From: Jurriaan Bendien (adsl675281@tiscali.nl)
Date: Fri Jun 27 2008 - 21:42:08 EDT
Investors are supposed to be risk-takers, but how about the workers? According to ILO, 2.2 million people die annually from work-related accidents and diseases, with work-related deaths appearing to be on the rise. http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/06/117_26644.html I do not know if the incidence is increasing, since for some reason the rates are struck against the economically active population rather than against those actually employed. Moreover, each year an estimated 270 million people suffer non-fatal, work-related accidents resulting in at least three days absence from work and an additional 160 million new people suffer from some work-related illness. "Work that respects human dignity is the essence of decent work, the mission of the ILO. Decent work must be safe work" says Juan Somavia. http://www.ilo.org/global/What_we_do/Events/Symposiaseminarsandworkshops/lang--en/WCMS_093745/index.htm Since there are approximately 3 billion employed in the world, this would imply globally that about one in seven employed either dies from work-related causes, or suffers work-related accidents, or suffers work-related illness per year. Of course, in this total, the number that actually die is relatively very small. Statistically you're much more likely to die from non-work causes. The ILO report http://www.ohsa.org.mt/docs/intrep_05.pdf said however that reporting systems and coverage of occupational safety and health in many developing countries are poor and in some cases deteriorating. For example, India reports 222 fatal accidents while the Czech Republic, which has a working population of about 1 per cent of India, reports 231, the ILO said, adding that it has estimated the true number of fatal accidents in India at 40,000. The report said such statistics suggested that only a fraction of the real toll of work-related death and disease is covered in a number of developing countries. The ILO report also noted that hazardous substances cause the deaths of an estimated 440,000 workers each year. Of these, asbestos alone kills some 100,000 workers worldwide each year. The number of people killed by asbestos in the United Kingdom, according to that country's own estimates, is some 3,500 every year - more than ten times the number of workers killed in accidents there. The European Union, meanwhile, recently in its own Statistical Portrait Report estimated a total of 120,000 fatalities (EU 15) attributed to work while the ILO's estimate is now at 122,000 work-related deaths annually. The United States number is estimated to be 103,000. http://www.ohsa.org.mt/showpage.asp?pageid=171 The European Union has recently estimated that the costs of occupational accidents in the EU15 in the year 2000 was 55 billion euro a year and believes that is likely to be an underestimate. The World Health Organization has estimated that 37 % of lower back pain, 16% of hearing loss, 13% of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 11% of asthma, and 8% of injuries are related to work. Men occupy a large majority of hazardous jobs and therefore they suffer some 80% of occupational deaths. In high-income countries this figure is 86 %. You're statistically speaking better off if you're female. In industrialized countries, about 40% of all working age retirements or about 1% of the total employment annually are caused by disability that could shorten working life by some 10 years. The majority of workers in developing and transitional countries have to bear the costs of work-related accidents or illnesses, with no benefits for such incidents. Heart attacks, suicide and strokes are expected to be the top occupational diseases of the 21st century. Agricultural workers suffer markedly higher rates of accidents and fatal injuries than workers in most other sectors; agricultural workers figure disproportionately among the more than 160 million workers who are estimated to become ill as a result of workplace hazards and exposures, with ill health and disease prevalent in agricultural communities. With increasing pressures to improve business efficiency and productivity, many employers are becoming increasingly concerned about worker absenteeism arising from accidents and, more especially, chronic ill-health. An average of 5% of the work force is absent from work every day. This may vary from 2% to 10% depending on the sector, type of work and management culture. It is estimated 1 in 5 female workers in China suffer stress and related ill health due to harassment at work. The proportion for males we don't know. http://www.oit.org/public/english/protection/ses/download/docs/sheet_no11.pdf According to estimates by some Finnish scholars, the fatality rate (fatal occupational accidents) is highest in Morocco, followed by Nepal. However not all countries are included in their data set http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/safework/accidis/est_method.pdf More info http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/safework/accidis/index.htm Jurriaan I'm Too risky Right Said Fred I'm too risky for my love too risky for my love Love's going to leave me I'm too risky for my shirt too risky for my shirt So risky it hurts And I'm too risky for Milan too risky for Milan New York and Japan And I'm too risky for your party Too risky for your party No way I'm disco dancing I'm a worker you know what I mean And I do my little turn on the workfloor Yeah on the workfloor on the workfloor yeah I do my little turn on the workfloor I'm too risky for my car too risky for my car Too risky by far And I'm too risky for my hat Too risky for my hat what do you think about that I'm too risky for my too risky for my too risky for my 'Cos I'm a worker you know what I mean And I do my little turn on the workfloor Yeah on the workfloor on the workfloor yeah I shake my little touche on the workfloor I'm too risky for my cat too risky for my cat Poor pussy poor pussy cat I'm too risky for my love too risky for my love Love's going to leave me And I'm too risky for this song _______________________________________________ ope mailing list ope@lists.csuchico.edu https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/ope
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