The ILO, through its Vision Zero Fund, joins forces with Nike Inc. to launch Commuting Safety Challenge for garment factories

25 April 2025

Geneva (ILO News) - The International Labour Organization (ILO)’s Vision Zero Fund (VZF) and Nike Inc., launched a Commuting Safety Challenge that aims to support innovative solutions aimed at enhancing commuting safety for workers in and around garment factories on Monday. The Challenge, which has been launched in Cambodia, Vietnam, and Egypt, provide selected proposals with seed funding, technical support, and a global platform to showcase their innovations.

Proposals must also be aligned with one of the eight action areas listed in the Collective Action for a Safe Commute: Action manual and checklist for employers and workers in the garment and footwear sector to enhance workers’ commuting safety. The outlines eight key action areas, including raising individual risk awareness, ensuring access to safe transport options, and establishing effective channels for reporting and addressing commuting safety concerns.

At least one winning proposal will be selected from each of the three participating countries.

“Improving commuting safety requires collective action involving employers, workers, and governments. Through the Challenge, we aim to support factories with practical tools and resources to help them develop and test solutions that can contribute to safer commutes,” said Ockert Dupper, the ILO’s Vision Zero Fund Global Programme Manager.

A Selection Committee will evaluate the applications and selecting the most promising ones. It includes Dave Cliff – Chief Executive Officer, Global Road Safety Partnership, Alejandra Cruz Ross and Dr. Yuka Ujita from the ILO, Nneka Henry, Head, the United Nations Road Safety Trust Fund Secretariat, and Sittichoke Huckuntod, Director of Health and Safety, Nike.

This new ILO – Nike Inc. joint challenge comes at a time when an estimated 1.2 million people lose their lives, and up to 50 million are injured in road traffic accidents every year. Commuting safety is a particular problem for garment workers because they often travel in overcrowded, unsafe vehicles on poorly lit national roads without proper waiting areas, exposing them daily to preventable risks of accidents, injury, and even death.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) Protocol of 2002 to the Occupational Safety and Health Convention. 1981 (No. 155) defines commuting accident as “(a)n accident resulting in death or personal injury occurring on the direct way between the place of work and (a) the worker’s principal or secondary residence; (b) the place where the worker usually takes his or her meals; or (c) the place where the worker usually receives his or her remuneration.”

To further support the participants of the Commuting Safety Challenge, the ILO’s Vision Zero Fund provides a challenge guideline document, a self-paced online training course and Action manual and checklist Collective Action for a Safe Commute. These free resources provide stakeholders with practical assistance and tools to improve worker safety during commutes.

To date, more than 600 participants have completed the online course, reflecting a growing global commitment to enhancing commuting safety for workers.

The call for proposals is open until 19 May 2025. Winners will be announced in July 2025, with selected solutions set for implementation between August 2025 and February 2026.

Participation in the Commuting Safety Challenge is free of charge.

Any queries related to the Commuting Safety Challenge should be sent to

[email protected] with the subject line “Commuting Safety Challenge.”

Please note that incomplete or late submissions will not be considered.

Vision Zero Fund is part of Safety & Health for All, an ILO flagship programme building a culture of safe, healthy work.