Asian-Pacific Newsletter

O N O C C U PAT I O N A L H E A LT H A N D S A F E T Y
Volume 15, number 2, September 2008

OSH – A societal
responsibility
Asian-Pacific Newsletter
on Occupational Health and Safety
Contents
Volume 15, number 2, September 2008
27 Editorial
Occupational safety and health – A societal
Sameera Al-Tuwaijri, ILO
responsibility

28 Time for a new global response to global safety and health

Published by
challenges
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health
Hans-Horst Konkolewsky, ISSA
Topeliuksenkatu 41 a A
FI-00250 Helsinki, Finland
29 XVIII World Congress and Summit on Safety and Health
at Work
Editor-in-Chief
Suvi Lehtinen, Finland
Suvi Lehtinen
30 Seoul Declaration on Safety and Health at Work
Editor
Inkeri Haataja
31 Occupational health and safety – A societal responsibility
Habibullah Saiyed, Sattar Yoosuf, WHO
Linguistic Editor
Sheryl Hinkkanen
33 Occupational health and safety are key elements of
corporate social responsibility at China National Offshore
Layout
Oil Corporation
Liisa Surakka, Kirjapaino Uusimaa, Studio Song Lisong, P.R. China

The Editorial Board is listed (as of 1 January 2008)
on the back page.
This publication enjoys copyright under Protocol 2 of
the Universal Copyright Convention. Nevertheless,
short excerpts of the articles may be reproduced
without authorization, on condition that the source
is indicated. For rights of reproduction or translation,
application should be made to the Finnish Institute of
Occupational Health, International Affairs, Topeliuk-
senkatu 41 a A, FI-00250 Helsinki, Finland.
The electronic version of the Asian-Pacific Newslet-
ter on Occupational Health and Safety on the Inter-
net can be accessed at the following address:
http://www.ttl.fi/Asian-PacificNewsletter
The issue 3/2008 of the Asian-Pacific Newsletter
deals with women and work.
36 Occupational safety and health as a contribution to a
sustainable socio-economic development in China
Martin Braun, Germany
38 News from Nepal
Paras K. Pokharel, Prajjwal Raut, Nepal
Erkki Kähkönen, Finland
40 Lung function abnormalities among workers exposed
in welding operations
Chandrasekharan Nair Kesavachandran, Vipin Bihari,
India
42 Respiratory morbidity among miners in Rajasthan
state – Report of a pilot study
Debasis Chatterjee, Sarang Dhatrak, Subroto Nandi,
B. B. Mandal, Sachin Narwadiya, India

Photograph on the cover page:

China National Offshore Oil Corporation

Printed publication:
ISSN 1237-0843
On-line publication:
ISSN 1458-5944 The responsibility for opinions expressed in signed articles, stu-
dies and other contributions rests solely with their authors, and
© Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, 2008 publication does not constitute an endorsement by the Interna-
tional Labour Office, the World Health Organization or the Fin-
nish Institute of Occupational Health of the opinions expressed
in them.
 E
very day, people all over
the world die, are injured
or become sick in the
course of their work.
Whose responsibility is it to reduce the number of
accidents and exposures that give rise to these deaths,
injuries and diseases?
The International Labour Organization, from its very
foundation in 1919, has always understood that there are
several components of society that carry this responsi-
bility. This, of course, is implicit in its tripartite nature –
it has always been clear that the problems of workplaces
had to be tackled through the collaboration of govern-
ments and social partners (workers and employers). The
preamble of the ILO’s Constitution specifies “the protec-
tion of the worker against sickness, disease and injury
arising out of his employment” as one of the main tasks
of the organization, and over the years it has devoted a
significant part of its efforts to do just that: 36 out of the
188 Conventions of the ILO adopted to date deal with
occupational safety and health issues.
While three major components of society – govern-
ments, workers and employers – should continue to play a
major role in the protection of workers’ safety and health,
it is important to look at the issue from a broader per-
spective of society as a whole. This is because the impact
of occupational accidents and diseases on society is very
high. Families, dependent children in particular, suffer
enormously when a breadwinner dies or loses income
because of temporary or permanent incapacity. Social
and health insurance funds have to pay out enormous
amounts to accident victims and to the sick. Enterprises
have to spend large sums on retraining the victims as
well as those replacing workers unable to do their former
tasks. Enterprises may lose production capacity, and not
only they but the consumers of their products and the
users of their services may have to incur large losses. In
addition, many accidents involve damages to the public
and the environment as well, sometimes (as in Bhopal
and Seveso) on a catastrophic scale.
All these examples show that the impact of an ac-
cident or disease does not stop with the victim – all of
society is involved, and therefore all segments of society
should participate in the endeavour for safer and health-
ier workplaces. True to its traditions, the ILO has taken
the lead in encouraging the trend in this direction, and
was one of the organizers of the recent Safety and Health
Summit held in Seoul, Republic of Korea. The Declara-
tion, adopted at the Summit, recognized – for the first
time in an international instrument – that:
“Promoting high levels of safety and health at work is
the responsibility of society as a whole and all members of
society must contribute to achieving this goal by ensuring
that priority is given to occupational safety and health in
national agendas and by building and maintaining a na-
tional preventative safety and health culture.”
It is significant that in addition to representatives of
governments and of workers’ and employers’ organiza-
tions, this declaration carried the signatures of top ex-
ecutives of large multinational corporations, of promi-
nent research institutions and professional organizations
in the OSH field, and of insurance institutions covering
occupational risks.
I salute this major achievement, and I salute your
journal for devoting a complete issue to this very impor-
tant and topical subject.
Dr. Sameera M. Al-Tuwaijri
Director
International Programme on Safety and Health at
Work and the Environment (SafeWork)
International Labour Office
al-tuwaijri@ilo.org
Asian-Pacific Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2008;15:27 • 27
Time for a new global response
to global safety and health
challenges
E
ach year, more people die in
the world through accidents
and diseases than die in wars
as the fast-changing and in-
creasingly inter-related world econo-
my brings new risks and new dangers
to the workplace. Improving the safety
and health of workers urgently requires
a concerted global effort from political,
social and business leaders.
An important step towards an in-
ternational consensus was made at the
first high-level international Safety and
Health Summit, which took place in
Seoul, in the Republic of Korea on 29
June 2008, prior to the XVIII World
Congress on Safety and Health at Work.
The Summit gathered some 50 high-
level representatives, including govern-
ment ministers, CEOs of major mul-
tinational companies, social security
leaders, senior safety and health ex-
perts, and representatives of employers
and workers, and was jointly organized
by the ISSA, the International Labour
Organization with the Korean Occupa-
tional Health and Safety Agency.
The Summit participants signed
an unprecedented Declaration on
Safety and Health at Work, which sets
a benchmark for employers, workers
and governments to reinforce coop-
eration to reduce workplace accidents
and diseases.
Mounting evidence confirms that
promoting safety and health at work
not only saves lives but that investing
in workers’ health makes sound eco-
nomic sense. The economic impact of
work-related accidents and diseases is
massive. The financial burden of com-
pensation, health care, rehabilitation
and invalidity on the economy could
be as much as 4 per cent of national
GDP, and even higher in some devel-
oping countries. Increased health and
productivity of workers are strategic
assets not only for companies in local
and global markets but for societies as
a whole. These principles were affirmed
in the Declaration.
Despite a measurable reduction in
28 • Asian-Pacific Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2008;15:28
work-related accidents resulting from
decades of accident prevention work
by social security and other institu-
tions, both industrialized and devel-
oping economies are now faced with
new challenges to safety and health.
Many countries are experiencing a rise
in chronic diseases linked to chang-
ing lifestyles and environmental fac-
tors, such as asbestos, which remains
a critical risk for Asian countries in
particular.
The current phase of globalization
is accompanied by a growth in infor-
mal employment, increased migration
and profound social shifts, posing new
challenges to safety and health at work,
especially in countries with less devel-
oped prevention cultures. New tech-
nologies, including nanotechnologies,
ergonomic risks, as well as stress and
psychosocial pressures, further in-
crease the complexity of prevention.
Workers’ health is an increasing-
ly vital issue of economic and social
progress. It is an indispensable element
in the development and maintenance
of human capital and of the capacity of
individuals to be active in the labour
market. Increasingly determined by
both occupational and non-occupa-
tional factors, workers’ health there-
fore requires a broad and integrated ap-
proach involving actors with different
backgrounds and knowledge, including
social security and occupational safety
organizations.
Beyond the traditional focus on oc-
cupational safety and health, the ISSA
supports social security policies that
foster preventive approaches to pro-
tect and promote health at work in all
branches of social security. Preventive
approaches broaden the nature of so-
cial security policies. They are a corner-
stone of what the ISSA calls dynamic
social security.
Today’s more complex health risks
call for these more innovative meas-
ures. For example, a sharp increase in
chronic diseases shows that workplace
prevention should engage in broader
The
economic
impact
of work- health promotion activities. Dynamic
safety and health strategies can sub-
related stantially reduce work-related acci-
dents and illness levels, avoid need-
accidents less human suffering, and contribute
and to economic and social progress.
Safety and health at work must be
diseases is recognized as a strategic asset for com-
panies and society, and greater invest-
massive. ment by society is now needed.
We must be realistic; it will be a
long journey before we can report a
serious decline in workplace accidents
and diseases. The Seoul Declaration on
Safety and Health provides us with a
new instrument that we hope will lead
to new political commitments to oc-
cupational safety and health, and raise
awareness that workers’ safety and
health is a societal responsibility. To-
gether, social security and occupational
safety and health actors can mobilize
support and commitment to its phi-
losophy, and reinforce the message to
the world that prevention pays.
Seoul Declaration on Safety and
Health at Work
http://www.issa.int/aiss/Resources/Con-
ference-Reports/Seoul-Declaration-on-
Safety-and-Health-at-Work
Hans Horst Konkolewsky
Secretary General
International Social Security Association
Suvi Lehtinen, Finland

XVIII World Congress and Summit

on Safety and Health at Work

T
he XVIII World Congress
on Safety and Health at
Work was organized on 29
June–2 July 2008 in Seoul,
Republic of Korea. The Congress was
organized by ILO, ISSA and Korea Oc-
cupational Safety and Health Agency,
and it gathered together more than
3,000 participants. It was unique in
the sense that, for the first time ever
in the history of the World Congress,
a Summit on Safety and Health was
arranged immediately before the Con-
gress. The Summit adopted the Seoul
Declaration, which can be read also on
the next page. The theme of the Con-
gress was Safety and health at work; A
societal responsibility.

