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ASEAN-focussed labour market governance programme (OSH and industrial relations) - Final Evaluation

eval_number:

2019

eval_url:

https://webapps.ilo.org/ievaldiscovery/eval/2019

lessons_learned:

themes:

theme:

Occupational safety & health

category:

Governance and Tripartism

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comments:

Targetted beneficiaries: Rapidly developing ASEAN economies, construction industry

challenges:

The high turnover of workers poses a considerable barrier to formal training in the construction industry. Workers are reluctant to invest in their own training because of insecurity of employment and high levels of unemployment; contractors are reluctant to invest because there is a good chance they will lose trained workers to other firms (or other countries). The contractors’ reluctance is also based on the fact that training costs money, which (at least in the short run) will raise the price of their bids and could make them uncompetitive.

success:

The ILO’s participatory training tool “Work Improvement in Small Construction Sites” (WISCON) was an effective way to get into construction workplaces in Cambodia and Viet Nam. The project demonstrated that WISCON has the ability to immediately provide a positive impact on the workers’ safety because workers participate in making their work environment a safer place, e.g. by tidying work places and clearing access ways. Moreover, in rural areas many construction workers were illiterate, so pictures worked well, and they were inspired by community and neighbourhood examples that they could easily relate to. In Cambodia, for example, the project found a couple of construction sites where they could work with employers, and this worked well because employers are less likely to move, so are easier to target and monitor. However, in another eight construction sites that the project explored, it was difficult to know which person was responsible for OSH – particularly in an industry where subcontracting is widespread. Because of the mobile nature of the construction workforce, workers can be difficult to monitor. However, the project found that unions tend to organize in a particular construction site, which is effective. In future, it would be good to scale up and work more with employers, but also with unions in the construction sector.

context:

The ILO recognises the construction industry as hazardous because of its high occupational injury rates and potential to cause major industrial accidents. There have been increasing reports of construction accidents in ASEAN countries, including in Cambodia and Viet Nam. Moreover, workers in construction sites are often exposed to high levels of dust, including from asbestos, which increases the risk of occupational lung diseases, including cancers. Employment in small enterprises on casual and temporary terms, often through intermediaries, which is now the norm in the construction industry in much of the world, has a profound effect upon the construction workforce and their labour rights and upon skill formation in the industry . The high turnover of labour increases the risk of accidents, while the prevalence of subcontracting means that responsibility for health and safety is diffused.Even where there is adequate legislation in place to ensure that construction workers are safe, the problem is a lack of implementation. Sites are not inspected and penalties are not imposed . A construction worker with a fixed- term contract is three times more likely to suffer an occupational accident than one with a permanent contract. Employers tend not to pay into social security funds on behalf of construction workers who are on temporary contracts. Hence, the workers who are most in need receive no social security benefits – no health care, no holiday pay and no protection against loss of pay in periods when they are unable to work due to unemployment, ill health, accidents or old age .

description:

OSH is a good entry point for programming and organizing in the construction industry, which is prolific in rapidly developing economies of ASEAN, and inherently hazardous.

administrative_issues:

The construction industry falls within the ILO’s sector-specific approach to decent work that translates high-level policy advice into practice where impact is needed – in the workplace. The Sectoral Activities Department (SECTOR) undertakes research on emerging labour issues in the construction industry, facilitates social dialogue among the ILO’s tripartite constituents (i.e., workers, employers, and governments), provides technical advice, and develops practical tools, policy recommendations, and training modules used by the headquarters and field offices. In some countries the law needs to be updated to bring it into line with the provisions of the Safety and Health in Construction Convention, 1988 (No. 167), the most important of which are as follows: • There should be cooperation between employers and workers in taking appropriate measures to ensure that workplaces are safe and without risk to health; • All parties to a construction contract have responsibilities, including those who design and plan projects; • The principal contractor is responsible for coordinating the prescribed measures and each employer is responsible for their application in respect of workers under his authority; and • Workers have the duty to report risks, but also the right to remove themselves from imminent and serious danger.

url:

https://webapps.ilo.org/ievaldiscovery/lessons/195645

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location:

country:

Asia and the Pacific - regional

region:

Asia and the Pacific

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eval_title:

ASEAN-focussed labour market governance programme (OSH and industrial relations) - Final Evaluation