Ahead of emergency employment scheme, ILO trains engineers in Syria on Occupational Safety and Health in earthquake response

Building the capacities of engineers is part of broader efforts to promote a safe working environment for workers involved in the earthquake response and recovery operations, as the ILO prepares to implement an emergency employment scheme in the Syrian city of Aleppo.

News | 10 March 2023
Aleppo, Syria (ILO News) The ILO held trainings on Occupational Safety and Health for engineers from the Order of Syrian Engineers and Architects (OSEA) and labour inspectors from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour, as part of its recovery response to the earthquake which struck Türkiye and Syria.

The two-day training took place in the Syrian city of Aleppo, parts of which were severally damaged by the earthquake. It focused on Occupational Safety and Health in rubble removal and demolition works, damage assessment of buildings, and the rehabilitation and maintenance of structures affected by the earthquake – activities, which the engineers are tasked with supervising. 

Building the capacities of the engineers and labour inspections is part of broader efforts to strengthen preventive measures and promote a safe working environment for workers involved in the earthquake response and recovery operations.

“Engineers and workers are exposed to major hazards,” said Tomoki Watanabe, ILO Country Coordinator in Syria. “What is urgently needed right now is the improvement of working conditions, in particular Occupational Safety and Health practices. We will continue to work with the affected communities, engineers and workers to ensure their safety and recovery.”


The workshop included practical sessions through field visits to the affected areas where the ILO is set to implement an emergency employment scheme. Personal protective equipment required to carry out the work were provided to members of the OSEA.

Through its employment-intensive approach, the ILO offers ways to restore the livelihoods of people in affected communities through creating employment to secure immediate income, as well as rehabilitating infrastructure and building individual and community skills and capacity, to enhance local resilience against future shocks.

In the coming weeks, the ILO will hold a series of trainings on labour-intensive methods, and trainings on the use of concrete testing equipment to the same OSEA members. These training workshops will lead to community infrastructure works including debris removal, minor repair works of water sewage and water network points, as well as road sidewalk rehabilitation.