On 8 October 2026, Osalan in the Palacio Euskalduna in Bilbao hosted the professional conference “La utilización de la Metodología BIM para la PRL en las obras de construcción”. The focus was on how Building Information Modeling (BIM) can embed “prevención de riesgos laborales”— systematic occupational safety and health — from the early planning stages through construction and operation of building projects. The opening address was given by Lourdes Íscar, Osalan’s director-general, and the closing remarks by Inés Álvarez, deputy technical director.
Representatives from public administration, businesses and consultancy firms presented practical examples: model-based risk assessments, digital collaboration platforms for coordinating design and construction trades, and procedures for managing data throughout a building’s life cycle. Several speakers stressed that early, data-based planning makes risks visible, reduces coordination errors and allows protective measures to be scheduled and monitored more precisely.
Participants also identified outstanding issues. They discussed the lack of consistently applicable data standards, questions of responsibility when exchanging design and construction information, and the need for training so that small and medium-sized businesses in particular can use digital tools effectively. Attendees shared experience from tenders and construction projects in which BIM requirements are playing an increasingly important role; however, the pace and extent of adoption depend on available resources, skills and project-specific requirements.
The conference framed digitalisation as a driver of a stronger prevention culture. In the view of the invited specialists, the continued use of models and reliable data can improve coordination among those involved in construction, make risks easier to anticipate and thereby promote safer working environments. No legally binding decisions were made in Bilbao; the aim was to exchange expertise on proven approaches, obstacles and next steps.
For Osalan, the institution responsible for occupational safety and health in the Basque Country, this is a strategic issue: the approach links technical planning with preventive requirements and aims to ensure more reliable implementation of measures on construction sites. In participants’ view, whether this leads to measurably better safety figures in the short term will depend on how quickly standards are harmonised, responsibilities clarified and investment in training and further education secured.
Editor: Daniel Mayer (Article created with AI assistance).