Indonesia launches its first National OSH Profile to promote safe and secure working environments and foster prevention culture

Indonesia continues to demonstrate progress and leadership on occupational safety and health (OSH) and to promote a national culture of prevention on OSH.--ILO

Read full article

Working hand in hand to strengthen OSH programmes at national and provincial level

The ILO and its social partners continue to work together in creating a culture of prevention through the development of national OSH programme and building the capacity for OSH provincial stakeholders.--ILO

Read full article

Strategic Compliance Resource Page

In December 2017, the LABADMIN/OSH conducted the Academy on Workplace Compliance through Labour Inspection , bringing together more than 100 representatives from 45 countries. Watch the below video to hear participants share how Strategic Compliance Planning can strengthen labour inspectorate operations. 

Please find the link to the video below.  

Click on the link to see full page of Strategic Compliance Resource Page (http://www.ilo.org/labadmin/info/WCMS_620987/lang--en/index.htm)

 

Strategic Compliance Planning Workshop from June 27 to 29, 2018 for Labour Inspectors in Cambodia.  LAB/ADMIN Specialist, Rene Robert and ILO/BFC Sophal Chea, Team Leader-Assessment & Stakeholder Engagement jointly conducted the workshop at Phnom Penh Hotel with the support from Better Work Global.

To download ILO Approach to Strategic Compliance Planning for Labour Inspectorate, click here: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_dialogue/---lab_admin/documents/publication/wcms_606471.pdf

2016 World Day for Safety and Health at Work: ILO-BFC and MoLVT joint effort to address workplace stress

11 May 2016 
Better Factories Cambodia

Today, workers all over the world are facing significant pressure to meet the demands of modern working life. Work-related stress is now generally acknowledged as a global issue affecting all countries, all professions and all workers both in developed and developing countries. This is according to a new ILO study entitled “Workplace Stress: A Collective Challenge”.

BFC Programme Manager Esther Germans addressing on her speeches on workplace stress to approximately 1,300 workers at Roo Hsing Garment Co Ltd.

The study demonstrates that high levels of stress directly impact productivity of enterprises since they are associated with increased absenteeism and turnover, reduced motivation, higher staff turnover and reduced efficiency. The workplace factors that can cause stress are called psychosocial hazards.

Every year, approximately two million workers lose their lives through accidents and occupational diseases related to their work. In addition, there are 270 million occupational accidents and 160 million occupational diseases each year, incurring US$ 2.8 trillion in costs for lost working time and expenses for treatment, compensation and rehabilitation.

For Cambodia, according to the National Social Security Fund in 2015, 181 workers died as a result of work-related accidents, costing approximately US$ 3 million for treatment, compensation and rehabilitation. There were 2,073 incidents of workers fainting and one of the main reasons for the fainting was psychosocial hazards.

The theme of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work this year is “Workplace Stress: A collective challenge”. In Cambodia, the ILO-BFC in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training (MoLVT) organised this event to create greater awareness on the collective challenge around stress at the workplace. The event was held on 09 May 2016 at Roo Hsing Garment Co., Ltd.

Hundreds of white T-shirts, caps, banners and a comedy show were designed to spread a wider occupational safety and health message to workers, employers and other relevant stakeholders.

In front of representatives of the government, employers, trade unions and hundreds of factory workers, Ms. Esther Germans, Programme Manager of Better Factories Cambodia (BFC), said workplace stress can be caused by many factors, including insecurity about job stability, workload, long working hours and conflict at the workplace. She added that high levels of stress can eventually lead to suicide.

To address this issue, Ms. Germans suggested that “we need to collectively ensure that labour law and safety at the workplace are correctly implemented. Additionally, improving a good relationship between workers and management in respecting the rules and talk in good faith is also needed”.

The BFC Programme Manager believes that a social dialogue between the tripartite parties is necessary to ensure safe, profitable and respected workplaces throughout Cambodia.

