Speakers at a seminar held in connection with "World Day for Safety and Health at Work" were of the unanimous view that Pakistan faced immense challenges in the fields of safety, health and environment at the workplaces and as a result of globalisation, the situation was worsening.
All industries whether small or large have to comply with health and safety standards in order to be competitive in the marketplace and to enhance the workers' productivity. The seminar, that was organised by 'Centre for Improvement of Working Conditions' and Environment of the Labour Department Punjab, was chaired by Rana Muhammad Qasim Noon, Minister for Labour, Punjab.
The minister said that Punjab was making all-out efforts to promote better health and safety for workers through spreading awareness and provision of technical facilities to the industries. This day is observed all over the world on the call of ILO to highlight the plight of workers.
According to ILO, 270 million accidents at work happen every year in the world of which 355,000 are fatal. The mortality rate in developing countries is five to seven times higher than it is in industrialised nations. According to ILO, the work-related accidents and diseases cost approximately 4 percent of the world GDP, an amount that is over 20-times greater than official development assistance on health.
Saeed Awan, Director of Centre for Improvement of Working Conditions and Environment said that the Punjab government was providing massive funds to promote health and safety at workplaces by launching awareness campaigns and provision of laboratory facilities for assessment of workplace hazards.
Khurshid Ahmed, General Secretary of Pakistan Workers' Federation demanded that the government should improve the laws and institutions for occupational safety and health and adopt international conventions in order to meet the challenges faced by the workers and employers.
The seminar was also addressed by Salman Ijaz, Director Labour, Punjab; Shahbaz Munir, General Manager, Kohinoor Group, Haseeb Baig, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Quality Management System; and representatives of various companies.
On this occasion, an Expo of safety and health-related products and services was also organised in which safety gadgets, rescue equipment training materials and consultancy services were put on display.