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Mongolia
’s
progress in occupational safety and health (OSH) will be
under scrutiny this week, at a high-level meeting in Ulaan Baatar.
Following
the meeting a training programme, designed specifically for the needs
of homeworkers, will be run for the first time in Mongolia, a first,
fundamental step in providing practical support for this category of workers.
OSH
is an
issue of growing importance in Mongolia.
Although there are no accurate statistics there are an increasing
number of reports of work-related diseases and accidents –
particularly from the construction sector and small enterprises.
The
meeting, the National Tripartite Workshop, aims to develop a second
strategic National Occupational Safety and Health Programme for the
country covering a five year period, 2005-2009.
To do this the participants will analyse Mongolia’s
first national OSH
programme (2000 – 2004) and discuss the country’s recently-drafted
OSH profile. Also on the agenda will be the specific needs of different
economic sectors
including small enterprises, construction and mining, rural and
informal sector workers. Enforcement mechanisms for labour inspections
and child labour will also discussed.
More than 50 delegates are expected to attend the two-day meeting,
from 24-25th February at
the Government Palace.
As well as officials from the International Labour organization (ILO)
they include representatives from concerned government ministries and
agencies, employer and union representatives, OSH experts, NGO’s and
peoples’ organizations.
On 28th February – 1st March an ILO expert
from Bangkok, Dr
Tsuyoshi Kawakami will run the first Work Improvement for Safe Home
(WISH) training course in Mongolia. The
WISH formula has already been successfully applied in Cambodia and Thailand where it
has helped homeworkers make significant, low cost, practical improvements to their living and working
environments.
“We’ve found that very few homeworkers are aware of the safety and
health hazards they and their families are exposed to,” said Dr
Kawakami, Specialist on OSH.
“These include long hours, unhealthy working positions, unguarded
machinery, chemicals, poor lighting and electrical and fire hazards.
But after training workers are able to implement a range of
improvements by themselves”.
Homeworkers in Mongolia carry out a range of small-scale manufacturing
activities, such as sewing garments, making leather and fur items,
knitting, handicrafts, carpentry, jewelry manufacture, and the
processing of food or other raw animal products.
Around
30 trainees are expected to take
part in the WISH course, at least 40 per cent of them
women.
They
include representatives from workers and employers organizations,
state professional inspection offices and labour and social welfare
service offices. NGOs attending
will include women’s organizations, those working with
the informal
economy, the urban poor or those
with disabilities. While some are
from Ulaanbaatar,
participants have also been invited from
aimags (provinces) where
there are many home-based
businesses such as Darkhan, Erdenet and Tuv aimag.
As part of the training two home-based workplaces in ger (outlying) areas
of Ulaanbaatar
will be visited,
so participants can gain practical experience of spotting safety and
health hazards and implementing counter-measures.
After training they will be expected to act as trainers themselves, passing
on their new knowledge and skills to others. This course will be held
at the Ulaanbaatar Hotel, Ulaan Baatar, in both Mongolian and English.
The trained trainers are expected to organise their first WISH
training course between
April and June 2005.
The
WISH training and follow-up process are part of an ILO project aimed
at improving the conditions of informal economy workers.
Both the training programme and the
National Tripartite Workshop are part of the
ILO’s Informal Economy Project
funded by the United
Kingdom’s Department
for International Development (DFID).
For
more information please contact:
Dr Tsuyoshi Kawakami,
OSH
Specialist
Mobile: +66
(0)9 939 6891
kawakami@ilo.org
Ms.
Shurenchimeg Ziokholt
National
Project Coordinator
Informal
Economy, Poverty and Employment Project
Tel: 976 11 330 631
Mobile:
997 48914
Fax: 976 11 330 631
iepemon@mongolnet.mn
Ms. Sophy Fisher
Regional Information Officer
ILO Bangkok
Tel: +66 (0) 2 288 2482
fisher@ilo.org
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Public Information
