Occupational safety and health

DEFINITION:
Occupational Health is the promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of
physical, mental and social well-being of workers in all occupations by preventing
departures from health, controlling risks and the adaptation of work to people, and
people to their jobs.
Occupational safety and health (OSH) is a cross-disciplinary area
concerned with protecting the safety, health and welfare of people engaged
in work or employment. he goals of occupational safety and health
programs include fostering a safe and healthy work environment. O!H may
also protect co-workers, family members, employers, customers, and many
others who might be a"ected by the workplace environment.
Occupational safety and health can be important for moral, legal, and
#nancial reasons. $oral obligations would involve the protection of
employee%s lives and health. &egal reasons for O!H practices relate to the
preventative, punitive and compensatory e"ects of laws that protect
worker%s safety and health. O!H can also reduce employee injury and illness
related costs, including medical care, sick leave and disability bene#t costs.
O!H may involve interactions among many subject areas, including
occupational medicine, occupational hygiene, public health, safety
engineering, industrial engineering, chemistry, health physics, ergonomics
and occupational health psychology.
Defnition
!ince '()*, the +nternational &abour Organi,ation (+&O) and the -orld Health
Organi,ation (-HO) have shared a common de#nition of occupational health.
+t was adopted by the .oint +&O/-HO 0ommittee on Occupational Health at its
#rst session in '()* and revised at its twelfth session in '((). he de#nition
reads1
2Occupational health should aim at1 the promotion and maintenance of the
highest degree of physical, mental and social well-being of workers in all
occupations3 the prevention amongst workers of departures from health
caused by their working conditions3 the protection of workers in their
employment from risks resulting from factors adverse to health3 the placing
and maintenance of the worker in an occupational environment adapted to
his physiological and psychological capabilities3 and, to summari,e, the
adaptation of work to man and of each man to his job.
2he main focus in occupational health is on three di"erent objectives1 (i) the
maintenance and promotion of workers4 health and working capacity3 (ii) the
improvement of working environment and work to become conducive to
safety and health and (iii) development of work organi,ations and working
cultures in a direction which supports health and safety at work and in doing
so also promotes a positive social climate and smooth operation and may
enhance productivity of the undertakings. he concept of working culture is
intended in this conte5t to mean a re6ection of the essential value systems
adopted by the undertaking concerned. !uch a culture is re6ected in practice
in the managerial systems, personnel policy, principles for participation,
training policies and 7uality management of the undertaking.2
8.oint +&O/-HO 0ommittee on Occupational Health
Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems
International
+n 9**', the +nternational &abor Organi,ation (+&O) published +&O-O!H 9**',
also titled 2:uidelines a on occupational safety and health management
systems2 to assist organi,ations with introducing O!H management systems.
hese guidelines encourage continual improvement in employee health and
safety, achieved via a constant process of policy, organi,ation, planning ;
implementation, evaluation, and action for improvement, all supported by
constant auditing to determine the success of O!H actions.
he +&O management system was created to assist employers to keep pace
with rapidly shifting and competitive industrial environments. he +&O
recogni,es that national legislation is essential, but sometimes insu<cient on
its own to address the challenges faced by industry, and therefore elected to
ensure free and open distribution of administrative tools in the form of
occupational health and safety management system guidance for everyone.
his open access forum is intended to provide the tools for industry to create
safe and healthy working environments and foster positive safety cultures
within the organi,ations.
OH!=! '>*** is an international occupational health and safety
management system speci#cation developed by the &ondon-based ?!+
:roup, a multinational business chie6y concerned with the production and
distribution of standards related services. OH!=! '>*** comprises two parts,
OH!=! '>**' and '>**9 and embraces a number of other publications.
