Urgent action needed on “silent crisis” facing workers

Speaking at the 113th International Labour Conference in Geneva, Ruth Wilkinson, IOSH’s Head of Policy and Public Affairs, highlighted the health and safety risks faced by these workers every day, from exposure to harmful chemicals and dangerous machinery to stress and long working hours. 

Despite global commitments, she said nearly 3 million workers die from job-related accidents and diseases every year while 395 million suffer non-fatal injuries.  

She urged delegates attending the plenary to come together to ensure decent work is a reality for everyone, adding failure to do will bring about significant consequences. 

Ruth said: “Every day, millions of workers around the world face a silent crisis – one that unfolds not in headlines, but in hospitals, homes, and workplaces. From exposure to harmful chemicals and dangerous machinery, to the toll of stress, poor ergonomics, and long hours – our workers are navigating a minefield of risks.  

“And yet, in far too many places, the systems meant to guarantee them with decent work – our occupational safety and health frameworks – remain largely underdeveloped, underfunded, or unenforced.  

“High-level declarations are not enough. We need urgent, coordinated, and well-funded action to make decent work a reality for all. We must take bold, coordinated action to ensure that every worker, in every corner of the world, is treated with dignity, fairness, and safety. The time for fragmented efforts is over. Only through a strong, well-resourced, and accountable global approach can we protect workers’ rights, uphold human dignity, and build a future where no one is left behind. 

The conference is being held by the International Labour Organization (ILO) from 02-13 June. It is attended by delegates from ILO member states, including representatives of governments, employers and workers. Discussions this year include the development of  new standards to enhance the protection of workers from biological hazards in the workplace, ensure decent work conditions in the platform economy, and promote innovative strategies for transitioning from informal to formal employment. 

As the global chartered membership body for the occupational safety and health profession, and in support of our IOSH vision for a safe and healthy world of work, with a mission to drive action by all who can influence occupational safety and health, IOSH attends the conference due to its global audience of decision-makers, as IOSH seeks to influence global labour standards and call for better protection of workers’ health and safety.  

Ruth added: “Occupational safety and health must be more than a principle – it must be our priority. We need bold, adaptive strategies that protect workers from both traditional hazards and the growing dangers of a warming world, technological disruption, weak enforcement and widening inequalities between the Global North and South.”