Safety
is a state in which hazards and conditions leading to physical, psychological
or material harm are controlled in order to preserve the health and well-being
of individuals and the community. It is an essential resource for everyday
life, needed by individuals and communities to realize their aspirations.
Attaining
an optimum level of safety requires individuals, communities, governments and
others to create and maintain the following conditions, whichever setting is
considered:
· a
climate of social cohesion and peace as well as of equity protecting human
rights and freedoms, at the family, local, national or international level;
· the
prevention and control of injuries and other consequences or harm caused by
accidents;
· the
respect of the values and the physical, material and psychological integrity of
individuals; and
· the
provision of effective preventive, control and rehabilitation measures to
ensure the presence of the three previous conditions.
These
conditions can be assured by initiatives that focus on the environment
(physical, social, technological, political, economic and organizational) and
on behaviour.
Basic
Principles of OSH
Occupational
safety and health is an extensive multidisciplinary field, invariably touching
on issues related to scientific areas such as medicine – including physiology
and toxicology – ergonomics, physics and chemistry, as well as technology,
economics, law and other areas specific to various industries and activities.
Despite this variety of concerns and interests, certain basic principles can be
identified, including the following:
· All
workers have rights. Workers, as well as employers and governments, must ensure
that these rights are protected and must strive to establish and maintain
decent working conditions and a decent working environment. More specifically:
Ø Work
should take place in a safe and healthy working environment;
Ø Conditions
of work should be consistent with workers’ well-being and human dignity;
Ø Work
should offer real possibilities for personal achievement, self-fulfilment and
service to society (ILO, 1984).
· Occupational
safety and health policies must be established. Such policies must be
implemented at both the national (governmental) and enterprise levels. They
must be effectively communicated to all parties concerned.
· A
national system for occupational safety and health must be established. Such a
system must include all the mechanisms and elements necessary to build and
maintain a preventive safety and health culture. The national system must be
maintained, progressively developed and periodically reviewed.
· A national
programme on occupational safety and health must be formulated. Once
formulated, it must be implemented, monitored, evaluated and periodically
reviewed.
· Social
partners (that is, employers and workers) and other stakeholders must be
consulted. This should be done during formulation, implementation and review of
all policies, systems and programmes.
· Occupational
safety and health programmes and policies must aim at both prevention and
protection. Efforts must be focused above all on primary prevention at the
workplace level. Workplaces and working environments should be planned and
designed to be safe and healthy.
· Continuous
improvement of occupational safety and health must be promoted. This is
necessary to ensure that national laws, regulations and technical standards to
prevent occupational injuries, diseases and deaths are adapted periodically to
social, technical and scientific progress and other changes in the world of
work. It is best done by the development and implementation of a national policy,
national system and national programme.
· Information
is vital for the development and implementation of effective programmes and
policies. The collection and dissemination of accurate information on hazards
and hazardous materials, surveillance of workplaces, monitoring of compliance
with policies and good practice, and other related activities are central to
the establishment and enforcement of effective policies.
· Health
promotion is a central element of occupational health practice. Efforts must be
made to enhance workers’ physical, mental and social well-being.
· Occupational
health services covering all workers should be established. Ideally, all
workers in all categories of economic activity should have access to such
services, which aim to protect and promote workers’ health and improve working
conditions.
· Compensation,
rehabilitation and curative services must be made available to workers who
suffer occupational injuries, accidents and work-related diseases. Action must
be taken to minimize the consequences of occupational hazards.
· Education
and training are vital components of safe, healthy working environments.
Workers and employers must be made aware of the importance of establishing safe
working procedures and of how to do so. Trainers must be trained in areas of
special relevance to particular industries, so that they can address the
specific occupational safety and health concerns.
· Workers,
employers and competent authorities have certain responsibilities, duties and
obligations. For example, workers must follow established safety procedures;
employers must provide safe workplaces and ensure access to first aid; and the
competent authorities must devise, communicate and periodically review and
update occupational safety and health policies.
· Policies
must be enforced. A system of inspection must be in place to secure compliance
with occupational safety and health measures and other labour legislation.
