Installation du Conseil national de l’hygiène, de sécurité et de médecine du travail et de la commission nationale des maladies professionnelles au cours de 2025
Summary of the Meeting on Workplace Health and Safety in Algeria
On Monday, in Algiers, the Minister of Labor, Employment, and Social Security, Fayçal Bentaleb, announced the establishment of the National Council for Hygiene, Safety, and Occupational Medicine, as well as the National Commission on Occupational Diseases, slated for this year. This announcement was made during a ceremony commemorating World Safety and Health at Work Day, which also included the Minister of Health, Abdelhak Saihi.
Bentaleb highlighted that the formation of these bodies aligns with the effort to strengthen the institutional framework governing this sector. He emphasized the necessity of advancing national policies related to workplace safety and occupational health, modernizing administrative structures, and improving the data collection and analysis related to working conditions and workplace accidents. These improvements aim to enhance risk anticipation and worker protection.
This day serves as a pivotal moment to reaffirm national efforts to create safer work environments and protect worker health, especially in light of rapid changes driven by technological advancements, digitalization, and artificial intelligence. The Minister elaborated on the core pillars of the national risk prevention system, which relies on collaboration between labor inspections and professional risk prevention agencies.
Bentaleb reported significant statistics from labor inspections, noting that they issued 10,378 violation notices and sent 98,764 warnings during field visits and investigations. Furthermore, the Occupational Medicine Enterprise (PRESTIMED) conducted medical examinations for 56,526 workers across 799 establishments, while the National Social Security Fund for Wage Earners (CNAS) carried out 6,709 field visits in 4,414 establishments.
He stressed the importance of collective efforts from all stakeholders in the labor sector to cultivate a culture of prevention and ensure a safe and healthy work environment conducive to sustainable socio-economic development.
The Minister of Health indicated that occupational medicine would experience a "new momentum" in 2025, focusing more on preventive measures and utilizing available resources effectively, leading to positive outcomes. The meeting was attended by representatives from various national and international institutions involved in labor matters, along with social partners and employers.
This initiative exemplifies Algeria’s ongoing commitment to enhancing workplace safety standards and improving occupational health, reflecting an evolving approach responsive to the dynamics of modern labor conditions.
