Independent evaluation of the ILO’s strategy on occupational safety and health - ILO 2013

2.2. DECENT WORK AND ENTREPRISES GROWTH

2.2.1 Promotion and implementation of decent work

Recommendation: 1. Promote and participate in the development of country decent work strategies with regard to people dependent on the IE and ensure that they are not too theoretical.

Reference: Guzman, Francisco L.; Lissner, Lothar; Zayzon, Réka, 2013, Independent evaluation of the ILO’s strategy on occupational safety and health: Workers and enterprises benefit from improved safety and health conditions at work, Meta-analysis of evaluations, ILO, Geneva. 

Evidence sample: The evaluation found that the decent work concept was partly assessed as a far too theoretical approach.

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2.2. DECENT WORK AND ENTREPRISES GROWTH

2.2.3 OSH implementation in IE

Recommendation: 1. Advocate for the ratification of OSH-related conventions in project countries.

Reference: Guzman, Francisco L.; Lissner, Lothar; Zayzon, Réka, 2013, Independent evaluation of the ILO’s strategy on occupational safety and health: Workers and enterprises benefit from improved safety and health conditions at work, Meta-analysis of evaluations, ILO, Geneva. 

Evidence sample: The comparatively low number of ratifications of OSH-related Conventions is a critical issue, and an increase in the rate would be desirable.

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2.2. DECENT WORK AND ENTREPRISES GROWTH

2.2.3 OSH implementation in IE

Recommendations:

2. Increase focus on creating collaborative synergies at regional and national levels between agencies that include focus on practical approaches to OSH in IE. Promote pro-active and action-oriented approaches to activities to strengthen OSH in the IE.

3. Work towards good integration and creation of synergies between offices on OSH within agencies to strengthen efforts to improve OSH in the IE.

Reference: Guzman, Francisco L.; Lissner, Lothar; Zayzon, Réka, 2013, Independent evaluation of the ILO’s strategy on occupational safety and health: Workers and enterprises benefit from improved safety and health conditions at work, Meta-analysis of evaluations, ILO, Geneva.

Evidence sample: 

Experts are of the view that WHO activities concerning occupational health and diseases (asbestos, silica, and occupational cancers) are comparatively more proactive and practical than those of the ILO. Other institutions such as the World Bank (the International Finance Corporation – IFC – project BETTER WORK, EHS guidelines51) were also viewed as more active on the ground. While the ILO has played a supportive and complementary role in some of the global efforts (for instance, in WHO’s Plan of Action on Workers’ Health and Better Work), it is clear that the ILO’s strategy on occupational health and diseases needs to be more action oriented, and collaboration with other institutions needs to be strengthened at regional and national levels.

The quality and relevance of the products provided by SafeWork was not doubted. Still there were a number of interview responses stating that ILO had lost a significant amount of ground in OSH-related global issues. The reasons the interviewees gave included the activity of other similarly oriented international organisations, the minimal agreements between many constituents which prohibit the ILO playing a more advanced role in OSH, a lack of collaboration between ILO and other global organisations, and missed opportunities to promote OSH to donor organisations. Consequently, the formerly undisputed position of ILO as a global leader in OSH-related issues, and OSH standard setting, is likely to become increasingly vulnerable.

Evaluation findings suggest that collaboration with internal partners such as Better Work, HIV/AIDS and the World of Work Branch (ILO/AIDS), Green Jobs, Better Factories and the Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprises (SCORE) programmes was not always optimal.

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2.2. DECENT WORK AND ENTREPRISES GROWTH

2.2.3 OSH implementation in IE

Reccomendation: 6. Support strengthening of the OSH:

• Knowledge base
• Advocacy and social behaviour change communications
• Management of approaches
• Monitoring of inspections in the informal economy and related value chain partners.

Reference: Guzman, Francisco L.; Lissner, Lothar; Zayzon, Réka, 2013, Independent evaluation of the ILO’s strategy on occupational safety and health: Workers and enterprises benefit from improved safety and health conditions at work, Meta-analysis of evaluations, ILO, Geneva.

