Hyderabad: World Day for Safety and Health at Work is observed on April 28 every year to promote awareness about a safe and healthy work environment as a fundamental principle for every human being. The International Labour Conference (ILC) decided to include "a safe and healthy working environment" in the International Labour Organisation's (ILO) framework of fundamental principles and rights at work in June 2022.
ILO observes this decision on April 28, 2023, by bringing together experts and constituents to discuss its implications for the world of work, and how this right can be practically implemented in the world of work. This day was initially observed by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 2003, to stress the prevention of accidents and diseases at work by using the ILO's traditional strengths of tripartism (the collaboration among unions, employers and the Government) and social dialogue.
The observance of this day is an essential part of the Global Strategy on Occupational Safety and Health of the ILO, as stated in the Conclusions of the International Labour Conference of June 2003. Advocacy is one of the main pillars of this Global Strategy, and the World Day for Safety and Health at Work is an essential tool to promote awareness of how to make work safe and healthy and make people aware of the need to raise the political profile of occupational safety and health. April 28 is also observed as the International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured Workers, which is organised around the world by the trade union movement since 1996.
World Day for Safety and Health at Work promotes the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases around the globe. This campaign intends to raise awareness and focus international attention on the magnitude of the problem, and promote and create a safety and health culture that can help reduce the number of work-related deaths and injuries.
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According to the United Nations, governments are responsible for providing the infrastructure, laws and services which are necessary to ensure that workers remain employable and that enterprises flourish, including the development of a national policy and programme and a system of inspection to enforce compliance with occupational safety and health legislation and policy.
Every one of us is equally responsible for stopping deaths and injuries on the job. As employers, we are responsible for making sure that the working environment is safe and healthy. Working safely, protecting ourselves and making sure we do not endanger others' lives, being aware of our rights and implementing preventive measures is our responsibility as workers.
UN states some of the new and emerging occupational risks, which may be caused by technical innovation or by a social or organizational change:
- New technologies and production processes, e.g. nanotechnology, biotechnology.
- New working conditions, e.g. higher workloads, work intensification from downsizing, poor conditions associated with migration for work, jobs in the informal economy.
- Emerging forms of employment, e.g. self-employment, outsourcing, temporary contracts.
These may be more widely recognisable through better scientific understanding, e.g. the effects of ergonomic risks on musculoskeletal disorders. They might find influences in changes in perceptions about the importance of certain risk factors like the effects of psychosocial factors on work-related stress.
