Safe and decent work is a priority in the ASEAN cooperation in labour. On 4-5 April, occupational safety and health officials from ten ASEAN Member States gathered at the 18th ASEAN-Occupational Safety and Health Network (ASEAN-OSHNET) Coordinating Board Meeting (CBM-18) in Bandar Seri Begawan to update their cooperation to further promote occupational safety and health of ASEAN workers.
Chaired by the Ministry of Home Affairs of Brunei Darussalam, the CBM-18 reviewed the progress of the implementation of the ASEAN-OSHNET Plan of Actions 2016-2020. There are 23 projects focusing on three thematic areas: strengthening of labour inspection; occupational safety, health standards and capacity; and HIV/AIDS prevention and control in the workplace. The CBM-18 discussed ways to enhance occupational safety and health in areas of information, training, research, standards, inspection, and occupational safety and health in small, medium enterprises and informal sector.
The CBM-18 also provided a platform for ASEAN-OSHNET to discuss collaboration with the State Administration of Work Safety of China; Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan; Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency of Republic of Korea; International Labour Organization; and International Association of Labour Inspection.
It was followed by the 4th ASEAN-OSHNET Conference on 6 April. The Conference was participated in by over 100 participants from ASEAN-OSHNET, representatives from Brunei Darussalam, China, Korea, Japan, international organisations, and Brunei Darussalam’s industry representatives in oil and gas, construction, manufacturing, and service sectors. Organised annually since 2014, the conference is a forum for governments and industries to showcase their progress and good practices and to exchange views on issues concerning occupational safety and health.
