Safety as a fundamental right at work

The theme for this year’s World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2023 is

‘A safe and healthy working environment is a fundamental principle and right at work’.

In June 2022, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) decided to include “a safe and healthy working environment” in the ILO’s framework of fundamental principles and rights at work.

Hard to believe that it even needs to be added in the 21^st century. However, this is a global organisation, and we know just by recent events, such as the World Cup in Qatar, that not all countries put an emphasis on health and safety in the same way we do in the UK.

In recent findings published ahead of the national day, almost half of all ILO Member States were found to have a national occupational safety and health (OSH) policy; however, only one third of them had an up-to-date national OSH programme[1].

What is encouraging is that 90% of members have developed a recording and notification system for occupational injuries and diseases, helping us to get a picture of the impact on people. But as we know this relies on getting classification systems right, having a uniformed approach, and people reporting these accurately.

We should all feel safe at work. And health and safety should not be seen as a box ticking exercise. The customers we work with are committed to looking after the safety of their employees and we work together to go beyond the technology.

With SiteZone Proximity Warning Systems, sites are made safer by reducing the risks of vehicle to pedestrian collisions. Everyone on site has a responsibility – the management, the drivers, and the operatives on the ground. Our warning system alerts everyone. We then work with you to analyse the data to see where zone breaches are occurring and who is getting too close to moving plant. You may have hotspots on your site or people that need retraining. It may inform you if site layouts need changing, or the way you do certain operations.

Ultimately this contributes to a long term safer site and employees working in a safe environment – something I’m sure we all agree is a fundamental right.

Find out more about the ILO and their work for world Safety and Health at Work day here.

[1] https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_protect/---protrav/---safework/documents/publication/wcms_876334.pdf