South African Society of Occupational Medicine
Annual Conference 2025
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AT THE CROSSROADS OF INFORMAL WORK AND PUBLIC HEALTH:
Risks, Innovations, and Responsibilities
Sponsored by and in collaboration with:
The SASOM Conference 2025 brings together all members of Occupational Health Teams — including Medical and Nursing Practitioners, Risk and Human Resource Managers, and professionals with an interest in occupational health and wellbeing.
Occupational Medicine is entering a transformative new era — and you are invited to be part of it.
This year’s theme, “Artificial Intelligence at the Crossroads of Informal Work and Public Health: Risks, Innovations, and Responsibilities”, explores how technology, innovation, and occupational health intersect to shape the future of work and worker wellbeing. The programme examines how these forces can align to enhance occupational health and safety, particularly within the informal sector, which accounts for nearly 60% of the global workforce and continues to expand rapidly.
Through expert presentations and discussions, delegates will gain insights into balancing technological innovation with the need to protect and promote worker health—especially in resource-limited settings where the challenges are most acute.
The Conference is accredited by the South African Medical Association (SAMA) for 4 Clinical and 4 Ethical CEUs, automatically awarded to all HPCSA-registered practitioners who attend the full programme.
In the sections that follow, you will find the Conference Programme, as well as speaker biographies and presentation abstracts, arranged in programme order.
What you need to know
Date: Saturday, 15 November 2025
Time: All-day event │8.15am – 5.00pm (AGM to follow)
Hybrid Event: Attend In-Person or Online
Venue: Protea Hotel Fire & Ice! Menlyn, Pretoria
Summit Place Precinct, 221 Garsfontein Road, De Beers, Pretoria, 0181
Programme
07:30 - 08:15 │ Registration / Logging In / Morning Coffee
08:15 - 10:00 │ Session 1
| 08:15 – 08:30 | Welcome and opening |
Professor Daan Kocks |
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Session 1 Chair: Dr André Kotzé |
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| 08:30 – 09:15 | Cybersecurity challenges in occupational health | Prof Joey Jansen van Vuuren (Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) and Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Pretoria, South Africa) |
| 09:15 – 10:00 | Leapfrogging or left behind? Charting AI’s course in African workplace health and safety | Dr Casper Joubert, MD (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University and Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness, Western Cape, South Africa) |
10:00 - 10:30 │ Morning tea break & Exhibitor Engagement
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10:30 - 12:00 │ Session 2
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Session 2 Chair: Dr Mpho Rakgoale |
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| 10:30 – 11:15 | Calibrating the human factors/ergonomics discipline to improve the informal economy on the African continent | Ms Sma Ngcamu-Tukulula (President: Ergonomics Society of South Africa – ESSA) |
| 11:15 – 12:00 | Operating as a nuisance: The role of human factors and ergonomics in informality | Dr Andrew Todd (Senior Lecturer and Head of Department: Human Kinetics and Ergonomics, Rhodes University, Makhanda (Grahamstown), Eastern Cape, South Africa) |
12:00 - 13:30 │ Lunch Break & Exhibitor Engagement
13:30 - 15:00 │ Session 3
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Session 3 Chair: Dr Geoffrey Tafaune |
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| 13:30 – 14:15 | From silence to action: Mobilising nurses for informal and migrant worker safety | Sr Mercia Patience (South African Society of Occupational Health Nursing Practitioners – SASOHN) |
| 14:15 – 15:00 | Operating as a nuisance: The role of human factors and ergonomics in informality | Mr Johan Coetzee (Chief Technical Officer: AI Diagnostics, Cape Town, South Africa) |
15:00 - 15:30 │ Afternoon Tea Break & Exhibitor Engagement
15:30 - 16:45 │ Session 4
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Session 4 Chair: Dr Frank Fox |
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| 15:30 – 16:15 | Occupational health of informal and migrant workers: The precarious past, the present awareness, and the tech-powered future + Update on the First International Conference on Informal Work: Health, Safety and Wellbeing (November 2026 in Santiago de Cali, Colombia) |
Dr Acran Salmen-Navarro, MD (President and Founding member: GCIW; Chair: ICOH Scientific Committee on Occupational Health for Health Workers (SC OHHW); and Bellevue / NYU Occupational Environmental Medicine Clinic, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, USA) |
| 16:15 – 16:30 | Update on the activities of the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH) and benefits of membership | Ms Claudina Nogueira (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University; ICOH National Secretary for South Africa; President of Workplace Health Without Borders (WHWB); SASOM and SAIOH) |
| 16:30 – 16:45 |
Announcements, Acknowledgements and Closure |
Professor Daan Kocks |
16:45 - 17:15 │ Break before the AGM
17:15 - 18:15 │ SASOM National AGM
Everyone welcome.
Only members with standard membership in good standing may vote.
- While every effort has been made to present the programme as indicated, SASOM cannot be held liable for changes that occur due to circumstances beyond SASOM’s control
- CEU/CPD certificates will be made available upon request to participants who attend the full duration of the Conference
Our Speakers
Prof Joey Jansen van Vuuren
Professor of ICT at Tshwane University of Technology and CSIR associate. Her research in cybersecurity risk management, governance & policy examines how data protection intersects with occupational health.
Presentation: Cybersecurity Challenges in Occupational Health.
Dr Casper Joubert
Occupational Medicine Registrar at Stellenbosch University / Tygerberg Hospital. With global experience across SA, UAE & Mauritius, he focuses on digital health innovation and AI ethics in workplace medicine.
Presentation: Leapfrogging or Left Behind? Charting AI’s Course in African Workplace Health & Safety.
Ms SMA Ngcamu-Tukulula
Managing Director of Smart Ergonomics (Pretoria) and President of the Ergonomics Society of South Africa. She advocates for human-centred design and ubuntu-based ergonomics in Africa’s informal economy.
Presentation: Calibrating the Human Factors/Ergonomics Discipline to Improve the Informal Economy.
Dr Andrew Todd
Head of Human Kinetics & Ergonomics at Rhodes University; past President of ESSA and ErgoAfrica. His research explores socio-technical design for sustainable urban and informal work systems.
Presentation: Operating as a Nuisance: The Role of Human Factors and Ergonomics in Informality.
Sr Mercia Patience
Occupational Health Nursing Practitioner and National Treasurer of SASOHN. She leads initiatives advancing informal-worker health through community engagement and AI-enabled hazard mapping.
Presentation: From Silence to Action: Mobilising Nurses for Informal and Migrant Worker Safety.
Mr Johan Coetzee
Chief Technical Officer at AI Diagnostics (Cape Town). Co-founder of the Ostium platform — an AI-powered TB screening tool approved by SAHPRA in 2024.
Presentation: From Clinics to Communities: AI-Powered Tuberculosis Screening for Frontline Workers.
Dr Acran Salmen-Navarro
Occupational Medicine specialist at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, USA; President of the Global Coalition on Informal Workers’ Health (GCIW) and Chair of ICOH SC on OHHW.
Presentation: Occupational Health of Informal and Migrant Workers: Past, Present & Tech-Powered Future.
Ms Claudina Nogueira
ICOH National Secretary for South Africa and President of Workplace Health Without Borders (WHWB). She represents SASOM and SAIOH on global occupational health platforms.
Presentation: Update on ICOH Activities & Membership Benefits.
Sponsored by and in collaboration with:
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