The ILO, the private sector, and occupational safety and health

Occupational Safety and Health is instrumental across a range of workplace issues. From nutrition to work place environments, improved OSH can increase productivity and working conditions at the same time, while also protecting workers from unacceptable forms of work. 

The ILO can support with training packages such as the training package on workplace risk assessment and management for small and medium-sized enterprises. The package seeks to empower SME managers and owners to improve safety and health conditions in their workplaces.

The ILO's Global Database on Occupational Safety and Health Legislation (LEGOSH) provides a picture of the regulatory framework of the main elements of OSH legislation, including OSH management and administration, employers’ duties and obligations, workers’ rights and duties, OSH inspection and enforcement, among others. LEGOSH classification structure is based on a comprehensive set of 11 themes which follows and captures the main part of the key ILO standards such as the ILO Convention No.155 on Occupational Safety and Health (1981) and the Recommendation N°164, Convention No.187 on the Promotional framework for occupational safety and health (2006), the Labour Inspection Convention C081 and other technical Conventions as benchmarks. The situation in different countries can be browsed or compared.

Also available is an exhaustive list of country profiles on occupational safety and health such as this one on Bangladesh.

The SOLVE training package focuses on the prevention of psychosocial risks and the promotion of health and well-being at work through policy design and action. The material covers the management of health promotion at the workplace to deal with a wide variety of topics:

  • stress and economic stress
  • violence
  • tobacco and smoke-free workplaces
  • alcohol and drugs
  • nutrition
  • physical activity
  • healthy sleep
  • HIV and AIDS

 The ILO also provides access to country profiles on occupational safety and health