According to the global estimates published by the International Labour Organization (ILO), 2.78 million workers lose their lives each year in work-related accidents and diseases, of which 2.4 million due to work-related diseases alone, a number that far exceeds the number of fatal occupational accidents. These estimates also show that more than 160 million workers become ill each year due to risks at work. The successful experience of some countries and many companies shows that it is possible to take actions that limit the magnitude of the problem. This means taking proactive actions to identify the presence of chemical, physical and biological agents, as well as ergonomic and psychosocial hazards that may affect the health and well-being of workers. It also means evaluating the exposure of workers to these agents and hazards, as well as the effects, they may have on health to determine how to control these health risks.
The ILO International Training Centre, in collaboration with the ILO programme that promotes Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), organizes this course in Turin to familiarize participants with the main hazards that generate work-related diseases, risk assessment methods and specific control measures, as well as guidelines, tools and methods from both the ILO and selected countries and organizations on how to prevent work-related diseases at the enterprise level.
The course is aimed at policy makers, technical officers and advisors from government institutions responsible for planning and managing OSH at national level; representatives of workers' organisations and employers' organisations involved in OSH issues; and occupational health professionals from companies or from public or private organisations advising companies on OSH. The programme may also be of interest to other people, such as researchers or trainers in the field of public health and workers' health.