Some 6000 people around the world die every day as a result of a work-related accident or illness, adding up to a total cost of £1.25 trillion, or 4 per cent of global GDP.
This is according to a new report from the British Safety Council, which is urging governments around the world to heed the International Labour Organisation’s call to include health and safety targets and indicators of success in their national plans, and implement more robust reporting systems.
Said BSC chief executive, Brian Nimick: “The multi-trillion-pound cost of poor health and safety is a massive millstone around the neck of the globe, and we should share our expertise to further reduce the cost and, more importantly, to save the lives and livelihoods of some of the most vulnerable workers in the world. With effective systems and procedures in place, every one of these deaths should be preventable.”
The ILO considers that only a third of its members report reasonably reliable accidental-death figures. The reporting of deaths caused by ill health is worse, with even those countries that have a good reporting record under-reporting the incidence of such deaths.
The BSC says its study is the first to bring together and analyse different country data on work-related deaths, accidents and ill health. It found that different sectors produce more deaths in different countries, such as more mining deaths in China, or more manufacturing deaths in Indonesia. The report also examines a number of multinational companies – Volkswagen, Anglo-American, Arco and Nokia – for the measures they have put in place to improve working conditions in a range of industries in various countries.
Concluded Nimick: “Many multinational companies are using their experience and expertise to improve the health and safety performance of their operations and those of their suppliers in more challenging environments. They are also sharing their expertise with the wider global community. I would like companies and countries to take maximum advantage of these opportunities to learn from others.”
The Causes and Incidence of Occupational Accidents and Ill Health Across the Globe can be found at www.britsafe.org/download/Research report 211108v6.pdf
In this episode of the Safety & Health Podcast, ‘Burnout, stress and being human’, Heather Beach is joined by Stacy Thomson to discuss burnout, perfectionism and how to deal with burnout as an individual, as management and as an organisation.
We provide an insight on how to tackle burnout and why mental health is such a taboo subject, particularly in the workplace.
