After several industry experts, the Health and Safety Executive and MSA Safety united for a roundtable around workplace safety, the organisation has produced a follow-up whitepaper to address the stagnation in workplace accident and fatality figures

The roundtable centred around the statistic that 138 people lost their lives in workplace accidents in 2024—a figure which remains comparable to 2018/19 figures and defies ambition to reduce the risk of workplace incidents. 36% of those fatalities were due to falls from height.

Emphasising clear communication, safety education and PPE, the whitepaper identifies key improvement areas and barriers to improving workplace incident statistics and worker safety. Some of those barriers included human nature and poor equipment design.

Jason Anker, a safety advocate who suffered from a life-changing fall, was on the panel. He emphasised how a holistic safety culture must be cultivated, especially when working at height, to create meaningful improvements.

MSA Safety has published the full whitepaper and panel discussion on its site.

A recent report by Grand View Research on the Saudi Arabia workplace safety market highlights a number of growth areas, with the market forecast to increase by a CAGR of 19.1% from 2025 to 2030

The personal protective equipment (PPE) segment accounted for a revenue share of over 51.0% of the workplace safety market in 2024, according to the report, and is set to grow further. The construction boom in Saudi Arabia, driven by Vision 2030 giga-projects such as NEOM, Red Sea Project, and Qiddiya, is boosting the demand for helmets, gloves, harnesses, and high-visibility clothing to protect workers from falls, dropped objects and falling debris, and accidents. While demand is high in the buoyant oil and gas sector for flame-resistant (FR) suits, respirators, and protective eyewear to protect workers from fires, toxic gases, and chemicals, with high-quality PPE mandated by Aramco and government regulations.

Also forecast to grow strongly is the workplace safety services segment, as Saudi companies invest in comprehensive training programmes, behaviour-based safety initiatives, and thorough incident investigations to foster a proactive safety culture. Rising insurance costs and legal liabilities are accelerating the demand for professional safety consulting, risk assessments and compliance solutions.

With smart safety solutions in construction and industrial zones mandated under Vision 2030 and Saudi OSH regulations, demand is growing for wearable IoT devices such as smart helmets and vests that monitor worker vital signs and environmental hazards, ensuring real-time alerts for health and safety risks. In high-risk sectors like oil and gas and mining, IoT-enabled gas/chemical sensors can detect leaks instantly, preventing explosions and harmful exposures and sending alerts to control centres. With 5G and AI integration, IoT safety systems are facilitating predictive risk management, driving rapid market growth as industries prioritise data-driven, proactive safety measures.

Another growth area highlighted is the VR sector. VR in safety training effectively simulates real-world scenarios, enabling employees to practice addressing workplace hazards in a safe, controlled setting. This immersive experience increases engagement, making learning more interactive and memorable and leading to quicker response times in actual situations, thereby helping to reduce workplace accidents and enhance overall safety performance.

The USA's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), whose role it is to ensure the safety and environmental stewardship of offshore energy operations, has successfully completed its first annual inspection of Shell’s Whale, one of the newest and most innovative oil production facilities in the Gulf of America

The eight-day annual inspection thoroughly examined all safety equipment aboard the Whale platform, including systems designed to prevent leak, fires, spills or other potential incidents. BSEE’s team of inspectors and engineers verified that al safety components, equipment and production processes met stringent industry standards and complied with all relevant federal regulations.

“We are BSEE are extremely proud to contribute to the ongoing pledge of safe, responsible and efficient energy production in the Gulf of America,” said Gulf of America Region director Bryan Domangue. “This inspection is a critical milestone in our efforts to support energy security, enhance safety and strengthen Americas leadership in energy production.”

Whale is Shell’s 14th deep-water development in the Gulf of America,and its most efficient to date. Whale is located around 200 miles south of Houston on the Outer Continent Shelf and has an estimated peak production capacity of 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day. The facility features a semi-submersible production host at a depth of more than 8,600 feet of water, with 15 wells connected to the host via advanced subsea infrastructure. Whale currently has an estimated recoverable resource volume of 480 million boe.

Most of Whale's operations can be managed from the control room in New Orleans, keeping the number of people needed on the platform to a minimum. This has a positive impact on emissions reduction as well as on costs and safety.