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The Fundamental Human Right to Health, Safety and Well-Being

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Managing Health, Safety and Well-Being

Part of the book series: Aligning Perspectives on Health, Safety and Well-Being ((AHSW))

Abstract

As calls for enterprises to be more socially responsible increase, issues relating to health, safety and well-being (HSW) at work are being gradually seen as fundamental human rights as well as essential components of responsible business practices. Human rights initiatives are increasingly used by companies and their stakeholders as the normative framework for social aspects of sustainability. Although the human rights discourse is a useful and increasingly utilized tool for responding to growing global inequalities, until recently its explicit use in HSW research and policy development has been relatively uncommon. In this chapter, we discuss how employee HSW can be addressed through a human rights-based approach to be further embedded in business operations and practices. In 2008, the Seoul Declaration on Safety and Health at Work explicitly linked workers’ HSW with human rights. The Declaration highlights that the protection of the worker against sickness, disease and injury arising out of his employment is not only a labour right but a fundamental human right. The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights has been another key development in the challenge of creating a global business responsibility and sustainability promise.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Both entered into force in 1976.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nottingham University Business School and Centre for Organizational Health and Development, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK

    Aditya Jain

  2. Centre for Organizational Health and Development, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK

    Stavroula Leka & Gerard I. J. M. Zwetsloot

  3. Gerard Zwetsloot Research & Consultancy, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Gerard I. J. M. Zwetsloot

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  1. Aditya Jain
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  2. Stavroula Leka
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  3. Gerard I. J. M. Zwetsloot
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Jain, A., Leka, S., Zwetsloot, G.I.J.M. (2018). The Fundamental Human Right to Health, Safety and Well-Being. In: Managing Health, Safety and Well-Being. Aligning Perspectives on Health, Safety and Well-Being. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1261-1_5

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