OH!=! '>*** is the internationally recogni,ed assessment speci#cation for
occupational health and safety management systems. +t was developed by a
selection of leading trade bodies, international standards and certi#cation
bodies to address a gap where no third-party certi#able international
standard e5ists. his internationally recogni,ed speci#cation for occupational
health and safety management system operates on the basis of policy,
planning, implementation and operation, checking and corrective action,
management review, and continual improvement.
he ?ritish !tandards - Occupational Health and !afety management
!ystems @e7uirements !tandard ?! OH!=! '>**' was developed within the
framework of the +!O standards series. =llowing it to integrate better into the
larger system of +!O certi#cations. +!O (**' Auality $anagement !ystems
and +!O 'B**' Cnvironmental $anagement !ystem can work in tandem with
?! OH!=! '>**'/'>**9 to complement each other and form a better overall
system. Cach component of the system is speci#c, auditable, and
accreditable by a third party after review.
=lso !tandards =ustralia and the =ssociation DranEaise de Formalisation
(=DFO@) in Drance have developed occupational safety and health
management standards.
United Kingdom
:uidance note H!:G)1 !uccessful Health and !afety $anagement, published
by the ?ritish non-departmental public body Health and !afety C5ecutive,
promotes a systematic management of health and safety through a si5 step
system, policy, organi,ing, planning and implementing, measuring
performance, reviewing performance. hese components are all linked to an
audit system providing for evaluation and a feedback loop to improve
performance. his systematic approach allows 6e5ibility for the company
through good business planning to strategically apply resources according to
risk priorities.
National Legislation and Pulic Organi!ations
Hi"erent states take di"erent approaches to legislation, regulation, and
enforcement. =lso economic incentives for compliance to rules and general
good occupational safety and health practice vary among nations. +n the CI,
for e5ample, some member states promote O!H by providing public monies
as subsidies, grants or #nancing, while others have created ta5 system
incentives for O!H investments. = third group of CI member states has
e5perimented with using workplace accident insurance premium discounts
for companies or organi,ations with strong O!H records.
"uropean Union
+n the Curopean Inion, member states have enforcing authorities to ensure
that the basic legal re7uirements relating to occupational health and safety
are met. +n many CI countries, there is strong cooperation between
employer and worker organisations (e.g. unions) to ensure good O!H
performance as it is recogni,ed this has bene#ts for both the worker (through
maintenance of health) and the enterprise (through improved productivity
and 7uality). +n '((G, the Curopean =gency for !afety and Health at -ork
was founded.
$ember states of the Curopean Inion have all transposed into their national
legislation a series of directives that establish minimum standards on
occupational health and safety. hese directives (of which there are about 9*
on a variety of topics) follow a similar structure re7uiring the employer to
assess the workplace risks and put in place preventive measures based on a
hierarchy of control. his hierarchy starts with elimination of the ha,ard and
ends with personal protective e7uipment.
However, certain CI member states admit to having lacking 7uality control
in occupational safety services, to situations in which risk analysis takes
place without any on-site workplace visits and to insu<cient implementation
of certain CI O!H directives. ?ased on this, it is hardly surprising that the
total societal costs of work-related health problems and accidents vary from
9.GJ to K.>J of :FL between the CI member states.
United Kingdom
+n the IM, health and safety legislation is drawn up and enforced by the
Health and !afety C5ecutive and local authorities (the local council) under
the Health and !afety at -ork etc. =ct '(NB. +ncreasingly in the IM the
regulatory trend is away from prescriptive rules, and towards risk
assessment. @ecent major changes to the laws governing asbestos and #re
safety management embrace the concept of risk assessment.
Denmar#
+n Henmark, occupational safety and health is regulated by the Hanish =ct on
-orking Cnvironment and cooperation at the workplace. he Hanish -orking
Cnvironment =uthority carries out inspections of companies, draws up more
detailed rules on health and safety at work and provides information on
health and safety at work. he result of each inspection is made public on
the web pages of the Hanish -orking Cnvironment =uthority so that the
general public, current and prospective employees, customers and other
stakeholders can inform themselves about whether a given organi,ation has
passed the inspection, should they wish to do so.
United States
+n the Inited !tates, the Occupational !afety and Health =ct of '(N* created
both the Fational +nstitute for Occupational !afety and Health (F+O!H) and
the Occupational !afety and Health =dministration (O!H=). O!H=, in the I.!.