Rich programme
The four-day Congress contained one
Plenary session, six Technical sessions,
close to 50 symposia, five regional
meetings, poster sessions, and speak-
ers’ corner. In total, more than 450 oral
communications and more than 220
poster presentations were included in
the programme. The International Film
and Multimedia Festival as well as the
International Safety and Health Exhi-
bition were also on the programme of
the Congress.
The Summit on Safety and
Health
As many as 50 delegates representing
governments, international organiza-
tions, and large companies, trade un-
ions and employers’ organizations, as
well as occupational health and safety
experts throughout the world, attend-
ed the Summit. Ms. Leila Savolainen,
State Secretary, representing the Gov-
ernment of Finland, said in her address
that in developing the work environ-
ment, it is essential that social part-
ners are involved in all activities and
at all levels. She emphasized the im-
portance of common labour standards
and rules at the international and na-
tional levels. She urged all ILO Mem-
ber States to ratify the ILO Promotion-
al Framework for Occupational Safety
and Health Convention No. 187. She
noted that Finland had recently rati-
fied, and the host country, Republic of
Korea, is also among those countries
that have ratified the Convention.
ICOH was represented in the Sum-
mit by Professor Jorma Rantanen, Pres-
ident of the Organization. In his ad-
dress he said that:
ICOH will sign the Seoul Decla-
ration on Safety and Health at Work
with great appreciation, not only be-
cause of its value basis and substan-
tive objectives for provision of global
common goods, but also because of
the emphasis given to practical imple-
mentation.
In implementation we need two
equally important arms: a) Inspection
for enforcement and advising compa-
nies in compliance of regulations; and
b) Services helping the workplaces to
make the action for OSH in practice.
About 85% of the world’s workers
have support from neither inspection
Photo by KOSHA
nor from services. ICOH wants to sup-
port the implementation of the Decla-
ration by promoting the ICOH/WHO/
ILO proposal for Basic Occupational
Health Services, which are intended to
be used at a very grassroots level for the
workers and workplaces without any
kind of services available. We produce
good practice guidelines for practical
use in such services. We hope that we,
on our part, can in this way support the
implementation of the Seoul Declara-
tion, he said.
Good examples from countries in
the Asian Region were heard in the ses-
sion dealing with Basic Occupational
Health Services. Excellent reports were
presented by Dr. Somkiat Siriruttana-
pruk of the Ministry of Public Health,
Thailand; Dr. Chen Rui of the Ministry
of Health, China; Dr. Nguyen Thi Hong
Tu of the Ministry of Health, Vietnam;
and Dr. Min Yoo of KOSHA, Republic
of Korea.
Suvi Lehtinen
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health
E-mail: suvi.lehtinen@ttl.fi

Asian-Pacific Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2008;15:29 • 29

