Jordan’s occupational safety and health inspection capacity bolstered through training initiative

AMMAN (ILO News) - The International Labour Organization (ILO), in collaboration with the Jordanian Ministry of Labour (MoL), has concluded a two-week training programme designed to strengthen the competencies of 20 male and female labour inspectors in the field of occupational safety and health (OSH).

The initiative was implemented under a programme funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the ILO, which seeks to promote decent work, reinforce the institutional capacity of labour inspection in Jordan, and contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The training was designed to prepare inspectors for the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH) International General Certificate (IGC) in Occupational Health and Safety. NEBOSH is a UK-based examination board that has, since its establishment in 1979, provided globally recognised qualifications in health, safety, and environmental management. NEBOSH certifications equip individuals and institutions with the expertise required to effectively manage occupational risks and foster a preventative safety culture in the workplace.

The course aimed to provide labour inspectors with technical competencies to assess workplace hazards, understand and implement international OSH standards, and align these with national legislation. It comprised both theoretical instruction and practical application through scenario-based written assessments and on-site risk evaluations.

Motivating behaviour change

Engineer Muhannad Al Najdawi, the course coordinator, noted that over 170,000 people worldwide have earned the NEBOSH IGC since 2006, highlighting its global credibility. He said: "The certificate helps participants shape a strong safety culture, conduct risk assessments, respond to workplace changes, and implement effective control measures." Al Najdawi added that the training enhanced inspectors' skills in developing safe work systems, participating in accident investigations, and supporting employers in evaluating OSH management through monitoring and audits.

The course includes two components: the first covers OSH management systems, risk management, human factors, and performance monitoring - assessed through an open-book exam. The second addresses hazard identification and control across a range of risks -assessed via a practical risk assessment.

MoL inspector Zainab Mustafa described the course as "very important" in developing her capacity to assess the risks faced by workers and how to avoid them. She added: "The course also works to raise the efficiency of inspectors in educating employers and administrative and labour staff about the necessity of adhering to safety procedures and avoiding risks in the establishment."

Safer workplaces

Engineer Nizar Khalil, an OSH inspector at MoL, emphasised the practical relevance of the training. "The fieldwork of inspectors has acquainted them with many risks faced by workers in various commercial and industrial sectors, making the training course a necessity to know the correct steps for assessing these risks and how to avoid them scientifically," he said.

He added: "We have witnessed many incidents in workplaces, some of which were fatal. These incidents have serious repercussions on both economic and social levels, potentially leading to harm to workers and depriving them of their jobs, and causing damage to the establishment. Our role as inspectors is to strive to avoid these risks through proper assessment and application of occupational health and safety standards in the workplace, and raising awareness about them."

Head of the OSH Directorate of the MoL, engineer Najah Abu Tafish, said the training course "played a pivotal role in enhancing the legal framework related to occupational safety and health". "The Labour Law and its associated regulations previously lacked adequate technical detail. Consequently, the MoL undertook efforts to update the legislation in line with international standards, including the identification of hazard types and corresponding preventive measures. The knowledge gained during the NEBOSH course was fully reflected in the legislative amendments," she added. "The World Bank commended the outcomes and impact of the course on the occupational safety and health standards adopted by the MoL. These improvements were clearly evident in the performance of inspectors in the field. The MoL has both general labour inspectors and specialised OSH inspectors, and the course was designed to address the needs of both categories."

"As part of ongoing efforts to enhance OSH systems in Jordan, the ILO has supported the delivery of a third NEBOSH IGC training for 20 labour inspectors, bringing the total number of trained inspectors under this initiative to 60," said Muna Ali, Enterprise Advisor and a member of the labour inspectors capacity building team at ILO Jordan. "This training is part of an ILO-EU-funded project aimed at building the skills and knowledge of labour inspectors - particularly in the area of OSH - to help create safer workplaces across the country."

The initiative reflects the ILO's ongoing collaboration with national organisations to strengthen labour inspection systems, enhance technical capacity, and promote a culture of prevention in occupational safety and health across Jordanian workplaces.