Hepartment of &abor, is responsible for developing and enforcing workplace
safety and health regulations. F+O!H, in the I.!. Hepartment of Health and
Human !ervices, is focused on research, information, education, and training
in occupational safety and health.
O!H= has been regulating occupational safety and health since '(N'.
Occupational safety and health regulation of a limited number of speci#cally
de#ned industries was in place for several decades before that, and broad
regulations by some individual states was in place for many years prior to
the establishment of O!H=.
$anada
+n 0anada, workers are covered by provincial or federal labour codes
depending on the sector in which they work. -orkers covered by federal
legislation (including those in mining, transportation, and federal
employment) are covered by the 0anada &abour 0ode3 all other workers are
covered by the health and safety legislation of the province they work in. he
0anadian 0entre for Occupational Health and !afety (00OH!), an agency of
the :overnment of 0anada, was created in '(N> by an =ct of Larliament. he
act was based on the belief that all 0anadians had 2...a fundamental right to
a healthy and safe working environment.2 00OH! is mandated to promote
safe and healthy workplaces to help prevent work-related injuries and
illnesses.
Malaysia
+n $alaysia, the Hepartment of Occupational !afety and Health (HO!H)
under the $inistry of Human @esource is responsible to ensure that the
safety, health and welfare of workers in both the public and private sector is
upheld. HO!H is responsible to enforce the Dactories and $achinery =ct '(GN
and the Occupational !afety and Health =ct '((B.
People%s &epulic of $hina
+n the Leople%s @epublic of 0hina, the $inistry of Health is responsible for
occupational disease prevention and the !tate =dministration of -ork !afety
for safety issues at work. On the provincial and municipal level, there are
Health !upervisions for occupational health and local bureaus of -ork !afety
for safety. he 2Occupational Hisease 0ontrol =ct of L@02 came into force on
$ay ', 9**9. and -ork safety =ct of L@0 on Fovember ', 9**9. he
Occupational Hisease 0ontrol =ct is under revising. he prevention of
occupational disease is still in its initial stage compared with industried
countries such as the I! or IM.
South 'frica
+n !outh =frica the Hepartment of &abour is responsible for occupational
health and safety inspection and enforcement in commerce and industry
apart from mining and energy production, where the Hepartment of $inerals
and Cnergy is responsible.
he main statutory legislation on Health and !afety in the jurisdiction of the
Hepartment of &abour is Act No. 85 of 1993: Occupational Health and Safety
Act as amended by Occupational Health and Safety Amendment Act, No. 181
Of 1993.
@egulations to the OH! =ct include1
e!ti"cate of ompetency #e$ulations, 199%
onst!uction #e$ulations, &%%3
'i(in$ #e$ulations &%%9
'!i(en )achine!y #e$ulations, 1988
*n(i!onmental #e$ulations fo! +o!,places, 198-
.ene!al )achine!y !e$ulations, 1988
.ene!al Safety #e$ulations, 198/
Noise induced hea!in$ loss !e$ulations, &%%3
0!essu!e *1uipment #e$ulations, &%%2
&oles and &esponsiilities of Occupational Health and Safety
Professionals
he roles and responsibilities of O!H professionals vary regionally, but may
include evaluating working environments, developing, endorsing and
encouraging measures that might prevent injuries and illnesses, providing
O!H information to employers, employees, and the public, providing medical
e5aminations, and assessing the success of worker health programs.
"urope
+n Forway, the main re7uired tasks of an Occupational Health and !afety
Lractitioner include1
!ystematic evaluations of the working environment
Cndorsing preventative measures which eliminate reasons for illnesses
in the work place
:iving information in the subject of employees4 health
:iving information on occupational hygiene, ergonomics and also
environmental and safety risks in the work place
+n the Fetherlands, re7uired tasks for health and safety sta" are only
summarily de#ned, and include1
Ooluntary medical e5aminations
= consulting room on the work environment for the workers
Health check assessments (if needed for the job concerned)
Phe main in6uence on the Hutch law on the job of the safety professional is
through the re7uirement on each employer to use the services of a certi#ed
working conditions service to advise them on health and safety4. = Pcerti#ed
service4 must employ su<cient numbers of four types of certi#ed e5perts to
cover the risks in the organisations which use the service1
= safety professional
=n occupational hygienist
=n occupational physician
= work and organisation specialist.
