From April 16th to May 6th, at the Documents of International Organizations Reading Room (room 207g) is open a subject book exhibition "Labor safety and labor protection” timed to the World Day for Safety and Health at Work.
This Day has been observed annually on April 28th since 2003, according to the decision of the International Labour Organization (ILO). Today this holiday is celebrated all over the world in more than 100 countries. The history of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work has begun in 1989, when trade unions and workers in the USA and Canada held the commemorative day dedicated to all who suffered or perished at work.
The World Day for Safety and Health at Work has been established with the purpose of attracting the world community’s attention to the issues of industrial accidents and occupational morbidity, and also with the purpose of developing and applying the principles of labor safety that can reduce the annual death rate among workers. The labor safety means:
- priority of preventive measures in the field of labor safety;
- use of all means for education and informing on mechanical risks, control of them and preventive measures;
- participation of the government, workers and employers in assurance of safe and healthy conditions of work through a sharply defined system of rights and duties;
- assurance of the right to safe and healthy conditions of work at all levels.
The most part of the world population spends more than a third of their life at a workplace, making their contribution to the development of society. If the workplace is dangerous to life and health, there is no basis for productive employment and social and economic development. Therefore the observance of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work focuses attention on one of the major principles of the ILO: a worthy work is a safe work. There are three basic rules which are reflected in all standards of the ILO dedicated to labor safety, and also in the ILO policy. They concern the following:
- labor needs a healthy and safe working environment;
- conditions of work should not cause damage to workers’ health or disgrace them;
- labor should give an opportunity to personal development, self-fulfilling and service to society.
According to the estimations of the International Labour Organization, annually in the world two million persons die in industrial accidents and of occupational diseases. It means that about six thousand workers die daily, and there is 10% increase in the number of perished every ear. Besides, 270 million persons become victims of industrial accidents. Also 160 occupational diseases are registered annually.The ILO emphasizes that 4 % of the global GDP are lost as a result of bad working conditions and industrial accidents.
On the eve of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work-2010 the ILO appeals to governments and trade unions for launching an information campaign dedicated to industrial accidents and occupational morbidity prevention. The ILO also calls on all workers to think of safe working conditions at their workplaces, and to try their best for working conditions improvement and industrial accidents and occupational diseases prevention not only on April 28th, but constantly.
The Republic of Belarus carries out a significant work in the field of labor safety. The national normative legal basis has been generated; the state supervision and public control over observance of the labor legislation are carried out. The purpose of the government labor safety management is creation of the conditions providing preservation of life and health of citizens during labor activity.
The exhibition presents more than 60 documents in the Russian and English languages most of which are the ILO documents: books, brochures, mimeographed materials, periodicals and booklets.
The exposition includes the following subject sections:
- safety and health at work – the right of each person;
- rule-making activity, standards, conventions and recommendations of the ILO in the field of safety and health at work;
- labor protection in the Republic of Belarus.
The exhibition is designed for specialists in labor protection and international labor laws, labor economics and social relations, heads and specialists of governmental bodies and trade unions, and also students, post-graduates and scientists.
Useful links
- The World Day for Safety and Health at Work
- The ILO Conventions ratified by the Republic of Belarus
- The ILO Recommendations
- The ILO Conventions
- National Labor Legislation
- APPLIS – the database on the international labor standards application
- ILOLEX – the database containing the ILO Conventions and Recommendations
- NATLEX – the legal database on national issues, social protection and the allied human rights.
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