AMMAN — The
Jordanian Labor Rights Center, Workers House, released its annual report in commemoration
of World Day for Safety and Health at Work.
اضافة اعلان
According to
Al-Mamlaka TV, the report found legislative and regulatory gaps in safety and
health, with falls being the leading cause of work injuries and road accidents
as the primary cause of injury-related deaths.
Statistics on
work injuries and deathsThe report
revealed that an average of 20,000 work accidents occur annually in Jordan,
with an average of 11.8 injuries per 1,000 insured workers. Additionally, one
injury-related death occurs every 1.9 days for those covered by the Social
Security Law, and a work accident happens every 25 minutes in various sectors.
In terms of the
sectors with the highest rate of work injury-related deaths, manufacturing
accounted for 25.3 percent of total deaths, followed by wholesale and trade at
17.7 percent.
One injury-related death occurs every 1.9 days for those covered by the Social Security Law, and a work accident happens every 25 minutes in various sectors.
Furthermore,
the highest number of injuries resulted from manufacturing, accounting for 31.6
percent of the total injuries, followed by health and social work at 22 percent.
Falls are
leading cause of injuryFalls were the
leading cause of workplace injuries, accounting for 28.03 percent of total
injuries, followed by accidents caused by manual work tools at 11.9 percent,
and lastly from falling objects at 9.68 percent.
Meanwhile, road
accidents were the leading cause of injury-related deaths, accounting for 46.8
percent of total deaths.
Legislative and
regulatory gapsThe report
found that the coverage of legislation is limited, with many labor and security
laws failing to protect workers in unregulated fields.
The report also
highlighted the lack of official authorities to enforce their supervision in
most institutions and workplaces, especially in the new expansion of flexible
and remote work hours.
The lack of
coverage and protection in labor and security laws is especially worrying since
flexible and remote work hours limit the employer's responsibility to provide
appropriate and safe working conditions outside the workplace.
This limitation
makes it difficult to assign responsibility in the event of a work accident
during the performance of tasks.
The numbers
could be higherThe report
noted that the number of work injuries in Jordan could be higher since workers
in unregulated fields account for nearly 48 percent of the total workforce in
the Kingdom and are not covered by social security.
Falls were the leading cause of workplace injuries, accounting for 28.03 percent of total injuries, followed by accidents caused by manual work tools at 11.9 percent, and lastly from falling objects at 9.68 percent.
Agricultural
workers are still not covered by insurance, and globally, they have the highest
work injury rates compared to other sectors.
Moreover, more
than half a million workers are not covered by insurance.
Meanwhile, even
covered establishments may not report injuries and prefer to pay for the
expenses on their own through their insurance companies in order to maintain a
clean record with the social security corporation.
A shortage of
inspectors
The report also
noted a shortage of qualified human resource officials in the Ministry of
Labor, which are responsible for monitoring compliance with occupational safety
and health conditions at work sites.
This means that
many establishments remained outside the scope of inspection and did not
receive sufficient technical assistance, advice, and guidance from the ministry
on necessary means to improve their performance to protect against accidents,
and injuries.
Annually, the
rate of visits carried out by labor inspectors in the safety and health sector
is around 5,000 visits, while the Department of Statistics reported 180,680
establishments.
Agricultural workers are still not covered by insurance, and globally, they have the highest work injury rates compared to other sectors.
In order to do
more work inspections, the Ministry of Labor will require qualified and
specialized staff, the adaptation of modern inspection methods, and the activation
of remote inspection methods to reduce the number of field visits. In addition
to development and implementation of special rules for self-inspection of
establishments.
The
report highlights that while the Jordanian Labor Law has a dedicated chapter on
occupational safety and health and has issued various regulations and
instructions on necessary precautions to protect institutions and workers from
work hazards, the legislation needs to include more detailed and comprehensive
provisions.
These
amendments must focus especially technical guidance for preventing hazards in
each sector. Sectors such as agriculture, construction, and manufacturing
industries are most exposed to work accidents and need specialized guidance to
prevent such hazards.
Furthermore,
it is crucial for Jordan to ratify basic international labor agreements on
occupational safety and health, such as Convention No. 187 on the Promotional
Framework for Occupational Safety and Health and Convention No. 155 on Occupational
Safety and Health.
Bringing
safety to agricultural workersThe
Agricultural Labor System issued in 2021 brought agricultural workers under the
Labor Law and included instructions for safety and occupational health
conditions in agricultural work sites for that year.
Annually, the rate of visits carried out by labor inspectors in the safety and health sector is around 5,000 visits, while the Department of Statistics reported 180,680 establishments.
The instructions
mandated that agricultural employers provide safe work environments free from
hazards for their workers.
However,
neither the Agricultural Labor System nor the instructions have been
implemented yet, and work inspections remain inactive in this hazardous
workplace sector.
The
importance of having a national strategyThe
report underlined the importance of having a national strategy for safety and
occupational health, emphasizing the need for the state to improve its
performance, limit work accidents and injuries, and ensure full coordination
between all relevant parties according to international standards and best
practices.
It
highlighted that strategic planning, programs, and national plans associated
with them should be given the highest priority. The report also notes that the
costs of injuries, disabilities, deaths, and treatments, compensation, and
absenteeism from work lead to a 4 percent loss of gross domestic product.
The
report additionally pointed out that safety and occupational health require
specialized policies and programs that take into account the nature of the work
environment, devices and mechanisms used, and the forms of hazards that workers
may be exposed to.
However,
efforts are still not unified due to the multiplicity of parties concerned with
safety and occupational health and the diversity of economic sectors requiring
special treatments.
The
report highlighted that partnership with the private sector is at its lowest
levels, and there is a lack of coordination between regulatory, security, and
health authorities in monitoring and investigating work accidents and injuries.
Additionally,
the report noted that the economic and social dimensions of labor unions and
employer representative bodies are limited, and their participation is minimal,
except in some training activities.
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