+t shows in able ' (based on the Curopean Fetwork of !afety and Health
Lractitioner Organisations QCFH!LOR survey to) that in Forway, KN J of
Health and !afety practitioners had a $!c education level, and 'BJ in the
Fetherlands3 BBJ were ?!c graduates and GKJ in the Fetherlands3 and '(J
were of a echnician level and 9KJ in the Fetherlands.
US'
he main tasks undertaken by the OH! practitioner in the I!= include1
Hevelop processes, procedures, criteria, re7uirements, and methods to
attain the best possible management of the ha,ards and e5posures
that can cause injury to people, and damage property, or the
environment3
=pply good business practices and economic principles for e<cient use
of resources to add to the importance of the safety processes3
Lromote other members of the company to contribute by e5changing
ideas and other di"erent approaches to make sure that every one in
the corporation possess OH! knowledge and have functional roles in
the development and e5ecution of safety procedures3
=ssess services, outcomes, methods, e7uipment, workstations, and
procedures by using 7ualitative and 7uantitative methods to recognise
the ha,ards and measure the related risks3
C5amine all possibilities, e"ectiveness, reliability, and e5penditure to
attain the best results for the company concerned
Mnowledge re7uired by the OH! professional in I!= include1
0onstitutional and case law controlling safety, health, and the
environment
Operational procedures to plan/develop safe work practices
!afety, health and environmental sciences
Hesign of ha,ard control systems (i.e. fall protection, sca"oldings)
Hesign of recordkeeping systems that take collection into account, as
well as storage, interpretation, and dissemination
$athematics and statistics
Lrocesses and systems for attaining safety through design
!ome skills re7uired by the OH! professional in the I!= include (but are not
limited to)1
Inderstanding and relating to systems, policies and rules
Holding checks and having control methods for possible ha,ardous
e5posures
$athematical and statistical analysis
C5amining manufacturing ha,ards
Llanning safe work practices for systems, facilities, and e7uipment
Inderstanding and using safety, health, and environmental science
information for the improvement of procedures
+nterpersonal communication skills
Di(erences across countries and regions
?ecause di"erent countries take di"erent approaches to ensuring
occupational safety and health, areas of O!H need and focus also vary
between countries and regions. !imilar to the #ndings of the CFH!LO survey
conducted in =ustralia, the +nstitute of Occupational $edicine found that in
the IM, there is a need to put a greater emphasis on work-related illness. +n
contrast, in =ustralia and the I!= a major responsibility of the OH!
professional is to keep company directors and managers aware of the issues
that they face in regards to Occupational Health and !afety principles and
legislation. However, in some other areas of Curope, it is precisely this which
has been lacking1 SFearly half of senior managers and company directors do
not have an up-to-date understanding of their health and safety-related
duties and responsibilities.T
Identifying Safety and Health Ha!ards
Ha!ards) ris#s) outcomes
he terminology used in O!H varies between countries, but generally
speaking1
= ha,ard is something that can cause harm if not controlled.
he outcome is the harm that results from an uncontrolled ha,ard.
= risk is a combination of the probability that a particular outcome will
occur and the severity of the harm involved.
SHa,ardT, SriskT, and SoutcomeT are used in other #elds to describe e.g.
environmental damage, or damage to e7uipment. However, in the conte5t of
O!H, SharmT generally describes the direct or indirect degradation,
temporary or permanent, of the physical, mental, or social well-being of
workers. Dor e5ample, repetitively carrying out manual handling of heavy
objects is a ha,ard. he outcome could be a musculoskeletal disorder ($!H)
or an acute back or joint injury. he risk can be e5pressed numerically (e.g. a
*.) or )*/)* chance of the outcome occurring during a year), in relative
terms (e.g. 2high/medium/low2), or with a multi-dimensional classi#cation
scheme (e.g. situation-speci#c risks).
