The significance of the OSH data

THIS YEAR’S World Day for Safety and Health at Work theme, ‘Optimising the Collection and Usage of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Data’, is appropriate in highlighting the significance of OSH data as a contributor to the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8.8 of the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda (SDA). The target is to ‘protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment’.

Under the United Nations 2030 SDA and multiple International Labour Organization (ILO) OSH conventions, recommendations and protocols, many countries have committed to the collection and utilisation of reliable OSH data. The recently tabled Jamaican Occupational Safety and Health Bill will require organisations to implement OSH management systems that are consistent with the tenets of these conventions, recommendations and protocols. Reliable OSH data is crucial in developing coherent prevention strategies at the organisational and national levels that, upon their implementation, will consistently reduce occurrences of serious and fatal occupational injuries and diseases.

The outputs of any OSH data-collection system must be able to provide information on occupational accidents and diseases, new and emerging hazards and risks, the presence and

emergence of hazardous sectors, occupations, business models and practices. This information is instrumental in guiding the development of:

OSH policies, legislations, systems and programmes. Workplace interventions. OSH performance indicators and benchmarks. for measuring progress.

Harmonisation of labour inspections.

Strengthening of social protection programmes such as employment injurybenefit schemes.

One requirement of the Factories Act is that employers must report occurrences of occupational accidents and diseases to this ministry. Under the National Insurance Act, contributors can also apply for an employment injury benefit if they sustain an occupational injury or develop a prescribed disease as listed in the National Insurance (Prescribed Diseases) Regulations of 1970.

The OSH Act seeks to reduce and eliminate the challenges and incoherencies in data collection in a number of ways. Persons conducting a business or undertaking will be required to establish management systems for recording, maintaining and notification of occupational accidents, diseases dangerous occurrences, commuting accidents, and suspected cases of occupational diseases as in ILO R194 – List of Occupational Diseases Recommendation, 2002 (No. 194). Second, the Act will also provide framework arrangements for notification of occupational accidents and occupational diseases by insurance institutions, occupational health services, medical practitioners and other bodies directly concerned.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, renowned author of the popular Sherlock Holmes stories, coined the quote, “It is a capital mistake to theorise before one has data. Insensibly, one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.”

Data is undoubtedly the first ingredient in the blend of cognitive processes that lead us to a judgement or decision-making. On this World Day for Safety and Health at Work, let us commemorate its relevance and work towards instituting policies, procedures and management systems that will optimise the collection and utilisation of reliable OSH data.