Statements from the co-organizers
Implementing Occupational Safety and Health Standards Globally
German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs
Olaf Scholz
Federal Minister for Labour and Social Affairs, Berlin, Germany
An integral part of decent work is our responsibility to strengthen occupational
safety and health.
Good working conditions are a key objective of well-balanced and people-focused social and labour policies.
To achieve them we need a renewal of our social partnership, both across the country and in
companies.
To do this we are launching a campaign in Germany for a New Work Culture. Along with this campaign we are improving our strategic approach undertaken under the Joint German Occupational Safety and Health Strategy (GDA), which unites federal and
countries authorities, and occupational accident insurance funds. All these parties are realigning prevention efforts to respond to the needs
of trouble spots in occupational safety and health.
But we all know that in a globalized world labour markets do not end at national borders and working conditions are influenced by global production chains and service networks. We need bridges between national and international strategies if we want to improve safety and health in the workplace as a core element of sustainable development and creating new higher-quality work. The International ILO Safety Conference 2009 on Implementing Occupational Safety and Health Standards Globally will provide us and our social partners, and many other important players, with an excellent opportunity to build the bridges that will help us progress towards
a better future in the world of work.
IALI
Michele Patterson
President of the International Association of Labour Inspection (IALI) and Executive Director, SafeWork SA, Department of the Premier and Cabinet, South Australia
Labour standards are essential to the social and economic wellbeing of every country. But without robust systems to inform, educate, promote and enforce these standards, they will not be effective. Good governance over the implementation of standards for decent working conditions and for safety and health in particular, is vital. Effective labour inspection provides the means by which each country can have confidence that these standards are being implemented successfully. As the main partner of the ILO in the area of implementing labour standards, IALI is dedicated to working with the ILO and partners to strengthen labour inspection through the development of alliances, professionalism, integrity and influence, to make safe, healthy and decent work a reality worldwide. This conference provides an ideal opportunity to further this aim.
ISSA
Hans-Horst Konkolewsky
Secretary General, International Social Security Association (ISSA), Geneva, Switzerland
The conference provides an excellent opportunity to discuss strategies and measures to better protect workers' health through strengthening national preventative cultures worldwide, and to thereby promote the implementation of the objectives of the Seoul declaration.
TÜV SÜD
Axel Stepken
CEO and President TÜV SÜD AG, Munich, Germany
"As an international leader in technology and systems safety, we are convinced that ILO is crucial for achieving optimum occupational safety and health standards worldwide. Hence we are pleased to be a partner in this year's ILO International Safety Conference during the A+A."
Deutsche Gesetzliche
Unfallversicherung
Dr. Walter Eichendorf
Deputy Director General, DGUV,
Sankt-Augustin, Germany
The ILO conferences during the A+A in Düsseldorf have always marked
important steps towards better safety and health standards. Building
on the previous success of these events, DGUV is strongly committed
to health and safety at work and therefore fully supports the work of
ILO and ISSA, as well as this conference.
Fraport AG
Herbert Mai
Member of the Executive Board of Fraport AG and Executive Director, Labour Relations, Germany
Traffic, transport, logistics – a global responsibility
As the central hub for international air traffic, Frankfurt airport acts as the interface between regional and international transport and logistics processes, covering almost all available carriers.
As a core player in a global logistics system, Fraport AG, the operator of the largest airport in Germany, sees the transport of for example hazardous substances and goods as a responsibility not only of the company itself but also for all other participants along the whole logistics value chain. In addition to taking technical progress in the industry into account, this also entails equal consideration of the human factor. We can only secure long term success as a company by providing decent working conditions.
Our excellent relations with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and other important bodies in the area of occupational safety and health provide for essential transfer of knowledge – the basis for an integrated approach.
Basi
Bruno Zwingmann
Managing Director
Düsseldorf, Germany
Messe Düsseldorf and Basi feel strongly committed to continuing co-operation with the ILO in order to systematically promote the internationalisation of the A+A. In our opinion, institutions, organisations and companies must endorse the principles of the world organisation and strive to support it within their means.
Messe Düsseldorf
Birgit Horn
Project Director A+A
Düsseldorf, Germany
The A+A is a unique place to bring together the global market players of Occupational Safety and Health with Labour Inspection, Social Partners, Social Security, and Practitioners.
We look forward to around 55,000 trade show visitor visitors from over
60 countries, and an approximately 6,000 experts attending the entire
A+A Kongress.
International Labour Standards
One of ILO's most important tasks is to develop international labour standards for occupational safety and health.
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The Economic Crisis and Safety and Health at Work
Even in a changing world, we tolerate
NO COMPROMISE on the right to safe and healthy work.
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Health and Life at Work: A Basic Human Right
The UN Declaration of Human Rights states that “everyone has the right to life, to work…and to just and favourable conditions of work…”
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European Forum on the Seoul Declaration on Safety and Health at Work
The Seoul Declaration on Safety and Health and Work dictates that promoting OSH is the responsibility of society as a whole.
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Good Practices on OSH Management
Experiences at the national and enterprise level will demonstrate the benefits of an OSH management system across geographical areas and regions.
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Good Practices on Prevention
Without creating a preventive OSH culture there can be little link between OSH legislation and guidelines and actual workplaces.
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Labour Inspection in the Path of Change
The global economic crisis has changed the character and needs of workplaces around the world. Thus, labour inspection itself must adjust to respond to these changes.
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Threat or opportunity for OSH in times of crisis
How can the ILO and their partners help to claim the right to a safe and healthy workplace even in times of global financial crisis?
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