Ha!ard 'ssessment
Ha,ard analysis or ha,ard assessment is a process in which individual
ha,ards of the workplace are identi#ed, assessed and controlled/eliminated
as close to source (location of the ha,ard) as reasonable and possible. =s
technology, resources, social e5pectation or regulatory re7uirements change,
ha,ard analysis focuses controls more closely toward the source of the
ha,ard. hus ha,ard control is a dynamic program of prevention. Ha,ard-
based programs also have the advantage of not assigning or implying there
are 2acceptable risks2 in the workplace. = ha,ard-based program may not be
able to eliminate all risks, but neither does it accept 2satisfactory2 -- but still
risky8outcomes. =nd as those who calculate and manage the risk are
usually managers while those e5posed to the risks are a di"erent group,
workers, a ha,ard-based approach can by-pass con6ict inherent in a risk-
based approach.
&is# assessment
Durther information1 @isk assessmentU@isk assessment in public health
$odern occupational safety and health legislation usually demands that a
risk assessment be carried out prior to making an intervention. +t should be
kept in mind that risk management re7uires risk to be managed to a level
which is as low as is reasonably practical.
his assessment should1
+dentify the ha,ards
+dentify all a"ected by the ha,ard and how
Cvaluate the risk
+dentify and prioriti,e appropriate control measures
he calculation of risk is based on the likelihood or probability of the harm
being reali,ed and the severity of the conse7uences. his can be e5pressed
mathematically as a 7uantitative assessment (by assigning low, medium and
high likelihood and severity with integers and multiplying them to obtain a
risk factor), or 7ualitatively as a description of the circumstances by which
the harm could arise.
Qcitation neededR
he assessment should be recorded and reviewed periodically and whenever
there is a signi#cant change to work practices. he assessment should
include practical recommendations to control the risk. Once recommended
controls are implemented, the risk should be re-calculated to determine of it
has been lowered to an acceptable level. :enerally speaking, newly
introduced controls should lower risk by one level, i.e., from high to medium
or from medium to low.
$ommon *or#place ha!ard groups
Lhysical ha,ards
Foise
Oibration
&ighting
Harry $c!hane, age 'G, '(*>. Lulled
into machinery in a factory in
0incinnati. His arm
0hemical ha,ards
?arotrauma
(hypobaric/hyperbaric pressure)
+oni,ing radiation
Clectricity
=sphy5iation
0old stress (hypothermia)
Heat stress (hyperthermia)
o Hehydration (due to
sweating)
?iological ha,ards
?acteria
Oirus
Dungi
o $old
?lood-borne pathogens
uberculosis
=cids
?ases
Heavy metals
o &ead
!olvents
o Letroleum
Larticulates
o =sbestos and other #ne
dust/#brous materials
o !ilica
Dumes (no5ious gases/vapors)
Highly-reactive chemicals
Dire, con6agration and e5plosion
ha,ards1
o C5plosion
o He6agration
o Hetonation
o 0on6agration
$anadian $lassifcation
+n 0anada, Ha,ards are typically categori,ed into one of si5 groups1
'. !afety (moving machinery, working at heights, slippery surfaces, mobile
e7uipment, etc.)
9. Crgonomic (material handling, environment, work organi,ation, etc.)
K. 0hemical =gents
B. ?iological =gents
). Lhysical =gents(noise, lighting, radiation, etc.)
G. Lsychosocial(stress, violence, etc.)
$ontemporary de+elopments
On an international scale, the -orld Health Organi,ation (-HO) and the
+nternational &abour Organi,ation (+&O) have begun focusing on labour
environments in developing nations with projects such as Healthy 0ities.
