Developing National Programs for Occupational Safety and Health in South Asia

Abstract

The need to strengthen national occupational safety and health (OSH) systems in South Asian countries is emerging. For this purpose, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka have developed national OSH programs in accordance with the International Labour Organization (ILO) Safety and Health Convention No. 155 (1981) and the Promotional Framework for OSH Convention No. 187 (2006). National consultation workshops were organized by the governments and the representatives of employers and workers to jointly review the national OSH situations and identify priority areas for action in their respective national OSH programs. The priority areas for action identified for these programs commonly focused on the strengthening of OSH legal frameworks, enforcement mechanisms, occupational injury and disease reporting systems, workplace safety and health committee activities, industry-specific OSH programs, and the expansion of outreach to small- and medium-sized enterprises and informal economy workplaces. The tripartite consultation approach proved effective for exchanging diverse safety and health viewpoints and reaching a consensus for the priority action areas. The relevant International Labour Standards in OSH facilitated a systematic review of consensus-building among the government, employers, and workers.