Piler demands resilient system for workers’ safety

The Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (Piler) has underscored the need to lay down a resilient system of occupational safety and health (OSH) at workplaces in the country, saying that the current system, especially the labour inspection mechanism in the provinces, has failed to ensure the protection of workers’ lives and their wellbeing.

In a statement issued on the occasion of World Day for Safety and Health at Work, Piler Executive Director Karamat Ali regretted that every year hundreds of workers lose their lives while working, especially in coal mines and other industries, in major cities of the country.

World Day for Safety and Health at Work mainly focuses on strategies to strengthen national occupational safety and health (OSH) systems to build resilience in order to face crises now and in the future, drawing on lessons learned and experiences from the world of work.

Citing a recent report quoting Pakistani mineworkers’ unions, at least 208 workers lost their lives in mines of coal and other minerals during 2020, he said.

Pakistan has not yet ratified an important convention of the ILO No. 176 -- Safety and Health in Mines Convention, 1995. “We demand of the government of Pakistan to ratify this convention and make legislation accordingly,” he said.

The spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) has aggravated the situation of OSH at workplaces as the management of the private sector establishments do not observe the standard operating procedures (SOPs); therefore, workers suffer threats to their lives, Ali said, adding that they are the most vulnerable sections of the industrial sectors.

The Piler statement pointed out that in the province of Sindh, a special law called the Sindh Occupational Safety and Health Act, 2017 has been enacted, which exclusively deals with occupational safety and labour inspections at all workplaces. In this regard, a Sindh Occupational Safety and Health Council has been established, which has representatives from employers, employees and technical experts.