$any of these developing countries are stuck in a situation in which their
relative lack of resources to invest in O!H leads to increased costs due to
work-related illnesses and accidents. =s a 9**N Dactsheet from the Curopean
=gency for !afety and Health at -ork states1 20ountries with less developed
O!H systems spend a far higher percentage of :HL on work-related injury
and illness 8 taking resources away from more productive activities . . . he
+&O estimates that work-related illness and accidents cost up to '* J of :HL
in &atin =merica, compared with just 9.G J to K.> J in the CI.2
Nanotechnology
!ee also1 Health implications of nanotechnology
Fanotechnology is an e5ample of a new, relatively as-of-yet unstudied
technology. = !wiss survey of one hundred thirty eight companies using or
producing nanoparticulate matter in 9**G, resulted in forty completed
7uestionnaires. !i5ty #ve per cent of respondent companies stated they did
not have a formal risk assessment process for dealing with nanoparticulate
matter. Fanotechnology already presents new issues for O!H professionals
that will only become more di<cult as nanostructures become more
comple5. he si,e of the particles renders most containment and personal
protective e7uipment ine"ective. he to5icology values for macro si,ed
industrial substances are rendered inaccurate due to the uni7ue nature of
nanoparticulate matter. =s nanoparticulate matter decreases in si,e its
relative surface area increases dramatically, increasing any catalytic e"ect or
chemical reactivity substantially versus the known value for the macro
substance. his presents a new set of challenges in the near future to rethink
contemporary measures to safeguard the health and welfare of employees
against a nanoparticulate substance that most conventional controls have
not been designed to manage.
Occupational health psychology
Occupational health psychology (OHL), a related discipline, is a relatively
new #eld that combines elements of occupational health and safety,
industrial/organi,ational psychology, and health psychology. he #eld is
concerned with identifying work-related psychosocial factors that adversely
a"ect the health of people who work. OHL is also concerned with developing
ways to e"ect change in workplaces for the purpose of improving the health
of people who work. Dor more detail on OHL, see the section on occupational
health psychology.
,o+ernment organi!ations
0anadian 0entre for Occupational Health and !afety (0anada)
0ongressional O<ce of 0ompliance (I!)
Curopean =gency for !afety and Health at -ork (CI)
!afe -ork =ustralia (=ustralia)
Health and !afety C5ecutive (IM)
Health for -ork =dviceline for small businesses (IM)
+nformation 0enter of Occupational !afety and Health (+srael)
+nstitute of Occupational !afetyVandVHealth Q'R
+nternational &abour Organisation (Inited Fations)
MO!H=1Morea Occupational !afety and Health =gency (!outh Morea)
Fational +nstitute for Occupational !afety and Health (I!)
Fational +nstitute of Occupational Health (+ndia)
Fational +nstitute of Occupational Health (Forway)
Fational +nstitute of Occupational !afety and Health (F+O!H $alaysia)
($alaysia)
F+O!H 0erti#cation !dn ?hd (F+O!H $alaysia !ubsidiary)
Fational +nstitute of Occupational !afety and Health (!ri &anka)
Occupational !afety and Health =dministration (I!)
!afe -ork =ustralia (=ustralia)
-ork !afe ?0 formerly -orkers% 0ompensation ?oard of ?0 (-0?)
(?ritish 0olumbia, 0anada)
-orkplace !afety ; Health 0ouncil (!ingapore)
-orkplace !afety ; +nsurance ?oard (Ontario, 0anada)
-ork!afe Oictoria, =ustralia
-orkplace !afety ; Health 0ouncil, !ingapore
QQLaramount +nstitute of Occupational Health ; !afety L+O!H, +FH+=
La*s
Health and !afety at -ork =ct (IM)
+ndonesian =ct Fo.'/'(N* about Occupational !afety at -ork '(N*
(+ndonesia)
Occupational !afety and Health =ct (I!)
