Bangkok (ILO News) - The need for a new "safety culture" in the workplace is being highlighted today (28^th April ¹) as workers, employers and governments throughout Asia Pacific join the International Labour Organization (ILO) to observe the World Day for Safety and Health at Work and remember those killed and injured earning their living. 

Dozens of events are being held in countries throughout the region to promote the "Safety Culture" called for by the ILO's International Labour Conference.

In Thailand, the ILO and the Occupational Health and Safety and Environment Institute are organizing a symposium.  As in many countries there will also be a minute of silence in memory of those who died at work.

Elsewhere, events will include a specially commissioned theatre performance in Fiji, safety seminars in China, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka, the launch of reports and manuals in Nepal, India and Vietnam, plus advertising and information campaigns throughout the region.

In many countries the record of safety in the workplace is getting worse. In Thailand 769 people were killed in work-related accidents last year ², an increase of more than 18 per cent on the 2002 fatality rate.  The number of injuries is also increasing, up from 189,621 in 2001 to more than 200,000 in 2003 - equivalent to 600 a day.

The construction industry accounted for the most accidents, followed by food and beverage manufacturing.  The main causes of death were road accidents, electrocution, and falls from high places.  Most work-related accidents occurred in Bangkok, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Chon Buri, and Pathum Thani.

The ILO observes the World Day to stress the importance and value of preventing accidents and illness at work (which take an average of 6,000 working lives worldwide every day of the year.) The ILO is uniquely well-positioned to promote this message because its tripartite structure brings together workers, employers and Governments to raise awareness about occupational safety and health.

ILO Director-General Juan Somavia said: “A safety culture must be nurtured through partnership and dialogue ‑ governments, employers and workers within a framework of rights, responsibilities and duties, finding common ground, creating safe and healthy work places. I strongly believe that this is one of the most fertile areas for reaching consensus in the world of work”.

In addition to promoting a strong workplace "safety culture", this year's events are focusing on problems caused by chemicals, respiratory diseases and violence in the workplace.

A solemn anniversary

This year’s commemoration coincides with the 20th anniversary of one of the world’s worst recorded chemical disasters, the 1984 gas leak from a Union Carbide pesticides factory in Bhopal , India . This killed 2,500 people and injured more than 200,000 in the space of a few hours and subsequently caused an additional 20,000 deaths. In a special report entitled “Safe Work and Safety Culture,” ³  the ILO observes that despite the fact that the outcry over Bhopal has focused increased attention on the dangers of industrial accidents, the potential for major disasters accidents remains real and requires a wide-ranging response.

Although 400,000 deaths are attributed to hazardous substances every year, the ILO notes that this is only a percentage of the total of some 2 million work-related fatalities and 160 million work-related diseases that occur annually. These grim figures show the need for greater hazard control based on ILO conventions and practical safety measures,  as a first step toward creating a global "safety culture".

“Experience has shown that a strong safety culture is beneficial for workers, employers and governments alike,” says the chief ILO occupational safety specialist, Jukka Takala. “Various prevention techniques have proven themselves effective in both avoiding workplace accidents and improving business performance. The high safety standards we see in some countries today are a direct result of long-term policies encouraging tripartite social dialogue, collective bargaining between trade unions and employers, as well as effective health and safety legislation backed by potent labour inspection.”

For more information on events and the ILO report for the world Day for Safety and Health and Work, visit www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/safework/worldday/index.htm

¹ Every April 28th, the world's trade union movement commemorates the victims of occupational accidents and disease. In 2003, the ILO adopted April 28th as World Day for Safety and Health at Work, focusing on the promotion of a safety and health culture at workplaces throughout the world and capitalizing on the organization's traditional strengths of tripartism and social dialogue.

² Ministry of Labour figures

³ Safe Work and Safety Culture, The ILO Report for World Day for Safety and Health at Work, 2004, see www.ilo.org/safework

For more information please contact :

Sophy Fisher
Regional Information Officer
ILO Bangkok
Tel : (66) 2288 2482
fisher@ilo.org

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