 Seoul Declaration on
Safety and Health at Work
The Safety and Health Summit
H
aving met in Seoul, Republic of
Korea, on 29 June 2008 on the
occasion of the XVIII World
Congress on Safety and Health
at Work, jointly organized by the International
Labour Office, the International Social Secu-
rity Association (ISSA) and the Korea Occu-
pational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA),
with the participation of senior professionals,
employers’ and workers’ representatives, social
security representatives, policy-makers and
administrators.
●● Recognizing the serious consequences
of work-related accidents and diseases,
which the International Labour Office
estimates lead to 2.3 million fatalities
per year world-wide and an economic
loss of 4 percent of global Gross Do-
mestic Product (GDP),
●● Recognizing that improving safety and
health at work has a positive impact on
working conditions, productivity and
economic and social development,
●● Recalling that the right to a safe and
healthy working environment should
be recognized as a fundamental human
right and that globalization must go
hand in hand with preventative meas-
ures to ensure the safety and health of
all at work,
●● Recognizing the importance of the in-
struments on safety and health at work
of the International Labour Organiza-
tion (ILO) and the substantial role of
the ISSA and its members’ contribution
in implementing these instruments,
●● Recalling that the promotion of oc-
cupational safety and health and the
prevention of accidents and diseases
at work is a core element of the ILO’s
founding mission and of the Decent
Work Agenda,
●● Recalling that the prevention of oc-
cupational risks and the promotion of
workers’ health constitute an essential
part of the ISSA’s mandate and of its
Conceptual Framework of Dynamic
Social Security,
30 • Asian-Pacific Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2008;15:30
●● Recognizing the importance of educa-
tion, training, consultation and the ex-
change of information and good prac-
tices on prevention and the promotion
of preventative measures,
●● Recognizing the important role played
by governments and the social part-
ners, professional safety and health or-
ganizations and social security institu-
tions in promoting prevention and in
providing treatment, support and re-
habilitation services,
●● Recognizing the importance of coop-
eration among international organiza-
tions and institutions,
●● Welcoming progress achieved through
international and national efforts to
improve safety and health at work,
Declares that
1. Promoting high levels of safety and
health at work is the responsibility of
society as a whole and all members of
society must contribute to achieving
this goal by ensuring that priority is giv-
en to occupational safety and health in
national agendas and by building and
maintaining a national preventative
safety and health culture.
2. A national preventative safety and
health culture is one in which the right
to a safe and healthy working environ-
ment is respected at all levels, where
governments, employers and workers
actively participate in securing a safe
and healthy working environment
through a system of defined rights, re-
sponsibilities and duties, and where the
principle of prevention is accorded the
highest priority.
3. The continuous improvement of oc-
cupational safety and health should be
promoted by a systems approach to the
management of occupational safety and
health, including the development of a
national policy taking into considera-
tion the principles in Part II of theILO
Occupational Safety and Health Con-
vention, 1981 (No. 155).
4. Governments should
• Consider the ratification of the ILO
Promotional Framework for Occupa-
tional Safety and Health Convention,
2006 (No. 187) as a priority, as well as
other relevant ILO Conventions on
safety and health at work and ensure
the implementation of their provisions,
as a means to improve national per-
formance on safety and health at work
in a systematic way.
• Ensure that continued actions are tak-
en to create and enhance a national pre-
ventative safety and health culture.
• Ensure that the occupational safe-
ty and health of workers is protected
through an adequate and appropriate
system of enforcement of safety and
health standards, including a strong and
effective labour inspection system.
5. Employers should ensure that
• Prevention is an integral part of their
activities, as high safety and health
standards at work go hand and hand
with good business performance.
• Occupational safety and health man-
agement systems are established in an
effective way to improve workplace
safety and health.
• Workers and their representatives
are consulted, trained, informed and
involved in all measures related to their
safety and health at work.
6. Affirming the workers’ right to a safe
and healthy working environment,
workers should be consulted on safety
and health matters and should:
• Follow safety and health instructions
and procedures, including on the use
of personal protective equipment.
• Participate in safety and health train-
ing and awareness-raising activities.
• Cooperate with their employer in
measures related to their safety and
health at work.
7. The World Congress on Safety and
Health at Work is an ideal forum to
share knowledge and experiences in
achieving safe, healthy and productive
workplaces.
8. Progress made on achieving safety and
health at work should be reviewed on
the occasion of the XIX World Con-
gress on Safety and Health at Work in
2011.
9. The Summit participants commit to
taking the lead in promoting a prevent-
ative safety and health culture, placing
occupational safety and health high on
national agendas.
 Habibullah Saiyed
Abdul Sattar Yoosuf
WHO
Occupational health and safety
– A societal responsibility
Introduction
Despite the increasing awareness of health be-
ing an important determinant of the produc-
tivity and progress of a nation, occupational
health and safety remains neglected throug-
out the world (1). The WHO World Health Re-
port 2002 (2) found that during the year 2000,
work-related risk factors were responsible for
the loss of about 30 million Disability Adjusted
Life Years (DALYs) globally. South East Asia
Region countries had a loss of over 8 million
DALYs (27% of the total) and the highest re-
gional burden of disease attributable to occu-
pational risk factors. This includes occupation-
al injuries, workplace exposure to carcinogens,
dust, noise and ergonomic stressors. These af-
flictions bring hardship not only to the victims
but also to their families as most of the affected
individuals in the developing countries are in
the prime of their lives. They are the sole earn-
ing members of such families with neither so-
cial security nor any form of health insurance.
Compounding this human suffering is also the
economic dimension. WHO estimates a global
loss of 4–5% of gross domestic product (GDP)
attributable to occupational risk factors (3).
Unfortunately, the major instruments to pro-
tect health and safety of workers, namely, reg-
ulatory mechanisms and the provision of oc-
cupational health services, are available only
to about 10–15% of the working population
of developing countries. Furthermore, in these
countries, even where such regulatory mecha-
nisms do exist, they are largely ineffective due
to weak institutional infrastructure and stake-
holder apathy to accept the health of the work-
ers as their social responsibility.
A look at corporate responsibility in de-
veloping countries reveals stark inequities. In
many countries, by law, a corporation’s on-
ly responsibilities are to expand the bottom
line for shareholders (economic responsibil-
ity) and to obey the law (legal responsibility).
Social responsibility is an ethical or ideologi-
cal remit with informal legal and social con-
trols that an entity – whether it is a govern-
ment, corporation, organization or individual
– functions within. Thus, social responsibility
is self-imposed and is beyond legal obliga-
tions. It is upheld by social mores and values
already ingrained in societal belief systems,
and activated by the practical involvement of
businesses, government agencies, NGOs, local
communities, and social activists. (4)
The roots of social responsibility lie in the
moral obligation of the corporate entity; to
give something back to the society in which
it functions. And the rise of ethical consumer-
ism in recent years has led to greater concern
in the corporate sector with regard to envi-
ronmental and occupational impact of their
products and activities. Thus, many companies
now certify their products with ISO standards
guaranteeing sound environmental manage-
ment, occupational health and safety.
For a still better understanding of the root
of societal responsibility to protect health and
safety of the working population, one needs to
look at the definition of occupational health.
In 1950, the Joint ILO/WHO Committee on
Occupational Health stated that,“Occupation-
al health should aim at the promotion and
maintenance of the highest degree of physical,
mental and social well-being of workers in all
occupations; the prevention amongst work-
ers of departures from health caused by their
working conditions; the protection of work-
ers in their employment from risks resulting
from factors adverse to health; the placing and
maintenance of the worker in an occupational
environment adapted to his physiological and
psychological capabilities”. In summary: “the
adaptation of work to man, and of each man
to his job (5).”
Protection of health from the adverse
work environment may be seen as a legal ob-
ligation that is burdensome to the employer.
However, the benefits of health promotion
and placement of workers in healthy work
environments go far beyond being a burden,
to being an economic benefit. Positive health
conditions of the workers mean greater effi-
ciency, less sickness absenteeism, less spend-
ing on health care, lesser labour turnover,
longevity of the workers (less spending on
training of fresh workers), avoidance of legal
actions, and better corporate image in soci-
ety that would ultimately lead to better busi-
ness outcomes.
Asian-Pacific Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2008;15:31–2 •
Issues connected to business ethics
and social responsibility – profit and
loss
Given the above, it would seem that protect-
ing health of workers is an assured corporate
benefit. However, the following cases reveal a
dire need for employee protection, and a strict
demand on employers for invoking corporate
social responsibility.
A case from glass manufacturing
Large industries often procure essential raw
material from small manufacturers to avoid
health and safety problems inherent in prepar-
ing the raw material. For example, many large
glass factories in Gujarat state of India were
producing their own silica powder which is
the main raw material for their finished prod-
uct. In the 1980s, two of these factories were
prosecuted for violation of health and safety
standards and had to pay compensations for
health afflictions from silicosis to hundreds of
workers. Subsequently, these companies out-
sourced the silica powder making process to
smaller independent silica milling units, many
of which were beyond the purview of occu-
pational health and safety laws. In Gujarat,
Rajasthan, and several other States, hundreds
of small units are now manufacturing silica
powder by crushing quartz stone, which sup-
ply silica powder to large industries that make
ceramics, laundry soap, toothpaste, etc. A study
in such milling units showed high concentra-
tions of silica in work environment result-
ing into silicosis in about 42% of the workers
within 5 years (6). The news media has highly
publicized the health problems of these small-
scale silica mill workers, and even the National
Human Right Commission of India has sited
the issue (7). Thus, it would be pertinent to
question the moral and social responsibility
of the large manufacturers.
Asbestos issue
The use of asbestos is one of the most con-
troversial issues surrounding the industrial
minerals industry. In industrialized countries,
the revelation of the carcinogenic property
of asbestos had led to public resentment and
31
5,000
4,500
4,000
3,500
3,000
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0 sponsibility. Social responsibility is a doctrine
1920 ‘30 ‘40 ‘50 ‘60
400
Thailand
350
Sri Lanka
300
Indonesia
250
India
200
150
100
50
0 whr/2002/en/whr02_en.pdf
1920 ‘30 ‘40 ‘50 ‘60
litigations demanding compensations in the
1970s, ultimately resulting in the reduced use
of asbestos products in these countries either
through voluntary actions, or due to fear of
huge legal costs or ban/restrictions by these
national governments. Consequently, the in-
dustry then started moving manufacture to
the developing economies of Asia (Figure 1).
It is no doubt, that the workers and general
population in these countries would be thus
exposed to asbestos fiber in uncontrolled in-
dustrial and ambient environments because of
weak and poorly enforced legislation and lack
of awareness. According to WHO, all types of
asbestos fiber are carcinogenic, a safe exposure
level is not known, and less harmful substi-
tutes are available (8). Despite this knowledge
and realization that these countries will face
an epidemic of asbestos-related cancers (al-
though stealthily and in the longer term), the
industrialized countries continue to benefit
from the export of raw material and technol-
ogy, at the expense of the ignorance and weak
legal climate of developing countries, and the
silent voice of the victims who are mostly the
poor labourers.
From the above, it is clear that the social
responsibility of the corporate stakeholder lies
in their voluntary and enlightened action for
social justice. Unfortunately, it is not a legal
binding on them and actions need to be de-
cided on ethical and moral grounds subject to
individual values and discretion. How far this
responsibility of the corporate sector should
extend is an important question. Their dual
responsibility – to the shareholders and their
32 • Asian-Pacific Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2008;15:31–2
Figure 1. Asbestos consumption in selected Asian countries (China,
India, Indonesia , Sri Lanka and Thailand) and rest of the world. The
consumption data clearly show migration of industry to developing
economies in Asia. (Data source Robert L. Virta (2006) World-
wide Asbestos Supply and Consumption Trends from 1900 through
2003. Available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/2006/1298/ )
‘70 ‘80 ‘90 2000 2003
‘70 ‘80 ‘90 2000 2003
employees – is immediately evident and di-
rectly related to their corporate business inter-
ests. However, to achieve greater social justice,
the industry needs to look beyond the sphere
of its direct responsibility, and seek to rectify
the moral responsibility they infringe in the
exercise of nefarious practices, as cited in the
above examples. Shouldn’t these companies
help these smaller units to strive for minimum
standards? Or find alternatives to the use of
asbestos in collaborative partnership within
the lucrative job markets of developing coun-
tries? These would be win-wins ultimately –
with profits both ways!
To promote shared responsibility and co-
operative efforts among parties in the inter-
national trade of hazardous chemicals an in-
ternational convention known as Rotterdam
Convention was adopted in 1998 (9). Attempt
to include asbestos in the list of highly haz-
ardous chemicals has been so far forestalled
by narrow commercial and national interests.
While social responsibility holds obvious mor-
al value, it carries with it economic value as
well. This economic value can be defined as
the total dollar amount individuals are will-
ing to pay for or invest in socially responsible
goods or practices and also how much they
sacrifice by making a policy of procuring or
exporting goods or technology which does
harm to the individuals beyond their sphere
of responsibility.
Thus, social responsibility should be seen
in this broader perspective. Companies and
organizations should consider themselves re-
sponsible for the people they affect, even in-
directly. It should be based on the idea that
a company or organization has the power to
help people or, at the least, not harm them –
and that it is incumbent on them as a moral re-
that says that every social entity, whether a
village, town, state, corporation, organization,
government or individual has a responsibility
to the society which embodies it.
References
1. Tompa E. The impact of health on productiv-
ity: empirical evidence and policy implications.
The review of economic performance and social
progress 2002:181–202. Available at http://www.
csls.ca/repsp/2/emiletompa.pdf
2. The World Health Report 2002. Reducing Risks,
Promoting Healthy Life. Geneva: World Health
Organization. Available at http://www.who.int/
3. World Health Organization: Occupational Health
http://www.who.int/occupational_health/en/
4. Social responsibility from Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia. Available at http://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/Social_responsibility
5. Rantanen J, Fedotov I. Occupational Health
Services – standards, principles and approaches
in occupational health services. In: Stellman JM,
ed. ILO Encyclopedia of Occupational Health and
Safety, Vol. 1:16.1–16.62. Geneva: International
Labour Organization, 1998.
6. Bhagia LJ, Tiwari RR, Sharma YK, Saiyed HN. Sili-
cosis and its control in small-scale silica mills in
India. The Global Occupational Health Network.
Geneva: World Health Organization, GOHNET
Newsletter 2007;12. Available at http://www.
who.int/occupational_health/publications/news-
letter/gohnet12e.pdf
7. National Human Right Commission, India http://
www.nhrc.nic.in/dispArchive.asp?fno=1561
8. WHO. Elimination of asbestos-related disease,
WHO, Geneva. Available at http://www.who.int/
occupational_health/publications/asbestosre-
lateddiseases.pdf
9. Details available at http://www.pic.int/home.
php?type=t&id=5&sid=16
Dr. Habibullah Saiyed
Dr. Abdul Sattar Yoosuf
Sustainable Development and Environment
World Health Organization
Office for South-East Asia Region
M. G. Road, New Delhi – 11002
India
E-mail: saiyedh@searo.who.int
yoosufa@searo.who.int
The authors are staff members of the World
Health Organization. The authors alone are re-
sponsible for the views expressed in this publi-
cation and they do not necessarily represent the
decisions, policy or views of the World Health
Organization.
Occupational health and
safety are key elements of
corporate social responsibility
at China National Offshore
Oil Corporation
C
hina National Offshore Oil Cor-
poration (CNOOC) is the domi-
nant offshore oil and gas producer
in China. Established in 1982, the
company is headquartered in Beijing and has
52,000 employees. CNOOC has maintained
fast and quality growth since its incorporation.
It also conducts exploration and production
outside of China. CNOOC has developed in-
to an integrated energy company with a com-
petitive core business and synergetic business
portfolio along the value chain. It has estab-
lished six business sectors ranging from oil
and gas exploration and development, tech-
nical services, logistic services, chemicals and
fertilizer production, natural gas and power
generation to financial services.
CNOOC has increased its overall commit-
ment to improve living standards and enhance
health and safety (H&S) and social conditions
while conducting its business. In order to meet
its commitment, CNOOC has developed a
system to measure the combined social and
HSE (health-safety-environment) perform-
ance. That means addressing the management
of all employees as well as environmental, so-
cial and economic aspects of business, while
maintaining a business focus to produce more
affordable, accessible and increasingly cleaner
energy. In other words, oil and gas are pro-
duced in a more responsible and ethical way.
Safety and occupational health are
key elements for corporate social
responsibility
CNOOC has begun to identify the key issues
for corporate social responsibility (CSR); for
example,“technology cooperation and capac-
ity building, oil spill prevention and response,
Asian-Pacific Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2008;15:33–5 •
Song Lisong
P.R. China
Photos by CNOOC
engagement and community outreach, ethics
and human rights, health management, cli-
mate change, product stewardship, safety, bio-
diversity, water management, urban air qual-
ity, and waste management.” Each of these is-
sues refers to one or more possible perform-
ance and activities. After five years of effort,
CNOOC has devised a performance indica-
tor framework with the indicators focused
on categories – “core” or “key” indicators. The
central core indicators reflect on health and
safety. The core indicators are typically rele-
vant to the practices of petroleum companies
and cover employment practices, community
and society.
Protecting the health and safety of em-
ployees is the highest priority at CNOOC. The
company has sharply cut the rate of incidents
and injuries through an intense focus on im-
proving health and safety performance. It is
committed to providing safe workplaces for
the staff. The company has established an HSE
system operating to international standards. It
also focuses on building a safety corporate cul-
ture through intensive training, health promo-
tion and prevention of occupational diseases.
Safe operation and employee health are both
33
 regulations of the countries in which we con-
duct our operation, follows industrial stand-
ards, ensures the safety and health of the peo-
ple, and protects the environment and proper-
ty. The company steadily strives to improve the
HSE performance through systematic man-
agement. The HSE management policy shall
be executed in each project and by each em-
ployee; management is a long-term initiative
and needs continuous improvement.
In 2006, CNOOC introduced the 5 “No
Works” approach. The 5 “No Works” approach
outlines Do’s and Dont’s in order to minimize
risks in the workplace. They are: 1. Not before
fully aware of the hazards; 2. Not before all
control measures are in place; 3. Not before
all protections are ready; 4. Not before the en-
vironment is safe; and 5. Not when there is a
lack of skill/experience. The implementation
of the 5 “No works” approach has become an
important task for all units of CNOOC. The
company requires its subsidiaries to integrate
the 5 “No Works” approach into their opera-
tional safety regulations and to apply it into
their daily work. It is important to cultivate a
safety culture in the company and to raise the
safety awareness of employees, in order to help
prevent and reduce accidents. It provides the
workers on the site the right to refuse work if
the workplace is not safe or safety measures
are not in place.
CNOOC has reinforced its health, safe-
ty and environment (HSE) culture and fur-
ther promoted corporate culture emphasiz-
ing overseas operations, which have been ex-
tended to countries in South-East Asia, Africa,
etc. In all of these locations, CNOOC strict-
ly follows the HSE standards, is committed
to social responsibility, and continually rein-
forces the relationship and trust with local
communities.
Management commitment and
support enhance safety and health
performance
To assure the implementation of H&S plans
and to manage these risks, leadership and
the commitment of resources are critical.
The management can allocate sufficient re-
sources for proper planning, for the devel-
opment of guidelines and for procedures.
Furthermore, using a combination of in-
ductions, training, drills and behavioural
monitoring, the company can ensure a
continuous improvement of the overall
H&S performance.
HSE trains individuals
CNOOC has already set up a series
of effective HSE training systems, which
are in line with two basic principles: to satisfy
34 • Asian-Pacific Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2008;15:33–5
key elements of CSR. H&S is an integral part of
stable operation and the basic requirement for
the growth of the company. H&S performance
is not only an economic consideration, but also
the company’s social responsibility.
Control potential safety and health
risks
In practice, oil and gas operations face many
more health and safety risks, including chal-
lenges inherent to the remote location and un-
developed conditions, which are characterized
by low socioeconomic indicators, poor safety
culture, limited communication and scarce
health services. Significant challenges were
encountered in implementing the H&S sys-
tem, due to a lack of a safety culture and in-
herent conditions and hazards. CNOOC poli-
cies were analysed and incorporated to ensure
consistency with best practices. The employ-
ees, contractors, and members of local com-
munities were engaged through inductions,
training and drills during the implementa-
tion of projects.
CNOOC has developed risk assessments,
H&S plans and checklists, risk notification and
best practice, and emergency response/evac-
uation plans in all working regions. CNOOC
carries out a health and safety system and re-
views potential risks and hazards to the per-
sonnel and contractors. H&S inspections of
working areas can go a long way to prevent
hazards associated with conditions in which
production activities take place. Inspections
raise personnel and contractor awareness of
the work inside and outside the company.
Each subsidiary of CNOOC has estab-
lished its own HSE management system that
matches its particular business features. It is
a great concern for the company to protect
safety and occupational health at the project
phases of design, construction and produc-
tion. All subsidiaries regard management in
the process of project engineering and con-
struction as the priority task of the HSE man-
agement. All CNOOC projects meet the re-
quirements of evaluating health and safety
impacts of projects, combining design, con-
struction and operation.
Safety culture guides activities
CNOOC has been consistently pursuing sus-
tainable development. The company must as-
sume its social responsibility while creating
economic value. At CNOOC, the fundamental
premise of business operations is to observe
the law, and the higher objective is to become
an enterprise that is recognized by society and
the public, trusted and accepted as a respon-
sible corporate citizen.
CNOOC adheres to the relevant laws and
the HSE needs and to be beneficial to indi-
vidual development. The company offers ad-
equate HSE training courses to the manage-
ment, HSE experts, safety supervisors and each
employee on site, according to their individual
situations. Based on the H&S requirements
evaluated for each post, CNOOC identifies
the different courses and programmes for em-
ployees. A series of training courses has been
developed for various employee groups, such
as management, technical skills, HSE, etc. The
company has issued regulations on HSE train-
ing for executive managers, who have to take
classes in both the concepts of HSE and re-
lated management skills before taking office.
According to characteristics of offshore pro-
duction operations, some subsidiaries have
developed the Scientific and Technical Ex-
ploitation Program (STEP), and have imple-
mented a measurement system for training of
offshore employees to ensure orderly promo-
tion of technical staff.
In order to satisfy the training needs of
the employees in a wider range, the company
has adopted lecturer teaching, integrating on-
the-job training and e-learning courses. Our
employees in each operating area will be able
to participate in the particular course set out
for them via the Internet.
Health management
CNOOC regards health management as the
top priority, in order to protect safety and
health of its employees. Multiple measures
have been taken to prevent occupational dis-
ease and promote health among the employ-
ees. The company abides by the legislation on
the prevention of occupational diseases and
insists on conducting pre-evaluation of oc-
cupational disease prevention for construc-
tion projects before making investment de-
cisions.
In order to provide safe and healthy work
environments for the employees, and to re-
spond to various medical emergencies in time,
CNOOC operational units regularly check
the disposition situation of existing medical
equipment and the first-aid kit on offshore oil
platforms, in order to improve the medical
and first-aid level continually. The company
has also strengthened hygienic supervision
and inspection over food and drinking water
in employee concentrated areas. The compa-
ny strives to use the medical resources close
to operational units, to achieve the transfor-
mation from a treatment service to a disease
preventive service, and is attempting to offer
individualized service to employees.
CNOOC has been identifying the danger
of occupational disease, conducting regular-
ly monitoring and setting up emergency re-
sponse plans at operational sites where the oc-
cupational disease risk is greater. In particular,
the company carries out occupational health
check-ups for staff who are exposed to toxic
and harmful materials before, during and after
duties. In order to have precise understanding
of the health situation of the staff, especially
those working offshore, the company has es-
tablished electronic records of staff health data
in most of the subsidiaries, in order to ensure
interactive tracking of staff health.
CNOOC care for staff health and safety
has already been extended beyond the usual
8 working hours. The company has special-
ly formulated the CNOOC Employee Health
Improvement Plan, and has adopted various
measures to improve their staff ’s health situ-
ation and safety factor.
Crisis management
In order to effectively respond to accidents
and minimize its negative impacts to the en-
vironment and society, the company has set
up an emergency mechanism at oil fields, as
well as at branch companies and the head of-
fice. The emergency plans involve organization
set-up, procedure, report system, resource dis-
patching, communication, media communi-
cation, recovery, etc., while handling a major
accident. According to the extent of injuries,
coverage and situation-controlling ability of
each outburst event, the company determines
three response modes. The Emergency Plan is
based on the point of the first priority of hu-
man life, of both employees and the public,
and it minimizes the environmental impact
as its main goal.
Every year, the company holds integrat-
ed emergency drills to check the emergency
response and rescue ability, emergency sup-
plies allocation and the coordinating ability
Asian-Pacific Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2008;15:33–5 •
on sites and in the relevant terrestrial sectors.
Drills are extended to three-level emergency
systems: the corporate administrative level,
subsidiary level, and the offshore oil field site.
The drill simulates a blowout crisis, lost control
over hydrogen disulphide leakage, emergency
treatment of poisoned staff, a platform on fire,
platform fire control, staff casualties, spillage
of crude oil, abandoning and evacuation of a
platform, rescue of a man overboard, spilled
oil recovery, etc.
CNOOC understands that the company
shall not harm the environment and disrupt
employees when conducting operations, and
shall align the management and the opera-
tions with sustainable and harmonious de-
velopment of the society and employees. The
ultimate goal of the development of any com-
pany should be the enhancement of human
beings, as well as the advancement of soci-
ety. To maximize the economic return is one,
but never the last, goal that a company shall
pursue. CNOOC puts employees at the first
place, which is reflected first in providing a
safe and healthy workplace. Employees are
the company’s most invaluable wealth, and
CNOOC shares the progress of the company
with them.
Song Lisong
General Manager of the Health, Safety &
Environmental Protection Department
China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC)
Room 1409, CNOOC Building
P.O. Box 4705
No. 25 Chaoyangmenbei Dajie
Dongcheng District
Beijing 100010
P.R.China
E-mail: songls@cnooc.com.cn
35