Occupational Health and !afety =ct '((' (=ustralia)
Occupational !afety and Health =ct '((B ($alaysia)
imeline of major I.!. environmental and occupational health
regulation
-orkplace !afety and Health =ct (!ingapore)
Occupational Safety and Health La*s in Pa#istan
-hat are the la*s in Pa#istan relating to the issues of occupational
safety and health.
here is no independent legislation on occupational safety and health issues
in Lakistan. he main law, which governs these issues, is the 0hapter K of
Dactories =ct, '(KB. =ll the provinces, under this act, have devised Dactories
@ules. he Ha,ardous Occupations @ules, '(GK under the authority of
Dactories =ct is another relevant legislation. hese rules not only specify
some ha,ardous occupations but also authori,e the 0hief +nspector of
Dactories to declare any other process as ha,ardous.
he other related laws are1
W Hock &aborers =ct, '(KB
W $ines =ct, '(9K
W -orkmen 0ompensation =ct, '(9K
W Lrovincial Cmployees !ocial !ecurity Ordinance, '(G)
W -est Lakistan !hops and Cstablishments Ordinance, '(G(
W ?oilers and Lressure Oessels Ordinance, 9**9
$an you please tell aout the health and safety pro+isions under the
/actories 'ct) 0123.
0hapter K of the =ct has general provisions on health and safety at the
workplace. Lrovincial governments are allowed to make rules under this =ct
and inspectors under this =ct also have discretion in de#ning the rules.
0hapter K talks about various safety arrangements. his list is being
provided just to show how meticulously labor law covers these issues.
W 0leanliness
W Hisposal of wastes and eXuents
W Oentilation and temperature
W Hust and fume
W =rti#cial humidi#cation.
W Overcrowding
W &ighting
W Hrinking water
W &atrines and urinals
W !pittoons
W Lrecautions against contagious or infectious disease
W 0ompulsory vaccination and inoculation
W Lower to make rules for the provision of canteens
W -elfare o<cer
W Lrecautions in case of #re
W Dencing of machinery
W -ork on or near machinery in motion
W Cmployment of young persons on dangerous machines
W !triking gear and devices for cutting o" power
W !elf-acting machines
W 0asing of new machinery
W Lrohibition of employment of women and children near cotton openers
W 0ranes and other lifting machinery
W Hoists and lifts
W @evolving machinery
W Lressure plant
W Dloors, stairs and means of access
W Lits, sumps, opening in 6oors, etc.
W C5cessive weights
W Lrotection of eyes
W Lower to re7uire speci#cations of defective parts or tests of stability
W !afety of building, machinery and manufacturing process
W Lrecautions against dangerous fumes
W C5plosive or in6ammable dust, gas, etc.
W Fotice of certain accidents
!imilarly, 0hapter ) of the $ines =ct provides for various health and safety
arrangements. You will #nd similar provisions in the Lakistan Hock &aborers
@egulations for dockworkers.
Ho* does go+ernment ensure that the ao+e4mentioned pro+isions
are follo*ed at the *or#places.
=ll the above laws re7uire the appropriate government (Dederal or Lrovincial)
to appoint 7uali#ed individuals as inspectors. +t is the duty of inspectors to
enforce these laws. he usual powers of inspectors include the right to enter
and inspect any workplace, taking evidence from persons for carrying out
their duties. = person can4t be appointed as inspector or continue to hold the
o<ce of inspector if he or she becomes directly or indirectly interested in the
workplace (it is factory under the Dactories =ct, a dock or a ship under Hock
&aborers =ct and a mine under the $ines =ct.
Does "mployer or ,o+ernment pro+ide any training to the *or#ers
regarding *or#place health and safety issues.
Oarious government agencies like Fational +nstitute of &abor =dministration
and raining, Hirectorate of -orkers Cducation provide training to workers on
these issues. Hirectorate of Hock -orkers !afety (HH-!) and 0entral
+nspectorate of $ines provide training to dock workers and mine workers
respectively. he 0entre for +mprovement of -orking 0onditions and
Cnvironment (0+-0C) is a pioneering institution in Lakistan (working under
the Hirectorate of &abor -elfare, Lunjab) which provides training, information
and research facilities for promotion of safety, health and better work
environment in the industries and businesses. You can also #nd training
materials, safety posters and di"erent safety signs from this 0entre. Llease
follow the link for further details1
http1//www.ciwce.org.pk/inde5.html
're there any special pro+isions on *or#ing of *omen and
adolescents in factories or mines.
