I am pleased to learn that Pakistan Chapter of the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) is organizing its second Professional Development Conference & Exposition at Karachi on December 07-08, 2018 with the theme of “Promoting Sustainable HSE Culture in Pakistan”
The present government fully recognizes the significance of safety at the workplace and creation of decent work conditions. It places a very high priority on human capital development & capacity building. We are committed to interact and engage with all stake holders for preventing illnesses & injuries in the Pakistani workplaces to create a competitive and sustainable business model based on effective legislation, competent enforcement machinery & a committed & progressive business leadership & conscious workforce.
We realize that Pakistan has archaic laws, regulatory and enforcement challenges, knowledge and awareness issues and business, financial and social problems which require comprehensive solutions. These have direct effects resulting in human sufferings and direct losses to the employers and the workers, but the indirect consequences include huge social costs, loss of state revenue, inaccessibility to international trade and markets, poor productivity and loss of competitiveness, etc.
It is good to learn that the Pakistan Chapter of ASSP has taken several initiatives in various fields including regulatory reforms, training & capacity building, advocacy & awareness. It has engaged & interacted with various federal & provincial ministries & departments, ILO, employers & workers forums, educational institutions, public & private organizations, local & international agencies and social action groups for developing cooperative synergies for promoting safer, healthier & decent work places.
I am confident that this Conference will provide a useful platform for effective & meaningful consultation between government officials, economic planners, business leaders, employee representatives, academia & OSH professionals. The government hopes that these consultations will culminate in sound recommendations and action plans aimed at Promoting Sustainable HSE Culture in Pakistan.
The present Government fully supports and encourages these efforts of the Pakistan Chapter of ASSP and assures its full assistance and patronage as well as to seek professional advice and guidance from it for furthering the government’s agenda of social welfare and justice, and an inclusive, equitable & egalitarian economic growth through human capital investment.
I am Rixio Medina, President of the American Society of Safety Professionals.
While we may be separated by thousands of miles today, and despite the fact that we live and work in different cultures with different regulatory systems, we are connected by our universal purpose – creating a safer, stronger future for the workers everywhere.
As you know, Pakistan is poised to be one of the world’s largest economies of the twenty-first century. Having a safe, healthy working population will be critical to helping business flourish in your country. The leaders of our Pakistan chapter recognize this and have been making great strides.
They are collaborating with the National Vocational Technical Training Commission to incorporate safety into worker training. They have met with Pakistan’s Prime Minister to encourage the creation of occupational safety and health legislation and they have offered professional support to help the water and power development authority improve project safety.
These efforts will go a long way toward promoting a sustainable safety culture in Pakistan, one that will enable more people to return home to their loved ones each day. Your attendance at the Pakistan chapter’s second annual professional development conference in Karachi signals your commitment to maintaining your safety capabilities, and your dedication and passion for making the world a safer, healthier place. I thank you for that.
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.
(On the 2nd Safety Professional Development Conference (PDC) being organized by Pakistan Chapter of the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP))
After the success of first Safety Professional Development Conference (PDC) and Exposition of Pakistan Chapter of the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) held last year with the theme of “Journey Towards Safer Pakistan”, OGDCL profoundly looks forward to the 2018 PDC, anticipated to be an even bigger event with larger participation, resulting in a unified and focused aftermath and above all in agreement with the convincing theme, that is “Promoting Sustainable HSE Culture in Pakistan”.
As everyone understands that the oil and gas industry, potentially one of the most hazardous industry sectors, must have the most thorough safety programs implemented round the clock 24×7. The combination of powerful equipment, flammable chemicals and processes that are under high pressure can lead to hazardous and even fatal incidents. Therefore, basing its excellence on a proactive risk management strategy, OGDCL is known as a pioneer in the implementation of ISO 45001 standard (new in the series). We have achieved this milestone by readily harnessing opportunity for improvement to move forward and improve OHS outcomes.
The benefits of this new standard are significant, particularly to our highly regulated and high-risk oil & gas exploration and production facilities. Public sector organizations, regulators, academia and OSH professionals can learn through our success stories via effective and meaningful consultation in 2018 PDC to contribute towards preventing illnesses and injuries in their own workplaces and creating a sustainable business model based on conscious workforce, subsequently.
Since the local laws like Oil & Gas (Safety in Drilling and Production) 1974 Regulations and Mines Act 1923 now have diminishing efficacy and exhaustiveness, therefore in the 2018 PDC endeavor for common national goals on safety culture, a clear vision for developing modern OSH legislation, standards and capacity building of the enforcing authorities as well as proponents (stakeholders) is need of the hour.
OGDCL stands side by side with Pakistan Chapter of the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) while adding pragmatic values to the conference’s doable proceedings and outcomes.
All the best!
Employers Federation of Pakistan is honored to partner with the Pakistan Chapter of
American Society of Safety Professionals in organizing the ASSP Second Annual Safety Professional Development Conference.
The theme of this Conference, “Promoting Sustainable HSE Culture in Pakistan ” is a manifestation of the imperative need to sensitize enterprises to create a working environment that is conducive to the health and safety of the workforce and to demonstrate the determination of employers that they are fully conscious and committed to be fully compliant with the international and local standards.
EFP has embarked on the process of ensuring that enterprises must undertake all steps to reduce injuries at the workplace, create a better environment to protect workers from illnesses, and enable enterprises to ensure that all standards related to safety and health are implemented and enforced.
ASSP has always been in the forefront in providing guidance, information, and consultation to enterprises in order to achieve a safe working environment. EFP is sanguine that the deliberations at the Conference would provide pragmatic outcomes that would further enhance the reputation of Pakistani enterprises that they are committed, compliant and responsible.
On behalf of EFP Board of Directors I congratulate ASSP and wish them all the success in their endeavors.