About the AOSH

The role of the Administration of Occupational Safety and Health (AOSH) is to promote safe and healthy working environment at all times consistent with social progress and the best knowledge at the time. Special emphasis is placed on promoting systematic safety and health efforts at the workplace itself. The vision of AOSH is that Iceland will be among the countries with the lowest frequency of industrial accidents and occupational diseases in the world. AOSH is the center of occupational safety and health in Iceland and bases its activities on the integration of the three pillars, inspection, education and research.

Monitoring can be divided into three sectors:

• Labour Inspection:  Directed essentially to demonstrate that companies comply with occupational safety and health legislation.
• Machinery Inspections: Monitoring heavy machinery, registration and annual inspections of heavy machinery e.g. forklifts, cranes, excavators, car lifts etc.
• Market surveillance: Monitoring that imported and manufactured machinery and equipment used in the workplaces are in accordance with safety and health standards.

Education

• AOSH is committed to increasing knowledge of employers and employees on occupational safety and health, their responsibilities and duties. AOSH is constantly publishing educational material on occupational safety and health, most of the information material is accessible on the AOSH website.
• Regularly AOSH held courses for Safety representatives and safety managers, Risk Assessment for workplaces and Qualification courses for heavy machinery as well as well as large number of other special courses in safety and handling of hazardous substances. On AOSH website you can look up our courses.
• Conferences on occupational safety and health are one of our tasks and our experts participate in conferences and lectures on occupational safety and health issues in Iceland and abroad.
  

Research

• AOSH researches are aimed to gain knowledge relating to occupational safety, health and wellbeing of employees in cooperation with other research institutes, labor unions and business organizations.
• Our experts are part of the team that investigates accidents at work and develops educational materials and other measures to address them. 

The headquarters of AOSH are in Bíldshöfði 9 Reykjavik. On the website of AOSH you can learn more about its activities, services, branches and opening hours.