Occupational safety today is not just rules, but people’s daily decisions. With this very focus, the team of Metinvest Polytechnic Technical University joined the "Leaders of Change 2025" forum, where occupational safety was discussed as a culture – with real tools for risk management, attention to mental health, and inclusive solutions for working environments.
The forum brought together international organizations, government institutions, leading companies, trade unions, media, and educational teams. The discussions focused not on declarations but on practices that are already working: digital solutions for reducing risks, psychological resilience as the basis of safe behaviour, the adaptation of veterans to civilian work, and the implementation of inclusive models at enterprises. Separately, the participants discussed in detail the risks and opportunities of changes in occupational safety legislation.
As part of the "Leaders of Change 2025" competition program, in the nomination "Best Occupational Safety Training Initiative", the inter‑university project Civil Security Community was presented. It is being implemented by Metinvest Polytechnic, Mykhailo Ostrohradskyi Kremenchuk National University, and the National Technical University “Dnipro Polytechnic”. The project is aimed at developing modern educational solutions in the field of occupational safety and civil protection, combining academic training with practical cases and interdisciplinary interaction.
The university’s expert position at the forum was also presented by Oksana Hliva, a student of the educational and professional program "Occupational Safety Audit and Consulting" and a leading occupational safety specialist at Metinvest. In her presentation, she showcased a case involving the use of the Midot tool for assessing psychological risks during hiring, including consideration of the needs of veterans and the experience of its pilot implementation in production.
According to Nataliia Volodchenkova, Dean of the Mining and Metallurgical Department of Metinvest Polytechnic, the university’s participation in such professional events is an important component of updating approaches to training specialists.
Nataliia Volodchenkova
“Today, occupational safety is an interdisciplinary field where technical solutions must work together with the human factor, mental health, and managerial culture. “For us, it is fundamentally important that the educational programs of Metinvest Polytechnic develop not a formal knowledge of regulations but the ability to analyse risks, work with real cases, and implement changes in the production environment,” Nataliia VOLODCHENKOVA noted.
She also emphasized that joint projects with other universities and participation in professional forums make it possible to integrate the educational process into the real transformations taking place in industry and in the labour market.
Olha Bohdanova, a lecturer at Metinvest Polytechnic, also joined the expert evaluation of the competition initiatives, becoming a member of the jury of the "Leaders of Change 2025" competition. This highlights the university’s role as an active participant in shaping modern standards in the field of occupational safety.