Occupational safety and health
as a contribution to a sustainable
socio-economic development in China
Martin Braun, Germany
China’s process of modernization
China’s working society is experiencing an ex-
traordinary process of modernization. Since
the nation opened its doors to the world dur-
ing the reforms of 1978, its economy has been
growing by about 9% per year. No other na-
tion can show a similar development, from a
backward agricultural country to a progressive
world power, in such a short time. The “factory
of the world” already produces worldwide the
most toys and shoes, as well as a good por-
tion of textiles and electronic home applianc-
es. Moreover, China is the world’s largest ex-
porter of IT products, such as mobile phones
and personal computers. However, the eco-
nomic dynamics do not only change the Chi-
nese society; international business and trade
relations are also affected, if the enormous de-
mand of resources and the immense range of
Chinese goods rough up the structures on the
global markets.
One nation – two societies
The process of China’s modernization is ob-
vious. With its characteristic skylines, appar-
ently never-ending highways, and its sparkling
shopping malls, urban centres such as Beijing,
36 • Asian-Pacific Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2008;15:36–8
Shanghai or Guangzhou present themselves as
lively and cosmopolitan metropolises. Exten-
sive economic development zones establish
themselves in the urban peripheries. With fis-
cal and administrative special arrangements, a
modern infrastructure, as well as a broad sup-
ply of formally qualified workers, these zones
represent the nuclei of the regional economic
development.
However, away from the rising metrop-
olises, China is a developing nation with an
agricultural imprint. 800 million of the 1.3
billion Chinese population live in the coun-
tryside. The economic development leads to
immense discrepancies in living standards be-
tween the citizens in town and the people in
the countryside. Due to insufficient employ-
ment, nearly one fifth of the population faces
poverty and hunger. In the countryside, an ex-
cess of approximately 160 million workers is
found. The increasing impoverishment of the
Chinese rural population caused about 80 mil-
lion people to migrate into cities. Due to the
harsh separation between city and rural areas,
many of these migrant workers live illegally in
cities. In addition, these migrant workers and
their families do not have access to social in-
surance, medical treatment or education (1).
70 per cent of all migrant workers are hired in
Photo by Martin Braun
mining, construction and production indus-
try. In order to exist, many migrant workers
risk their health and even life due to precari-
ous working conditions. Often they are ruth-
lessly exploited, as they are uneducated and to
a large extent do not know about safety stand-
ards and employment regulations.
Poor working conditions
A survey of the working conditions in Chi-
nese enterprises illustrates that the adherence
to social standards does often not withstand
the dynamic economic development. The daily
workload of Chinese workers totals approxi-
mately 12 to 16 hours. Due to occupational
accidents, about 120,000 Chinese die per year.
Even though the number of fatal accidents
at work has declined in the past few years,
working conditions as well as occupational
safety and health (OSH) are officially viewed
as insufficient (2). The reasons for the high
number of accidents and health damages are
multifaceted:
• The use of outdated production facilities
increases the risk of accidents. The safety
measures do not often correspond to up-
to-date technology.
• Safety deficiencies and hazardous risks
 are rarely analysed in a preventive way.
Many companies do not know about the
methods of hazard analysis and risk as-
sessment.
• In most enterprises, OSH activities are
not organized in a systematic way. Com-
mon rules regarding the use of (personal
protective) equipment, as well as obliga-
tory safety standards, are often lacking.
• Many workers do not possess a sufficient
safety awareness. Almost two-thirds of all
accidents are caused by faulty behaviour.
Some employees refuse the use of per-
sonal protective equipment, because they
fear restrictions of comfort and working
efficiency.
• In order to avoid any possible legal claims
in advance, many companies omit the re-
quired OSH instructions, for example, in Photo by PROSYS

