ILO organises world day for safety and health at work

Every year, on the world day for safety and health at work organised by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), governments, employers’ and workers’ organisations are encouraged to conduct awareness-raising activities within their areas of influence on the theme of accident and ill-health prevention. On 28 April 2005, as in previous years, there was a wide range of events in which governments, employers and workers participated.

A world day for safety and health at work was first marked by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 2001. Held on 28 April each year, it is rooted in Workers’ Memorial Day, started in 1989 by American and Canadian trade unions to commemorate dead and injured workers annually. The first year a world day for safety and health at work was held in its present form was 2003 (EU0305201N), when the ILO used it to promote the concept of creating and sustaining a safety and health culture at work - a theme that was continued in 2004.

The events that take place every year include speeches given by leaders from government, employers’ organisations and trade unions, street theatre and 'worker coffee mornings' focusing on occupational safety and health as well as podium discussions between eminent specialists in the field and launches of new technical and legal material related to occupational safety and health. The focus of the 2005 world day was on the prevention of work-related accidents and ill-health, under the overarching theme of promoting a 'preventative safety and health culture'.

Although the world day provides a focus for the issue, all concerned are encouraged to work on making safe and healthy workplaces a reality during the rest of the year. In it 2005 report for the world day for safety and health at work, entitled [Prevention: a global strategy. Promoting safety and health at work, the ILO outlined the main themes for the year, which revolve around the maxim that 'an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of treatment'. The ILO stresses that putting this into practice requires a great deal of foresight and commitment. Hazards have to be anticipated, risks have to be assessed and action has to be taken before the accident happens or the illness has been contracted.

The themes for 2005 have been identified as follows:

• prevention (main emphasis);

• preventative safety and health culture (overarching theme);

• construction safety (subtheme); and

• younger and older workers (subtheme).

Preventative safety and health culture

According to ILO estimates, an average of 5,000 people die a day as a result of work-related accidents or diseases globally, making a total of between 2 million and 2.3 million work-related deaths a year. This figure comprises about 350,000 fatal accidents and between 1.7 and 2 million deaths from fatal diseases. In addition, each year workers suffer from roughly 270 million occupational accidents that lead to absences from work of more than three days, as well as around 160 million non-fatal diseases.

The promotion of a preventative safety and health culture - one in which the right to a safe and healthy working environment is respected at all levels - is thus a key aim. Accordingly, governments, employers and workers are encouraged to participate actively in securing a safe and healthy working environment through a system of defined rights, responsibilities and duties, and where the principle of prevention is accorded the highest priority. The ILO report states that building and maintaining a preventative safety and health culture requires making use of all available means to increase general awareness, knowledge and understanding of the concepts of hazards and risks and how they may be prevented or controlled.

Construction

The ILO estimates that there are at least 60,000 fatal accidents a year on construction sites around the world. This works out at one fatal accident every 10 minutes in the sector. Around 17% (or one in six) of all fatal accidents happen on construction sites. A European survey in 2000 found that 16% of construction workers were exposed to hazardous chemicals for half their working time, which was more than in any other sector. In the UK, for example, it is estimated that 10% of bricklayers leave the industry every year because of allergic dermatitis due to handling cement.

According to the report, the dangers inherent to this sector can largely be avoided by good planning and coordination. One important factor is always making sure that there are sufficient skilled workers as well as the appropriate tools and equipment in the right place at the right time. Preventative measures may include signalling, developing and implementing safety procedures, personal protective equipment, training and first aid, as well as other welfare facilities such as drinking water and sanitary facilities.

Younger and older workers

Young people at work tend to suffer disproportionately from workplace accidents and diseases. ILO data show that young workers aged 15-24 are much more likely to suffer non-fatal but serious accidents at work, compared with their older colleagues. In the EU, statistics show that the incidence rate for non-fatal accidents is at least 50% higher for this group of workers than for other age categories. It is thought that this may be due in part to young people tending to disregard safety measures because they want to please and/or receive the approbation of their peers. Alternatively, they may not even be aware of such safety measures, nor do they yet have the experience to recognise or avoid potential danger.

For their part, older people of 55 years or above seem more likely to suffer fatal injuries at work than their younger colleagues. However, although they may well have fewer non-fatal accidents, they also need longer to recover from injury or work-related illness than younger people and any diseases which build up over time will manifest themselves after a certain age. At the same time, what older workers may lose in terms of strength, balance and flexibility for physical work is often compensated by higher accuracy than younger workers. Finally, the report also identifies the prevention of discrimination against older workers as being vital.

Commentary

The standards of health and safety at work are improving all the time, thanks in large part to increasing international and national regulation. However, the data show that the levels of workplace injury are still unacceptably high. The ILO firmly believes that work-related accidents and ill-health can and must be prevented. To achieve this requires action at international, regional and enterprise level. Highlighting this theme on the same day across the world on an annual basis certainly contributes to global awareness of the issues. As the ILO concludes in its report: 'With all parties working together, the global toll of accidents and ill health at work can be reduced to the benefit of all concerned.' (Beatrice Harper, IRS)