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 REFLECTION: WORK SAFETY



World Day for Safety and Health at Work is observed April 28 annually instituted by the International Labour Organisation ILO to focus on strategies to strengthen safety, health management systems and resilience at work. The day calls to mind circumstances when work has provided a safe space in the  protection of workers and also times when workers have not had maximum protection at work.

Think of garbage cleaners who go without boots and gloves yet come in perilous contact with refuse which is dangerous to their health.

Think of doctors and nurses who handle the sick without gloves because management has not made provision. Think of those who sustain accidents while using machines at work, those who sustain injuries when they slip and fall at work, those hit by falling objects, those who are exposed to inhale toxic fumes at work and those who develope hearing complications because they are exposed to noise at work.  Think of teachers who have lost their lives or sustained injuries in the teaching field when students or parents and guardians react violently. There are fishermen, sea fearers  and sailors who have drowned in waters right at the heart of their profession to save lives or provide food. 

The COVID-19 pandemic is another disturber to workers with profound impact as the pandemic has touched nearly every aspect of the world of work, from the risk of transmission of the virus in workplaces, to occupational safety and health. At work millions go without protection from the virus. Workers need to be protected yet they are not provided face mask, hand sanitizers and other disinfectants. The case is sad with health workers at the frontline who fighting to save lives have lost their lives. Ask question about health and life insurance to staff of any organisation and you would be shocked to know that many workers go without insurance. Many other workers due to work are handicapped for life. 

The World Day for Safety and Health at Work thus provides an opportunity to reflect on how to prevent work-related diseases, deaths, injuries, and illnesses. It is also a day to remember those that have died from a work-related injury or illness. 

It is time for management to review what strategies they have put in place to protect workers from injuries and fatalities. 

By Mildred Wung

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