Healthy workplaces: a model for action
For employers, workers, policymakers and practitioners
Overview
Workers’ health, safety and well-being are vital
concerns to hundreds of millions of working
people worldwide. But the issue extends even
further beyond individuals and their families. It is
of paramount importance to the productivity,
competitiveness and sustainability of enterprises,
communities, and to national and regional economies.
Currently, an estimated two million people die
each year as a result of occupational accidents
and work-related illnesses or injuries. Another 268 million non-fatal workplace accidents
result in an average of three lost workdays per
casualty, as well as 160 million new cases of
work-related illness each year. Additionally,
8% of the global burden of disease from depression is currently attributed to occupational risks.
These data, collected by the International Labour
Organization and the World Health Organization, only reflect the injuries and illnesses that
occur in formally registered workplaces. In many
countries, most workers are employed informally in factories and businesses where there are
no records of work-related injuries or illnesses,
let alone any programmes to prevent injuries or
illnesses. Addressing this huge burden of disease,
economic costs and long-term loss of human
resources from unhealthy workplaces is a formidable challenge for national governments, economic sectors, and health policy-makers and
practitioners.