Ilo (International Labor Org)

Topic B: Safety and Health at Work
Every day, 6,300 people die as a result of occupational accidents or work-related diseases – more than 2.3 million deaths per year. 317 million accidents occur onthe job annually; many of these resulting in extended absences from work. The safety and health conditions at work are very different between countries, economic sectors and social groups. Deaths andinjuries take a particularly heavy toll in developing countries, where a large part of the population is engaged in hazardous activities, such as agriculture, fishing and mining. Throughout the world,the poorest and least protected - often women, children and migrants - are among the most affected.
Background and causes
Each of us is responsible for stopping deaths and injuries on the job. Asgovernments are responsible for providing the infrastructure — laws and services — necessary to ensure that workers remain employable and that enterprises flourish; this includes the development of anational policy and programme and a system of inspection to enforce compliance with occupational safety and health legislation and policy. As employers we are responsible for ensuring that the workingenvironment is safe and healthy. As workers we are responsible to work safely and to protect ourselves and not to endanger others, to know our rights and to participate in the implementation ofpreventive measures. ILO has estimated that 4% of the world's annual GDP is lost as a consequence of occupational diseases and accidents. Employers face costlyearly retirements, loss of skilled staff, absenteeism, and high insurance premiums due to work-related accidents and diseases. Yet many of these tragedies are preventable through the implementation ofsound prevention, reporting and inspection practices.
Worldwide view of the topic

Current issues
New and emerging occupational risks may be caused by technical innovation or by social or...