 |
| MODULE 7: SOCIOLOGY OF WORK, INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AND
LAW SECTION 4: GLOBALISATION AND ITS IMPACT ON HEALTH AND SAFETY: 4: Development Of A Global Strategy For Occupational Health By The International Agencies |
|
| MODULE 7: SOCIOLOGY OF WORK, INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AND
LAW SECTION 4: GLOBALISATION AND ITS IMPACT ON HEALTH AND SAFETY: 4: Development Of A Global Strategy For Occupational Health By The International Agencies |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Although globalisation has had several major negative impacts for occupational health and safety in developing countries, there has been some positive developments as well. A large part of this is due to world with ever increasing technological developments and the increasing ability to communicate advances in health and safety standards throughout the world within short periods of time. In addition, the international agencies, particularly the WHO and the ILO have set standards for health and safety which are increasingly being adopted by many UN member states.
The WHO recently adopted its "Global Strategy on Occupational Health for All", following recognition for the need of equitable standards for all workers internationally, was a universal right. This strategy sets out 8 priorities, in the areas of international and national policy, healthy workers and working environments, occupational health services, occupational health standards, human resources development and development of data systems and programmes of research. In developing this strategy, the WHO argued that the key reasons for a global programme in OH lay in the increased risk posed by increasing global competition, which sees investment in OH as a threat to productive viability. Further reasons include the reduction in government spending in OH, including the employment of OH practitioners and the lack of public sector OH services.
This Strategy has been endorsed by the World Health Assembly, which consists of health ministers from all member states. Its implementation is the responsibility of the Occupational Health Programme at WHO, the WHO Regional Offices and the international network of collaborating centres.
Similar approaches to a global strategy have been addressed by the ILO Code of practice on safety, health and working conditions in the transfer of technology to developing countries, 1998. The latter code places an onus on exporters and particularly exporting countries to have due consideration for issues related to the design, installation and operation of processes or products transferred to developing countries. The code also attempts to provide tools for evaluating such technologies which will allow developing countries to appropriately modify processes or products to reduce the associated health and safety risks. The code specifies key principles for exporting countries, including the need to indicate standards, regulations and legislative requirements for the process or product being exported. These standards should apply in the recipient country as well. Products or processes which are deemed illegal in the exporting country should not be exported.
The ILO’s Tripartite Declaration on Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy, encourages MNC’s to "maintain the highest standards of safety and health, in conformity with national requirements, bearing in mind their relevant experience within the enterprise as a whole, including any knowledge of special hazards". These corporations are expected to provide all necessary information to workers, their representatives, as well as the national government on risks faced by the exposures in their particular occupations and observe standards used in their home countries.
