Factors of Occupational Safety and Health Development - Essay Example

?Factors that Have Influenced the Development of Occupational Safety and Health at an International, Federal and Level Table of Contents Page Introduction…………….………………………………………………………………..3 1. Factors that led to the development of Occupational Safety and Heath ………………..4 1.1. High work-related deaths and diseases and costs……………..………………………..4 1.2. Globalization……………………………………………………………………………5 1.3. Increase in Small and Medium Enterprises with widespread occupational hazards.…..5 1.4. Protection of Employee rights……………………………………………….…………6 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………..…….7 References………………………………………………………………………….…..8 Factors that Have Influenced the Development of Occupational Safety and Health at an International, Federal and State Level Introduction Protection of workers against diseases, sickness and injury related to their work environment, as contained in the Preamble to the Constitution of International Labor Organization (ILO), had been of grave concern to ILO since 1919 when three out of the six recommendations related to occupational safety and health (OSH) were first adopted by the International Labor Conference (ILC) according to LaTourrette and Mendeloff (2008). The Director-General of ILO once argued that decent work must be safe work, which he noted that the world was still long away from achieving. However, in order to improve the safety standard at the workplace, necessary legislation pertaining to health in the workplace had to be introduced to ensure that safety standards are maintained. This is what led to the enactment of Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. The act established the Occupational Safety and Health administration (OSHA) under the command of the US department of Labor to publicize and enforce safety and health standards so as to protect employees at work. It is reported that more than two hundred local OSHA offices have so far been established in the US to enforce protective standards and implement outreach programs to employees and their employers. Rial-Gonzalez et al., (2005) notes that OSH mainly focuses on the maintenance and promotion of health and working capacity of workers; enhancing working environment and work to be conducive for workers, and to develop work organization and cultures in a manner that supports safety and heath at work. This helps in promoting positive social climate that allows for smooth operation, which enhances productivity of the undertaking. Nevertheless, the question that one may ask ism, “What are the factors that might have influenced the development of OSH at the international, Federal and state level?” This paper will discuss the factors argued to have contributed to the development of Occupational Safety and Health at the international, federal and state level. 1. Factors that led to the development of Occupational Safety and Heath 1.1. High work-related deaths and diseases and costs Data obtained from ILO, in 1919 estimates that the global fatality level from work-related diseases and injuries stand at approximately 2 million annually. The statistics also showed that annual rates of such diseases and injuries are on a decline in most industrialized nations while increasing in less-developed countries. In overall, the yearly rate of fatal and non-fatal accidents is projected at 270 million with close to 160 million workers having been found to suffer from work-related diseases. What is worrying to economists is that the economic costs resulting from compensation, interruption of production, idle time, medical expenses and training are estimated to amount to 4% of annual global GDP, which is about US$1,250,000 million. This kind of revelations did not impress global leaders since it was seen that the world is losing so many talented employees with the potential of driving up the economy to the next level due to accidents that can be prevented by adopting stringent safety and health standards at workplace (International Labor Office. Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations, 2009). The fact that the data showed that over 160 million workers potentially suffer from work-related illnesses also became a serious concern, since it was felt that these diseases can easily be prevented if employers takes the initiative of maintaining proper health standards at the workplace. In addition, ILO felt that the world was loosing a lot of money on insurance compensations, meeting medical expenses and other related economic factors lost due to injuries and disease that are work-related. Therefore, one way by which these concerns could be addressed effectively was through the enactment of OSH, which provided standards for safety that has to be maintained at the workplace by both employers and employees so as to stop or minimize injuries and diseases at work. 1.2. Globalization Effects of globalization are another factor that led to the development of OSH as reported by International Labor Conference (2005). ILC reveals that concerns arose in the early 1950s that globalization of the economy might increase some of the factors that contribute to casualties and ill health at work. The factors noted in this case include acceleration and liberalization of world trade and widespread of technology, which were found to generate new types of work organizations resulting into new patterns of exposure to risks of occupational diseases and injuries (Rial-Gonzalez et al., 2005). Therefore, to make sure that workers are adequately protected from the risks brought about by globalization of the economy, it was found prudent to establish the OSH so as to act as a guideline to new organizations with regard to the safety and health standards that had to be adopted so that employees can work under safe and hospitable environment devoid of injuries and illnesses. 