A team of six young people from the Philippines, with the support of the International Labour Organization (ILO) made a significant contribution to raising awareness about occupational risks and hazards facing youth in the world of work during the 21st World Congress on Safety and Health at Work (XXI WCSH) that took place in Singapore in September 2017. The XXI WCSH youth delegates from the Philippines included three young government officials, one young entrepreneur, the leader of a youth organization that is involved in the development of Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs), and a newly graduated Civil Engineering student from the University of the Philippines Diliman. The Philippines youth delegates were selected from amongst more than 350 applicants worldwide to participate in a establishing a new international network of 125 young workers, young employers, young government officials and others aged 15 to 24 from 29 countries during the SafeYouth@Work Congress organized by ILO at the invitation of the XXI WCSH International Organizing Committee (IOC) and in close collaboration with the Singapore Ministry of Manpower (MoM).

During the XXI WCSH, the Philippines Youth Champions for OSH participated in international design thinking teams to develop their own prototype solutions to Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) challenges facing youth in the world of work. For example, Ms Beatriz Brondial, a young government official from the Philippines, collaborated with a team of youth champions to develop a prototype App entitled “Worker’s Eye” that would enable workers to report OSH related issues in their work environment and would be directly linked to the local labor inspectorate and would also provide data on OSH violations per company, and allow for data visualization at the sectoral, regional, and national level, with the aim of lowering barriers and stimulating prompt reporting and subsequent corrective action that would complement regular periodic labour inspections. “Through my participation in my culturally- diverse team, I learned to be open-minded, to convey my thoughts and ideas across cultural boundaries, and to draw on the skills and knowledge of each member of our team.” said Ms Brondial. During the XXI WCSH Mr Brondial also had the opportunity to engage directly with Mr Guy Ryder, the Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), in a dialogue session on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) and youth. “I asked Mr Ryder what he considered to be the biggest hindrance to compliance with OSH standards, and I felt fortunate to have had this chance to interact directly with him. This further motivated me to partake in OSH campaigns and advocacy to be a catalyst of change for better and safer workplaces, including for youth”, said Ms Brondial.

Mr Ronnie John Barrientos, a young entrepreneur from the Philippines, collaborated with a team including youth champions for OSH from Germany and Singapore during the SafeYouth@Work Congress to develop a prototype called “Round Table”, a structured meeting format that would convene key stakeholders to routinely develop and publish a list of companies that failed to comply with OSH laws and standards. The list would be made available to investors and insurance companies, establishing a direct link between a company’s OSH management performance and its ability to attract and retain investment and best value insurance cover. “Joining the SafeYouth@Work Congress has opened my eyes to the necessity of advocating for safe and dignified work for all. As a young entrepreneur, I realized the importance of safety and health at work of everyone in the company that I manage – that every worker is vital in the development of any industry and that when workers are protected, so are the companies that they work for”, said Mr Barrientos. Both the “Worker’s Eye” and “Round Table” prototypes were highlighted by a panel of expert judges at the XXI WCSH for being an interactive and innovative starting point for further development.

Since the XXI WCSH, Mr Barrientos has stayed active and catalysing action on workplace safety and health for young workers in the Philippines, making a presentation to his local mayor and municipal councilors about the importance of incorporating OSH learning into local ordinances, and engaging with a Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) school about the value of incorporating OSH awareness into the syllabus. “Since participating in the SafeYouth@Work Congress, I requested the local government unit in my province in the Philippines to have a roundtable discussion on OSH for young people. Through the roundtable, we have already set some immediate activities and plans ahead for 2018”, said Mr Barrientos.

The SafeYouth@Work Congress was organized by the ILO Youth4OSH and SafeYouth@Work projects, which aim to promote the occupational safety and health (OSH) of young workers, with a focus on those aged 15 to 24.

Since participating in the SafeYouth@Work Congress, the Youth Champions from the Philippines have launched their own youth-led national initiative for OSH: Advancement of Youth for Occupational Safety & Health (AYOSH). AYOSH aims to establish a safer and healthier working environment for young people and all. You can find out more about AYOSH via the organization’s Facebook page.

Find out more about the achievements of Youth Champions for OSH from other countries, including Indonesia.