When OSH is good for business

Weak occupational safety and health (OSH) is often a major problem in developing countries, especially among MSMEs. Workers regularly get injured, leading to loss of income (or even of employment), lower productivity and work stoppages. Some workers even die while performing their job. 

Many of these work accidents and diseases are preventable. MSMEs often simply do not have enough capacity and incentive to manage OSH risks faced by workers because of weak awareness of OSH risks, weak policy frameworks, or inadequate access to OSH support services such as prevention training.

This brief examines how programmes can tackle these challenges by using the MSD approach. Based on secondary research and the experiences of a handful of MSD programmes, it provides tips on how MSD programmes can strategically select sectors, conduct market analysis, and design project strategy and interventions towards ultimately achieving improved OSH outcomes.

See also Isaac Cowan-Gore's blog: Risky business? An MSD approach for better occupational safety and health