🇧🇫Burkina FasoWest Africa
African forum on health and safety innovations to be held in Ouagadougou in 2026
via Lefaso.net9 min read
The African Forum for Innovations in Occupational Health, Safety, and Well-being AFRISST is scheduled to take place from July 2 to 4, 2026, in Ouagadougou. Organized by Sahelors Consulting and Arobase Communication, the event aims to gather professionals in occupational risk prevention, including occupational physicians, HSE managers, university researchers, public decision-makers, technology providers, and international institutions. Dr. Sounkalo Djibo, in an interview, highlighted the scientific and strategic foundations of AFRISST, its implications for African businesses, and the normative ambitions of the Ouagadougou Charter. Dr. Djibo explained that the forum's "African" scope reflects the belief that solutions for occupational health and safety OHS in Africa cannot solely rely on European or North American standards. He cited the example of heat exposure limits, which are often calibrated for different climatic and physiological contexts than those found in sub-Saharan Africa, where workers frequently operate in environments exceeding 30-33 °C. Ouagadougou was chosen as the host city due to the region's industrial and mining activity and Burkina Faso's growing institutional focus on OHS. Regarding the current state of OHS culture in African companies, Dr. Djibo noted a contrast: multinational corporations and mining operators show increasing maturity with OHSAS 18001 or ISO 45001 systems, while most other companies, including formal SMEs, have not yet integrated prevent
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