the use of hazardous substances. Visit of the

workshop
Parallel to the occurrence of accidents, work- participants
related illnesses are increasing. According to to a Chinese
estimations, every third worker deals with haz- magnesium
ardous materials at work (3). foundry

Process of change
Inadequate working and living conditions al-
ready provoke the population’s resentment,
which is reflected in numerous protests. It Discussion of
seems inescapable that further development a case study,
of the Chinese national economy has to be PROSYS OSH
accompanied by structural measures that im- Workshop,
prove the working and living conditions of Chengdu
broad social groups. Meanwhile, the Chinese Photo by Martin Braun
Government has noticed an urgent need for
action. The improvement of the working and
living conditions is, consequently, of higher
importance in the national strategy. The Elev-
enth Five-Year-Plan of the Chinese Govern-
ment, which became effective in 2006, aims at
a 25 per cent reduction in work-related fatal
accidents (4).

Global state of interest

The development of economic globaliza- Danger signs at a
tion is irreversible. It leads to new forms of construction site,
inter­national cooperation. China’s econom- Beihei Park, Beijing
ic development has a huge impact on inter- Photo by Martin Braun

national trade and job markets in industrial-

ized nations, concerning the relation between
demand and supply of goods. Even if China
aims to become the world’s leading nation in
export, the country will remain dependent on
Western innovations and Western markets for
a long time. However, if the social and occupa-
tional problems increase uncontrollably, un-
rests of the Chinese working society can have
severe consequences for the global trade and
financial system.
Hence, Europe is also interested in sup-
porting China on its way to becoming a firm
economic power and a reliable partner on the
global markets. This development cannot be
enforced through sanctions and boycotts. Chi-
na’s inner strains can only be overcome by a
change towards a harmonized society.
Contributions of occupational safety
and health
Occupational safety and health (OSH) with
its pragmatic activities and methods can con-
tribute to a more harmonious situation of the
working and living conditions and hence to a
sustainable socio-economic development of
the nation. In order to accomplish the chal-
lenges in the field of OSH, the Chinese enter-
prises need experienced people who are able
to analyse and assess the problems, and able to
create adequate problem-solving methods.
A first step towards the improvement of
working conditions is enhancement of the ed-

