Remote work raises new safety concerns, says ILO expert
Editor’s Note: First published on Nov. 27, 2023. Article updated to fix broken link.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND — In the lead-up to the World Congress on Safety and Health at Work set to take place in Sydney, Australia, the International Labour Organization (ILO) is preparing to address the pressing issues of workplace safety in the era of digitalization and remote work.
In ILO’s World of Work Show, Manal Azzi, Team Lead on Occupational Safety and Health at the ILO, highlights the congress’s commitment to “shaping change” by presenting global leaders with stark examples of managing safety issues.
The shift to remote work complicates traditional safety and health management systems, which are clear on responsibilities and costs.
“Now, people are working from home, from cafes, from around different places. It’s very difficult to monitor and evaluate the risks they face… describing, fact-checking what they’re exposed to,” said Azzi.
She added that this change has introduced new ergonomic risks and mental health considerations, blurring the lines between domestic life and occupational safety.
The ILO’s gathering will launch updated estimates on work-related accidents and diseases, both fatal and non-fatal, as millions reportedly die each year from such incidents.
The challenge lies in “a lot of underreporting” of these cases, according to Azzi.
“People don’t report, don’t notify the numbers of accidents and diseases that occur. Especially for diseases because we cannot really relate chronic diseases to occupational exposure sometimes.”
With an emphasis on the changing nature of work, the congress aims to pioneer strategies for reporting and preventing occupational hazards in this new landscape, ensuring safety and health remain a priority for workers everywhere.