1.3. Increase in Small and Medium Enterprises with widespread occupational hazards Research conducted in 1970 by ILO shows that occupational risks and hazards are widespread in SMEs that have risen at an alarming rate over the past few decades. International Labor Conference (2005) reveals that SMEs are highly prone to occupational risks and hazards because they have limited wealth and technical knowhow, as well as narrow knowledge of the existence of occupational safety and health standards, which pose a lot of risks to employees. The research also found out that SMEs also have limited knowhow to adhere to the OSH standards without compromising business performance (International Labor Conferencce, 2005). DIANE Publishing Company (1993) reveals that SMEs are much reluctant at seeking advice associated with inspection. But since the safety of employees are at stake in these organizations, which contribute the highest number of casualties of injuries and illnesses, it was found necessary to develop OSH to ensure that health and safety standards are enforced in these organizations so as to protect employees at work. For instance, it was found that, in underdeveloped countries, majority of SMEs were not yet properly covered by safety and health legislations, with a large number operating in the informal economy beyond any coverage by the formal inspection services or OSH, thus need to enforce OSH standards in such SMEs. 1.4. Protection of Employee rights The development of OSH also came about due to legal reasons. This is after ILO found out that there was a need of punitive, preventive, and compensatory effects of the law so as to protect workers at their workplace. For instance, many workers were found to suffer from injuries sustained from work, which sometimes later led to death of the victim without any compensation or provision of medical expenses by the employer. This led to the adoption of the international Programme for Improvement of Working Conditions and Environment (PIACT) in 1976), which later led to the development of OSH according to International Labor Conference (2005). OSH was now developed to provide assistance by compelling employers to ensure that all employees are adequately covered with health insurance, so as to ensure that in case they suffer from unavoidable accidents, they can get decent medical health care without any problem. For instance, research reveals that despite construction companies being one of the most hazardous occupations in the world, contributing high fatalities than any other sector in the US, and the world at large, no adequate safety and health standards were being administered. To make matters worse, workers were not adequately covered with health insurance. Therefore, OSH was established to ensure that there is compliance with safety and health standards in these industries. In fact, since the passing of the legislation, many industrial have recorded considerable decline in the number of injuries and diseases at workplace (DiBerardinis, 1999). In 1975, the ILC adopted a resolution calling for botyh national policies and policies at the enterprise level. This was seen as the first step towards a management system approach to OSH which is reflected in Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No.155), which is largely a policy dealing comprehensively with the working environment. This policy prioritizes the formulation, implementation, as well as periodic review of a national policy to avoid accidents or injuries occurring at the place of work. The policy also seeks to minimize causes of hazards inherent in workplace. Conclusion In conclusion, OSH has indeed improved standards of safety and health in all organizations across the globe. This is because it has put employers under obligation to ensure that employees, there family members and other stakeholders who come workplace are protected. However, it has to be noted that ILO still needs to ensure that thorough inspection of industries is done to ensure that there is compliance with the guidelines. This is based on the fact that some employers still fail to implement the standards thereby putting a lot of risks to workers. References DiBerardinis, L.J. (1999). Handbook of occupational safety and health. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & sons. DIANE Publishing Company (1993). Occupational Safety and Health: Employer’s experience in Complying with the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS). Washington, DC: DIANE Publishing. International Labor Conference (2005). Promotional framework for occupational safety and health, (93rd Session): International Labor Office, Geneva. 1-57. International Labor Office. Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations (2009). Occupational Safety and Heath. Geneva, Switzerland: International Labor Office. LaTourrette, T., & Mendeloff, J.M. (2008). Mandatory Workplace safety and health programs: Implementation, Effectiveness, and Benefit-Cost Trade-Offs. Arlington, VA: Rand Corporation. Rial-Gonzalez, E., Copsey, S., Paoli, P., & Schneider, E. (2005). Priorities for occupational safety and health research in the EU-25: European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. 5-31. Read More