| ILO/FINNIDA Asian-Pacific OSH Programme Pia Markkanen & Jukka Takala 1992-96 Activities Background and objectives Rapid industrialization in the Asian-Pacific region challenges government agencies, employers’ and workers’ organizations to improve the quality of work life and of working conditions. Hazards to and concerns about safety and health at the workplace demand rapid, effective and inexpensive solutions in many of the countries in the region. In some countries, the occupational safety and health infrastructure has already been improved and governments have set up campaigns to raise awareness of employers and workers. However, other countries still have inadequate occupational safety and health infrastructure and lack capabilities to promote improvements in occupational safety and health. The ILO/FINNIDA Asian-Pacific Regional Programme on Occupational Safety and Health (ASIA-OSH) is a technical cooperation project covering 20 countries and the Territory of Hong Kong in the Asian-Pacific region. The project was designed to strengthen occupational safety and health infrastructure in participating countries mainly through dissemination and sharing of information, and educational and training activities. Operation and member countries The project’s activities have been funded by the Government of Finland and implemented by the International Labour Organization. The project became fully operational in May 1992. It is administratively managed by the ILO’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok, Thailand, and it is technically managed by the Occupational Safety and Health Branch of the Department of Working Conditions, at the ILO Headquarters in Geneva. Close liaison has been maintained with the ILO Area Offices and the three ILO Multidisciplinary Advisory Teams in the region to ensure that the ASIA-OSH programme is complementary to the ILO’s Active Partnership Policy. The countries participating in the project are: Activities and accomplishments ASIA-OSH has established nine National and eleven Collaborating ILO Occupational Safety and Health Information Centres (ILO/CIS Centres) in countries covered under it. The role of these centres is to increase the effectiveness of occupational safety and health measures and information activities in the respective countries, by pooling the experience and efforts of national specialized agencies and organizations. The project has encouraged and assisted the centres in establishing a national inquiry service for workers and the general public to access information to reduce work-related accidents and diseases. The project has provided specific equipment, occupational safety and health references, and informational databases to improve the ability of the National and Collaborating ILO Occupational Safety and Health Information Centres to provide services. It has assisted, whenever feasible, in connecting the centres to the Internet. In general, ASIA-OSH has supported the centres in their activities aimed at improving information collection and dissemi-nation concerning new facts, methods, ways and means relevant to ensuring the safety and health of workers in all sectors of economic activity. Occupational safety and health information networks The establishment and nurturing of occupational safety and health information networks has been a prioritized project activity. The Asian-Pacific Regional Network in Occupational Safety and Health Information was established in 1993. The network was set up by agencies, institutions and organizations from the participating countries as well as from Australia, Japan and New Zealand, in an attempt to improve safety and health at the workplace through international cooperation as well as through wide dissemination and exchange of relevant information. The Regional Network is a part of the global network of the ILO International Occupational Safety and Health Information Centre (CIS). The ASIA-OSH project has acted as the regional network facilitator and has published the quarterly network information news-flyer, the ASIA-OSH Infogram. Consultations with Heads of Selected ILO National Occupational Safety and Health Information Networks have been held annually between 1994 and 1996. Between 1994 and 1996 the project has initiat-ed fourteen National Occupational Safety and Health Information Networks, in China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Phlippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. A state level network was initiated in Sarawak, East-Malaysia, as well as three subject-orient-ed sub-domain networks. These include a Network on Coal Mining Safety and Health Information in China and National Chemical Safety Information Networks in Thailand and the Philippines. The chemical safety information networks have been initiated in concert with the International Programme on Chemical Safety. Education and training activities The project has sought to assist trainees from the participating countries by providing training courses in which small group discussions have played a key role. The training courses organized by the project have focused on the promotion of ILO Labour Standards related to occupational safety and health, train-the-trainer programmes on chemical safety in collaboration with the International Programme on Chemical Safety, and a pilot programme on construction safety. It has also carried out training on Work Improvements in Small Sized Enterprises, and occupational safety and health training for safety officers and inspectors. Whenever possible, the project has endeavoured to ensure some sort of tripartite representation with representatives from government agencies, employers’ and workers’ organizations. Other accomplishments The project has published quarterly the Asian-Pacific Newsletter on Occupational Safety and Health. It has supported the translation of occupational safety and health materials into national languages, and published documents, brochures and leaflets on occupational safety and health issues. The project has supported and assisted the countries