Kawakami Tsuyoshi
ILO Subregional Office for East Asia, United Nations Building, Rajadamnern Nok Avenue, Bangkok 10200, Thailand.
Ind Health. 2006 Jan;44(1):42-7. doi: 10.2486/indhealth.44.42.
Many workers in Asia are in the informal economy. They often work in substandard conditions, exposed to hazards in the workplace. Learning from the recent successes of participatory training programmes to improve safety and health in Asia, the ILO has strengthened its partnership efforts with local people to improve safety and health of informal economy workplaces. The target groups were: (1) home workplaces in Cambodia and Thailand, (2) salt fields and fishing villages in Cambodia where many young workers are working, and (3) small construction sites in Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia, Thailand and Vietnam. The walk-through survey results showed that the workers and owners in the target informal economy workplaces had the strong will to improve safety and health at their own initiatives and needed practical support. In the participatory, action-oriented training workshops carried out, the participated workers and owners were able to identify their priority safety and health actions. Commonly identified were clear and safe transport ways, safer handling of hazardous substances, basic welfare needs such as drinking water and sanitary toilets, and work posture. The follow-up visits confirmed that many of the proposed actions were actually taken by using low-cost available materials. These positive changes were possible by applying the participatory training tools such as illustrated checklists and extensive use of photographs showing local good examples and placing emphasis on facilitator roles of trainers. In conclusion, the target informal economy workplaces in Asia made positive changes in safety and health through the participatory, action-oriented training focusing on local initiative and low-cost improvement measures. Local network support mechanisms to share lessons from good practices played essential roles in encouraging the voluntary implementation of practical improvement actions. It is important to increase our joint efforts to reach more informal economy workplaces in industrially developing countries and provide practical support measures focusing on local self-help initiatives.
亚洲的许多工人都从事非正规经济工作。他们往往在不达标的条件下工作，面临着工作场所的各种危险。借鉴近期参与式培训计划在改善亚洲安全与健康方面取得的成功经验，国际劳工组织加强了与当地民众的伙伴关系努力，以改善非正规经济工作场所的安全与健康状况。目标群体包括：（1）柬埔寨和泰国的家庭作坊；（2）柬埔寨有许多年轻工人工作的盐田和渔村；（3）柬埔寨、老挝、蒙古、泰国和越南的小型建筑工地。巡视调查结果显示，目标非正规经济工作场所的工人和业主有强烈的意愿主动改善安全与健康状况，并且需要实际支持。在开展的参与式、以行动为导向的培训工作坊中，参与的工人和业主能够确定他们优先考虑的安全与健康行动。常见的行动包括明确且安全的运输方式、更安全地处理危险物质、饮用水和卫生厕所等基本福利需求以及工作姿势。后续走访证实，许多提议的行动实际上通过使用现有的低成本材料得以实施。通过应用诸如图文清单等参与式培训工具、大量使用展示当地良好范例的照片以及强调培训师的促进者角色，这些积极变化得以实现。总之，亚洲的目标非正规经济工作场所通过以地方主动性和低成本改善措施为重点的参与式、以行动为导向的培训，在安全与健康方面取得了积极变化。分享良好实践经验的地方网络支持机制在鼓励自愿实施实际改善行动方面发挥了至关重要的作用。加大共同努力，覆盖工业发展中国家更多的非正规经济工作场所，并提供以地方自助举措为重点的实际支持措施，这一点很重要。
