ILO policy perspective for the development of occupational health services

Despite all preventive efforts, the numbers of occupational accidents and diseases are still too high. Public awareness of occupational safety and health (OSH) remains generally low and all too often OSH does not get the priority it merits. To address this challenge, the ILO adopted the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006 (No.187), the main pillar of which is the development of national OSH programmes. These programmes are strategic time-bound policy documents that should focus on specific national priorities, be based on analyses of national situations and summarized as national OSH profiles. They should be endorsed by the highest government authorities and aim at strengthening the entire national OSH system. With this approach, occupational health services become an integral element of national OSH system where their expansion is defined by national OSH policy. Their development will be closely linked to the development of national OSH systems, representing infrastructures for the performance of occupational health practice at large, through the implementation of national OSH programmes. This new approach determined by Convention No.187 is the way forward towards progressive development of occupational health services in all parts of the world with an utmost goal to cover all workers in all occupations.