Occupational Safety and Health: Contexts, Foundations, and Standards

Contexts and Foundations of Occupational Safety and Health

• Historical Context:

  • The global and national Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) landscape was primarily shaped by industrialization between the $1800s$ and early $1900s$.

  • The emergence of machines, chemicals, and steam-powered transportation during this era caused a significant surge in workplace accidents and health risks.

  • These hazardous conditions, particularly in manufacturing, necessitated the creation of safety regulations to protect workers.

• Evolution of Work Patterns:

  • As the economy shifted toward the service sector, new OSH challenges emerged, including ergonomic issues and joint-related injuries.

  • This ongoing change emphasizes the necessity for updated safety measures across all economic sectors.

• Definitions of OSH Foundations (Hughes & Ferrett):

  • Health: Protection from illness arising from work processes.

  • Safety: Protection from physical injury.

  • Welfare: Facilities provided to support comfort and health at work.

• The Three Pillars of OSH Foundations:

  • Moral Reasons: Every worker deserves to return home safely; preventing harm is an ethical responsibility.

  • Legal Reasons: Laws like $RA\,11058$ and $DOLE\,DO\,198-18$ mandate that employers ensure safe workplaces.

  • Economic Reasons: Accidents are costly due to lost time, fines, property damage, and compensation. Effective OSH increases productivity and reduces downtime.

The Aims and Goals of Occupational Safety and Health

• Primary Objective: To ensure the safety, health, and overall well-being of workers in every occupation.

• Specific Aims:

  • Promote and maintain physical, mental, and social well-being for all workers.

  • Prevent health issues resulting from unsafe or unhealthy working conditions.

  • Protect workers against risks that could affect their health.

  • Establish and maintain safe workplaces to prevent injuries.

  • Adapt work environments to fit the physical and mental capacities of the workers.

Transformative Forces Driving Changes in OSH

• Technology: Tools such as robots, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and smart devices improve safety but introduce new risks, including stress and machine-related accidents.

• Demographics:

  • Older workers require safer work setups.

  • Younger workers are more prone to injuries.

  • Informal workers and women require improved protection.

• Climate Change: Extreme heat, pollution, and natural disasters affect worker health; however, "green jobs" can provide safer opportunities.

• Work Changes: Flexible and remote work arrangements are increasing but may lead to overwork, stress, and reduced safety protections.

Global Scale of the Problem and Statistics

• Annual Figures (ILO 2011):

  • Approximately $337$ million workers experience work-related accidents annually.

  • Over $2.3$ million lives are lost each year due to occupational injuries and diseases.

  • Global economic burden is estimated at $4\%$ of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per year.

• Global OSH Frequency Rates:

  • Every $15$ seconds, $160$ workers have a work-related accident.

  • Every $15$ seconds, a worker dies from a work-related accident or disease.

  • Daily, $6,300$ people die from occupational accidents or work-related diseases.

• Specific Risk Factors and Demographics:

  • Developing countries have fatality rates $5$ to $6$ times higher than industrialized nations.

  • Close to $50\%$ of work-related deaths occur in Asia (ILO, 2008).

  • $170,000$ agricultural workers die annually.

  • $320,000$ people die annually from biological risk exposures (viral, bacterial, insect, or animal-related).

  • Most affected groups: Poorest and least protected workers, including women, children, and migrants in hazardous sectors like agriculture, fishing, and mining.

Philippine Labor and OSH Statistics

• Labor Force (October 2010):

  • Total labor force: $38.905$ million.

  • Employed in services: $51.8\%$.

  • Employed in agriculture: $33.2\%$.

  • Laborers and unskilled workers: $32.3\%$ (largest occupation group).

  • Underemployment rate: $18.7\%$ ($6.8$ million workers).

  • Unemployment rate: $7.3\%$ ($2.9$ million people).

  • Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs): $8$ million total ($1.47$ million deployed: $1,123,676$ land-based; $347,150$ sea-based).

• Occupational Injuries and Diseases (BITS 2007-2008 data):

  • Total accidents declined by $14.7\%$ ($52,515$ in $2003$ to $44,800$ in $2007$).

  • Fatalities decreased by $31.8\%$ ($170$ in $2003$ to $116$ in $2007$).

  • Permanent incapacities increased by $23.7\%$ ($131$ in $2003$ to $162$ in $2007$).

  • Manufacturing industry caseload: $61.9\%$ in $2003$ and $61.0\%$ in $2007$.

  • Frequency Rate (FR) for injuries with days away from work: $4.07$ ($2003$) to $2.79$ ($2007$).

