A New Approach to Universal Health Coverage and Occupational Health and Safety for the Workforce in the Zahedan Industrial Parks

Report from: ZAUMS Environmental and Occupational Health Department

Published on: 23 April 2019

The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that some 2.3 million women and men around the world succumb to work-related accidents or diseases every year; this corresponds to over 6000 deaths every single day. The ILO updates these estimates at intervals, and the updates indicate an increase of accidents and ill health. Currently, more than 374 million people are injured or made ill every year through work-related accidents. It is estimated that work days lost to OSH-related causes represent almost 4 per cent of global GDP, in some countries as much as 6 per cent, the Report says(1).

A new report on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), published ahead of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work on 28 April, reviews the ILO’s 100 years of achievements, and reveals some of the emerging challenges and opportunities in creating better working environments. These Challenges include: growing challenges include psychosocial risks, work-related stress and non-communicable diseases, notably circulatory and respiratory diseases, and cancers (2).

In recent decades, Iran has had a steadily growing economy with an annual rate of 6% on average. The country"s economy is dominantly influenced by oil and natural gas production and related industries like petrochemicals and fertilizers. There are two million job units and sixteen million employees. The occupational health and safety (OHS) system is mainly regulated by two bodies: the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, responsible for occupational health services and legislations; and the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, which undertakes the enactment and enforcement of occupational safety legal issues. Inspectorates in each ministry carry out regular health and safety monitoring according to the OHS legislations. The most common occupational health disorders are musculoskeletal problems, respiratory diseases, noise induced hearing loss, and occupational injuries. Because the OHS is a complex system with overlapping responsibilities among the co-responders, its improvement needs well-organized collaboration among Iranian universities, industries, and governmental agencies, and reliable basic data. The present study takes a glance at the situation and activities of the Iranian OHS system (3) .

Assessment of the burden of Occupational diseases in Iran, between 1990 and 2010, based on the findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010 reported that there was an increasing trend of DALYs (710.08/100,000 people in 1990 and 833.00/100,000 people in 2005) followed by a slight decrease (833.00/100,000 in 2005–784.55/100,000 people in 2010). A total of 50.4% and 36% of total DALYs per 100,000 people were due to the adverse effects of musculoskeletal disorders and work-related injuries, respectively (4).

In order to prevent occupational diseases, with the start of the Iranian National Health Week 2019, the first interventional program for the promotion of occupational health and occupational medicine was launched in cooperation with the Zahedan Industrial Parks Company and private occupational health medical practitioners.

The project, which began with the opening of a specialized exhibition on occupational health and medicine, and health, safety, and environment (HSE) in Shahid Fazeli"s Industrial Parks Company management office, has introduced the opportunity to provide occupational health services by trained medical doctors , which are offered free-of-charge for workers employed by workshops with less than 20 employees.

In addition to intensifying professional health monitoring in the workshops operating in Shahid Fazeli"s and other industrial parks of Zahedan, face-to-face training is provided to the operators and workers of these workshops on the hazardous factors in the work environment as well as the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in reducing exposure to risk factors, performing on-service and periodic examinations and timely diagnosis and treatment of occupational diseases.

In the continuation of the current program, in cooperation with the Zahedan Industrial Parks Company, the implementation of the oversight program and the provision of health and medical professional services we are aiming to achieve a maximum coverage by the end of the current Iranian year, which is an effective step in promoting the health of the workforce in Zahedan Industrial Towns.

References:

1. International Labour Organization. The enormous burden of poor working conditions 2018. Available from: https://www.ilo.org/moscow/areas-of-work/occupational-safety-and-health/WCMS_249278/lang__en/index.htm.

2. International Labour Organization New safety and health issues emerge as work changes 2018 [updated 18 April 2019]. Available from: https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_686571/lang__en/index.htm.

3.Vigeh M, Mazaheri M, Seyedaghamiri Z. Status of occupational health and safety in Iran. J UOEH. 2011;33(4):283-91.

4. NiakanKalhori SR, Behzadi A, Maharlou H, Rahimzadeh S, Khajavi A, Pouryaghoub G, et al. A Burden Assessment of Occupational Exposures in Iran, 1990-2010: Findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Int J Prev Med. 2018;9:56.