SOM welcomes international members from around the world to support their career needs. Do join here. SOM supports occupational health (OH) development globally through education, awareness raising and sharing of expertise. If you are from a low-income country; a SOM member discount may be available (contact us for details).
SOM international webinars include:
10th March 2026 - SOM with NEBOSH webinar: OSH issues for Artisanal and Small-Scale Miners - the Global Challenge. Recording here.
9th December 2025 – Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining webinar. Recording here - Slides #1, #2, #3
11th November 2025 – Heat Stress webinar. Recording here
21st February 2022 - South & Central America - Recording here. Slides here.
14th September 2021 - Occupational Medicine Challenges in South & Central Asia & Russia - Recording here. Slides here.
29th June 2021 - Occupational Health and Medicine in SE and E Asia - Recording here. PDF slides here, here, here.
18th May 2021 - Occupational Health and Medicine in the Middle East - Recording here.
15th Mar 2021 - Occupational Medicine & Health Challenges in Southern Africa - Recording here. PDF slides here, here, and here.
SOM:
- partners with other professional occupational health associations, such as those in Japan, Chile, Zimbabwe, India (IAOH), Australia, and New Zealand (ANZSOM). Examples of training opportunities can be found here.
- supports WHO and ILO and champions delivery of OH via UN member states e.g. see here and here. SOM supports advocacy for UN Sustainable Development Goals: here.
- is a member of UEMS, IOMSC and an associate member of ICOH.
SOM delivers international Projects including:
1. Artisanal and small scale mining
With the support of NEBOSH, and in partnership with IOMSC, SOM completed a one-year review of the occuaptioanl health needs of the Artisanal and Small Scale Mining (ASM) in Zimbabwe, Uganda, Colombia and Brazil - see here. Artisanal and small-scale mining, or ASM, is a largely informal economic sector who use basic tools to extract everything from gold to gemstones and vital metals, critical to the world’s economies. SOM with IOMSC wishes to improve the occupational health of the ASM sector and work in partnership with governments, industry, and artisanal miners themselves to make ASM’s healthier and safer. See this July 2025 review of ASM OH and Safety Concerns (and translated into French here). Read an update on our data collection here. The final report will be published Summer 2026.
As a result of this research, SOM have launched a 3-year Phase 2 Implementation Project, funded by NEBOSH's Social Purpose Programme. The project will focus on the development and dissemination of contextual Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials, and continued development of our adovcacy campaign and policy engagement.
In June 2026, SOM launched a new training and research project on ASM in Karnataka, India (funded by NEBOSH and in collaboration with St John’s Medical College).
SOM hosts a Mining Special Interest Group – contact us for details.
You can watch a SOM webinar on the occupational risks and health impacts of mining here.
2. Health of health care workers
In 2024/5, SOM worked with colleagues in Nigeria on a health of health care workers project here, training 332 healthcare workers in four workshops. It’s long-term sustainability impact can be read about here. The project was funded by UK Aid and THET.
In 2025/6, SOM completed a health of healthcare worker training project in Ethiopia here and here. A total of 158 healthcare workers across four regions were trained to serve as Health and Safety Officers within their respective facilities, strengthening local capacity to promote safer and healthier working environments. This project was funded by UK Aid and Global Health Partnerships.
In November 2025, SOM launched a health of healthcare workers project at Gweru Hospital, Zimbabwe here. The project focuses on the mental health and wellbeing of healthcare workers, training over 750 nurses, doctors allied and general staff. This project is funded by NEBOSH's Social Purpose Programme.
3. OH capacity building
In June 2026, SOM launched a project in Sri Lanka delivering Occupational Health, Safety and Hygiene training to SMEs, as well as specialised Basics in Occupational Health training to GPs, with a focus on female capacity building. This project is funded by NEBOSH's Social Purpose Programme.
4. Protecting the psychological safety of disaster and first responders
An international systematic review, funded by the Lloyds Register Foundation, is being carried our by our new Work, Safety, and Health Intelligence Centre. See news piece here.
SOM are also interested in supporting projects on heat stress. Do contact rose.wood@som.org.uk to discuss collaboration and support in your country.
SOM hosts IOMSC, an assembly for leaders of occupational medicine societies to promote greater awareness of issues and best practices for better worker health worldwide. IOMSC is comprises of 52 occupational medicine societies in 46 countries representing more than 30,000 occupational medicine providers that impact more than 1 million workers throughout the world. IOMSC hosted a Thought Leaders’ Summit at the ILO headquarters, Geneva, during the World Health Assembly 2025. It brought together over 50 Chief Medical Officers and professionals to discuss the role of occupational health. The proceedings documents can be found here.
in 2026, IOMSC returned to the ILO Headquarters for our second Thought Leader's Summit, focussed on "The Changing Role of Health in a Changing Workforce". IOMSC released 3 guidance document publications at the event, reflecting the key priorities identified at last year's meet. You can read these here.
2025 SOM/FOM conference International session - recording here including
- Dr Dominic Young, ANZSOM - OHS issues in Australia - dust diseases, and the response from Occupational Medicine and legislators. Dr Dominic Young is a specialist occupational physician located in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. He is President of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Occupational Medicine (ANZSOM), a Presiding Member at the Victorian Medical Panels, and a member of the Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (AFOEM). Dominic works across a broad range of industries and is accredited by WorkSafe Victoria as an independent medical examiner and an impairment assessor; Comcare as an impairment assessor; and TAC as a joint medical examiner.
- Dr Bobby Joseph - Occupational Health in India - challenges and successes. Dr Joseph is Vice Dean, Community Outreach and Distance Education; Professor, Community Health and Head, Occupational Health Services, St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences, Bengaluru (Bangalore) 560034, Karnataka, India.
- Dr Rupali Das, MD, MPH, FACOEM (she/her) - Climate change and OH, focusing on California. Dr Das is Sr. Vice President, California Medical Director Zenith Insurance Company. Dr Richard Heron – International Occupational Medicine Society Collaboration (IOMSC) update. Dr Heron is a former SOM President and currently co-chair of IOMSC.