Фандєєв Олександр Simply about the risks
20.06.2025On May 28, participants of the conference “Risk assessment made easy” had the opportunity to meet in person, exchange their thoughts, and share experiences, insights, and emotions.
The event was held in the conference hall of the International Exhibition Centre (IEC) in Kyiv, alongside the international specialized exhibition “Protection Technologies / FireTech” (May 27–29). Occupational safety and health professionals had the chance to attend both the conference and the exhibition.
The conference was organized by the European Society of Occupational Safety and Health (ESOSH), the Occupational Safety and Health Journal, and the Ukrainian Association of Occupational Safety Professionals (UAOSP), whose founding was formally announced by its Chairman, Sergiy Chebotaryov (more on the organization on p. 34). Notably, the exhibition booths of UAOSP member companies attracted significant attention from visitors, with many of the conference speakers representing this newly formed professional community.
As the name suggests, the idea behind “Risk assessment made simple” was to communicate modern approaches to risk management, methods, best practices, and practical tools in a clear and accessible way, so that OSH practitioners could easily apply this knowledge in their day-to-day work. Moderators Dmytro Matviichuk and Valentyna Zabelina encouraged participants to stay engaged, ask questions, and share their own professional experiences.
The program began with one of the “hottest” topic, presented by Valentyna Zabelina, who spoke about the role of digitalization in risk assessment, the digital transformation of risk management, and innovative digital tools that help professionals identify and manage risks more efficiently and effectively.
Though occupational injury analysis for 2024 might not seem an exciting subject, Mykola Fedorenko managed to captivate the audience with his insights.
When it comes to working in aggressive environments, compromise is not an option. That's why the name of Sergiy Chebotaryov’s presentation was “Zero-compromise safety: a systematic approach to workers protection in aggressive environments”. This theme was continued by Vitalii Pidluzhnyi (BICO Company), who provided a detailed overview of respiratory protective equipment (RPE) selection, design, potential mistakes, and how to ensure effective respiratory protection for workers. Both speakers, with extensive hands-on experience, expertly addressed audience questions and received enthusiastic applause.
The same can be said for the other speakers. Svitlana Sokurenko and Natalia Kot, who highlighted the importance of mental health as an integral part of a safety culture. Serhii Khlystun, who explained how the LOTO system works, and emphasized that safe equipment isolation not only ensures protection and efficiency, but also leads to significant cost savings. Anna Remenets, who spoke about the motivation behind creating adaptive workwear, its unique features, innovative solutions, and collaboration with the workers who use it. Andrii Polishchuk, whose closing presentation focused on fall protection systems, personal fall protection equipment (PFPE), and modern engineering solutions for working at height. Each of these topics deserves a separate article, which we will certainly publish in the Occupational Safety and Health Journal.
…A friendly and professional atmosphere prevailed throughout the event. There were lively discussions, knowledge sharing, access to seminar materials, and even gifts (including modern PPE) for active participants from UVEX, Insight.UA, the Occupational Safety and Health Journal, and other partners. Participants were in no rush to leave, continuing to network and share insights. This once again proves that such events offer valuable opportunities to build professional networks, stay updated on the latest technologies and trends in the field, broaden knowledge, exchange ideas, and enrich practical experience.
Photos by the author
Simply about the risks
