Don't Miss


Home   >   Business   >   Industries   >   Economy   >   ILO Records 337m Workplace Accidents

ILO Records 337m Workplace Accidents

By on May 1, 2011

nternational Labour Organisation, (ILO) has said that an estimated 337 million workplace accidents and 2.3 million deaths occur every year across the globe as a result of occupational injuries and work-related diseases.

This comes just as the international labour centre last week renewed call on all governments to make Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) an integral component of strategies for productive employment and decent work.

The ILO said the workplace accidents and illness have taken a heavier toll in terms of lives lost and disability than global pandemics such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.

In a new report issued on 28 April World Day entitled ‘OSH Management System: A tool for Continual Improvement’, the ILO outlined a step-by-step approach to be taken in applying OSH Management Systems, OSHMS, and, more concretely, how this system can be used at the national and enterprise levels.

In his message marking the World Safety Day, Director General of the ILO, Juan Somavia, said so many accidents, illnesses and deaths could be prevented with appropriate managerial measures.

According to him, it is a matter of respecting the dignity of the human being through the dignity of work; of shaping policies that reflect the central role of work in people’s lives, in peaceful communities, in stable societies and in resilient economies.

“Today, the ILO highlights the role of occupational safety and health management systems as a tool to secure continual improvement. Successfully building a strong preventative safety and health culture will depend on strong commitment, collaboration and concerted action by governments, employers and workers and all stakeholders – it cannot be the sole preserve of experts. Effective strategies must, for example, embrace the training of workers,” Somavia said.

Meanwhile, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has advised its members to give priority
to Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) issues in their respective workplaces.

The union, while marking the 2011 World Day for Safety and Health at Work, noted the need to emphasise the value for occupational health and safety management system to enhance prevention against occupational hazards.

It stressed that there should be continual improvement in prevention and control of risk at work, adding that Implementation of OSH management systems is critical in helping to reduce occupational accidents, diseases and deaths.

Source : Thisday