Occupational Safety and Health

The Indonesian government has finally implemented the work safety and health management system (SMK3), a 2003 law that requires companies with over 100 workers to enforce health and safety standards.

Asbestos Ban?

May 10, 2012

It was reported today that "asbestos slate" will be banned in Azerbaijan by the State Committee on Standardization, Metrology and Patents (SCSMP). After enquiries with informed sources, it seems that this statement is incorrect. The Chair of this Azerbaijan Commission today told journalists about an Interministerial Commission, jointly to be formed by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and the SCSMP, which will develop new environmental standards which harmonise with EU standards. Although asbestos is not yet on the agenda it will probably be considered very soon as the asbestos threat has been under consideration in Azerbaijan for several years.

Ban Asbestos Conference

May 10, 2 012

A conference attended by 250 people took place today in Bangkok, organized by the Thailand Ban Asbestos Network (T-Ban). In a declaration issued by delegates, immediate action to implement government proposals to ban asbestos was demanded to protect workers and citizens from the hazards of exposure to asbestos. The policies of international agencies such as the ILO and the WHO, both of which acknowledge the links between asbestos exposure and various cancers and respiratory diseases, were referenced by T-Ban to substantiate the global consensus supporting the worldwide banning of asbestos.

The Ministry of Environment has found that soil near three closed asbestos mines in South Chungcheong Province is contaminated with the cancer-causing material.

National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has expressed concern over the lack of seriousness of states, including Goa, in addressing the problem of silicosis.

Wittenoom, the name strikes fear into the hearts of people in Western Australia (WA). For decades, the Wittenoom mine operated by the Australian multinational CSR (Colonial Sugar Refinery) and its subsidiary Australian Blue Asbestos produced a huge tonnage of crocidolite (blue) asbestos. It also produced Australia's greatest industrial catastrophe.

A decades-old pro-asbestos lobby group, currently funded by the Quebec government, will be shutting its doors after notifying the federal government of its plan to dissolve.

To a seasoned observer of the global asbestos scene it comes as no surprise that asbestos vested interests in Thailand are liars. The asbestos business worldwide is based on lies: lies told to governments, customers, workers and the public. But steps taken by the Thai lobbyists have put these individuals in a class of their own. Where other vested interests may have tried to spin the truth to their own advantage, these industry stakeholders engaged in out and out, bald-faced lies. As the industry's deceptions have been revealed, support for a national asbestos ban has grown. The formation in February 2012 of the Thailand Ban Asbestos Network marked the end of industry dominance of the national asbestos debate.1

Asia is home to some of the most dangerous workplaces in the world. The ILO estimates that 1.1 million work-related deaths, accounting for over half of the world’s fatalities, take place annually in Asia. On the eve of International Workers Memorial Day on April 28, Hong Kong-based Asia Monitor Resource Centre (AMRC) released a detailed report from six Asian countries namely China, India, Cambodia, Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia to portray the real situation of occupational safety and health (OSH) on the ground and the struggle of workers, victims and their families to gain recognition, compensation and justice.

How poorly paid mobile phone workers in South India try to make ends meet

Promoting OSH for migrant workers from Bangladesh: Pre-departure OSH training and support for victim workers

Migrant workers play an important part in the world of work and make a significant contribution to the economy of many countries around the globe. They are usually
people who move to find decent employment and a better future for their families. Around 200 million people work outside their country of birth or citizenship

Mining accidents in China have called into question the safety of the country's mining sector. The most recent accident, on Sunday in north China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, claimed the lives of four workers. While mining safety conditions for the world's largest producer of coal have improved, China's mines are still considered among the deadliest in the world.

In a related case, the Supreme Court on Sunday ruled in favor of civic activists protesting against Samsung Electronics in the death of a former employee who allegedly died of industrial-released disease.

Questions over impartiality of Environ, a firm hired by Samsung to assess worker safety

The report was prepared in collaboration with the Asian Network for the Rights of Occupational and Environmental Victims (ANROEV) – a network of victims groups, trade unions, labour and environmental organizations based in 16 Asian countries all working towards a safe and healthy workplaces, OSH rights and environmental justice. These grassroots groups, frustrated by years of apathy by their governments and negligent employers, decided to produce their own report to show the extent of the problem at the ground with the hope it will draw public attention to the senseless massacre of workers across the region.
 

The individual papers are avaliable for download and the final publication will be released later with some final revisions/changes by the authors.