Safety and Risk Assessment

Abstract

Labour is not a commodity and markets must serve people. Nearly 90 years ago the protection of workers’ lives and health was set out as a key objective in the founding charter of the Organization. Today, rapid technological change and a fast-paced and globalized economy bring new challenges and pressures for all areas of the world of work... Millions of work related accidents, injury and disease annually take their toll on human lives, businesses, the economy and the environment. Each year, for some two million women and men, the ultimate cost is loss of life. In economic terms it is estimated that roughly four percent of the annual global Gross Domestic Product, or US$ 1.25 trillion, is siphoned off by direct and indirect costs of occupational accidents and diseases such as lost working time, workers’ compensation, the interruption of production and medical expenses... This year we focus on managing risk in the work environment. We know that by assessing risks and hazards, combating them at source and promoting a culture of prevention we can significantly reduce workplace illness and injuries. Employers, workers and governments all play key roles in making this happen (message from Juan Somavia, Director-General of the International Labor Organization, on the occasion of World Day for Safety and Health at Work – 28 April 2008). Every five seconds, an EU worker is involved in a work-related accident, and every two hours one worker dies in an accident at work (OSHA, European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, 2008) Safety must be designed and build into airplanes just as are performance, stability, and structural integrity. A safety group must be just as important a part of a manufacturer’s organization as a stress, aerodynamics, or a weights group (“Engineering for Safety,” Institute of Aeronautical Sciences 1947).