Health and Safety Week 2025: European Focus on Safer Workplaces

Have you ever thought about how much technology has changed your job? Whether it's a new tablet on the factory floor or a digital system you use from home, tech is everywhere. It can make work easier, but it also brings new challenges to stay safe and healthy.

That's the big idea behind the European Week for Safety and Health at Work this year. From October 20 to 24, 2025, the campaign is focused on one main theme: "Safe and healthy work in the digital age."

What Is European Health and Safety Week?

Health and safety week is Europe’s annual spotlight on workplace safety and wellbeing. Officially called the European Week for Safety and Health at Work, it brings businesses, governments, and workers together to prevent accidents and protect health.

The goal is simple: bring workers, businesses, and governments together to prevent accidents and protect everyone's well-being. It’s a chance to stop, look at the big picture, and find better ways to work safely every day.

This movement fits perfectly with our mission with YOUFactors. We're a digital companion that helps people build better habits and reduce accidents at work. We help you create a safer workplace with small, daily nudges right in your pocket.

When Is Health and Safety Week 2025?

This year's Health and Safety Week runs from October 20 to 24, 2025. It's the final event in a three-year campaign run by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) to explore the impact of technology on safety. Other events, like the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, happen earlier in the year. 

If you’ve been wondering when is health and safety week, it’s a perfect time to plan your own workplace activities and perhaps try out a digital tool like YOUFactors to get your team engaged in a fresh way.

What Is the Theme of European Health and Safety Week 2025?

The 2025 theme is “Safe and healthy work in the digital age.” It’s the final chapter in EU-OSHA’s three-year campaign, focusing on how digital technologies are changing the way we work and what that means for safety and wellbeing.

While digital tools can make life easier, they also come with a new set of risks.A 2022 survey from EU-OSHA showed some of the top problems workers face with new technology:

• Workload: 52% felt tech controlled the pace of their work, and 33% said it increased their workload.
• Working Alone: 44% of workers said digital tools made them work alone more often.
• Less Control: 37% felt they were under more surveillance, and 19% felt they had less control over their jobs.
These numbers paint a clear picture: the digital age brings real pressure, and it impacts both safety and mental health.

These numbers show a clear picture: the digital age isn't just about efficiency; it's about real pressure on both your physical safety and your mental health.

That’s why YOUFactors is more relevant than ever. It helps individuals stay aware of how they’re feeling, catch moments of stress or fatigue early, and build safer habits, whether they’re in the office, on-site, or working from home. So yes, this year’s safety and health week 2025 is more than timely, it’s essential. And tools like YOUFactors help make its message stick, long after the week is over.

Who Organises European Health and Safety Week?

The European Week for Safety and Health at Work is led by EU-OSHA, the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. They work with governments, trade unions, employers, and safety experts to spread the word. It’s a joint effort and businesses of all sizes are encouraged to join in. Whether you're running a small warehouse or a global office team, EU-OSHA provides free tools and guidance to help you participate.

Tools like YOUFactors can add an extra layer by turning traditional campaigns into ongoing change. While posters and workshops help during the week, digital platforms can keep the momentum going every day after.

Why Is European Health and Safety Week Important?

It’s great that we have a health and safety week. It gives us time to pause, reflect, and celebrate the importance of keeping people safe at work. Weeks like this are a helpful reminder but real safety isn’t just something we must think about once a year. It’s something we need to build into our everyday habits.

Creating a safer workplace takes consistent action, not just posters and talks. That’s why building better habits over time is so important. And that’s where YOUFactors really comes in. It helps people recognise when they’re rushing, distracted, or just not fully focused  and gently nudges them to get back on track.

So while European health and safety week is a great starting point, it’s the everyday habits that truly keep people safe.

Activities and Events During Health and Safety Week

Awareness Campaigns

Many companies run awareness activities during European health and safety week, such as:

• Safety posters and videos
• Social media campaigns
• Webinars with safety experts
• Newsletters or daily safety tips

Employer Activities

Here are some classic health and safety week activities many employers organise:

• Quick training sessions or toolbox talks
• Spot-the-hazard games or walkarounds
• Emergency drills and evacuation exercises
• Guest talks on mental health or workplace habits

You can also use health and safety week ideas to launch digital habit-building challenges with YOUFactors, like rating your emotional state before each task or logging safe behaviour for rewards.

Employee Participation

Workers are more likely to join in if the activities are fun and meaningful:

• Safety bingo or quizzes
• “Rate Your State” challenges
• Team safety goals with prizes
• Sharing personal safety stories

YOUFactors supports this with features like close-call reflection, peer sharing, and microlearning reminders — all designed to make safety feel personal, not just procedural.

How Employers Can Participate in Health and Safety Week 2025

Wondering how to get started for health and safety week 2025? Here are some easy ways to get involved:

• Schedule quick daily team check-ins to talk about risks
• Share EU-OSHA posters, videos, and tips on your internal channels
• Use the EU-OSHA Social Media Kit to spread awareness online with ready-made graphics and messages
• Run a friendly competition like spotting the most overlooked safety risks
• Bring in YOUFactors to support ongoing learning and awareness

YOUFactors acts like a digital coach. It reminds people to slow down, refocus, and keep safety top of mind not just during the week, but all year long.

Discover how YOUFactors can help embed safety culture all year round. ➡️ Start a free trial today!

How Does Health and Safety Week Improve Workplace Conditions?

Health and safety week can help people change how they work. It can improve communication, increase trust, and bring teams together with a shared goal: going home safe and sound every day.

But to make those changes stick, you need more than one week. YOUFactors helps bridge that gap, turning short-term awareness into long-term behaviour change. It makes safety personal, automatic, and part of everyday work.

Conclusion: Building a Safer Future Beyond Health and Safety Week

The European Week for Safety and Health at Work is a chance to reset, rethink, and refocus on what really matters: the people who make your business work.

But safety doesn’t stop when the week ends. If you want to keep that momentum going, you need the right tools and mindset.

Health and safety week 2025 is the perfect time to bring in something new something that supports your team every day.