Labor Minister Ith Sam Heng expressed his appreciation on the collaboration between BFC and MoLVT with respect to strengthening labour inspections and improving working conditions in garment factories. The MoLVT also continues its effort and law enforcement and an effective conciliation mechanism with all partners and relevant stakeholders in order to prevent and protect work-related accident at workplace and enterprises. The Minister added that solidarity and high commitment from key tripartite such as government, employer and employee are necessary.

This is the 11^th celebration of the World Day for Occupational Safety and Health. The first event was conducted in 2006.

OSH Day--A chance to win more 8-month wages for workers

By Chea Sophal
March 2, 2013

Phnom Penh: 2 March 2013, Cambodian garment industry contributes annually a four billion U.S dollar to the economy.  The industry employes almost 500,000 workers.  To celebrate the world day on occupational health and safety on 28 April 2013, Cambodia workers both in the garment and footwear factories would  contest and have opportunity to win the first prize of $500, $300 for second prize and $200 for the third prize.

They will be taking part in the competition on  fire safety in which they could think of practical, inexpensive steps that can be taken to improve fire safety in their own factories.  The forms of submissions include as the following:

Video Links on OSH and Fire Safety

December 19, 2012
By Chea Sophal

Phnom Penh:


Video Links on the Occupational Safety and Health that have been produced by Better Work.

Raising awareness of occupational safety and health in garment manufacturing (Video 1)

 

Raising awareness of occupational safety and health in garment manufacturing (Video 2) 

OSH Day: More than 1,500 People Die Annually in Cambodia Due to Work-Related Accidents

By Chea Sophal

April 30, 2012

Preah Sihanouk Ville:  Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training (MoLVT) in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO), a specialized agency of the United Nations, organized the World Day as well as marking the National Day for Occupation Safety and Health (OSH) at Work on 30 April 2012, in Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone, Preah Sihanoukville Province (the seaside province of Cambodia).  ILO was established in 1919 and it formulates international labour standards in the form of Conventions and Recommendations setting minimum standards of basic labour rights: freedom of association, the right to organize, collective bargaining, abolition of forced labour, equality of opportunity and treatment. 

The ILO/MoLVT Press Release indicated that MoLVT with the support from the ILO would organize the event on the theme of “Promoting and Health in Small and Medium Enterprises” as an effective measure to promote safe and healthy workplaces” while the global theme focusing on “Promoting Safety and Health in a Green Economy”.  The Press Release emphasized that OSH is a grave issue in Cambodia due to the fact that every year more than 1,500 Cambodians died as a result of work-related accidents and around 3,000 Cambodian people contract work-related diseases on a yearly-basis.  The ILO estimates that each year two million men and women die from work-related diseases and accidents – a death toll averaging some 5,000 workers a day. 

As their main duties to ensure the occupational safety and health at work, the Department of Occupational Health and Safety conducted inspections to 837 enterprises for hygiene and safety condition for 1,442 times in 2011.  The Department checked up the health for both Cambodian and foreign workers of 132,159 (101,376 female), of those 129,227 are Cambodian and 2, 932 are foreign workers.  In collaboration with CARE organization and DWA, the AIDs Committee of MoLVT helped set up AIDs Committees in 47 enterprises according to MoLVT Annual Conference, Summary Report on Achievements, 2010-2011.

Photos Collection for the Event on World Day for Occupational Safety and Health at Work in Sihanouk Ville Special Economic Zone, Preah Sihanoukville Province, Cambodia:

Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone (SSEZ) employes around 5,000 workers within its current 20 shoes/footwear and electronic factories according to the General Manager of the Zone.

Workers Walked in the Rain to the Event Platform on April 30 morning to take part the celebration of OSH Day at Work.

Mr. Jiyuan Wang (Right, First line), Director of. International Labour Organization (ILO) for the Country Office of Thailand, Cambodia, and Lao, attended the event.

His Execellency Vong Sauth Presiding the World Day for Occupational Safety and Health at Work at SSEZ.

Labour Official from MoLVT helped conducting a rapid assessment on OSH Day with the work participants.

ILO Representatives (from left to right), Tun Sophorn, National Coordinator of ILO Cambodia, Jiyuan Wang, Director of ILO, and Undraa Suren, Programme Manager of ILO SPG Project.