in compiling directories of institutional profiles which describe capabilities of different agencies, institutions and organizations with an interest in occupational safety and health. It has collected national legislation pertaining to occupational safety and made such legislation easily accessible through its inclusion on the World-Wide-Web-site. ASIA-OSH has carried out surveys on major reference collections on occupational safety and health at institutes in the region with a view to ascertaining the most useful reference works, and also when funds permit, to provide necessary reference books missing from the collection. It has endeavoured to improve working conditions in different economic sectors and problem areas. For example, surveys on national capabilities for addressing major hazards were carried out, a promotional video on Electrical Safety on Construction Sites as well as on the ILO Fire Protection Checklist were developed. ASIA-OSH has developed and maintained a World-Wide-Web-Site on the Internet linking various occupational and safety and health institutions in the Asia Pacific region electronically. Issue-focused and user-friendly occupational safety and health informational data-bases have been developed and distributed throughout the region. Evaluation mission The evaluation of the activities of the Asian-Pacific Regional Programme on Occupational Safety and Health, their impact on some of the recipient countries, and the possibilities of sustainability of such activities, took place in May 1995. The evaluation team visited Thailand and China. While the team acknowledged that the activities have enhanced the recipients’ access to vital information on occupational safety and health and thereby also developed the skills and knowledge of personnel at several institutions, it was mindful of the fact that the success of the programme ultimately depends on the commitment of each country. The team noted that the project has endeavoured to establish close contact with decision-makers and to build up a relationship of trust and confidence as a first step towards encouraging policy changes and legislative enactments as well as the recognition of relevant ILO Conventions and Recommendations geared to improving occupational safety and health in the countries in which it operates. Observations The most positive and encouraging observation on the project’s activities is the acceptance of the national occupational safety and health information networks by the governments concerned. In a number of countries they have been institutionalised by their inclusion in the workplans and budgets of the ministries concerned. These augur well for the sustainability of the networks, and hopefully, they will expand so that information would reach the shop floor level where the value and usefulness of the information available, would benefit the workers and result in improvements in workplace safety and health. The missions and regular interaction with participating countries aided by the new electronic linkages with some countries, have enabled the project not only to keep in close contact with the network participants and National and Collaborating CIS Centres, but also to increase inter-country cooperation and assistance. Regular and active participation of the project staff in the meetings of the Working Group on Occupational Safety and Health, which includes representatives from the East Asia Multidisciplinary Advisory Team (EASMAT) and the Workers’ Education Project on Occupational Safety and Health (WE-OSH), has resulted in greater cooperation and a sharing of experiences and ideas among the members of the group. Close contact maintained with the Embassy of Finland in Thailand and the Ambassador has proved a source of strength and support for which the project is deeply grateful. The project also is indebted to the Head and staff of the CIS Branch, ILO, Geneva, for the guidance, assistance and cooperation extended in the organization and execution of its programmes. Project Evaluation General conclusions Some of the central conclusions and recommendations given in the evaluation report are presented here. The programme has enhanced the receipients’ possibilities for access to information on occupational safety and health, and has developed the ability and skills of personnel at several institutions with regard to using and benefiting from the information available. The success of the programme depends on the commitment of the recipient countries, at a high level of decision-making. The programme has emphasized the establishment of relations with decision-makers, in order to build trust and gain understanding for the importance of the programme goals. Conclusions on achievementsWork for new legislation has been spurred in many of the recipient countries. A practical and useful occupational safety and health database has been created and distributed to a wide range of countries. The programme has been able to disseminate occupational safety and health information successfully. The programme has essentially strengthened networking functions in the countries and between their neighbours. These networks have improved experts’ skills and their possibilities to perform their professional functions at their own institutions. Promotion of ILO Conventions, Recommendations and Standards in the region. The training and information activities of the programme have developed the skills of the person-nel and have increased their knowledge. These further developed human resources will remain once the programme has ended. RecommendationsWith regard to implementation of the programme, it is extremely important to develop tailored country plans based on the developmental level and the culture of the recipient country. The programme has experimented with these activities, and has achieved good results. Better measurement methods and indicators are needed at the company level and at the country level, and project activities should be developed. in a way that enables measurement of their success. Implementation of