Every year more than a million people die from occupational accidents or work-related diseases in Asia and the Pacific. The poorest, least protected, least informed and least trained are the most affected. Women, children, disabled workers, migrant workers, and ethnic minorities are often involved.
Occupational accidents and diseases have an impact not only on the lives of individual workers but also on the productivity and profitability of their enterprises and ultimately on the welfare of their entire societies. Governments, workers and employers in the Subregion are increasing their efforts to prevent accidents and diseases at the workplace. The ILO, based on the principle that Decent Work must be Safe Work, works with the constituents to strengthen national occupational safety and health (OSH) systems, formulation and implementation of national OSH policies, including labour inspections, occupational injury reporting, training and information, and national OSH campaigns in line with relevant international labour standards.
The ILO also assists countries with developing and implementing their strategic National OSH Programmes, to create a preventative safety and health culture and reach more workers, including migrants, those with HIV/AIDS and those in the informal economy.
In addition to occupational safety and health at work, wages, working time, work organization, maternity protection and arrangements to adapt working life to the demands of life outside work are core elements of the employment relationship and of workers' protection. They are major dimensions of human resources management at the enterprise level, collective bargaining and social dialogue as well as socio-economic policies of governments. The ILO develops comparative analysis and provides technical assistance to ILO constituents in these areas.