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About 2.2 million workers die at work places annually
2008-05-07 09:10:49
By MICHAEL HAONGA
An outcry by the international community for concerted efforts worldwide to reduce death rate and sufferings facing mankind to the tune of more than 2 million people passing away annually in the world due to preventable accidents and diseases at work places must be timely heeded by every corner of the globe.
Tanzania being the host of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) office for East Africa region that comprises Kenya, Somalia and Uganda has also been at a fore front in ensuring that effective mechanism is put in place for safety and health of workers at work places.
During the marking of World Safety and Health Day in Mbeya Region recently, both the government and ILO underscored the importance of conducive working environment at work places.
ILO East Africa Regional Director Jurgen Schwettmann said recently that there was a need for focusing international attention on the magnitude of the problem and actions to adhere to essentials of Occupational Safety and Health at work (OSH).
In his speech the Deputy Minister for Labour, Employment and Youth Development, Hezekiah Chibulunje said a national policy on sound safety and health at work places was in the offing in line with the Government action to ensure compliance to its efforts for ratification of the ILO Convention 187 on Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health which was passed in 2006.
He was speaking at the climax of marking the World Day for Safety and Health at Work in Mbeya region where the event took place nationally.
Deputy Minister Chibulunje said the policy has been designed in line with the government\'s determination to ensure compliance to the implementation of the ILO Convention 187 on Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health.
Celebrations on the WSHD involve also the prize giving to winners for excellent performance that guarantees safety and health for workers at different work places.
``Recommendations and use of codes of practice and translating them into national laws and legislations should be among the country priorities as this will be a clear indication of our commitment towards safer workplaces for improved productivity`` Deputy Minister Chibulunje stated.
On his part, the Director of the ILO East Africa region comprising of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Somalia, Jurgen Schwettmann, reiterated on the need for global campaign for promotion of occupational safety and health at workplaces underscoring the need to accord it first priority.
He said workers` efficiency in their work depended on safety and health for registering greater performance, adding without workers being in sound health and safety they could not deliver optimum diligence and efficiency.
The ILO Director said there were still challenges which differ in terms of magnitude and specifications from one region of the globe to the other.
``Challenges facing the East African region are similar to those facing other developing countries but they only differ in their magnitude depending on type of activities,`` he said
Both ILO and the government have noted that the magnitude of poverty associated with limited choice of means to earn a living, coupled with limited degree of awareness on the dangers posed by non-adherence to safety and health at work places makes African workers particularly prone to work related diseases and accidents.
For instance it is argued that workers in less economically developed countries are more prone to sufferings and pollution effects than workers in countries which are comparatively more developed with easy access to appropriate and timely treatment as well as precautionary pre-accident measures.
To ensure the East African region makes a breakthrough to putting its house in order with regard to safety and health at work, it was revealed that: ``There are on-going partnership initiatives involving ILO and the UN System as a whole with partners and constituents (Governments, employers and workers) in the region.
The ILO East Africa region boss went on to say that his organization has been playing a pivotal role through a number of measures such as inclusion of social protection and security activities in its decent Work Country programmes in East Africa.
All decent Work Country programmes in East Africa have been based on the 95 International Labour Conference held in June, 2006.
The Conference adopted a new Promotional Framework Convention on Occupational Safety and Health (Conv. No. 167) and its accompanying Recommendations (Recom.No.197).
The Convention aims at promoting continuous improvement of occupational safety and health to prevent occupational injuries, diseases and deaths, through development of a national policy, systems and appropriate programmes.
It was noted that ILO has been playing a pivotal role through a number of measures such as inclusion of social protection and security activities in its decent Work Country programmes in East Africa based on the 95 International Labour Conference held in June, 2006 that adopted a new Promotional Framework Convention on Occupational Safety and health (Conv.No,167) and its accompanying Recommendation (Recom.No.197).
The Convention aims at promoting continuous improvement of occupational safety and health to prevent occupational injuries, diseases and deaths, through development of a national policy, systems, and appropriate programmes,
It calls for active steps to be taken towards achieving progressively a safe and healthy working environment through a national system and national programmes on occupational safety and health by taking into account the principles set out in the relevant OSH instruments.
Also the International Labour Organization (ILO) Director General, Juan Somavia, in his message this year on the World Day for Safety and Health at work, being marked annually world-wide on April 28, revealed that occupational accidents and diseases cause great human sufferings and loss.
``The economic cost is also very high, yet public awareness of occupational safety and health (OSH) tends to be low and does not get the priority it merits,`` said Somavia.
Somavia went on to say that the current situation should change by taking appropriate actions at national as well as international levels.
Statistically, ILO estimates that approximately 2.2 million workers lose their lives annually due to occupational injuries and illness, with accidents causing at least 350,000 deaths a year.
The data show that over 270 million workers are injured and 160 million become ill annually as a result of work injuries.
Non-fatal accidents at work places have been contributing to loss of earnings, permanent disability and poverty to majority of the victims.
The death toll at work, much of which is attributable to unsafe working practices is the equivalent of 6,000 workers dying each day, three persons every minute.
Hazardous substances kill about 440,000 workers annually, according to ILO.
In terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), it is actually disheartening to note that 4 percent of global GDP, more than 1,300,000million US dollars is lost each year to occupational accidents and diseases.
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