Lakistan has rati#ed the following two +&O conventions relating to the special
treatment for women and adolescents in the occupational safety and health
conte5t.
W 0B) Inderground -ork (-omen) 0onvention, '(K)
W 0>( Fight -ork (-omen) 0onvention (@evised), '(B>
W 0(* Fight -ork of Young Lersons (+ndustry) 0onvention (@evised), '(B>
=rticle 9 of the 0B) re7uires that no women should be employed in on
underground work in any mine. +n accordance with the provision of this
convention, article 9K-0 (') of $ines =ct prohibits the employment of women
in any underground mine.
=s for young persons, who are not seventeen years of age yet, they can4t
also be employed in any part of a mine unless they present a certi#cate of
#tness on a prescribed form by a 7uali#ed medical practitioner (section 9G-=
of $ines =ct).
!imilarly for safety reasons and under the above conventions, labor laws also
limit the employment of women and adolescents at night. !ection B) of
Dactories =ct limits the employment of women up to only *N1** p.m. (or if
employer arranges for pick and drop and with employees own accord), a
female worker may worker until '* p.m. !ection )B of the =ct re7uires that
children (over the age of 'B years) should not be employed after *N p.m.
-e also #nd provision on prohibition on employment of children and women
in any part of the factory for pressing cotton in which a cotton-opener is at
work (section K9). he referred section also talks about certain e5emptions
from this provision.
!imilarly, section KK-$ authori,es the provincial government to make rules
prohibiting the employment of children (above the age of fourteen) to any
speci#ed class of factories or to any speci#ed parts thereof. +t also allows a
factories inspector, if it appears to him that children can4t be legally
employed in a part of the factory or in a factory, he may serve on the factory
manager an order to prevent such admission.
!ection 9> of the Dactories =ct also re7uires that no young person (child or
adolescent) shall operate a machine until he has received su<cient training
for operating it and is under ade7uate supervision by some other person with
thorough knowledge and e5perience of machine. $oreover, these
re7uirements should also be met before employing young persons on
machines that are noti#ed as dangerous by Lrovincial governments.
Fote1 the term young person has been used collectively for children and
adolescents. he Cmployment of 0hildren =ct '((' de#nes a child as the one
who has not completed fourteen years of age while an adolescent is de#ned
as the one whose age is greater than 'B years but less than '> years.
Is there any data a+ailale on occupational accidents in Pa#istan.
Lakistan &abor Dorce !urvey collects data on occupational injuries/ accidents
in all the parts of country. Llease follow the links below for further details
http1//www.statpak.gov.pk/depts/fbs/publications/lfs9**>V*(/t9(.pdf
http1//www.statpak.gov.pk/depts/fbs/publications/lfs9**>V*(/tK*.pdf
http1//www.statpak.gov.pk/depts/fbs/publications/lfs9**>V*(/tK'.pdf
http1//www.statpak.gov.pk/depts/fbs/publications/lfs9**>V*(/tK9.pdf

0lick here for Irdu Oersion
0omplete our !alary !urvey and -in a -ageZ
=re you getting minimum wage and overtime rates as noti#ed by the
:overnment[ You can now inform us about the minimum wage violations at
your workplace by submitting a complaint form. -ith your information,
-orkers Cmployers ?ilateral 0ouncil of Lakistan (-C?0OL) and -age
+ndicator Lakistan will sort out the matter between you (trade union,
workers) and the Cmployer. 0omplaint forms are available in LHD and online
version.
5ou can also send us your compliant form on the follo*ing address6
-orkers Cmployers ?ilateral 0ouncil of Lakistan,
=-'(>, ?lock-'K, ?ehind .ofa owers,
:ulshan-e-+7bal, O" $ain Iniversity @oad, Marachi