information technology in the field of occupational safety and health is a very relevant area for future technical cooperation between Asian-Pacific countries and a donor like Finland, because the spread of information technology in these countries is rapid and thus the need for occupational safety knowledge is urgent. For occupational safety and health information and networking, it is essential to include the local universities and institutions within the scope of the training and information activities. Further, these local resources should be utilised and they should be integrated in development of the field. From the donor’s point of view, the donor country should create a core of experts and professionals to participate in the programme, in order to obtain the training experience they will need for further development cooperation. Strengthening of the national occupational safety and health infrastructures has progressed in all of the recipient countries. New legislation has been passed; ILO Conventions have been studied and assessed in tripartite discussions; government agencies have strengthened their capabilities by gaining access to the latest occupational safety and health information, by sharpening their profiles of activities; and agencies’ capabilities have improved through better networking. In order to have any impact on the economic development of the recipient country and on the welfare of its population, the regional programme on occupational safety and health must be considered a highly relevant field of priority. The project strategy, concentrating on occupational safety information and networking for human and information technology networks, proved to be a good approach, and is in accordance with fundamental developments within the modern world Owing to rapid economic development and growth in production, the overall developmental objective for improved occupational safety and health at work is extremely relevant and is included in the priority list of almost every country in the area. The lack of the adequate statistics makes it difficult to determine the specific outcome and effects numerically. The ultimate results of projects of this type are seen in the records gradually. 1997 Review Activities In 1997, our activities aimed at strengthening ILO occupational safety and health information centres as well as national occupational safety and health information networks in the region. The fellowships The project funded the participation of two experts in these occupational safety and health events: Advanced Training Course on Occupational Safety and Health Information Provision, from 22 to 27 June 1997, in Helsinki; the Annual Meeting of the National ILO Occupational Safety and Health Information Centres, on 28 June 1997, in Helsinki; and the International Ergonomics Association 13th Triennial Congress, from 29 June to 4 July 1997, in Tampere. The project also conducted a fellowship training on occupational safety and health information provision, from 13 October to 17 October 1997, in Bangkok. The purpose was to improve skills of three information officers for streamlining their centres’ services.
Distribution of references and newsletters in the region The project provided several ILO occupational safety and health information centres with the chemical safety training modules, FINNIDA’s Manual of Risk Assessment of Toxic Chemicals, CD-ROM on chemical safety, and ILO Ergo-nomic Checkpoints. We assisted the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in developing and publishing the Asian-Pacific Newsletter on Occupational Safety and Health. Also, the project developed and distributed two network bulletins (ASIA-OSH Infograms) in the region. World-Wide-Web-site We continued maintaining and restructuring the World-Wide-Web-site of the Regional Network on Occupational Safety and Health Information. Activities by countries China A resource person from the project participated in the workshop on dissemination and application of chemical safety data sheets. The All China Federation of Trade Union (ACFTU) organized the event, from 18 to 21 November 1997, in Xiamen. The project funded the participation of Ms Jiang, Chief of the Information and Document Section, the National ILO/CIS Centre for China, in the fellowship training on occupational safety and health information provision. Both the Centre and the ACFTU received the occupational safety and health references.
India The Directorate General Factory Advice Service and Labour Institutes (DGFASLI) compiled, updated, and printed a directory on occupational safety and health institutions of India. The project also assisted the DGFASLI in establishing a World-Wide-Web-site as well as databases on experts, institutions, and legislation on occupational safety and health. Both the DGFASLI and Participatory Research for Asia (PRIA) received the occupational safety and health references.
Indonesia The project funded the participation of Mr Siahaan, Chief of the Evaluation and Information OSH Section, the Ministry of Manpower (DEPNAKER), in the fellowship training on occupational safety and health information provision. Also, Ms Augustina of the Employers’ Association of Indonesia (APINDO) attended the training (participation charged to the regular budget). Both DEPNAKER and APINDO received the occupational safety and health references.
Mongolia The activities in Mongolia still continue in 1998. Dr Buzmaa, environmental health officer, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, coordinates an analysis on occupational safety and health capacities and situation in the Baganuur province. Mr. Sugar, database consultant, develops an occupational safety and health World-Wide-Web-site for Mongolia. He also provides the Labour and Social Welfare Inspection Agency with training and technical support in developing occupational safety and health databases, and compiling a directory on occupational safety and health institutions of Mongolia. The Inspection Agency received the occupational safety and health references from the project.
