鈥淭he right to a healthy work environment is critical in our society,鈥 Liam O鈥橞rien, assistant secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) told a forum on international workplace health and safety on November 27.
The forum was part of the 23rd World Congress on Health and Safety at Work.
O鈥橞rien said Australia has some shocking statistics on workplace safety.
鈥淎round 200 people per year die from workplace incidents, a higher rate than some European countries.
鈥淩egarding the current crisis over silicosis, 600,000 workers are exposed to the condition and 100,000 will be diagnosed with silicosis at some stage in this country.鈥
He said the ACTU is pushing governments for higher levels of worker protection.
鈥淯nions alone are taking responsibility for protecting workers in this area. And health and safety rights are dependent on the right to organise and take industrial action to defend workers' rights and conditions,鈥 O鈥橞rien said.
Morgan Mazarura, from the Zimbabwe Construction and Allied Trades Workers Union, told the forum about Zimbabwe鈥檚 challenges. He said bad weather arising from climate change affects construction workers particularly hard.
鈥淧oliticians operate on a different agenda. We need stronger laws on workplace health and safety, and stronger enforcement.鈥
Shelly Asquith, health, safety and wellbeing officer for the Trades Union Congress UK, said: 鈥淭he UK is now experiencing the biggest strike wave since 1926. And the Conservative government is trying to ban strikes.
鈥淏ut the workers are winning on pay, but also on health and safety. Underpay means overwork and undoubtedly increased health and safety stress.
Asquith said guardianship for protecting workers health and safety falls to unions. 鈥淲e will fight to defend and extend the basic right to industrial health and safety.鈥
Ram Charitra Sah, from the Asia-based Centre for Public Health and Environmental Development, said scientists involved the centre cooperate with unions on environmental and health and safety.
鈥淎sia is a major source of labour for other countries, where they face worse conditions as migrant workers. And toxic chemicals rejected in Europe and other places are used in Asia.
鈥淐ollaboration between labour unions and health and safety organisations is developing in Asia. National and regional campaigns around the fundamental right to health and safety are vitally important,鈥 Sah said.
Joaquin Nunes, branch chief for occupational health and safety, International Labour Organisation (ILO), said almost every case of industrial accidents was preventable.
鈥淥verwork and under-payment causes increased pressure and increased risk of injury on the job.鈥
ILO conventions deem occupational health and safety a human right. 鈥淢ember states and employers are meant to implement safety provisions, but often fail to do so,鈥 Nunes he said.
鈥淭he role of unions is vital overall in the practice of OH&S in all countries. Working conditions and labour rights are closely linked in the defence of workplace safety.鈥
Owen Tudor, deputy general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), said: 鈥淭hree million people a year around the world die on the job. And 395 million a year are injured at work, with many more suffering illnesses.
鈥淭he good news is that we can do something about it. Occupational health and safety can be fixed.鈥
The ILO has finally recognised OH&S after 25 years of internal opposition, he said. 鈥淣evertheless, union members and organisation are the key to further significant gains on health and safety at work.鈥
In response to a question on the rising incidence of psycho-social injuries at work, O鈥橞rien noted it was the fastest growing source of industrial health and safety problems in Australia. He said its recognition as a safety issue is 鈥渇erociously resisted by employers鈥.
Unions need to take action on this, he said, as workers need to have the right to defend their health in all respects.
The problem of plastics in the workplace was also raised, with speakers stressed the right for workers to know about the dangers of plastics at work. A global framework on chemical hazards in industry is being developed.