Safetytech Accelerator Launches OSHX Lab with Heathrow and Discovering Safety as the first Founding Members

Driving technology adoption to enhance worker health, safety, wellbeing and productivity in safety-critical industries  

London, x February 2025 – Safetytech Accelerator, in collaboration with Heathrow Airport Ltd. and Discovering Safety (a programme of work led by Great Britain’s Health and Safety Executive, HSE), has launched the Occupational Safety and Health X Lab — an innovation programme, designed to accelerate the adoption of emerging technologies that enhance worker health and safety in safety-critical sectors. 

The ‘X’ in OSHX represents amplification—recognising that leading health and safety performance is an enabler for higher business productivity, efficiency, and resilience. Just as investment in innovation and digital transformation leads to safer workplaces, strong health and safety practices enhance operational performance. OSHX is built on this principle—harnessing technology not only to protect workers but to drive smarter, more efficient, high-performing industries. 

As an industry founding member, Heathrow Airport Ltd. reaffirms its commitment to safety innovation by working alongside government and technology partners to accelerate the adoption of emerging solutions that address critical worker health, safety and wellbeing challenges in construction, civil engineering, and airport operations. 

 

The Urgent Need for Innovation in Workplace Safety 

The need for proactive safety and health innovation has never been greater. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), more than 300,000 work-related fatalities occur worldwide each year, with construction ranking among the most hazardous industries. In the UK alone, 47,000 self-reported injuries in construction lead to over 400,000 lost workdays annually. Globally, the economic burden of workplace injuries is estimated at £2.4 trillion per year, affecting productivity, worker well-being, and project costs. Traditional health and safety controls alone can no longer keep pace with evolving risks. The next step forward lies in harnessing technology to drive smarter, safer industries. 

How OSHX Lab Will Drive Change 

OSHX Lab will bridge the gap between the UK’s most pressing industry challenges and technology -driven solutions, ensuring that innovation will not only enhance worker protection but also drive efficiency, resilience and smarter operations.  

By connecting leading technology start-ups with major industry players and regulators, OSHX Lab will create a collaborative ecosystem to identify, test, pilot and eventually deploy the right solutions that industry needs. The programme will find ways to eliminate barriers to technology adoption, de-risk innovation, and accelerate the integration of solutions that enhance workplace health, safety, wellbeing, productivity, and operational resilience. 

 

“We’ve heard first-hand from industry that safety innovation needs to go beyond compliance—it must be seen as a key driver of technological transformation, reshaping how businesses operate to enhance both protection and productivity. That’s why we established OSHX Lab: to accelerate the adoption of technologies that improve safety while driving efficiency and resilience. OSHX Lab is about breaking down silos within and across organisations to ensure the right innovations deliver real, measurable impact for the safety- critical and infrastructure businesses we all rely on.” Dr. Maurizio Pilu, Founder and Managing Director at Safetytech Accelerator. 

 

“I’m delighted that Heathrow is a founding member of the OSHX Lab. Heathrow is a forward-looking organisation and having previously worked closely with SafetyTech Accelerator and the HSE, I’m confident that together we can help lead the way for other safety-critical organisations to understand that innovation and safe adoption of emerging technologies will improve workplace health, safety, wellbeing and at the same time, improve efficiency” . Rohail Latif CMIOSH, Head of Health, Safety & Wellbeing Solutions – Infrastructure at Heathrow Airport Ltd. 

 

Discovering Safety, as one of the founding members of OSHX Lab, will provide regulatory expertise, industry guidance, and access to critical safety data to help technology companies navigate compliance challenges.  

“We are pleased to be part of the OSHX Lab, an initiative that brings together regulators, industry leaders, and technology innovators to enhance workplace health and safety. By providing regulatory insight and facilitating the safe adoption of emerging technologies, we aim to ensure that innovation supports compliance and delivers tangible improvements in worker protection. This initiative reflects our commitment to enable industry to improve health and safety outcomes using innovative data and analytical techniques.” – Dr. Helen Balmforth, Head of the Centre for Data and Analytics at HSE and Lead of Discovering Safety. 

 

Join the OSHX Lab 

As the leading accelerator focussed on accelerating innovation in safety-critical industries, Safetytech Accelerator has a proven track record in helping industries integrate emerging technologies to enhance safety while also improving the efficiency and resilience of operations. Through its collaborations with over 70 organisations in industries such as maritime, energy, and construction, Safetytech Accelerator is uniquely positioned to lead this groundbreaking initiative. 

OSHX Lab is open to corporations, asset owners, and industry leaders who are committed to addressing critical safety challenges through technology. For more information or to join the programme, visit:  https://safetytechaccelerator.org/oshx/ 

 

ENDS 

Notes to editors: 

About Safetytech Accelerator 

Safetytech Accelerator, established by Lloyd’s Register, is the first fully dedicated technology accelerator focused on advancing innovation in safety critical industries. Our mission is to make the world safer, more resilient, and more sustainable through the wider adoption of technology. https://safetytechaccelerator.org/ 

About Heathrow 

Heathrow is the UK’s international gateway, the largest airport in Europe and the most connected megahub in the world. The airport welcomes over 82 million passengers a year and serves as Britain’s hub for tourism, investment and trade. In December 2024, in the largest private sector capital investment in the UK’s transport network, Heathrow announces a £2.3 billion investment over the next two years to upgrade the airport, ensuring it continues to move forward and provide better service for passengers and businesses. With over 90,000 working at Heathrow, the airport is also a hub for employment as the UK’s largest single-site employer. 

 

About Discovering Safety 

Discovering Safety is a groundbreaking project being delivered by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and partners including Safetytech Accelerator. Funded by Lloyd’s Register Foundation, it aims to improve health, safety and operational performance through the use of innovative data and analytical techniques. It has developed and is delivering a programme of work which includes industry-endorsed, proof-of-concept applications, based on insights from HSE and other data partners. Discoveringsafety.com 

 

About HSE 

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives. Our role goes beyond worker protection to include public assurance. We work to ensure people feel safe where they live, where they work and, in their environment. Hse.gov.uk