SOM has launched a two-year programme with its partner in Sri Lanka to build occupational health (OH) capacity through a series of workshops across the country. The NEBOSH Social Purpose Programme is kindly supporting the project.
The project has two strands:
1. OH Awareness of SMEs
Delivery of two-day OH workshops across 9 regions, targeting workers specifically in manufacturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Training will cover fundamental OH principles:
- sector-specific hazards
- risk assessments
- workplace hygiene, and
- practical control measures.
The programme includes the development of multilingual awareness materials, videos, and a digital library to support nationwide dissemination.
Pre- and post-assessment will measure the learning outcomes of the workers trained over the project timeline.
2. Strand B – Occupational Health Capacity Building for Women
Delivery of targeted occupational health (OH) training for 10 General Practitioners, with a specific focus on encouraging female participation.
Each cohort will complete a two-week curriculum delivered in Colombo, with two high performing female participants per year put forward for a scholarship to deepen their OH expertise.
This strand aims to build long-term national capacity and create pathways for female leadership in the OH profession.
Both strands will be supported by site visits, engagement with labour inspectorates, and follow-up workshops to encourage leadership buy-in and support workplace implementation. For further information, contact SOM.
Dr Aseni Wickramatillake, who is leading the project, said: “I am really looking forward to working on this NEBOSH-funded project with the support of SOM. Building practical occupational health and safety knowledge in SMEs and strengthening occupational health skills among General Practitioners are both long-standing needs in Sri Lanka. I hope this will be the start of sustainable change that improves the health and wellbeing of workers across the country.”
