#osh management

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Building and maintaining a preventative safety and health culture at a national level.

The government as a whole commits to building and maintaining a preventative safety and health culture, ensuring OSH is considered a priority in the national agenda. Adequate means and resources are allocated to increase general awareness of OSH, knowledge of hazards and risks, and understanding of their prevention and control. Through social dialogue, the tripartite constituents actively participate in all phases of the OSH decision-making processes. - Social dialogue contributes towards: - improving the quality of OSH policies and strategies; - building ownership and commitment; - facilitating their rapid and more effective implementation.

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Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006 (No. 187)

promotes a national preventative safety and health culture, built on social dialogue

calls for tripartite consultations on: - formulation, implementation and periodical review of a coherent national policy on OSH -the establishment, maintenance, progressive development and periodical review of a national system for OSH -the formulation, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and periodical review of a national programme on OSH

provides that the national OSH system shall include arrangements to promote, at the level of the undertaking, cooperation between management, workers and their representatives as an essential element of workplace-related prevention measures

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Participation of the social partners in the OSH governance.

Creating a sound culture of prevention on OSH requires the participation of employers’ and workers’ organizations in the governance of safety and health at work. The tripartite partners may have different interests and perspectives. Tripartite consultation and discussion may contribute towards an improvement in communication and lead to a better understanding of any concerns and constraints they might have (paving the way for joint and agreed actions and for the development of a collaborative culture for addressing OSH challenges). - Strong coordination among all the stakeholders is required to define common goals, priorities, objectives and targets for strengthening the OSH national system, bringing about more efficient use of the available resources.

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Employer and worker cooperation for effective OSH Management.

Act together to build a positive safety and health culture - World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2022.

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Over 300 million workers around the world feel that they cannot report OSH issues to their employers without fear of punishment.

Participative arrangements in the workplace are associated with: - improved OSH management practices - better OSH performance - reduced accidents and injury rates - higher productivity

64% fewer safety incidents

58% fewer hospitalisations in workplaces that are promoting workers’ engagement while implementing a positive OSH culture.

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Evidence shows a positive relationship between the engagement of workers’ representatives on OSH in the workplace and better OSH performance.

The Key functions of an OSH representatives is : - representing workers in all matters relating to OSH monitoring the measures taken by employers to meet their OSH responsibilities - investigating OSH issues raised by workers inquiring into any potential risk to workers’ safety and health that arises from their work - making representations to management on matters that affect the safety and health of workers - collaborating with and assisting the employer to address OSH risks promoting and encouraging the cooperation of workers in the field of OSH - participating and representing workers in decision-making processes regarding OSH - investigating occupational accidents and diseases, as well as near misses

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Ensuring cooperation between the employers and workers.

Joint OSH committees are bipartite bodies, composed of an equal number of workers’ and employers’ representatives, established at the workplace and assigned to various functions to ensure cooperation between the employers and workers so as to achieve and maintain safe and healthy working conditions and a sound working environment. Functions, rights and powers are usually similar to those of workers’ OSH representatives – often higher number of statutory and complex tasks than those of individual workers’ representatives, as joint OSH committees have more human resources and capacity. The establishment of joint OSH committees is mandatory in many countries, although this is often contingent upon the size of the enterprise. In countries where national OSH legislation does not regulate joint OSH committees, collective agreements may assume this function.

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Promoting OSH management systems - built on social dialogue.

OSH management systems are a logical and useful tool for the continual improvement of OSH performance within an organization. They include a set of actions and processes that establish, monitor and evaluate the organization’s efforts to keep workers safe and healthy, and comply with national laws. Key elements for their successful application: - integrating the OSH management system within overall business management - ensuring both the commitment of management and the active participation of workers in their joint implementation