• Occupational Diseases in Non-Agricultural Establishments:

  • Total cases decreased by $14.8\%$ ($55,413$ in $2003$ to $47,235$ in $2007$).

  • Work-related musculoskeletal diseases: $37.2\%$ ($2003$) and $28.1\%$ ($2007$).

  • Significant increases in $2007$: Bronchial asthma ($+29.9\%$), occupational dermatitis ($+18.6\%$), and essential hypertension ($+7.8\%$).

Key Definition of Terms

• Accident: An undesired event resulting in harm to people, property damage, or environmental loss.

• Average Workdays Lost: Workdays lost per case of occupational injury resulting in temporary incapacity.

• Certified First Aider: A person trained and certified by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to provide immediate care.

• Frequency Rate: Cases of occupational injuries with workdays lost per $1,000,000$ employee-hours of exposure.

• Hazard: A dangerous phenomenon, substance, condition, or activity potentially causing injury, illness, or death.

• Health and Safety Committee: A joint body of employer and worker representatives monitoring workplace OSH programs.

• Imminent Danger: A condition expected to cause death or serious physical harm immediately.

• Incident: An unsafe occurrence in the course of work with no personal injury or damage.

• Incident Rate: Cases of occupational injuries with workdays lost per $1,000$ workers.

• Occupational Accident: An unexpected work-related incident causing injury, illness, or death, including those occurring on official duty outside the usual workplace.

• Occupational Injury: An injury from a work-related accident; each injury is counted separately.

• Occupational Safety and Health (OSH): The promotion/maintenance of the highest degree of physical, mental, and social well-being of workers.

• Permanent Incapacity: When a worker cannot return to regular duties for over a year following a work accident.

• Risk: Combination of the likelihood of a hazardous event and the severity of the potential damage/injury.

• Safety Officer (SO): A qualified individual overseeing OSH programs, training, and compliance.

• Temporary Incapacity: Inability to work for at least one day but expected to recover within one year.

• Workplace: Site or premises where work is carried out under an employer's control.

Philippine OSH Standards and Legislation

• Establishing Regulations: DOLE regulates safety procedures. The first OSH Standards were issued in $1978$.

• Labor Code of the Philippines: Outlines rules for health, safety, and social welfare benefits.

• Executive Order No. 37 (1987): Created the OSH Center to develop sustainable OSH policies.

• Republic Act 11058 (OSH Standards Act):

  • Requires employers to inform workers about hazards.

  • Grants workers the right to refuse unsafe work.

  • Requires provision of safety facilities and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

  • Compliments Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

  • Note: WHO commended the Philippines for passing this law to protect health workers.

Benefits of OSH Management Systems

• Better safety performance and lower insurance premiums.

• Reduced accident costs and improved employee morale.

• Increased business efficiency and confidence.

• Enhanced public image and relations.

• Easier access to funding and greater regulatory compliance.

• Boosted Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Real-Life Case Study: Zamboanga City (March 2023)

• Incident: A carpenter died after falling from a 2-storey building scaffold.

• Cause: Failure to use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

• DOLE Findings: Missing harness, hard hat, gloves, and safety boots.

• Reflection: The tragedy was preventable. Future professionals must uphold the commitment: "No job is so urgent that it cannot be done safely."

International Labour Organization (ILO) Standards

• Types of Standards:

  • Conventions and Protocols: Legally binding international treaties when ratified by member states.

  • Recommendations: Non-binding guidelines providing guidance on application.

• Key OSH Instruments:

  • Convention No. 155 (1981): Framework for national OSH policies. Recognizes the right to remove oneself from danger.

    • Article 4: National policy formulation.

    • Article 9: System of inspection.

    • Article 13: Protection for workers who remove themselves from danger.

    • Article 16: Employers must ensure workplaces/equipment are safe.

  • Protocol of 2002 (to No. 155): Focuses on standardization of reporting systems for accidents and diseases.

    • Article 3(a)(iv): Prohibits retaliation against workers for reporting incidents.

  • Recommendation No. 164 (1981): Provides technical guidance on engineering controls, PPE, and safety committees.

  • Convention No. 187 (2006): Focuses on promotional frameworks and a preventive safety culture.

  • Convention No. 161 (1985): Governs Occupational Health Services with preventive functions (surveillance, first aid, adaptation of work).

  • Recommendation No. 97 (1953): Protection of workers' health through risk elimination.

  • Recommendation No. 194 (2002): Establishes a standardized List of Occupational Diseases for prevention and compensation.