Preventive actions for risks at work carried out by the companies affiliated to the Mexican Social Security Institution (IMSS)

Introduction: Health at Work Coordination, through the Work Risk Prevention Division (DPRT), offers work risk prevention services to the working population affiliated to IMSS, in support to Article 81 of Social Security Legislation.  These services also fulfill one of the objectives considered in the Mexican National Development Plan of 2007-2012. Strategic objectives have been established to offer Security at Work Services, which are defined in the IMSS Strategic Program as following:    

Objectives: Contribute in the prevention of work accidents and illness of IMSS affiliated companies and its labor centers.    Methods:    Actions carried out to fulfill IMSS Strategic Program have been established under results approach and can be grouped as follows:     - Security and hygiene at work actions,  - Health, security, and hygiene communication,  - Health and security at work education.    

Results: Currently, 1,364 companies are being intervened, representing 139 of 256 economic fractions comprehended in the Regulation of the Social Security Legislation. Some outstanding examples are: self-service establishments (23%), food market (17%), food preparation (9%), construction (7%).   The selection process for the intervened companies is carried out under a strict historical behavior analysis according to the type of accidents occurred in the companies; from 2008 to March 2011, 14,632 accidents at work have been avoided in the 5,234 companies that have been intervened.  The actions to prevent accidents, not only have allowed to safeguard the well-being, the integrity and health of workers, but also have favored the companies’ economy, have benefit workers, and even have benefit the Institution; for every accident that is prevented, IMSS saves around 22,000 MXP of direct expenditure in medical assistance; in total numbers, the actions carried out as of 2008 at national level by DPRT staff to prevent accidents at work have allowed the institution to save 321, 904,000 MXP (29,264,000 USD).