he International Labour Organisation and the World Health Organisation define occupational safety and health as a discipline that encompasses all points of safety and health at the workplace. The ILO intends to prevent occupational hazards and ensure physical, social and mental well-being of the workforce at the workplace. The Decent Work Agenda of the ILO promotes security at the workplace, social protection and participation in decision-making that affects their lives and equality of opportunity and treatment for all women and men.

The ILO observes its World Day for Safety and Health at Work on April 28 each year. The initiative, which began in 2003, is an international campaign promoting safe, healthy and decent work around the globe. According to ILO reports, 2.2 million people die every year due to work-related accidents or illness, more than 270 million workers are injured; and an estimated 160 million suffer from work-related illness. This year’s theme is: Our Aim – Zero Harm. The theme emphasises the significance of protecting the society as a whole. The goal is to cause as little harm as possible.

In recent years, the importance of creating an environment favouring safety and health at the workplace has been realised worldwide in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, climate-related changes and an increasing number of premature deaths due to work-related accidents. The ILO continues to stress on prevention of accidents and diseases at work. It has developed a global strategy on occupational safety and health (OSH). The new term in use is workplace health and safety (WHS). The framework includes guiding the governments through the development of a national policy and programme and developing a system of inspections to ensure compliance with the OSH legislation and policy in vogue in the country.

According to the ILO, some 2.78 million workers around the world die from occupational accidents and work-related diseases each year. An additional 374 million workers suffer injuries and disabilities caused by occupational accidents. It is estimated that 160 million victims endure work-related illnesses such as cancer, acute respiratory and cardiovascular diseases worldwide. Developing countries are at a higher risk due to poor working conditions and occupational hazards, among other reasons. Worldwide, 218 million children between 5 and 17 years are in employment. Among them, 152 million are victims of child labour. Almost half of them, 73 million, work in hazardous child labour.

Most harmful to humans and the environment are heavy metal emissions: copper, lead and mercury. Industries like textile, leather, paper, metal, rubber, fertiliser, paint, woodworking, cement, marble, plastic and ceramics, and oil and gas exploration and production generate significant environmental hazards. Engineering and steel-making industries involve many processes that generate dust, smoke and harmful gases.

According to the ILO poor occupational safety and health at the workplace prevail in both formal and informal sectors in Pakistan. However, statistics about accidents at workplace, deaths due to these accidents, injuries on this account and serious diseases inflicted on workers are not available.

The ILO has adopted more than 40 international labour standards specifically dealing with the OSH, with a focus on developing countries. In this context, the ILO tools and guidelines provide a solid base to implement strong and effective OSH systems at various levels and for various sectors.

An International Report on Covid-19 highlights that it was a turning point for many organisations. It pushed them to re-evaluate their health and safety policies and practices, and in 2022, several governments ordered occupational safety and health administrations (OSHA) to put emergency rules into place for the first time in 38 years. These included the use of masks, proper ventilation, vaccination and personal hygiene. Over 93,000 workers were believed to have contracted Covid-19, which may have been the result of exposure to coronavirus at work.

The ILO says that poor occupational safety and health at workplace prevails in both formal and informal sectors in Pakistan. However, there are no statistics available about the workplace accidents, deaths occurring due to these accidents, injuries on this account and serious diseases resulting from hazardous work. Mine explosion and boiler accidents in industries have been reported in the media from time to time. The only figure with the ILO, which is not likely to be reliable, is that every year 1,136 workers suffer occupational injuries per 100,000 workers. More than 3.3 million Pakistani children are engaged in child labour.

The weak enforcement of relevant laws and regulations, and ineffective management, compounded by high population growth and rapid urbanisation, paints a gloomy picture of the state of safety and health of workers. Pakistan is still struggling with basic workplace safety, particularly in the informal sector. It is only recently that it has consented to ratify ILO’s Safety and Health in Mines Convention, 1995. The 2021 International Accord on Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry is also expected to be extended to Pakistan to support the export-related industrial sector. A strong and well-developed labour inspection system is crucial to ensuring that workers’ rights are valued.

The Pakistan Occupational Health and Safety Act, 2018, provides for safe and healthy working conditions at work. The main objective of this Act is to provide for a balanced and nationally consistent framework to secure the health and safety of workers and workplaces. Firm enforcement of the law can make the situation better.

Sustainable Development Goals emphasise the need to protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants and those in risky employment. SDG 3 is to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. We continue to live through a global health crisis and face ongoing OSH risks.

The writer is a playwright and a freelance journalist. He can be reached at pashajaved1@gmail.com and his blogging site: soulandland.com