KARACHI, April 28: Speakers at a seminar on "Safety and Health Culture at the Workplace" have urged employers and workers to ensure provision of safety measures at workplaces and also demanded the government to review legislation in accordance with current needs and its strict implementation.

The seminar, held on Wednesday was organized by Workers Employers Bilateral Council of Pakistan & Skill Development Council in collaboration with International Labor Organization (ILO) to create awareness on occupational health, safety, hazards and prevention with its impact on industrial organizations in context of globalization.

Speaking as chief guest at the opening session, Director, Area Office for Pakistan, ILO, Hans J. Lokollo said that World Safety Day is being observed today across the world to commemorate the deaths of 2005 people in a factory in India a few years back on this day.

He said that 6,000 people perish due to accidents at workplaces every day and 2 million die in a year globally, a source of heavy financial loss and grievances to families. "We should remember victims of such accidents," he stressed. In commemoration of those who died in 2003-04 at workplaces, participants of seminar observed one-minute silence.

Mr Lokollo said that a safe environment is important at workplaces and to ensure safe & healthy conditions meet the requirements of international standards, government, employers and workers can jointly promote health safety at workplaces.

"Workers should be aware about risks at workplaces and provision of such literature and material is responsibility of the management," he said adding that only safety and health culture could promote industry that would be helpful to eradicate poverty from the country.

Chairman SDC, Ahsaanullah Khan, in his welcome address said that safe and healthy culture at workplace would make the country able to effectively deal with the challenge of globalization.

"Health and safety is need of the time and is a tool to productivity because only a healthy worker could be helpful in increasing the production," he observed adding that management, engineers and trade unions organizations were responsible to provide this environment to workers.

Chief Executive Officer of SDC, Syed Nazar Ali underlined the importance of safe and healthy environment at workplaces. Joint Director, Occupational Safety & Health Centre, Directorate of Labor, Sindh, Engr. C. L. Nankani delivered paper on "Introduction to occupational health and safety-issues & solutions" and said that Occupational Safety, Health Environment (OSHE) is a triangular function i.e. Government, Employer and Trade Union.

Dr. Asad Jamal said that in such conditions, engineering controls should be adopted by reducing noise at the source, interrupt the noise pathway, reducing reverberation, reducing structure borne vibration by using muffler, erecting acoustical enclosures and barriers, installing sound absorbing material and vibration mounts beside education of employees and awareness in this regard.

Director, Centre for Improvement of working conditions & environment, Lahore, Saeed Awan, delivered his paper on "Occupational Health & Safety in context to globalization and WTO regulations". -PPI