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The challenge

With the political and economic transition occupational safety and health (OSH) in CEE has been moving from a regulatory and compensatory approach to prevention of work accidents and occupational diseases. The key challenge remains to build a preventative culture in the field of safety and health at work and to build up modern labour inspectorates that can anticipate, define, and prevent emerging risks.

The Covid-19 pandemic hit the countries in Central and Eastern Europe hard. The pandemic called for a new way of living and working through strengthened health and safety measures at workplace, adaption of work arrangements, and management of stress and other psychosocial risks.

Service offer

• Support in development of National OSH Programme, including the alignment of national OSH systems in conformity with ILO Conventions and EU directives
• Building capacity of social partners to conduct risk assessment and implement practical safety measures at the enterprise level, with a focus on hazardous sectors. In the recovery phase from the Covid-19 crisis, particular focus is made on ensuring the safe resumption of work through effective occupational health measures.
• Supporting labour inspectorates and social partners to better enforce labour law and OSH laws at the workplace
• Promotion of a preventative, safety and health culture at work

Contact: Kenichi Hirose, Senior Social Protection Specialist through budapest@ilo.org