Nepal The Department of Labour updated, compiled, and printed a directory on occupational safety and health institutions of Nepal. The Department of Labour and the Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce & Industry received the occupational safety and health references.
Pakistan Mr Akhtar, Chief Inspector of Mines, the Ministry of Labour, Manpower, and Overseas Pakistanis, participated in the occupational safety and health events in Finland. The Central Inspectorate of Mines updated, compiled, and printed a directory on occupational safety and health institutions of Pakistan. The Inspectorate received the occupational safety and health references.
Sri Lanka Dr de Alwis, Deputy Labour Commissioner of Occupational Health, the Ministry of Labour, participated in the occupational safety and health events in Finland. The Division of Occupational Hygiene updated, compiled, and printed a directory on occupational safety and health institutions of Sri Lanka. The Division received the occupational safety and health references.
Thailand The National Institute for the Improvement of Working Conditions and Environment (NICE) established databases on occupational safety and health experts and organizations. They also described their information management system and developed guidelines for establishing an inquiry service. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the Ministry of Public Health developed a brochure of the Chemical Safety Information Network in Thailand. The project also provided the FDA with technical guidance in translating the International Chemical Safety Data Sheets into Thai. NICE and the FDA received the references from the project. A resource person from the project participated in the Training for Trainers Roving Seminar on Ergonomics, from 8 through 11 April 1997, in Thailand. The ILO, WHO, and the International Ergonomic Association (IEA) funded the seminar. The Rangsit University of Thailand organized the event.
Vietnam Some activities still continue in 1998. The outputs will be available in English and Vietnamese. The National Institute of Labour Protection (NILP) translated a manual on the EB-database software into Vietnamese. Now, they are developing (1) occupational safety and health databases on contact information, experts, references, and training materials; (2) a central occupational safety and health information repository; and (3) a summary on information management capabilities at government agencies as well as at employers’ and workers’ organizations. The Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MOLISA) compiled, printed, and distributed a directory on occupational safety and health institutions of Vietnam. MOLISA also organized a two-day meeting and a one-day training course for about 70 members of the National Occupational Safety and Health Information Network, December 1-3, 1997, in Hanoi. The Ministry of Health carried out an analysis on the prevention of silicosis and coal workers’ pneumoconiosis. They are now developing these databases on the prevention of pneumoconioses: (1) capacities of organizations; (2) legislations; (3) newsletters and media to be used for awareness raising; (4) equipment used for prevention and hygienic measurements; and (5) conducted research in Vietnam. NILP, MOLISA, and the Ministry of Health received the occupational safety and health references.
Other countries The ILO occupational safety and health centres for Fiji, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Solomon Islands received the occupational safety and health references. Outputs of 1997 activities These products are now available: (1) Asian-Pacific Newsletters on Occupational Health and Safety; -Chemical Safety, No.1, May 1997 (2) the World-Wide-Web-site of the Asian-Pacific
Regional Network on OSH (3) a report on the prevention of silicosis and
coal workers’ pneumoconiosis in (4) directories of profiles of OSH institutions for China, India,
Nepal, Sri Lanka, (5) a brochure of the Chemical Safety Information Network in Thailand; (6) compiled materials for the fellowship training on OSH information provision; (7) two issues of the network bulletin, ASIA-OSH Infogram; (8) databases on occupational safety and health organizations and
experts in (9) a manual on the EB-database software in Vietnamese.
We expect to receive these products in 1998: (1) a directory on institutions dealing with chemical safety in China; (2) a report on OSH capacities and situation in the Baganuur province, Mongolia; (3) OSH databases on mines, quarries, experts,
organizations, and references in (4) an OSH World-Wide-Web-site for Mongolia; (5) a directory on OSH institutions of Mongolia; (6) guidelines for establishing an OSH inquiry (7) description of the information management system at NICE, Thailand; and (8) three national databases on OSH in Vietnam; (9) five databases on the prevention of pneumoconioses in Vietnam; (10) a central OSH information repository for Vietnam; and (11) a summary on information management capabilities at
government agencies, as
Pia Markkanen Jukka Takala |