For a healthy and safe work environment.

World Day for Safety and Health at Work is an occasion to reflect on policies, initiatives, practices and strategies to protect workers, optimize their working conditions and enhance their safety, quality of life, health and well-being.

With the premise of creating and maintaining safe working environments and guaranteeing the performance of workers in optimal conditions for their full well-being and quality of life, every April the 28th the International Labor Organization promotes the celebration of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work.

The date, established by the organization in 2003, is an important awareness-raising campaign as part of its global strategy to promote the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases, to pay tribute to the victims of these injuries and, above all, to help reduce the number of deaths and injuries in this area.

The lack of attention to the work performed and the lack of demand and control by administrations and trade union organizations, the use of inadequate personal protective equipment or its absence, the failure to carry out maintenance, repairs and hygienic-sanitary measures, as well as the failure to carry out autofocal and other causes not attributable to the worker or his entity, make up the list of factors that could lead to the occurrence of occupational accidents, injuries, deaths and losses in our economy.

Many workers are exposed to dangerous scenarios ranging from excessive heat, ultraviolet radiation and extreme weather events, to air pollution in the workplace, vector-borne diseases and changes in the use of agrochemicals, among others, which, accentuated by climate change, can seriously threaten their health.

Precisely for this reason, this year 2024, the day adopts the slogan «Ensuring safety and health at work in a changing climate» to promote the adoption of policies to mitigate and adapt to climate change based on labor laws and effective measures to protect workers and, even more so, in a geopolitical context where it is urgent to unify the international community and channel it towards safeguarding the environment.

In our Island, the date has a special relevance, since despite the many challenges we face, the Cuban Workers’ Central develops different activities that include conferences, workshops and awareness campaigns and, during the month of November, the National Day of Safety and Health at Work is held to evaluate the progress and shortcomings of the business and budget sectors, based on the observance of established standards, preventive actions and updating on new trends that, globally, allow avoiding injuries, deaths and material losses.

The World Day for Safety and Health at Work is an opportunity to reflect on policies, initiatives, practices and strategies to protect workers, optimize their working conditions and, above all, enhance their safety, quality of life, health and wellbeing.

Written by Yadiel Barbón Salgado.