Asian-Pacific Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2008;15:36–8 • 37

ucational level of managers, experts and
workers. The Chinese Government now
aims to educate workers in order to increase
safety awareness. Furthermore, they intend
to improve the training of OSH specialists,
in order to enhance their know-how and
methodological skills.
The second step towards human-orient-
ed working conditions requires the conse-
quent implementation into practice of the
gained knowledge. This includes the pur-
chase, renewal, and maintenance of safe
technological systems, which improves the
safety level in industrial processes, as well as
the implementation of effective OSH man-
agement systems.
Transfer of knowledge into practice
– the PROSYS project
The PROSYS project (“Training Program
for Designing and Planning Magnesium
Processing Production Systems”) illus-
trates how cooperation between Chinese
and European experts in the field of OSH
knowledge transfer can be successfully re-
alized (5). PROSYS aims at an extension
of Sino-European relationships in business
collaboration and trade. Therefore, a grad-
ual coordination of production and trade
requirements in the Eastern and Western
hemisphere is required. This, however, can
only take place if OSH is included in the
process.
In order to realize this ambitious
project, China Nonferrous Metals Indus-
try’s Association (CNIA) and a variety of
other Chinese industrial enterprises agreed
to work together with the German Fraun-
hofer-Institute for Industrial Engineering
(IAO) and the University Stuttgart. Within
the frame of the ASIA-INVEST-Programs
[010/101432], the European Union funded
this project from September 2005 to No-
vember 2007.
The main methodological elements of
the PROSYS project were four week-long
workshops. Almost 25 Chinese and Europe-
an experts participated in these workshops,
which took place in Beijing, Chengdu, Stutt-
gart, and Dalian. In seminars, lectures, case
studies, and company visits, the experts dis-
cussed profound know-how and method-
ologies in relation to enterprise layout plan-
ning, OSH, project management, as well as
the application of these features. The partic-
ipating experts learned about OSH in prac-
tical operation with the help of its strategy
(e.g. target-oriented design, behaviour pat-
terns), methodology (e.g. risk assessment),
and its organization (e.g. OSH management
systems, OHS regulations). When includ-
ing specific production conditions, the ben-
38 • Asian-Pacific Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2008;15:36–8
eficial influence of human-oriented work-
ing conditions on quality, productivity, and
economic benefit had been demonstrated.
During several visits of selected European
companies, the Chinese project participants
could see how the OSH knowledge was put
into practice.
PROSYS aimed for a broad transfer of
know-how. All results of the workshop have
been documented. In the near future, the
project results will build a foundation for
further training of employees in Chinese
enterprises.
Summary
China’s economic development is accompa-
nied by several social and economical chal-
lenges. So far, economic growth and techno-
logical modernization have been the central
points of interest of China’s development.
However, it seems as if the rapid econom-
ic growth hinders a sustained development
of the nation. Nowadays, the elimination of
social discrepancies, as well as the establish-
ment of appropriate working and living con-
ditions, are viewed as the main guarantee of
political stability. In this context, OSH meas-
ures can contribute to structural and individ-
ual improvement of working and living con-
ditions among the Chinese population.
In this respect, European institutions can
make their experience, concepts, and proce-
dures available. An international exchange of
know-how on OSH, which respects cultural
characteristics and traditions, may give im-
portant impulses about the sustainable mod-
ernization of Chinese socio-economic struc-
tures. Moreover, this international exchange
functions as a factor of harmonization of glo-
bal economic development, thus counteract-
ing incalculable effects on employment and
product markets.
References
1. Zhu C. Improving occupational safety and
health of migrant workers in China. Asian-
Pacific Newsletter on Occupational Health and
Safety 2007;14(2):28–31.
2. OECD-report regarding the WTO-conference,
starting December 13, 2005.
3. Seitz K. China. Eine Weltmacht kehrt zurück.
München: Goldmann, 2006.
4. China Internet Information Center: The 11th
Fifth-Annual-Plan. http://www.china.org.cn.
5. www.prosys.iao.fraunhofer.de
Dr. Martin Braun
Project Manager
Fraunhofer-Institute for Industrial Engineering
(IAO)
Nobelstraße 12, D-70569 Stuttgart, Germany
E-mail: martin.braun@iao.fraunhofer.de
www.iao.fraunhofer.de
News from Nepal
Paras K. Pokharel, Prajjwal Raut, Nepal
Erkki Kähkönen, Finland
Introduction
In December 2007, the Occupational Health
Service Unit (OHSU) was founded as a part
of the B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences
(BPKIHS) in Dharan, Nepal. Since its estab-
lishment, the OHSU has employed two doc-
tors, a nurse and an environmentalist. The Unit
is a part of the Department of Community
Medicine. In addition, the BPKIHS formed
an advisory body and one coordinator for this
unit, which is self-sustainable and comprises
a permanent structure of the Institute. The
salaries of the personnel are paid by the BP-
KIHS itself.
The B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sci-
ences was established in 1993 and was up-
graded to a university in 1998. The BPKIHS
is an autonomous health sciences university
with a mandate to work towards developing a
socially responsible and competent work force
in the health sciences. Striving continuously to
meet the health needs of the eastern region of
Nepal at the primary, secondary and tertiary
levels is its primary responsibility.
Today, the BPKIHS has the highest number
of national and expatriate doctors and nurses
outside Kathmandu – the only institute in the
whole of Nepal to be so privileged. Its achieve-
ments of the past few years can be considered
milestones on a road that should lead to the
emergence of Dharan as the ‘health capital’
of the country. The road has to be paved with
more action, more devotion and absolute com-
mitment in order to realize this dream. The
BPKIHS, a rapidly developing centre of excel-
lence, should be prepared to face challenges in
its march forward.
The establishment of the Occupation-
al Health Service Unit was supported by the
project Strengthening of Environmental Ad-
ministration and Management at the Local
Level in Nepal (SEAM-N). The development
project is funded by the Government of Nepal
and the Government of Finland. One compo-
nent of the project is cleaner production (CP)
and occupational health and safety (OH&S).
The project will establish an Environmental
Service Center (ENSC) that can provide po-
tential clients with practically all water and
waste water monitoring and research servic-
es. The ENSC will also provide occupational
safety, cleaner production and pollution con-
Occupational health service promotion
unit established in Nepal
trol certificate services to industries and local
administration. There will also be an Informa-
tion Unit taking care of the environmental and
OH&S information.
Biratnagar Dharan industrial corridor
The industrial corridor between the munici-
palities of Biratnagar and Dharan is one of
the most polluted areas in the country. Due
to rapid population growth, urbanization
and industrialization, the municipalities and
the population of the corridor are increas-
ingly facing most of the typical rural and ur-
ban environmental problems. They also suf-
fer from significant industrial environmental
impacts, including occupational health and
safety problems.
Main OH&S activities in the corridor
The programmes were carried out with the
technical assistance of the Occupational
Health Service Unit, the National Occupa-
tional Safety and Health Administration (NO-
SHA), the SEAM-N project as well as minis-
tries, local authorities and chambers of com-
merce.
The project has started occupational health
and safety surveys of industries in order to de-
termine the status of occupational health and
safety issues and thereafter to design OH&S
programmes. For example, 900 jute industry
workers have been examined.
An OH&S training programme has been
organized for industrial plants. During the
training programme, managers, supervisors
and workers gained knowledge and skills for
OH&S management. Local female community
health volunteers have been trained on basic
principles of OH&S. In addition, awareness
campaigns for OH&S have been organized
for industrial workers.
OH&S assessment was carried out in in-
dustries in order to develop and implement
OH&S measures. During the OH&S assess-
ment, several OH&S options recommended
for improving overall OH&S conditions were
implemented by industries.
Different types of posters on OH&S have
been developed. The posters deal with fire safe-
ty, chemical safety, first aid, good housekeep-
Photo by Erkki Kähkönen
ing, occupational health and safety, etc. The
posters have been distributed to the industries
that participated in the SEAM-N project and
to all the chambers of commerce and minis-
tries. The project has developed the concept
of accident recording and devised an infor-
mation board on accident reporting for in-
dustries.
As a part of the OH&S programme, the
project has launched a medical health screen-
ing programme in different industries in or-
der to determine workers’ health status and to
implement a detailed investigation following
the health screening. Altogether 800 work-
ers underwent a thorough medical check-up;
medications were recommended for the treat-
ment of sick workers. In 2006 and 2007, a com-
prehensive study on the occupational health
programme was carried out in one jute works,
with the technical support of the OHSU. The
main goal of the study was to determine the
occupational injuries occurring in the jute in-
dustry and the medical expenses incurred in
their treatment. During the study, 900 work-
ers were examined. The workers became aware
of the occupational health hazards caused by
the workplace.
The OHSU encourages industries to make
an agreement with the Unit to carry out a med-
ical health programme. The industries are
charged a minimum fee to cover the costs.
The first agreement on occupational health
Asian-Pacific Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2008;15:38–9 •
Dr. Anup Ghimire
of the B. P. Koi-
rala Institute of
Health Sciences
performing a medi-
cal check-up at the
Hulas Wire Indus-
tries Pvt Ltd.
services was made with the Hulas Wire In-
dustries (P), Ltd. During the medical health
programme, 450 industrial staff members and
workers had a general heath check-up.
Future
The core processes of the OHSU in the future
will be occupational health services, training,
dissemination of information and research.
The BPKIHS has good possibilities to start
the training of occupational health doctors
and nurses. Furthermore, collaboration with
local and national partners is increasingly im-
portant. One of the cornerstones of the occu-
pational health service promotion unit is in-
ternational collaboration with the WHO, the
ILO, the SAARC and the EU.
References
1. http://www.bpkihs.edu/
2. http://www.seam-n.com.np/
3. http://www.ttl.fi/internet/english
Paras K. Pokharel 1
Prajjwal Raut 2
Erkki Kähkönen 3
1) B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences
2) Strengthening of Environmental
Administration and Management at the Local
Level in Nepal (SEAM-N)
3) Finnish Institute of Occupational Health
39
Exposure of fumes during welding
operation
Chandrasekharan Nair
Kesavachandran, Vipin Bihari
India
Lung function abnormalities among
workers exposed in welding operations
Background
Welding is a process of joining met-
als by melting and fusing. The trade
of welding also involves cutting metal
objects, grinding, brazing and, in some
applications, soldering. Welding is an
indispensable trade in modern society
and is ubiquitous in industry. Accord-
ing to the National Institute for Occu-
pational Safety and Health (NIOSH),
there were at least 2,000,000 welders
worldwide in 1988 (1).
Welding itself includes a number of
complex operations that involve expo-
sure to toxic gases (particularly nitro-
gen dioxide and ozone), metal fumes
(zinc oxide, copper, chromium oxides,
nickel), particles (iron), infrared radi-
ation, ultraviolet radiation, noise, and
extremes of temperature. The particle
size distribution of welding fumes is
an important factor in determining
the hazard potential of the fumes, be-
cause it is an indication of the depth to
which the particles may penetrate into
the lungs and the number of particles
retained therein.
Studies on welding fumes have
shown that particles smaller than 0.50
µm in aerodynamic diameter have a
high probability of being deposited in
40 • Asian-Pacific Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2008;15:40–1
the respiratory bronchioles and alveoli
of the lungs, where rapid clearance by
the mucociliary system is not effective.
Morphological characterizations of
welding fumes have shown that many
of the individual particles are in the ul-
trafine size range (0.01 to 0.10 µm) ag-
gregate together in the air to form long-
er chains of primary particles (2). This
agglomeration is enhanced by the tur-
bulent conditions resulting from heat
generated during the welding process,
thus increasing particle movement and
chances for particle collision.
The choice of welding alloy has
been found to have a marked effect on
the particle size, distribution, morphol-
ogy, and chemical aspects of the result-
ant fume (3). That article also reported
that the particle size distribution result-
ing from arc welding operations was
multimodal and dynamically changed
with respect to time.
Several toxic gases, such as car-
bon monoxide, ozone, and oxides of
nitrogen, may be generated in signif-
icant quantities during common arc
welding processes. In gas metal arc
welding (GMAW), shielding gases are
commonly added to reduce oxidation
and other reactions that occur during
Photo by C. Kesavachandran
the welding process, in order
to protect the resultant weld
Several toxic (4). The molten metal formed
during the reaction is shielded
gases, such from oxygen and nitrogen in
the air by flowing an inert gas
as carbon mixture (usually containing
argon, helium, or carbon diox-
monoxide, ide) directly over the weld dur-
ing the process. The shielding
ozone, and gas can intensify ultraviolet ra-
oxides of diation, leading to increased
photochemical production of
nitrogen, gases toxic to the respiratory
system, such as nitrogen ox-
may be ides and ozone (5, 6).
The purpose of this study
generated in was to analyse the influence
of the occupational environ-
significant ment on the upper and lower
quantities airway status of workers, and
to identify the workers prone
during to obstructive-type lung func-
tion abnormalities at the mild,
common moderate and severe stage.
arc welding Respiratory problems
processes. among welders
Our observation (7) (Table 1
shows profile of the subjects)
revealed a decline in the mean PEFR
(Peak expiratory flow rate) and FEV1
(Forced expiratory volume in 1 sec)
among welders compared to their pre-
dicted norms (Table 2). Of the welders,
17.5% were smokers. Mild upper air-
way obstruction was observed among
15% of the welders. The correspond-
ing percentages were 10% for moder-
action. Early detection of lung func-
tion abnormalities among welders by
means of spirometry, and proper medi-
cal treatment given in accordance with
the severity of abnormality, are recom-
mended as mandatory requirements
for workers exposed to welding fumes,
in order to reduce the burden of dis-
eases in the welding sector.

