Guidelines on occupational safety and health management systems (ILO-OSH 2001)

Wednesday, 27/12/2023, 03:31(GMT +7)

At the onset of the twenty-first century, a heavy human and economic toll is still exacted by work-related injuries, ill health, diseases, incidents and deaths. These Guidelines call for coherent policies to protect workers from occupational hazards and risks while improving productivity. They present practical approaches and tools for assisting organizations, competent national institutions, employers, workers and other social partners in establishing, implementing and improving occupational safety and health management systems, with the aim of reducing work-related injuries, ill health, diseases, incidents and deaths. Employers and competent national institutions are accountable for and have a duty to organize measures designed to ensure occupational safety and health. The implementation of these ILO Guidelines is one useful approach to fulfilling this responsibility.

The guidelines may be applied on two levels – national and organizational. At the national level, they provide for the establishment of a national framework for occupational safety and health (OSH) management systems, preferably supported by national laws and regulations. They also provide precise information on developing voluntary arrangements to strengthen compliance with regulations and standards, which, in turn, lead to continual improvement of OSH performance.

At the organizational level, the Guidelines encourage the integration of OSH management system elements as an important component of overall policy and management arrangements. Organizations, employers, owners, managerial staff, workers and their representatives are motivated in applying appropriate OSH management principles and methods to improve OSH performance.

‘Today, technological progress and intense competitive pressures bring rapid change in working conditions, work processes and organization. Legislation is essential but insufficient on its own to address these changes or to keep pace with new hazards and risks. Organizations must also be able to tackle occupational safety and health challenges continuously and to build effective responses into dynamic management strategies. These Guidelines on occupational safety and health management systems will support this effort. The Guidelines were prepared on the basis of a broad-based approach involving the ILO and its tripartite constituents and other stakeholders. They have also been shaped by internationally agreed occupational safety and health principles as defined in relevant international labour standards. Consequently, they provide a unique and powerful instrument for the development of a sustainable safety culture within enterprises and beyond. Workers, organizations, safety and health systems and the environment all stand to benefit.’ – Mr Juan Somavia, ILO Director-General

Download English (pdf)

(Nguồn tin: ILO)