Occupational safety

Occupational safety is generally defined as the science of the anticipation, recognition, evaluation and control of hazards arising in or from the workplace that could impair health and well-being of workers, taking into account the possible impact on the surrounding communities and the general environment. This field is necessarily huge, comprising a big number of disciplines and numerous work place and environmental hazards. A broad array of structures, skills, analytical capacities and knowledge are required to implement and coordinate all of the“building blocks”that make up national Occupational safety systems in order that protection is expanded to both workers and the environment.

The extent of occupational safety has evolved gradually and continuously in response to social, political, technological and economic changes. In recent years, globalization of the world’s economies and repercussions have been perceived as the greatest force for change in the environment of work, and consequently in the range of occupational safety in both negative and positive ways.

World trade liberalization, rapid technological progress, important developments in communication and transport, changing standards of employment, amendments in work organization operations, the diversity in employment patterns of men and women, and the size, structure and life cycles of enterprises and of new technologies can all generate new types and patterns of hazards, exposure and risks. Demographic population movements and changes, and the resulting pressures on the international environment, can in addition affect occupational safety in the world of work.

It is no accident that the security of workforce against sickness, disease and injury related to the working environment, as embodied in the preamble constitution of ILO, has been a central for the organization since its creation, and continues to be so today. Occupational safety is a key element in achieving sustained decent working conditions and strong preventive safety cultures. Every improvement in occupational safety benefits all of us. Source construction safe work method statement