ILO Occupational Safety and Health : Introduction

INTRODUCTION

Occupational safety and health has been a key area of concern to the ILO since its inception in 1919. Despite the progress made in the improvement of working conditions and environment, and the efforts undertaken by all those concerned with occupational safety and health, there are still many challenges. For example:

The number of work accidents and the incidence of occupational injuries and diseases are still too high worldwide. It is estimated that each year about 335,000 workers lose their lives in occupational accidents and as many as 250 million are injured. Further avoidable suffering is caused by 160 million cases of occupational diseases and an even higher number of threats to workers' physical and mental well-being. The continuation of this situation will have serious consequences both in terms of the deterioration of workers' health and the impact on the economy.
Inadequate information is responsible for a large proportion of deaths and injuries suffered by workers every year.
Many government programmes are impeded by a lack of enabling legislation in the area of occupational safety and health.
Infrastructures to promote and enforce occupational safety and health are inadequate
There is a lack of data on the prevalence and impact of accidents and diseases.
Employers are unable to profit from the experience of their peers.
Workers are frequently unaware of the dangers products and processes with which they deal.

The Preamble of the Constitution of the International Labour Organization stresses the importance of occupational safety stating the urgent need to improve "..the protection of the worker against sickness, disease and injury arising out of his employment...." Progress in preventing occupational accidents and diseases and in protecting workers' health, as well as efforts to combat work-related hazards and to improve the quality of working life, continue to be a priority objective to which the ILO devotes special attention and substantial means of action.

These means of action include standard setting, operational activities, tripartite meetings, development of training programmes, dissemination of information and technical cooperation.The Occupational Safety and Health Branch of the ILO is implementing these means of action. ILO Conventions and Recommendations address mechanisms to improve both the health and safety of workers, setting a level playing field that facilitates trade in the globalizing economy. Codes of practice, training and technical cooperation are all being linked to a new ILO Global Programme on Occupational Safety, Health and Environment which will mobilize resources for the reduction of work related accidents and diseases.

The ILO activities in the field of occupational safety and health, which are laid down through the joint efforts of governments, employers and workers, are realistic, solid and widely recognized.

Editorial by the Secretary-General of the United Nations regarding occupational safety and health as appeared in the African Newsletter on Occupational Health and Safety in December 1997.

This informational site will present ILO activities in occupational safety and health. It focuses on the activities carried out during the 1980s and 1990s and on those provided for in the Organization's programme of activities for the next few years. The purpose is to recall the ILO objectives and the main features of its activities and to illustrate their salient aspects. These activities have evolved reflecting the needs of the ILO member States and in cooperation with other United Nations agencies. Aware of the limited resources it can devote to this sector of activity, the Organization has been obliged, throughout its existence, to make certain choices by which it has demonstrated a constant concern for effective action by concentrating its efforts and resources on clearly defined priority objectives.

Updated by DG and EV. Approved by JT. Last updated: 29 May 1998