Context:
International Labour Organization (ILO) has recently published a report named ‘A Call for Safer and Healthier Working Environments’.
- This report was a topic of discussion at the 23rd World Congress on Safety and Health at Work (WCSHW).
About WCSHW:
- 1st held in 1955.
- One of the largest international conferences for work health and safety.
- Aim – To connect global leaders in safety and harm prevention from over 120 countries.
ILO Occupational Safety and Health Convention has been ratified by 79 out of the 187 member nations. Meanwhile, the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006, has been ratified by 62 countries.
Key Highlights of the Report:
- In 2019, work-related deaths rose to 2.93 million, a 12% increase from 2000. (More prevalent in the Asia-Pacific region)
- Majority of work-related deaths are caused by work-related diseases e.g., circulatory and respiratory diseases.
- Exposure to long working hours (≥ 55 hours per week) causes most deaths among occupational risk factors.
- Sectors such as mining and quarrying, construction, and utilities were identified as the most hazardous globally based on Fatal Occupational Injury Rates (FOIR).
FOIR stands for a statistical metric that is used to calculate the number of fatalities caused by accidents or injuries at work within a specific occupational group, industry, or geographical area during a certain time frame.
ILO’s Occupational Safety and Health (OSH):
- ILO’s Safety + Health for All program – A key vehicle for delivering ILO’s Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) agenda
- New global strategy on OSH –
- Adopted by – ILO Governing Body
- Aim – To promote, and realize the fundamental right to a safe and healthy working environment worldwide.
- 3 pillars –
- Improving national OSH frameworks
- Integrate OSH into national policies and adopt whole-of-government approaches to OSH.
- Enhancing workplace OSH management systems.
Safety + Health for All Program:
- Launched in 2015.
- Focuses on prevention to promote a safe and healthy working environment, which is a fundamental principle and right at work.
- Vision Zero Fund, a G7 initiative and later endorsed by the G20 in 2017, is an integral part of Safety + Health for All.
Must Read: India and ILO Conventions
Source: The Hindu
Previous Year Question
International Labour Organization’s Conventions 138 and 182 are related to:
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2018 Prelims]
(a) Child Labour
(b) Adaptation of agricultural practices to global climate change
(c) Regulation of food prices and food security
(d) Gender parity at the workplace
Answer: (a)
