Worker Health: Global Efforts & Challenges

History of Global Efforts to Improve Worker Health

• Decent work is productive work in conditions of freedom, equity, security, and human dignity.
• Work is considered decent when it pays fairly, guarantees secure employment and safe conditions, ensures equal opportunities, offers personal development, and allows workers to express concerns.
• Quality employment reduces inequalities and empowers vulnerable people.
• Jobs should provide decent earnings, ensure safe conditions, provide social protection, and safeguard workers' rights.

Employment Challenges in Developing Countries

• Unemployment statistics don't fully reflect the situation; many accept precarious jobs or are self-employed with low incomes.
• Precarious employment and underemployment are major issues.
• 1.4 billion people work in vulnerable or informal employment, accepting bad conditions for survival.
• High proportions of working poor exist.
• Informal work is common, disproportionately affecting women and children.
• Informal work represents over 50% of non-agricultural employment in many developing regions.
• 82% in South Asia
• 66% in Sub-Saharan Africa
• 65% in East and Southeast Asia
• 51% in Latin America

Industrial Revolution

• Mechanization occurred during the 18th and 19th centuries mainly in Europe and North America.

1st Industrial Revolution (1700s-1800s)

• Steam engines replaced horse and human power.
• Mechanical production facilities were introduced, driven by water and steam.
• There was an evolution of workers from agricultural to industrial focused and a migration of workers.

2nd Industrial Revolution (1800s-1900s)

• Included electrification, with the production of steel, electricity, and combustion engines.
• Division of labor and mass production became enabled by electricity.

3rd Industrial Revolution (1st decade of 2000s)

• Saw automation and globalization.

4th Industrial Revolution (2nd decade of 2000s)

• The digital revolution that started around the 1980s saw computers, digitalization, and the internet.
• Automation of production occurred through electronic and IT systems.
• Digitalization began at the start of the 21st century with introduction to AI, robotics, IoT, blockchain, and crypto
• Increased robotics and artificial and augmented, reality, virtual reality

5th Industrial Revolution (3rd decade of 2000s)

• Included personalization in the 2nd decade of the 21st century.
• Focus on innovation, purpose, and inclusivity.
• Emphasized deep, multi-level cooperation between people and machines.

History of Global Efforts to Improve Worker Health

• The WHO and ILO joined forces to improve worker health
• Establishment of Joint ILO/WHO Committee on Occupational Health.
• Health promotion linked to the workplace.
• Health promotion and occupational health activities initially operated separately

Driving Force of ILO (1919-Present)

• Driving forces include the importance of social justice, securing peace, addressing exploitation of workers, fostering economic interdependence, and promoting similar working conditions across countries.
• ILO was organized in 1919, after WW1
• UN was formed in 1945, after WWII
• The ILO became a special agency of the UN.
• WHO was organized in 1948.
• The WHO and ILO joined to define occupational health

Key Events

1950: JOINT ILO/WHO COMMITTEE ON OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

• The joint committee initiated collaboration between the two organizations, which continues to the present day.

1978: DECLARATION OF ALMA ATA

• This declaration identified primary health care as key to achieving "Health for All."

Primary Health Care

• Primary health care involves meeting people’s health needs, addressing broader health determinants, and empowering communities.

1981 ILO CONVENTION 155

• Requires Member States to establish national policies on occupational health; aims to prevent accidents and injuries by minimizing hazards.
• Occupational health protects workers from work-related diseases and injuries.
• Identifies and controls risks to maintain safe workplaces.
• Pursues improvement of the work environment and promotion of worker's health.

Some Occupational Health Hazards in the Past

• Exposure to coal dust can cause miners' asthma.
• Coal miners' nystagmus leads to visual disorder from low light.
• Potters' rot/miners' phthisis is silicosis, a respiratory disease from silica dust inhalation.
• File cutters' paralysis to paralysis occurred from lead exposure.
• Hatters shakes/mad hatter's disease refers to mercury poisoning among millinery workers.
• Phossy jaw is phosphorus necrosis of the jaw from white phosphorus exposure.
• Long shifts can cause chronic fatigue.
• 3 Key Objectives of Occupational Health includes promoting worker's health, improving the work environment, and developing supportive work cultures

Occupational Health and Safety Convention 1981

• Addresses workplace design, lighting, temperature, machinery safety, stress prevention, safe handling of materials, use of electricity, and protection against hazards like noise and radiation.
• Addresses prevention and control of high barometric pressures, prevention of fires and explosions and measures in this case.
• Addresses personal protective equipment, sanitary and welfare facilities, emergency plans, and health supervision.

1985 ILO CONVENTION 161

• Resolution calls for occupational health services.
• Services included environmental and health surveillance, worker health advice, hygiene, ergonomics, first aid, and vocational rehabilitation

1986 Ottawa Charter

• Credited with introducing the concept of health promotion of enabling people to increase control over and improve their health.
• Legitimized intersectoral collaboration and introduced the "settings approach" to creating a key workplace for health promotion

1994 Global Declaration of Occupational Health For All

• Reiterated that "occupational health" includes accident prevention and psychosocial stress.
• Urged Member States to increase occupational health activities

1996 Global Strategy on Occupational Health for All

• Highlighted using the workplace to improve workers' lifestyle factors impacting health

1997 Jakarta Declaration on Health Promotion

• Said workplace is the place to emphasize social responsibility for health and expand partnerships, build community, empower individuals, and secure infrastructure.

1997 Luxembourg Declaration on Workplace Health Promotion in the European Union

• Defined workplace health promotion (WHP) as joint efforts to improve worker well-being through better work organization, environment, participation, and personal development

1998 Cardiff Memorandum on WHP in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)

• Importance of SMEs and addressing their specific challenges.

1998 World Health Assembly Resolution 51.12

• Called on WHO to enhance its capacity to foster health-promoting workplaces, cities, etc.

2002 Barcelona Declaration on Developing Good Workplace Health Practice in Europe

• Emphasized that there is no public health without workplace health and the importance of occupational health & safety and public health sectors to work together on WHP

2003 Global Strategy on Occupational Safety and Health

• Focuses on improving safety, gender-specific factors within OSH standards.

2005 Bangkok Charter for Health Promotion in a Globalized World

• Said that commitment to health should become a corporate requirement and employers, corporations and workplaces should practice health promotion.
• Noted gender differences for healthy workplaces

2006 Stresa Declaration on Workers Health

• Specifically noted increasing evidence showing workers' health to incorporate traditional and social aspects like status, income, gender, behaviour, and access
• A health appraoch is required, combining occupational health with disease prevention, promotion, etc

2006 ILO Convention 187

• Designed to strengthen OSH management through safety and health implementations

Paradigm Shift according to WHO

• From the standard labor approach to a Public Health Workers Model and include social and responsible measures for health and well-being