Photo by C. Kesavachandran
ate upper airway obstruction and 15%
for severe upper airway obstruction
(Table 3).
As to lower airway obstruction,
10% of the welders had mild, 7.5% had References
1. Criteria for a recommended standard
moderate and 5% had severe lower air-
welding, brazing and thermal cutting.
way obstruction (Table 4). The preva- NIOSH Publication 1988. http://www.
lence of chronic bronchitis among the cdc.gov/NIOSH/88-110.htm Lung function test
welders was 2.5% and that of occupa- 2. Antonini JM. Health effects of weld-
tional asthma was 2.5% (Table 5). ing. Critical Review in Toxicology
2003;33(1):61–103. Table 1. Profile of the study subjects
Metal oxide particles are particu-
3. Zimmer AT, Biswas P. Characterization of
larly hazardous components of weld- the aerosols resulting from arc welding Parameters Welders (n=40)
ing fumes since they are small enough processes. J Aerosol Sci 2001;32:993– Mean ± SD
to be deposited in the terminal bron- 1008. Age (yrs) 51.7 ± 5.4
chioles and alveoli, distal to the mu- 4. Howden DG, Desmeules MJA, Saracci Height (cm) 162 ± 5.2
R, Sprince NL, Herber PI. Respiratory
cociliary cleaning mechanism. In the Weight (kg) 59.5 ± 9.1
hazards of welding: occupational expo-
present study, workers exposed to sure characterization. Am Rev Respir Dis Duration of exposure (yrs) 6.23 ± 1.5
welding fumes for six years or more 1988;138: 1047–8.
exhibited severe upper airway obstruc- 5. White LR, Hunt J, Richards RJ, Eik-Nes K.
Biochemical studies of rat lung following
tion (prevalence rate 15%) and severe Table 2. Peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) and forced expiratory
exposure to potassium dichromate or volume in 1 sec (FEV1) among welders
lower airway obstruction (prevalence chromium-rich welding fume particles.
rate 5%). Toxicol Lett 1982;11:159–63. Parameter Prediction value Welders
The habit of smoking added to the 6. Antonini JM, Lawryk N J, Krishna Murthy Mean ± SD Mean ± SD
welders’ respiratory health problems GG, Brain JD. Effect of welding fume PEFR (l/min) 491.2 ± 86.3 345.9 ± 87.1
solubility on lung macrophage viability
caused by exposure to welding fumes, FEV1 (l/min) 2.01 ± 0.62 1.97 ± 0.47
and function in vitro. J Toxicol Environ
radiation, gases and extremes of tem- Health 1999; 58:343–63.
perature in the workplace. An earlier 7. Kesavachandran C, Rastogi SK, Mathur
study indicated that effects on lung N, Bihari V. Sub clinical upper and lower
Table 3. Prevalence of upper airway obstruction among welders
function among welders may be relat- airway diseases among workers exposed
to welding operation. ICFAI Life Science
ed to their smoking habits (8). Most of Grades Prediction per- Welders (n=40)
Journal 2008;1:60–6.
the workers do their work in a closed centage n %
8. Chinn D, Stevenson I, Cotes J. Longitu-
environment without proper venti- dinal respiratory survey of shipyard work- Mild 60–70% 6 15
lation and lack of protective equip- ers: effects of trade and atopic status. Br Moderate 50–60% 4 10
ment, and are thus exposed to gases J Ind Med 1990;47:83–90. Severe <50% 6 15
9. Mur JM, Teculescu D, Pham QT, Gaert-
and fumes that cause a decline of lung
ner M, Massin N, Meyer-Bisch C, Moulin
function. Welders who worked in con- JJ, Diebold F, Pierre F. Lung function
fined spaces had reduced lung func- and clinical findings in a cross-sectional Table 4. Prevalence of lower airway obstruction among welders
tion when compared with those who study of arc welders: an epidemiological
worked in well-ventilated areas within study. Int Arch Occup Environ Health Grades Prediction per- Welders
1985;57:1–18. centage (n=40)
the same plant (9). n %
Mild 60–70% 4 10.0
Conclusions Moderate 50–60% 3 7.5
Severe <50% 2 5.0
Several toxic gases, such as carbon Dr. Chandrasekharan Nair
monoxide, ozone, and oxides of nitro- Kesavachandran, Scientist
gen, may be generated in significant Dr. Vipin Bihari, Scientist
Table 5. Prevalence of chronic respiratory symptoms among
quantities during common arc weld- Epidemiology Division welders
ing processes. Upper and lower airway Indian Institute of Toxicology Research
abnormalities were observed among (Formerly Industrial Toxicology Research Respiratory symptoms n %
workers performing welding opera- Center) Chronic bronchitis 1 2.5
tions, caused by their exposure to toxic M.G. Marg, Lucknow 226001, UP Occupational asthma 1 2.5
gases. Prevention of exposure through India Overall 2 5
effective local exhausts is the primary E-mail: kesavachandran@rediffmail.com

Asian-Pacific Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2008;15:40–1 • 41

