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THE
International Labor Organization (ILO) said Thursday
work-related deaths “appear on the rise,” with some
6,000 workers dying daily as a result of accidents or
illness suffered while working.
It
estimated that 2.2 million people die annually worldwide
from work-related accidents and diseases, and 270
million are unable to come to work in nonfatal cases
with their absence averaging three days.
The cost
of work-related accidents and diseases, according to the
ILO, is equal to 4 percent of global gross domestic
product (GDP), or more than 20 times the global amount
of official development assistance.
Saying
that occupational safety is of “worldwide concern,” the
United Nations labor agency noted that marginalized
groups like migrant workers are more at risk to
workplace-related hazards, given that “some industries
are inherently more hazardous than others.”
The ILO
issued its statement on the state of global labor in
observance of World Day for Safety and Health at Work to
be marked on April 28.
In a
report titled “My Life, My Work, my safe work: Managing
risk in the work environment,” the ILO called on all
stakeholders to reduce hazards in the workplace.
“We know
that by assessing risks and hazards, combating them at
source and promoting a culture of prevention, we can
significantly reduce workplace illness and injuries,”
said ILO director general Juan Somavia.
ILO-sponsored
activities will be held for the global observance of
World Day for Safety and Health at Work including in the
Philippines, where a conference to push for the
ratification of ILO Convention 187, or the Promotional
Framework for Occupational Safety and Health, is on tap.
“There
is clear evidence that healthy work forces both enhance
business productivity and benefit enterprises and
national economies by reducing the number of accidents
and diseases and lowering the number of insurance and
compensation claims,” said Dr. Sameera Al-Tuwaijri,
director of the ILO Safework Department. |
