained action.

Alaa Al-Saifi, Operations Manager at Better Work Egypt Programme.

"Our objective is to help factories move from awareness to sustained action," said Alaa Al-Saifi, Operations Manager at Better Work Egypt Programme. "By strengthening OSH committees and supporting constructive dialogue between workers and management, Better Work Egypt helps enterprises make safety part of everyday workplace practice."

The focus on occupational safety and health is particularly relevant for Egypt's garment sector, where Better Work reporting has identified OSH among the most recurrent compliance challenges, including emergency preparedness, worker protection, and access to health services and first aid.

Through its ongoing engagement with registered factories, Better Work Egypt continues to support safer workplaces, stronger labour relations and more sustainable productivity in Egypt's garment sector.