Safe work and social security for labors need being protected
17/09/2024 04:40 PM
Safety in the workplace should be a serious priority for all employers. The employer should have overall responsibility for the protection of workers’ safety and health. Managing safety and health is an integral part of managing a business.
An effective safety program, at its root, should keep employees safe and healthy. The goal of safety and health practices is to protect workers from present and potential hazards, as well as establish compliance with OSHA standards. In 1989, OSHA issued four voluntary guidelines for the management and protection of employee safety. These guidelines address the issues of employee involvement, discipline, and reporting. These guidelines were designed as a practical tool for assisting organizations (a company, operation, firm, undertaking, establishment, enterprise, institution or association, or part of it, whether incorporated or not, public or private, that has its own functions and administration) and competent institutions as a means of achieving continual improvement in occupational safety and health (OSH) performance. The guidelines have been developed according to internationally agreed principles defined by the ILO’s tripartite constituents. The practical recommendations of these guidelines are intended for use by all those who have responsibility for OSH management. Occupational safety and health, including compliance with the OSH requirements pursuant to national laws and regulations, is the responsibility and duty of the employer. The employer should show strong leadership and commitment to OSH activities in the organization, and make appropriate arrangements for the establishment of an OSH management system. The system should contain the main elements of policy, organizing, planning and implementation, evaluation and action for improvement.
An employer’s policy is to ensure the safety and health of its workers and it has dedicated resources and personal to fulfil this desire and is committed to ensuring worker participation to achieve this.
The OSH manager is tasked with ensuring a safe workplace and is held accountable by management to achieve this and this has been communicated to workers. The OSH manager’s competence is enhanced by the attendance of training courses.
The employer uses chemical products in their manufacturing process and risk assessments have been conducted on their use and risk control measures are in place to ensure safe systems of work can be followed. Action plans have been developed to enhance the control measures to assist in reducing the risks. The maintenance team present conducts planned preventative maintenance to ensure the control measures are functioning correctly to reduce the risks and with the aim of reducing the need for breakdown maintenance. Through a management review of the process and in discussions with workers decisions were made to revise the use of some of the chemicals and to replace the extraction system that was in place thereby enhancing the control measures.
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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the rate of worker deaths and injuries has decreased by more since the institution of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. This statistic shows that an increased focus on safety in the workplace is beneficial overall. Less risk for injury in the workplace means fewer worker’s compensation claims for the employer. Safety programs provide a wide range of benefits to both employees and employers. On 9–10 September 2024, BRICS ministers discuss occupational safety and health. They made commitments “strive to both prevent and mitigate workplace hazards and extend comprehensive and adequate social protection for workers”. Safety & Health The employer should ensure that workers and their safety and health representatives are consulted, informed and trained on all aspects of OSH, including emergency arrangements, associated with their work. The employer should make arrangements for workers and their safety and health representatives to have the time and resources to participate actively in the processes of organizing, planning and implementation, evaluation and action for improvement of the OSH management system.
The employer should ensure, as appropriate, the establishment and efficient functioning of a safety and health committee and the recognition of workers’ safety and health representatives, in accordance with national laws and practice. The employer should have overall responsibility for the protection of workers’ safety and health, and provide leadership forOSH activities in the organization.
The employer and senior management should allocate responsibility, accountability and authority for the development, implementation and performance of the OSH management system and the achievement of the relevant OSH objectives.
Workers have rights as an employee to work in a safe and healthy environment are given to you by law and generally can't be changed or removed by your employer. The most important of these rights are: as far as possible, to have any risks to your health and safety properly controlled; to be provided with any personal protective and safety equipment free of charge; to stop work and leave your work area, without being disciplined if you have reasonable concerns about your safety; to tell your employer about any health and safety concerns you have; to have time off from work during the working week; to have annual paid holiday. In his intervention, the ISSA Secretary General, Marcelo Abi-Ramia Caetano, pointed out that the financial burden of 2.8 million work-related deaths, 374 million injuries and 160 million illnesses per year can amount to 4 per cent of global GDP, and stressed that “ISSA research shows that every dollar invested in safety and health can generate over two dollars in benefit”. The Secretary General highlighted the ISSA’s extensive experience and knowledge on OSH through the Special Commission on Prevention, the 14 international prevention sections, the Technical Commission on Insurance against Employment Accidents and Occupational Diseases, the Working Group on Rehabilitation, ISSA Guidelines and publications, and the Vision Zero strategy.
Avowedly, The growth of the gig and platform economy in recent years has created new business and income-generating opportunities for workers, but it has also brought social protection gaps among platform workers to the fore.
Social security coverage is key to ensuring that platform and gig workers have access to health care and income security, especially for unemployment, maternity, employment injury, sickness, old age, disability, loss of income provider, and child care. Regardless of their employment status (i.e. employed, self-employed or other), providing adequate and sustainable social protection for gig and platform economy workers is essential to ensure decent work. Furthermore, the formalization of platform work is crucial to promote efficient labour markets and fair competition between firms, as well as to support the sustainability of social security systems by encouraging contribution and tax payments.
Nevertheless, that providing adequate social and labour protection for workers is a complex issue. Policymakers will need to continue to adapt and refine frameworks in order to ensure that workers are protected without stifling innovation and flexibility.
A broad set of policy and administrative mechanisms is needed to build the capabilities of all workers to engage in today's and tomorrow's world of work. Through systematic interconnections and taking advantage of the digital nature of the platforms, social security administrations and business platforms can provide effective mechanisms for registration, collection of contributions and delivery of benefits to ensure adequate access for workers.
Currently, a growing number of countries are developing policies, legal frameworks and innovative mechanisms to promote the formalization and protection of platform workers by simplifying and automating administrative procedures and carrying out information and awareness campaigns. It is important to highlight that experiences in formalizing other difficult-to-cover groups, such as domestic and missing-middle workers, have provided valuable insights and institutional capacities to address the challenges of improving the social security coverage of platform workers.
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Sickness
Work Injury and Occupational Disease
Survivor’s
Old-age
Maternity
Unemployment
Medical (Health Insurance)
Certificate of coverage
VSS - ISSA Guidelines on Social Security