In honor of the International Occupational Safety and Health Day, the Ministry of Labor is launching a groundbreaking initiative: a series of innovative, AI-based videos in foreign languages – with the goal of improving safety among foreign workers in the construction industry.
One in every five fatalities in construction work accidents is a foreign worker – according to the Ministry’s Safety Administration. Against the backdrop of these alarming figures, the Ministry seeks to change its approach: alongside enforcement – to invest in making information more accessible and easy to understand.
Minister of Labor, Yoav Ben-Tzur, said: “A safety culture is not built through enforcement alone, but through awareness-raising and accessibility for all populations. Every person has the right to return home safely. On this Safety Day, we commit to continue investing resources in both enforcement and education.”
Hazi Schwartzman, Head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Chief Labor Inspector, added: “Smart regulation is tailored to the target population. Foreign workers, especially in the construction sector, need direct and clear guidance – in their native language – to reduce risk and save lives.”
Technology at the Service of Safety: How It Will Work
At the heart of the new initiative: short videos with digital avatars speaking Hindi, designed especially for workers from India – a population whose numbers in the sector are expected to increase significantly in the coming years.
The videos are sent directly to the workers' mobile phones and include critical information on:
• Identifying risk areas on construction sites
• Proper use of personal protective equipment
• Safe work at heights and on scaffolding
• Reporting safety hazards
• Workers' rights regarding safety
The project was developed in collaboration with focus groups of foreign workers in Israel, to ensure cultural and linguistic adaptation. Distribution will be carried out through the Ministry of Labor's digital channels, via regulators and manpower corporations that bring workers to Israel.
Safety videos in the Hindi language
The videos were developed with the participation of foreign worker focus groups in Israel and were reviewed for maximum linguistic and cultural suitability. Distribution of the videos will be carried out via regulators, the Ministry’s digital channels, and manpower corporations that bring workers to Israel.
This initiative joins a global trend of using artificial intelligence to improve occupational safety and health and is part of a broad range of online training offered by the Ministry of Labor – also in foreign languages – on the Ministry’s YouTube channel (the video is attached to the article) and the Safety Administration’s website.