29th to 31st January 2020, Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar – With support of the ILO’s Vision Zero Fund project (VZF), the Factories and General Labour Laws Inspection Department (FGLLID) brought together inspectors and officers from five different Ministries to take part in a workshop to strengthen strategic inspection planning to improve worker safety and health.

In his opening remarks, U Nyunt Win, the FGLLID Director General said that the workshop was an important step in implementing the new OSH law. Labour inspectors were key to enforcing this law and needed to improve their planning. He welcomed the presence of other Government officials and urged continued inter-ministerial collaboration as they build a safety and health culture in Myanmar. Ms. Mariana Infante, Senior Technical Officer of the VZF project emphasized the important role of FGLLID inspectors together with other Ministries in making the new OSH law a reality for men and women workers in Myanmar. Improving the planning process of inspection work was a critical part of this effort.

Mr. René Robert, ILO Labour Administration/Inspection Specialist, facilitated the workshop. He explained how strategic planning could improve the impact and efficiency of inspections, despite limited resources. He provided examples from other countries on how prioritizing high-risk sectors, OSH issues, as well as vulnerable workers could help inspectorates design targeted actions leading to tangible and lasting results. He led participants through a series of group activities based on the ILO’s six-step strategic compliance planning model.

By the end of the workshop, participants had developed draft strategic plans for five priority sectors, including construction (tall tower and residential), mining, woodworking, garment, and rice farming. These draft plans could be used by the Government as a basis for developing concrete actions to enforce the law, improve awareness among workers and employers, and create incentives that encourage safe and healthy workplace practices. At the end of the workshop, an inter-ministerial nine-member Task Force was formed to follow-up on the plans developed.

In total, 57 government inspectors and officers took part in the event. The leadership of the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population, and in particular the FGLLID, was a welcome sign of the Government’s intention to deliver on the commitments set out in the new OSH Law, and to work closely with other Ministries towards this goal.