More than four per cent of the world’s annual gross domestic product (GDP) is lost because of work-related injuries and diseases, according to the ILO.
In the garment and textile sector, the generation of chemical waste, extreme heat, air pollution and flooding as well as the reduced availability of water exacerbate occupational safety and health (OSH) risks. This also produces negative economic consequences, increasing the damaging effects of unsafe work environments on human health and wellbeing.
The impact of COVID-19 on the safety and health of workers in the garment sector has been severe and has compounded those the industry has already been facing in relation to OSH globally, with the ILO estimating that the pandemic has resulted in the most severe crisis for the world of work since the 1930s’ Great Depression. The threats posed by the pandemic have extended well beyond catching the virus itself, clearly highlighting the importance of a robust commitment to OSH.
Better Work Action Plan
Better Work’s OSH Action Plan is responsive and designed to evolve over the lifetime of our strategy, Sustaining Impact, 2022/27. In consultation with global and national partners, we will continue to refine our action plans to ensure they support long-term, progressive change.
To achieve a culture of health and safety in the world of work, we will:
Establish and strengthen OSH management systems and a culture of safety and health in the factory and beyond
Better Work will deepen its focus on OSH management systems and behavioural change. This includes targeted actions to boost dorm safety where migrant workers reside, road safety during the workers’ commutes and the eradication of violence and harassment from the factory floor in line with the OSH Code of Practice for Textiles, Clothing, Leather and Footwear and ILO Convention No. 190.
Apply robust technical interventions for salient risks by establishing a network of OSH experts within Better Work and the ILO and externally
Better Work will identify pragmatic and robust solutions to persistent non-compliance areas, embedded in management systems and change management processes. Working with key ILO units, Better Work will contribute to an OSH toolkit to support implementation of the ILO OSH Code of Practice. The interventions will be designed to help build capacity within the sector to apply the Code and address key risks including the ever-mounting OSH risks of chemicals and waste management as well as violence and harassment in the context of OSH.
Bolster and support national OSH systems and action plans
Better Work will support other ILO units to strengthen national ministries of labour, departments of OSH or other institutions through broadly sharing Better Work data, experience and expertise towards capacity building, policy reform and the implementation of national OSH action plans.
Convene industry stakeholders around data and evidence
Better Work will focus on understanding the root-causes of OSH non-compliance and lever the expertise and partnerships with brands, ILO and other experts to address these issues collectively and holistically. Better Work will work closely with the dedicated ILO units over the next five years to engage in initiatives, including with the private sector, to capture and build more robust OSH better data, including through new technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT).
As a sign of the programme’s flexibility and adaptability to the different contexts in which it operates, priority OSH areas may vary, depending on each country’s constituent priorities and decent work country programme workplans.
