Opening Remarks to the Regional Tripartite Workshop on National Occupational Safety and Health Programme

Deputy Permanent Secretary,

Distinguished guests and participants,

Ladies and gentlemen,

On behalf of the ILO I am honored to welcome you to this Regional Tripartite Workshop on National Occupational Safety and Health Programmes.

I would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Thai Ministry of Labour for their help in organizing this important event.

The protection of workers against work-related sickness, disease and injury has been a core concern for the ILO since it was founded in 1919. The Director-General of the ILO, Juan Somavia, recently declared, “Decent Work must be Safe Work, and we are a long way from achieving that goal.”

There is concern that globalization could increase workplace safety and health risks. Factors such as the faster pace of modern economies, the liberalization of world trade, and the spread of new production technology, are generating new types and patterns of work. These bring with them new risks for occupational accidents and disease.

As a result of rapid industrialization many developing countries in our region are seeing an increase in occupational accidents and diseases. Using a range of data sources the ILO estimates the global fatality level from work-related injuries and diseases to be about 2 million annually. For accidents, both fatal and non-fatal the overall annual figure is estimated at 270 million. In addition some 160 million workers suffer from work-related diseases. While these figures are slowly declining in most industrialized countries, they are increasing in developing economies.

The poorest, least protected, least informed and the least trained bear the brunt. Women, children, disabled workers, migrant workers, workers in the rural and informal economy and ethnic minorities are often involved. Lost working time, interruption of production, compensation, training, medical expenses and the like, all impose costs. These are estimated at 4 per cent of annual global GDP, which, in 2001 amounted to some US$1,250 billions.

These figures show that there is an urgent need to reinforce national prevention efforts and create a strong workplace safety culture.

In 2003, to respond to emerging safety and health needs, the ILO adopted a global strategy on occupational safety and health at the 91stSession of the International Labour Conference.

The Conference concluded that the fundamental components for this were:-

Firstly; building and maintaining national, preventative, safety and health cultures.

Secondly; applying a systems approach to national occupational safety and health management.

Strong leadership and visible commitments to high safety and health standards are also important. Everyone in a workplace, not just specific technical units, needs to be included in assessing risks and creating safer and healthier workplaces.

The ILO’s Occupational Safety and Health Conventions and other instruments can play important roles in developing a strong safety culture. In particular the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No.155) and the Occupational Health Services Convention, 1985 (No.161) provide sound guidance for upgrading national and enterprise level plans.

At the 93rd International Labour Conference in June there will be further discussions on the development of promotional frameworks for . This is one of the major follow-ups to the conclusions of the2003 ILC. I am sure that the discussions at this workshop will help you prepare for this year’s conference, as the Asia Pacific region has made significant progress.

A lot of good work has already been done to achieve better safety and health standards in this region. Many countries are developing national programmes and strengthening their national systems. ILO instruments such as the Occupational Safety and Health Convention No.155 and the Guidelines on Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems are being used widely.

New regulations and policies have been developed and implemented. Special programmes covering hazardous work have been strengthened, including mining, construction, and the production of dangerous chemicals. Intensive efforts have been made to extend protection to small enterprises, informal economy workplaces, and the rural and agriculture sectors.

Tripartite cooperation mechanisms for safety and health have also been growing. Trade unions in this region have used their networks to increase safety and health training activities. They have made a significant contribution to the development of national safety and health programmes.

Employers’ organizations have been offering their members practical safety and health measures that can enhance productivity and competitiveness. They have made good use of the ILO’s Work Improvement in Small Enterprises (WISE) programme. This participatory, action-oriented, safety and health training programmes is specifically designed for small enterprises

In spite of these intensive efforts and visible achievements, our region still faces a growing safety and health challenge.

The development and effective implementation of the national safety and health programmes is the key to systematic strengthening of existing national systems, and providing protection for workers. To support this we must accelerate the tripartite, inter-ministerial cooperation.

We must encourage the ratification and implementation of OSH Conventions. In Asia Pacific ratifications are still quite limited.

Ladies and gentlemen.

This workshop is an essential step towards improving occupational safety and health in the region. Many of you have practical experience of applying advanced safety and health instruments and standards, both at practical and policy level. This workshop gives the chance to swap experiences in the development and implementation of national programmes and policies. It is also a valuable opportunity to consider how national systems can support practical safety and health measures for enterprises.

The ILO is ready to work with you to improve national and international collaboration on safety and health in Asia Pacific. I look forward to hearing your experiences and views, and i wish you all every success as we work towards our common goal: Safe and Healthy at Work for All.