Debasis Chatterjee, Sarang Dhatrak, Subroto Nandi
B. B. Mandal, Sachin Narwadiya, India
Respiratory morbidity among
miners in Rajasthan state
– Report of a pilot study
Introduction
The present health survey was conduct-
ed among miners working in differ-
ent mines of Rajasthan state in west-
ern India. Rajasthan is geographically
the largest state, and has the second
highest amounts of mineral deposits
in India. Three-fifths of the 342,239
square kilometres of land in this state
is desert (1).
The number of mines in the organ-
ized sector and reporting to the Indi-
an Bureau of Mines was 425 mines
in 2003–4. The commercial value of
minerals produced from these mines
in 2003–4 was Rs 27,596,556/- (2). Ac-
cording to the report of the Mine La-
bour Protection Campaign, there are
1,324 leases for the mining of major
minerals, 10,851 leases for the mining
of minor minerals and 19,251 licensed
quarries in Rajasthan (1).
The population of this state is 49.7
million, out of which 2.5 million people
are mine workers engaged in 64 kinds
of metallic and non-metallic mineral
extraction activities (1). 97% of mining
activities take place outside the organ-
ized sector. 37% of miners are women
and 15% are children (1). Only 0.8% of
the mine workers are literate, and their
working hours average 8 to 10 hrs per
day (1). In 2004 Rajnarayan R. Tiwari
et al. stated that subjects who were ex-
posed to dust in quartz crushing units
for two or more years have low peak
expiratory flow (PEF) rates compared
with those of workers who were ex-
posed for less than two years’ duration
42 • Asian-Pacific Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2008;15:42–3
(3). The low PEF value is due to irrita-
tion of the upper respiratory tract mu-
cosa among the exposed workers (3).
The objective of this study was to
estimate the percentage of the mine
worker population employed in the or-
ganized sector of Rajasthan who suffer
from pulmonary impairment.
How the study was carried out?
The present study was undertaken by
making a preliminary survey of vari-
ous mines located in different regions
of Rajasthan. The miners who partici-
pated in this health survey were work-
ing in limestone, lignite, gypsum and
fluorite mines. Out of the subject group
of 800 miners, 260 (32.5%) were work-
ing in limestone mines, 265 (33.1%)
in lignite mines, 248 (31%) in gypsum
mines and the remaining 27 (3.4%)
were working in fluorite mines.
For this study, a pulmonary func-
tion test was carried out for the 800
miners working in the above mines
of Rajasthan. The pulmonary func-
tion test was done by using a Cosmed
Pony Graphic 4.0 Spirometer. The pa-
rameters measured by the Spirometer
were the forced vital capacity (FVC),
the forced expiratory volume in 1 sec-
ond (FEV1), the FEV1/FVC %, the peak
expiratory flow (PEF) rate, the forced
expiratory flow between 200 and 1200
ml (FEF 200–1200), and the FEF 25–
75%.
The parameters studied for this
survey were the FVC, the
FEV1, and the FEV1/FVC
Rajasthan is %. The subjects were told
to take a deep forceful in-
geographically spiration followed by a
deep forceful expiration
the largest through the mouthpiece
of the spirometer. Three
state, and has readings were obtained
for each miner, and the
the second best reading was taken for
reporting and analysis of
highest data.
amounts All pulmonary func-
tion test data were ex-
of mineral pressed as body tempera-
ture and pressure saturat-
deposits in ed (BTPS). On the basis of
a subject’s performance in
India. the pulmonary function
test, the results were in-
terpreted as normal spirometry, ob-
structive impairment, restrictive im-
pairment and combined impairment,
i.e. both restrictive and obstructive im-
pairment.
As normal pulmonary function test
values change in relation to a subject’s
age, sex, body height and race, the pre-
dictive FVC and FEV1 were calculated
by using the predictive equation of Ka-
mat et al. (4). To determine obstructive
impairment, the predictive FEV1/FVC
% was calculated for each subject. If
the predicted FEV1/FVC % value was
<75%, the subject was considered to
have obstructive impairment. For re-
strictive impairment, predictive FVC
was determined from Kamat’s equa- Table 1. Prevalence of pulmonary impairment among the miners of Rajasthan
tion. The observed FVC was divided
by the predictive FVC and multiplied Mine Total No. Restrictive Obstructive Combined Normal
Type of Miners Impairment Impairment Impairment
by 100%. If the percentage value <80%,
the person was considered to have re- Limestone 260 32 2 3 223
strictive impairment. If the subject had Mine (32.5%) (12.30%) (0.77%) (1.15%) (85.77%)
signs and symptoms of both obstruc-
Lignite 265 46 18 2 199
tive impairment and restrictive impair- Mine (33.13%) (17.36%) (6.79%) (0.75%) (75.11%)
ment, he was classified under the cat-
Gypsum 248 24 8 3 213
egory of combined impairment.
Mine (31%) (9.67%) (3.23%) (1.21%) (85.89%)

Results
Pulmonary function test
Table 1 depicts the pulmonary func-
tion test results for 800 miners in Rajas-
than. Of the miners, 656 (82.80%) had
normal respiratory function. Among
the remaining 144 miners, 108 (75%)
had restrictive impairment, 28 (19.4%)
had obstructive impairment and the re-
maining 10 (6.9%) had combined im-
pairment.
Restrictive impairment was more
common than obstructive impairment
and combined impairment. As Table 1
indicates, restrictive impairment was
detected among 12.3% of those work-
ing in limestone mines, 17.4% in lig-
nite mines, 9.7% in gypsum mines and
22.2% in fluorite mines, respectively.
Obstructive impairment was detect-
ed among 0.8% of those working in
limestone mines, 6.8% in lignite mines,
and 3.2% in gypsum mines. Combined
impairment was detected among 1.2%
of those working in limestone mines,
0.8% in lignite mines and 1.2% in gyp-
sum mines. Restrictive impairment was
the highest, 22.2%, among those work-
ing in fluorite mines and the lowest,
9.7%, among those working in gypsum
mines. Obstructive impairment was the
highest, 6.8%, among those working
in lignite mines and the lowest, 0.8%,
among those working in limestone
mines. Combined impairment was the
highest, 1.21%, among those working
in gypsum mines and the lowest, 0.75%,
among those working in lignite mines.
Obstructive and combined impairment
were not detected among those work-
ing in fluorite mines.
Fluorite 27 6 0
Mine (3.36%) (22.2%)
Total 800 108
(13.5%)
Discussion
The medical literature contains many
studies which describe the prevalence
of respiratory morbidity among work-
ers exposed to dust in industries. De-
spite this, very few studies have been
done on respiratory morbidity among
mine workers in the desert region of
western India.
The present study depicts the per-
centage of workers affected by pulmo-
nary impairment in the organized min-
ing sector in different mines of Rajas-
than state, western India. The pulmo-
nary impairment among workers may
be caused by uncontrolled exposure to
dust during mining operations without
using personal protective device, and
also by inadequate sprinkling of water
for dust suppression, though this is re-
quired by the directives of the Direc-
tor General of Mine Safety (DGMS).
The deprivation of mine workers in this
state is obvious on the basis of vari-
ous social indicators, e.g. occupational
disease, hazardous and unsafe work-
ing conditions, violation of labour and
mining laws.
Acknowledgement
The authors are grateful to the Director,
National Institute of Miners’ Health,
Nagpur for granting the permission
to carry out the study. The authors ac-
0 21
0% 0% (77.78%)
28 10 656
(3.5%) (1.25%) (82%)
knowledge with gratitude the coopera-
tion received from the staff of the Na-
tional Institute of Miners’ Health, Nag-
pur during the entire study.
References
1. Madan Modi and Sohini Sengupta.
Mining in Rajasthan, a study. Samajik
sudharavam manavadhikar suraksha
samiti (SASUMASU). www.minelabour.
org. 2005;P–1.
2. Controller General, Indian Bureau of
Mines (IBM). Indian minerals, yearbook
2004. Government of India, Ministry of
Mines, IBM. June 2005;186–257.
3. Tiwari RR, Sharma YK, Saiyed HN. Peak
expiratory flow: A study among silica
exposed workers in India. India Journal of
Occupational & Environmental Medicine,
2004;8(1).
4. Kamat SR, Tyagi NK and Rushid SSA.
Lung function in Indian adult subjects.
Lung India. 1988;1:11.
Debasis Chatterjee, Sarang Dhatrak,
Subroto Nandi, B. B. Mandal, Sachin
Narwadiya
National Institute of Miners’ Health
JNARDDC Campus
Amrawati Road, Wadi
Nagpur - 440 023
Maharashtra
India
E-mail: chatterjeedebasis7@hotmail.com

Asian-Pacific Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2008;15:42–3 • 43

Editorial Board Nguyen An Luong
Director
as of 1 January 2008 National Institute of Labour Protection
1 Yet Kieu Str.
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Ruhul Quddus K. Chandramouli VIETNAM
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Establishments Room No. 115 Head, CIS
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Licencing/Monitoring Tsoggerel Enkhtaivan
Industries Division Chief of Inspection Agency Evelyn Kortum
Ministry of Trade and Industry Ministry of Health and Social Welfare Technical Officer, Occupational Health
Thimphu Labour and Social Welfare Inspection Agency Interventions for Healthy Environments
BHUTAN National ILO/CIS Centre Department of Public Health and
Ulaanbaatar 210648 Environment
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