specific and detailed OSH provisions as an integral
part of their priority labour policies, such as worker
protection and manpower development. Cambodia and
Lao PDR have fundamental OSH provisions in their
labour laws and are developing more detailed OSH
provisions for stronger worker protection, drawing
from good OSH practices in successful provinces or
enterprises.
3. Responding to national OSH priorities
There are emerging OSH issues and national priorities in
the region that ASEAN countries and the ILO have been
working together to address, as the following highlights.
Labour inspection
Labour inspection plays a fundamental role in enterprise
compliance with laws and regulations on occupational
safety and health. Thus, there is an acute need to
strengthen support measures to labour inspectors in
ASEAN in terms of capacity building, strategic planning
and development of practical inspection tools. Intra-
ASEAN cooperation has been promoted to strengthen
labour inspection. For example, Singapore has organized
inspection capacity-building training workshops in
Cambodia and Lao PDR.
The importance of inspection is clear from the case
of Thailand in which inspection results in 2005
revealed that around 20–25 per cent of enterprises in
manufacturing, mining/quarrying, electricity, gas/water
and construction did not comply with legal OSH
requirements and required action for improvement. This
situation calls for even stronger compliance systems,
which should include advocacy, information and
training. Labour inspectors continue to monitor the
progress and provide advisory support to workplaces.
Occupational injury reporting systems
Strengthening occupational injury- and disease-reporting
systems and expanding coverage will generate a better
understanding of the real magnitude of workplace
safety and health problems and help establish responsive
national policies for improvement. Among ASEAN
countries, different trends have emerged over the past
decade in regards to the incidence of occupational
injuries and fatalities. Following a sharp rise in reported
occupational injuries and fatalities in the 1980s, which
occurred in step with rapid industrialization, Malaysia
and Thailand began experiencing a decreasing trend in
occupational injuries during the 1990s. On the other
hand, Indonesia and Viet Nam now see a rapid increase
in reported occupational injuries and fatalities associated
with their more recent industrial development.
It is important to expand the reporting system coverage
to smaller workplaces and prepare easy-to-use reporting
formats for them. Cooperation and exchanging
experiences within ASEAN countries are very much
required.
Asbestos
Health hazards caused by asbestos are an increasing
concern in the ASEAN region. ILO and the World
Health Organization have been jointly supporting
national action in Thailand and Viet Nam to eliminate
the asbestos-related health hazards. The Ministry of
Public Health in Thailand with ILO assistance, surveyed
companies to identify those that have used asbestos and
require information on asbestos-free materials. Both
governments also have provided technical advice on how
to replace asbestos-material with asbestos-free materials.
Promoting public awareness on asbestos-related
health hazards, strengthening health surveillance and
establishing concerted national policies are equally
important risk-management activities. We need to
work together to develop a consolidated ASEAN policy
towards the elimination of asbestos and promoting
technical cooperation in doing so.
Migrant workers
The migration of the labour force throughout ASEAN is
on the increase. In response, efforts to provide adequate
occupational health services for migrant workers
also are increasing. The Ministry of Public Health of