This month APS CEO Andrew Leslie and APS President Mark Snelling attended the International Congress in Madrid.

On 12 March, ISHCCO, in collaboration with ASPRECO and CEDEX, successfully held the International Congress “Towards Safer Construction Sites” in Madrid. The International Safety and Health Construction Coordinators Organization (ISHCCO), in collaboration with the Association for Prevention in Construction (ASPRECO) and CEDEX, successfully held the International Congress “Towards Safer Construction Sites” on March 12 in Madrid, bringing together over one hundred professionals from across Europe and beyond.

The event, hosted at the facilities of CEDEX in Madrid, served as a strategic platform for knowledge exchange among safety and health coordinators, engineers, technical experts, and institutional representatives.

The institutional opening was delivered by Evangelitsa Tsoulofta, President of ISHCCO; Pablo Jarillo, President of ASPRECO; and Áurea Perucho, Director of CEDEX.

The Congress programme was structured around three key thematic areas shaping the present and future of construction safety:

• Health and Safety Coordination

• International Perspectives and Future Challenges

• Permanent Protection Systems

The program featured national and international experts in construction health and safety. José Manuel Urbano (SEPRECO) and Pilar Carrascosa (CONSTRUCCÍA) highlighted the importance of developing site-specific Health and Safety Plans (HSP). Philip Baker (ISHCCO) analyzed the fundamental pillars of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Management.

The role of the safety coordinator was addressed by María José Rodríguez Largacha and Natalia Muñiz Castillo (INCOPE Consultores), while Xavier Peñarando (SIP ALSINA) presented technical solutions related to formwork and protection systems. On innovation and digitalisation, Manuel Tender (DIGITAL4OSH) presented the advantages of BIM methodology, and Karl-Heinz Noetel (International Social Security Association – Construction Section, ISSA-C) presented Artificial Intelligence as the key driver for achieving an accident-free work environment.

Additional contributions included practical resilience solutions presented by Helmut Weissengruber (DOKA) and system implementation by Yolanda Resa (RSA). Regulatory developments were addressed by Santiago Azor (STEN) who presented updates to the EN 13374:2025 standard, while Daniel Cantó (LEÓN DE ORO) explained the technical requirements for safety nets.

Finally, case studies on operational efficiency and permanent protection were presented by Laurent Grosse, and the "Guide to Permanent Systems" was analyzed by José Fernández (FALLPROTEC). Additionally, Jorge Goldaracena (BPG) conducted an analysis of recurring onsite issues faced by health and safety coordinators.

The Congress concluded with a panel discussion addressing optimization of protection systems, featuring Juan Miguel García Arranz (Head of Coordination, Studies, and Subcontracting Management at ADIF) and Verónica Tovar from the same Department alongside ASPRECO members Jorge Goldaracena (BPG), Daniel Lillo (SIO ALSINA), Pablo Jarillo (INCOPE Consultores), and José Fernández (FALLPROTEC).

In the words of ISHCCO President Evangelitsa Tsoulofta:

“We are very pleased with the strong international participation and the high level of technical exchange achieved during this Congress. It clearly demonstrated that improving safety in construction requires not only strong regulations, but also effective coordination, innovation, and shared responsibility among all stakeholders.”

President of ASPRECO Pablo Jarillo, added:

"The Congress has shown that all stakeholders agree that the application of regulations is currently insufficient. It is necessary to continue working to improve compliance, which would lead to a reduction in construction site accident rates, as demonstrated by the examples shown during the event."

The Congress was made possible thanks to the support of leading companies and organizations in the sector, reinforcing the importance of collaboration across the construction ecosystem such as SIP Alsina, Fallprotec, INCOPE Consultores, León de Oro, BPG Coordinadores, Seguridad Resa, and Sten Formwork.

The event reaffirmed the need for continued cooperation at European and international level to advance safer, healthier, and more sustainable construction practices.

For those unable to attend or wish to revisit the sessions, all presentation slides and related materials will be published on the ASPRECO website in the coming days.

About ISHCCO

The International Safety and Health Construction Co-ordinators Organization (ISHCCO) is a non-profit international umbrella organization representing national associations and entities active in safety and health coordination in construction projects. ISHCCO supports coordinators across Europe and beyond by promoting professional development, training, and technical excellence, while fostering collaboration to advance a safer, healthier, and more sustainable construction industry.

About ASPRECO

The Association’s general objective is to promote business activities related to occupational risk prevention and health and safety in construction, including:

• Design, manufacturing, implementation, monitoring, and maintenance of collective protection systems.

• Study, management, monitoring, and analysis of all issues related to occupational risk prevention, as well as health and safety at construction sites, wherever these projects take place.

Contact Information

Email: info@ishcco.org Website: https://www.ishcco.org/ Email: info@aspreco.org Website: https://www.aspreco.org/