Scale of the problem parallel with the provision of education, - PDF document

OSH Brief No. 8 Scale of the problem parallel with the provision of education, training and information. Thus, it is required to raise political responsibilities and champions in order to make OSH As outlined at the XVIII World Congress on Safety and policies a priority on national and international Health at Work 2008 1 , there has been mounting agendas. pressure globally in workplaces to mark a new turning point and reinforce occupational safety and health, For the Caribbean it is therefore vital at this time that since work-related injuries and diseases have caused a the key points of the Seoul Declaration on Safety and staggering number of economic and human losses. Health at Work be re-enforced: The ILO estimates that more than 2.3 million people • The promotion of high levels of safety and lose their lives due to occupational accidents and health at work is the responsibility of society work-related diseases every year. At the same time, as a whole and all members of society must more than 337 million workers sustain injuries while contribute to achieving this goal by ensuring over 160 million workers suffer from work-related that priority is given to occupational safety diseases. Again in common with so many developing and health in national agendas and by countries, Caribbean statistics on occupational safety building and maintaining a national and health (OSH) may be considered somewhat preventative safety and health culture. “hypothetical” in that many accidents never get • A national preventative safety and health reported and many occupational diseases are not culture is one in which the right to a safe and recognized for what they are. Linked to inspection healthy working environment is respected at systems with insufficient capacity, coverage and all levels, where governments, employers and equipment, it is clear that the true picture of OSH workers actively participate in securing a safe incidents may never be known. and healthy working environment through a system of defined rights, responsibilities and On the economic front, such workplace calamities can duties, and where the principle of prevention translate into an average economic loss of nearly 4% is accorded the highest priority. of the global GDP. This means that large sums of • The continuous improvement of occupational money are paid out in the form of various kinds of safety and health should be promoted by a compensation for injuries, work-absences due to systems approach to the management of work-related illnesses and medical treatment, as well occupational safety and health, including the as disability benefits and compensation to the bereaved families. The prevention of such development of a national policy taking into consideration the principles in Part II of the unsustainable losses calls for a closer cooperation among relevant OSH stakeholders not only in the ILO Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No.155). Caribbean but also around the world. Occupational safety and health still fails to get enough attention despite a wide range of efforts including OSH With regard to the scale of the OSH problem in the region, there will, of course, be considerable strategies, programmes and inspection activities in variations between: (i) countries in the region – centralized or 1 Seoul Declaration on Safety and Health at Work – decentralized administrations will www.safety2008korea.org

influence the kind of approaches, so does consultation, co-operation and commitment from all the overall economic development; concerned. Good safety and health management and (ii) economic sectors – with mining, practice are the main foundations of success of any construction, forestry, agriculture, and business – it is something to which many companies seafaring being particularly hazardous aspire. There are no short cuts to improving safety occupations; and health in the workplace – it has to be seen as (iii) size of the enterprise – although it is part of a total quality management (TQM) philosophy difficult to monitor, it is generally found whereby “best health and safety practices are that small- and medium-sized enterprises managed in” rather than relying solely on “inspecting (SMEs) have a much worse accident rate defects out”. than that of large enterprises; (iv) vulnerable groups – certain groups of Successful companies in the national and global workers require special attention when arenas have unanimously recognized that workplace considering OSH. For example, women accidents and diseases cost money and that an and young workers are at particular risk effective system for managing safety and health, of certain hazards in the workplace and which involves workers in the process, will help to this is often reflected in national reduce costs, increase productivity and benefit regulations and is contained in several workers and society as a whole. Effective OSH international labour standards ; and management at the national and enterprise level is an (v) special cases – certain groups of workers essential prerequisite in the attainment of decent work for all workers. 2 It is important to stress that (e.g. home-based workers, part-time workers, contract workers etc.) are tackling safety and health issues are to be an integral particularly at risk as they are often part of management, not an optional extra. Successful excluded from any sort of OSH companies have long recognized that safety and legislation. Such groups are often the health is a management responsibility of equal most difficult to target to bring about real importance to production and quality. National and improvements in their working international standards emphasize that it is the duty conditions. of the employer to provide a safe and healthy working environment. Similarly many of the multinational In the past, statistics on workplace accidents and corporations are now insisting through their Codes of illnesses have often had little impact on decision- Conduct and their approaches to corporate social makers as accidents and ill health at work had too responsibility (CSR), that OSH be considered as a often been seen as a natural consequence of priority. Poor publicity, with news of “sweat shop” production. Some employers and policy-makers have production in third world countries and with sales questioned the need to change their approach to falling as a result, has meant that the multinational occupational safety and health, especially if there corporations are now insisting that factories comply were many unemployed workers outside the factory with core standards including OSH. For local factories gates willing to take on any form of employment. it has often become a matter of complying with these Such losses, whether counted in human or financial core standards or lose the contract. However, for terms, were considered inevitable. But times have some owners and managers, any commitment to changed whereby employers, factory owners, improving working conditions may be seen as an workers and governments are increasingly unnecessary cost – why spend the money when recognizing that the social and economic costs of margins are so tight; when competition both workplace accidents and diseases are unacceptably nationally and internationally is fierce; when the high and place a considerable burden on the owners are from overseas and unwilling to invest for competitiveness of the enterprise and the economic the long-term; when national legislation is weak and is welfare of the country and which can be avoided. rarely enforced; and when the workforce has little Compliance with international labour standards, awareness of safety and health issues? national law and practice, and industry codes at the level of the enterprise is now seen as a fundamental pre-requisite for a successful modern company. 2 “Only decent work for all - that is work that is carried out in Improving occupational safety and health is in the conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity - can provide the social foundations for the global economy. This is the best interest of all stakeholders, and requires concept of decent work” Juan Somavia, Director General, ILO.