1. Occupational accidents and diseases – impacts on the socio-economic development of the world
According to the estimate by the ILO, there are about 337 million occupational accidents in the world and 2.3 million fatalities due to occupational diseases. [1] Losses caused by OAs and ODs accounts for about 4% of the GDP in the world. In some countries with high incomes, about 40% of the early retirement is the consequence of occupational accidents. The average calculation of the shortened period is around 5 years, equivalent to 14% of the length of time during which the labour force is capable of working. According to average calculation, 5% of the labour force retires from work due to health effects at work. 1/3 (one third) of the labour force have become unemployed due to declination in working capabilities, which seriously affects the capacity of mankind’s society to reproduce labour force. Annual researches on situation of occupational accidents world wide indicates that in developing nations, the frequency of fatal occupational accidents is between 30 – 43 people/100,000 employees.
Statistics in the European Community have demonstrated that out of 115 million employees of the European Community, more than 10 million are victims of occupational accidents or occupational diseases on a yearly basis. The number of people who are dead due to occupational accidents is more than 8000 persons/year, which causes economic loss of around 26 billion euros/year. In Germany, bad working conditions cause a loss of 52 billion Deutsche Marks/year. In Great Britain, the expenses for victims of accidents are equal to 4-8% of the total profits produced by British commercial and industrial companies. In the Netherlands, expenses for occupational diseases and occupational accidents are equal to 4% of GNP.
In the United States, every day, there are about 9000 people injured due to occupational accidents and 153 deaths caused by occupational accidents and occupational diseases. Annual economic losses due to occupational accidents in industries are 190 billion USD.
In Asia, many countries with their dynamic motivations and focus of every effort in economic development since the 60s of the 20th century have brought to the region a new prosperity in terms of socio-economic development and improvements in quality of life. Numerous new technologies and skills have been brought into application, which liberate human’s labour, increase productivity and quality of products. However, as too much focus has been put on economic development without attaching much importance to occupational safety and health, the number of occupational accidents, diseases and illnesses has increased sharply. In a series of developed industrial countries such as Korea, Japan, etc, occupational accidents and diseases can be seen as a “pandemic”.
WHO Report also indicates that risky and hazardous working conditions played a part in causing the rampage of some diseases in the world, specifically: 37% of employees had backache, 16% had impaired hearing ability, 11% got asthma, 10% were disabled, 9% got cancer and 2% had leukocyte diseases; In addition, bad working conditions also had remarkable effects on social community, which causes an annual additional loss of life to nearly 310,000 people due to work related injuries and to 146,000 people because of work related cancers
This is such a pity and a real tragedy as the majority of occupational accidents and occupational diseases could have been prevented using appropriate measures. Prevention and pre-emption of occupational accidents are the matter of respecting human’s dignity via sustainable work programmes, formulation and promulgation of human-centred policies, putting a premium on social and sustainable development policies.
The Convention 187 together with the Convention 155 and other OSH related Conventions have identified the necessary elements of the legal framework for promoting the OSH and the functions of the management system.
Convention 187 and 155 have become the tools widely used for promoting the national standards and the programme at national and enterprise levels. Many countries have started to implement these instruments through voluntary mechanisms or legislation and have developed the national strategies for management approach..
The Convention 187 on the Promotional Framework on OSH, 2006 was adopted by the member states of the ILO on 15/6/2006 in its Congress in order to: promote continuous improvement of national system and implementation of OSH through the national programmes on OSH – approach to management system; placing OSH as the priority in the national agenda; promoting the implementation off the ILO's standards and tools on OSH; accelerating the process for ratification off ILO' Convention on OSH.
The adoption of the Convention no.187 is based on the following judgments:
1. The global magnitude of occupational injuries, diseases and deaths, and the need for further action to reduce them;
2. The protection of workers against sickness, disease and injury arising out of employment is among the objectives of the International Labour Organization as set out in its Constitution;
3. Recognizing that occupational injuries, diseases and deaths have a negative effect on productivity and on economic and social development, and
4. the Declaration of Philadelphia, which provides that the International Labour Organization has the solemn obligation to further among the nations of the world programme which will achieve adequate protection for the life and health of workers in all occupations;
5. Noting paragraph III(g) of Mindful of the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and its Follow-Up, 1998, and the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155), the Occupational Safety and Health Recommendation, 1981 (No. 164), and other instruments of the International Labour Organization relevant to the promotional framework for occupational safety and health, and
6. The promotion of occupational safety and health is part of the International Labour Organization's agenda of decent work for all;
7. The Conclusions concerning ILO standards-related activities in the area of occupational safety and health - a global strategy, adopted by the International Labour Conference at its 91st Session (2003), in particular relating to ensuring that priority be given to occupational safety and health in national agendas,
8. the importance of the continuous promotion of a national preventative safety and health culture
The Convention consists of 14 Articles focusing in the following points: the national policies; national systems; the national programme on OSH and national profile on OSH. The national policies pay attention to the promotion of the policies on OSH, OSH legislation; the national system include promotion of the policy advocacy; legislation, labour inspection, promotion of OSH services; the national programme on OSH focuses in promotion of safety culture, information, consultancy, training on OSH.
Up to 12/4/2010, there have been 17 out of 183 member country of the ILO ratifying the Convention no. 187. In Asia, Japan and Korea ratified this Convention on 24/7/2007.
Convention no. 187 plays an important roles among the Conventions on OSH. In addition to promoting the national efforts in improving working conditions, the Convention provide a systematic approach, accordingly OSH is placed as the most priority in the national agenda. Furthermore, the Convention no. 187 can also be used as a ruler for evaluating the level of OSH management of the nation.
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RAS/08/07M/JPN | 