Leadership, workplace risks, and veterans’ adaptation: key topics of the occupational safety forum

At the branch “Forest Training Center,” the forum “Occupational Safety in the Forestry Sector” took place. The event brought together occupational safety engineers from the regional branches of SFE “Forests of Ukraine”, business trainers, psychologists, scientists, and military representatives.

Over the course of five days, 60 occupational safety engineers from the enterprise attended trainings, performed practical tasks, and exchanged experiences on the key challenges they face in their work.

✔️ Leadership

One of the most important skills for an occupational safety engineer is leadership. They must train staff in safe practices during logging operations, conduct briefings, and develop instructions. It is crucial not only to respond to risks but also to prevent them. Business trainers taught participants modern approaches to leadership, teamwork, and fostering initiative in the field of workplace safety. When an engineer does not simply “control” but actively engages employees in safety initiatives, a culture of safety is formed within the team, which reduces the number of injuries.

✔️ Risk Assessment in Production

Recently, alongside the traditional briefing procedure in forestry enterprises, risk assessment in the workplace has been introduced, as required by the international occupational health and safety standard ISO 45001. Such assessments are conducted by occupational safety engineers, who receive feedback from employees while modeling potential situations. Representatives of the Academy of Risk Management Systems helped the engineers enhance their skills in developing occupational risk maps by demonstrating best practices in their preparation.

✔️ Social Adaptation of Veterans

Currently, more than 530 demobilized soldiers are employed at SFE “Forests of Ukraine.” It is important to reintegrate them into peaceful life, adapt them to work processes, and establish effective communication. Leading psychologists provided practical training on communication with veterans and methods of effective interaction.

Upon completion of the forum, occupational safety engineers received certificates confirming their professional knowledge in occupational health and safety management systems in accordance with the international ISO 45001 standard.