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“Those are the risks of the job” – an expression we often hear and see, but one that the ILO – the International Labour Organisation – regards as totally unacceptable! Yet according to its estimates, each year across the world over 2 million women and men still die from work-related causes: 350,000 in accidents and 1.7 million from industrial illnesses.
Which makes an incredible 6,000 deaths per day! The ILO, which the United Nations agency responsible for ensuring each of us is able to earn a living freely and with dignity and safety, finds these figures are intolerable. And rightly so!
The Agency took advantage of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, held on 28 April, to reiterate its prime objective: to make decent work a reality. In other words, to achieve the implementation of safe and healthy workplaces for all.
Just as intolerable are the 270 million industrial accidents and the 160 million cases of industrial diseases recorded each year around the world… And in fact, these figures are most probably heavily underestimated because of the difficulty of gathering this information in certain countries. This is the case for example, in Africa and the Middle East. But they are not alone. Each year in India, the authorities officially register 220 fatalities from occupational causes. But according to the ILO this figure is probably 200 times higher!
As a 2005 ILO report shows, generally speaking, in developing countries only a small proportion of the total number of work-related deaths and illnesses is recognised as such and reported. Despite all this, the fact remains that today industrial illnesses continue to be a problem first and foremost for industrialised countries, whereas industrial accidents are infinitely more common in developing countries.
This is particularly so in sectors such as mining, construction and agriculture. For example, there are 60,000 fatalities a year from accidents in the building industry. That’s one death every ten minutes!
And as far as mining is concerned, historically it has always been one of the most dangerous industries for worker health and safety. Thousands of deaths are caused by rock falls and landslides each year. But there are also diseases, such as silicosis.
Silicosis is a deadly lung disease caused by exposure to dust containing silica. In Latin America one miner in three is affected, some more severely than others. In India half of those working in lead pencil factories and 36% of stone cutters also suffer from the disease.
Worldwide, almost one in every two deaths resulting from accidents takes place on the road during the journey to work. This virtual massacre affects mainly developing countries. Such as Tunisia, for example, where 40% of work-related fatalities are the result of road accidents.
In industries such as textiles and electronic component assembly, musculoskeletal disorders or MSDs have also arisen. Behind these MSDs lie a whole range of dorsal and lumbar pains and inflammatory diseases of the wrists, elbows and knees. These are principally due to repetitive strain caused by working on production lines.
Although the lack of statistical data remains a serious problem, certain countries are beginning to provide some figures. One such country is Tunisia, which recorded 138 reported cases of MSDs in 2003. Obviously this figure does not reflect the true scale of the problem, as in this country more than 250,000 employees work in the clothing industry. But it’s a start at least, and a sign that people are becoming more aware of the problem.
Setting up statistical indicators will help in tackling the problem more effectively later on. Today the best weapon we have against MSDs is quite simply prevention. But implementing preventive measures is on the same scale as the problem itself. Which is to say, complex.
At the University of Monastir, researchers are training the ergonomists of the future. These are professionals whose job it will be to ensure optimum adaptation of work equipment to user. Meanwhile, if you would like to know more about prevention, the WHO has published a leaflet entitled “Preventing Musculoskeletal Disorders in the Workplace”. This publication indeed provides a lot of illustrated advice and recommendations on improving work station ergonomics.
In addition to MSDs, workers in the textile industry also suffer from noise.
In Algeria, for example, more than 4 in 10 cases of industrial illness involve some degree of deafness. This alarming statistic was revealed in 2006 by doctors at Oran University Hospital Centre, who had studied women working in the textile industry.
Their investigation showed that six in ten workers were exposed on a daily basis to a 90 decibel noise level! This is well above the 85 decibel threshold at which preventive measures must be taken. Such measures always involve, or should always involve, the wearing of ear defender headphones or earplugs.
These are just two examples of personal protection devices worth remembering. But there are many others.
Hard hats in particular, must be worn wherever there is a risk of objects falling from above. As is the case on building sites, where protective shoes or boots must also be worn. These protect the feet from being crushed by a heavy falling object, or pierced through the sole by a pointed object.
Goggles and visors are also indispensable in preventing the risk of eye damage from substances or objects accidentally entering the eyes. This is particularly relevant in activities such as welding, chiselling and grinding, or when handling acids. In the case of acids it is also recommended that workers wear overalls and gloves.
And where mining is concerned, although the ILO considers that significant improvements have been made in recent years, much still remains to be done to improve worker safety. The installation of safety netting and the wearing of safety harnesses and masks to prevent breathing in dust or toxic gases are still far from widespread.
A more systematic use of approved personal protection could save tens of thousands of lives each year across the world. The ILO does not see accidents and diseases as inevitable consequences of work. Prevention can be very effective. The steep drop in the number of occupational accidents observed during recent decades in industrialised countries is proof of this. The challenge now facing us is extending prevention to encompass the whole of the working world.
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