MEKO HOT BLOG reports a new International Labour Organisation (ILO) report discloses that more than one in five individuals in employment globally has encountered violence and harassment in the workplace.
Titled ‘Preventing and addressing violence and harassment in the world of work through occupational safety and health measures,’ the report underscores the critical role of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) frameworks in addressing the root causes of workplace harassment.
It advocates for a collective approach to enhance work environments and emphasizes the need for inclusive, integrated, and gender-responsive measures.
According to the ILO, Occupational Safety and Health measures play a key role in fostering an integrated and gender-responsive approach to prevent and eliminate violence and harassment in the world of work.
The report highlights that this issue extends beyond specific workplaces and can occur during commutes, work-related trips, digital communications, social activities, and in home-based offices.
The report emphasizes the significance of OSH frameworks in addressing underlying risks contributing to violence and harassment.
It notes that factors such as inadequate work organization, specific task-related issues, and high-stress working conditions need to be tackled to effectively prevent workplace harassment.
Occupational safety and health frameworks, rooted in workplace cooperation and social dialogue, are considered essential tools to mobilize both employers and workers.
The objective is to create working environments free from violence and harassment, fostering collaboration among different stakeholders.
In the study covering 25 countries, the ILO found that approximately two-thirds of legal provisions on workplace violence and harassment were embedded in Occupational Safety and Health legislation and regulations.
These OSH policies, the report notes, often provide more detailed preventive strategies and clearly define the responsibilities of employers and workers compared to other regulatory approaches.
The report recommends practical tools, training programs, and guidelines tailored for enterprises and workplaces to effectively implement violence and harassment policies.
The ILO asserts that these tools are crucial for explaining the necessary steps, including workplace risk assessments, to carry out interventions addressing violence and harassment.
The report is issued as part of the research project, ‘Practical guidance and tools to prevent and address violence and harassment in the world of work: An OSH perspective,’ jointly funded by the European Commission and the ILO.
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