Chapter23-Resources,Institutional,StructuralandLegalINSTITUTIONAL,STRUCTURALANDLEGALRESOURCES:INTRODUCTIONSimonPickvanceNationalandinternationalstructuresconcernedwithworkplacehealthandsafetyhavedevelopedrapidlyduringthelast25yearsinresponsetogrowingconcernsaboutworkers’health.Economic,socialandpoliticalchangesprovidethecontextforthisdevelopment.Amongsttheeconomicfactorshavebeentherelocationofpowerawayfromworkersintomultinationalenterprisesandsupranationallegislatures,rapidchangesintherelativecompetitivenessofdifferentstatesintheworldeconomy,andtechnologicalchangeintheproductiveprocess.Amongstthesocialfactorsareadvanceofmedicalknowledgewithconsequentraisedexpectationsofhealth,andthegrowthofscepticismabouttheeffectsofscientificandtechnologicaladvancesontheenvironmentinsideandoutsidetheworkplace.Thepoliticalcontextincludesthecallsforgreaterparticipationinthepoliticalprocessinmanycountriessincethe1960s,thecrisisinsocialwelfareinseverallong-industrializednations,andagrowingsensitivitytothepracticesofmultinationalsindevelopingcountries.Organizationalstructureshavereflectedthesedevelopments.Workers’organizationshavetakenonhealthandsafetyspecialiststoprovideguidancetotheirmembersandnegotiateontheirbehalfatlocalandnationallevels.Therehasbeenarapidgrowthinthenumberoforganizationsofthevictimsofoccupationaldiseaseoverthelasttenyears,whichcanbeseenasaresponsetothespecialhardshipswhichtheyfacewheresocialwelfareprovisionsareinadequate.Bothdevelopmentshavebeenmirroredataninternationallevelbytheincreasedimportancegiventohealthandsafetybyinternationaltradeunionfederations,andbyinternationalconferencesofworkersinparticularindustrialsectors.Thestructuralandlegalissuesrelatedtoworkers’organizations,employers’associations,andlabourrelationsarediscussedinaseparatechapteroftheEncyclopaedia.Thechangesinemployers’andstateorganizationsinrecentyearscanbeseenaspartlyreactiveandpartlypre-emptive.Lawintroducedinthelast25yearsisinpartaresponsetoconcernsexpressedbyworkerssincethelate1960s,andinpartregulationoftherapiddevelopmentofnewtechnologiesofproductioninthepost-warperiod.Constitutionalstructuressetupindifferentlegislaturesareofcourseconsonantwithnationallegislationandculture,buttherearecommonfeatures.Theseincludeanincreaseintheimportanceattachedtopreventionservicesandtrainingforworkers,managersandhealthandsafetyspecialists,theestablishmentofparticipatoryorconsultativeorganizationsattheworkplaceandatthenationallevel,andthereorganizationofthelabourinspectoratesandotherstatebodiesconcernedwithenforcement.DifferingmechanismshavebeensetupindifferentStatesfortheinsurancecoverageprovidedforaworkerinjuredormadeillbywork,andfortherelationshipofhealthandsafetyenforcementtootherstatebodiesconcernedwithemploymentandtheenvironment.Organizationalchangessuchasthesecreatenewtrainingrequirementsintheprofessionsconcerned—inspectors,safetyengineers,industrialhygienists,ergonomists,occupationalpsychologists,doctorsandnurses.Trainingisdiscussedbyprofessionalandotherbodiesatnationalandinternationallevels,withthemajorprofessionsmeetingininternationalcongressesanddevelopingcommonrequirementsandcodesofpractice.Researchisanessentialpartofplannedandreactivepreventionprogrammes.Governmentsarethesinglelargestsourceofresearchfunds,whicharepredominantlyorganizedintonationalresearchprogrammes.Attheinternationallevel,there...
优质VIP