Evidence sample: There are significant limitations in national-level data collection, monitoring systems, workplace-level awareness (particularly in under-served sectors such as agriculture, small businesses and the informal economy), and quality and reporting on inspections.

The usefulness of the ILO Encyclopaedia of Occupational Health & Safety was considered ‘somewhat satisfactory’

Reliable data on occupational accidents and diseases are a necessary precondition for impact assessment and prioritisation of OSH activities. Improvement of data collection was part of the Plan of Action, but practically no progress was achieved. The ILO has made considerable efforts to overcome these serious deficits and data gaps by making estimates of the data.

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2.2. DECENT WORK AND ENTREPRISES GROWTH

2.2.3 OSH implementation in IE

Reccomendation: 7. Promote the development of Codes of Practice providing detailed guidance for IE groups/ associations/ cooperatives on occupational safety and health. As most groups/associations/cooperatives consist of similar types of IE operators it should be feasible to develop such Codes of Practice that are well adapted per sector.

Reference: Guzman, Francisco L.; Lissner, Lothar; Zayzon, Réka, 2013, Independent evaluation of the ILO’s strategy on occupational safety and health: Workers and enterprises benefit from improved safety and health conditions at work, Meta-analysis of evaluations, ILO, Geneva.

Evidence sample: SafeWork has published a number of codes of practice, some in cooperation with other units, which provide detailed guidance on safety and health. In the period of the evaluation, two codes of practice were published, i.e. Safety and Health in Agriculture (2011, together with SECTOR) and the Code of Practice on Safety and Health in the Use of Machinery (2012, SafeWork alone).

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2.2. DECENT WORK AND ENTREPRISES GROWTH

2.2.3 OSH implementation in IE

Reccomendation: 9. Consult the ILO Computer Information Systems Documents (CISDOC) database for further details bearing in mind the need to search for tools and materials that are appropriate to developing county informal economy settings. http://www.ilo.org/safework/info/lang--en/index.htm and http://www.ilo.org/safework/info/lang--en/index.htm

Reference: Guzman, Francisco L.; Lissner, Lothar; Zayzon, Réka, 2013, Independent evaluation of the ILO’s strategy on occupational safety and health: Workers and enterprises benefit from improved safety and health conditions at work, Meta-analysis of evaluations, ILO, Geneva.

Evidence sample: ILO 2001 OSH guidelines are well known, often used and perceived as very relevant at the country level.

Some ILO programmes were specifically mentioned – the WIND training tool (agriculture), the BETTER WORK Programme and the WISE training tool for SMEs

An effective approach is mainly based on practical tools that can be easily adapted to the needs of the targeted recipients.

The ILO SafeWork’s programme also develops practical and easy to use training materials and methods that provide adequate OSH capacities. They help users identify key priorities, elaborate coherent and relevant strategies, establish effective and efficient practices, and implement national OSH programmes. Training tools, such as SOLVE, are aimed at management, supervisors, workers and their representatives, government officials, and all those concerned with workers' safety and health.

Computer Information Systems Documents (CISDOC) services include a lack of practical tools with the materials being too technical for wider reference, and knowledge products being too European or American in focus which affect their applicability in low-resource and weak institutional settings.

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2.2. DECENT WORK AND ENTREPRISES GROWTH

2.2.3 OSH implementation in IE

Reccomendation: 10. Promote use of OSH risk assessments of IE types work to help define improved approaches to improve OSH conditions.

Reference: Guzman, Francisco L.; Lissner, Lothar; Zayzon, Réka, 2013, Independent evaluation of the ILO’s strategy on occupational safety and health: Workers and enterprises benefit from improved safety and health conditions at work, Meta-analysis of evaluations, ILO, Geneva.

Evidence sample: 

1) Risk assessment techniques are important tools that facilitate the evaluation of risks, the establishment of priorities and the setting of standards at plant level.

2) Methods included risk assessments of conditions in home-based weaving. Critical points identified were very unventilated, dusty and dark rooms, very unhealthy physical working positions, and excessive working hours.