EHS Unplugged Podcast

A study in Kenya found that 10% of adult burn admissions are caused by chemicals—a statistic that becomes even more concerning when you consider how commonly chemicals are used in our daily lives.
From detergent-making shops and small cleaning businesses to the products stored under our kitchen sinks, chemical exposure isn’t rare or specialized—it’s everyday.
In this episode, we share the story of a woman who survived a chemical explosion caused by mixing the wrong substances. Her experience isn’t shared for shock value. It’s shared to highlight a reality many people face: handling chemicals with little or no safety training, unaware of how quickly things can go wrong.
#chemicalsafety #employeewellbeing

In this episode of EHS Unplugged, Rosie Russell, President of IIRSM, challenges the outdated view of neurodivergent people as disadvantaged or unemployable, and explores how organizations can recognize, support, and benefit from neurodivergent strengths while building safer, more inclusive workplaces.

In this episode, we spend a full day with Anne, a Nairobi hairdresser working in the informal sector — and what we uncovered highlights the realities behind employment security, work security, job security, and income security in this space. It also exposes the health and safety risks these key contributors to Kenya’s economy face every single day:• Years of awkward posture that slowly develop into musculoskeletal pain• Poor lighting and high temperatures• Long working hours with minimal breaks• Unreliable income that turns daily life into a financial gamble• Insecurity as hairdressers head home late into the nightIt’s a raw, honest look at the hidden pressures shaping the working lives of thousands of informal-sector workers — people who keep our communities running yet rarely feature in conversations about decent work.If you care about fairness, real stories, and the lived realities of Kenya’s informal workforce, this episode is for you.

This is a continuation of our conversation with Dr. Andrew Muruka. Watch and let us know your thoughts in the comments section. #podcast #healthandsafety #decentwork #ehsunpluggedpodcast

Too often, workplaces harm people, only to send them back into the same unsafe conditions. But it’s smarter—and more just—to design safe and healthy work environments from the start.The WIBA Act (2007) ensures protection after injury, but our real goal as OSH professionals is prevention. We work to reduce the need for WIBA by embedding safety and health into workplace culture.Decent work means more than fair wages—it means ensuring workers don’t risk their health to earn a living. WIBA supports recovery. OSH creates the conditions where recovery isn’t necessary.#workplaceinjury #mentalhealth #vision2030