Global occupational safety and health efforts reach plateau

The report, "Beyond deaths and injuries: The ILO’s role in promoting safe and healthy jobs", is to be released for the XVIII World Congress on Safety and Health at Work, which takes place here through 2 July. The World Congress is the largest global event on occupational safety and health (OSH), gathering some 4,000 representatives from more than 100 countries.

The study says the estimated number of non-fatal occupational accidents involving more than four days loss of work increased from 268 million to 337 million between 2001 and 2003, largely due to increases in the number of workers globally. At the same time, the report says, the estimated number of fatal accidents rose slightly over the same period, from 351,000 in to 358,000.

On the other hand, the ILO report also indicates that the overall total number of deaths due to work related diseases declined slightly between 2001 and 2003, from 2.03 million to 1.95 million and the total estimated number of deaths due to accidents and diseases also declined slightly, from 2.38 million to 2.31 million,

This mixed picture of results continues when considering where accidents and diseases occur. The report says that although industrialized countries have seen steady decreases in numbers of occupational accidents and diseases, this is not the case in countries currently experiencing rapid industrialization or those too poor to maintain effective national OSH systems, including proper enforcement of legislation.

"The plateau in efforts to turn the objective of decent, safe and healthy working conditions into a reality must be overcome", said Mr. Assane Diop, Executive Director of the ILO Social Protection Sector. "We must do what we can, enforce or enact the laws we need and take the actions we must to make our workplaces safe and decent. It's our common responsibility."

According to the ILO report, efforts to tackle OSH issues are often dispersed and fragmented and fail to achieve a progressive reduction of work-related fatalities, accidents and diseases. The integration of OSH principles and requirements into national and international action is urgent to address the consequences of a continuous adaptation to a rapidly changing world of work, the ILO says.

The ILO is to call for a preventative safety and health culture during the World Congress, and recommend that it become an integral part of wider societal culture and economic development. In addition, the ILO will also urge to further ratify and apply the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention No.187 adopted by the ILO member States at its International Labour Conference in 2006.

The World Congress on Safety and Health at Work is co-organized by the ILO and the International Social Security Association (ISSA), and hosted by the Korean Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA). The Congress will address the current state of safety in the world of work and provide a major platform for the development of knowledge, strategic and practical ideas that can immediately be put into use.

Participants will focus on key issues in risk management, including the impact of the informal economy and migration on work safety; action for the elimination of asbestos-related risks; the potential risk of nanotechnologies; gender differences in hazardous industries; the improvement of work environments using ergonomics; HIV/AIDS and the world of work; and a wide range of other topics.

The World Congress follows a High-Level Safety and Health Summit involving 50 decision-makers from around the world, which adopted an unprecedented Declaration on Safety and Health at Work.

The World Congress also includes an International Film and Multimedia Festival with dozens of short films and multimedia presentations on occupational safety and health. An International Safety and Health Exhibition is also running in parallel to the Congress, showcasing safety technologies and products from over 600 companies.

The World Congress aims at contributing to the development of a "preventive safety and health culture" through the exchange of information, knowledge and experiences under the theme "Safety and health at work: A societal responsibility".