The ILO Country Office for Pakistan congratulates the Pakistan Chapter of the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) in organizing the Safety Professional Development Conference on 7-8 December in Karachi.
We hope that the conference will provide a meaningful platform to share experiences & policy approaches on issues of common concerns; create an active network among safety & health professionals with the objective to enhance their effectiveness to address issues of occupational safety and health (OSH).
Recalling that the right to a safe & healthy working environment should be recognized as a fundamental human right, it is concurrently realized that improving safety & health at work has a positive impact on working conditions, productivity & economic & social development. In fact safe & healthy workplaces are a prerequisite for sustainable & competitive businesses. Safety & health professionals play an important role in promoting & achieving these aspirations, through sharing ideas & knowhow & rendering expertise to governments, employers, workers & others to promote safety & health at work & prevent occupational accidents, injuries & diseases.
The importance of safety & health is globally recognized & articulated e.g. through the key ILO OSH Conventions & Recommendations, including the Occupational Safety & Health Convention, 1981 (No 155), its Protocol of 2002, the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety & Health Convention, 2006 (No 187) & their accompanying Recommendations.
Similarly, the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goal 8, envisions the protection of labour rights & promotion of safe & secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants & those in precarious employment.
However, in order to prevent accidents, injuries & diseases at the individual workplaces, the principles of above global instruments need to be transformed & transferred from the global to the national level – and in Pakistan the provincial level, as well – and in turn to the workplace level. Safety & health professionals can be instrumental in supporting this transfer.
Our engagement with this Conference is aligned with Pakistan’s Decent Work Country Program III (2016-2020) that supports its tripartite constituents in advancing Decent Work in the country as well as with the ILO’s Global Action for Prevention on Occupational Safety & Health (OSH GAP) Programme that seeks to foster the creation of a global culture of prevention, with the objective of achieving real reductions in the incidence of work-related death, injury & disease.
The ILO is confident that this Safety Professional Development Conference will stimulate discussions & share ideas on how to promote a preventative safety & health culture in Pakistan in contribution to “Advancing Social Justice, Promoting Decent Work”.
Wishing you all the best during your deliberations.