Workplace Tragedy and Occupational Safety and Health
Evidence from International Labor Organization indicates that 2.78 million people die every year as a result of occupational accidents and workplace tragedies. Beside the lost lives, economists have attached economic loss to it, indicating that 4% of GDP is lost to the same. Psychologists have also recounted the psychological distress that comes with workplace tragedies (International Labor Organization, 2019). As a result, the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) program was established in 1971 to help prevent occupational tragedies. The Halifax explosion of 1917 is a good example of workplace tragedies that have shaped the working of OSH. The tragedy was an explosion of a munitions ship on Halifax harbour, which killed more than 2000 people and left approximately 9000 injured (McAlister et al., 2008). The ship carried several tons of explosives such as benzol, guncotton and picric acid to be used in the French war. The fire was caused by benzol, which is highly flammable. This tragedy served as a wakeup call to the ILO. This explosion was a clear communicator of the magnitude of the health effects of war-related chemicals and the need for improved safety measures. As a result of the tragedy, safety measures were improved to include health-related protection.
During the time of the tragedy, nations had simple regulatory controls that were more of political labour mobilization rather than safety controls. In most countries, the controls were in the form of administrative policies governed within a legal construction that regulated labour relationships. The framework-imposed duties to protect workers from injuries or work-related diseases, and provide financial compensation in case such occurred. These regulations were, however, limited in power. Therefore, different groups such as lawyers, social reformers and labour representatives continued to push for a more powerful framework, giving birth to the 20th century OSH (International Labor Organization, 2019). The after-war experiences escalated the new OSH. Treaties such as the Treaty of Versailles established the International Labor Organization, which framed OSH with international standards and the codes of practice.
According to the International Labor Organization (2019), the present-day OSH has several regulations and standards that have directly helped in curbing tragedies similar to the Halifax Explosion. One of such measures includes the requirement that those dealing in chemicals should communicate the contents of the chemical as well as the hazards associated with it. Following this, appropriate protective gear is recommended and stated as a requirement for operation of the plant. A second example would be the consensus between ILO and WHO to focus on prevention of the problem rather than control or treatment measures. As a result of this consensus, organizations have been able to prevent explosions through the establishment of appropriate controls.