Promotion of a Safe and Healthy Working Environment as Fundamental Principle and Right at Work through Application of Fundamental Conventions in Cambodia and Thailand

Background and rationale

In its Global call to action for a human-centred recovery from COVID-19, the ILO recalls that safe and healthy working conditions are fundamental to decent work and that urgent action is needed to provide all workers with adequate protection. The 110th Session of ILC adopted a resolution to add the principle of a safe and healthy working environment to the Fundamental Principle and Right at Work. Each of the fundamental principles is associated with the most relevant ILO Conventions. The new fundamental Conventions will be the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No.155), and the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006 (No.187). ILO Member States, regardless of their level of economic development, commit to respect and promote the principles and rights set out by the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, whether or not they have ratified the relevant Conventions.
The project builds on the achievements made by “the ILO/Japan project on Enhancing Occupational Safety and Health Standards in Construction Sector in Cambodia, 2017-2022”, a comparative study on Cambodia’s governance, policy and legal framework on OSH and the International Labour Standards was carried out. The study showed the needs to facilitate the development of national OSH system in line with C155 and C187 as well as the National OSH Master plan.

While Thailand ratified C187 in 2016, noting the Government’s first report as well as its report submitted in 2019 on C187, the ILO Committee of Experts provided several comments, among others, on consideration given to the ratification of C155 and follow-up to the 2nd National Master Plan on OSH and the Environment (2017–21).

On the other hand, the region faces a challenge in tackling emerging OSH risks against health and wellbeing of workers including mental health in the process of human-centred recovery from the pandemic. Psychosocial factors such as extensive workload and long working hours, job insecurity, isolation or violence and harassment may lead to negative physical and mental health outcomes. However, OSH management in this subject area is generally weak in most countries in the region. It should be properly addressed as one of the priorities in the national OSH programmes.

With these backgrounds, recognizing the rapidly increasing needs and demands for enhanced capacity on OSH, the Government of Japan is willing to allocate further funding to a new OSH project in the region, especially in the context of mental health and well-being of workers, and its integration into the national OSH system.

Objective

In line with the recommendations and suggestions provided by the constituents, under the global ILO’s flagship programme Safety + Health for All. This project, funded by the Japanese government, aims at improving safety and health of the workers through the ratification and application of OSH fundamental Conventions (C155 and C187) in Cambodia and Thailand.
The ILO project focuses on two objectives:

• Development of national OSH system in a continuous manner through the implementation of updated national OSH programme;
• Capacity enhancement in addressing emerging OSH risks and their control measures in post-pandemic workplace with particular focus on mental health and well-being in target countries (Cambodia and Thailand).

Beneficiaries

The ultimate target groups and beneficiaries are OSH officials, inspectors and practitioners, workers and employers.

For further information please contact:

Mr Yasuo Ariga
Chief Technical Advisor and Overall Coordinator
Email: ariga@ilo.org

Mr Phattaraset Ardchawuthikulawong
National Project Coordinator
Email: ardchawuthikulawong@ilo.org