The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a specialised agency of the United Nations which seeks equality and fairness within the labour market for all workers.
As a tripartite organisation, the ILO drafts international labour standards and monitors the observance of those standards by member states.
SafeWork
Under the Social Protection Section of the Labour Protection Department, the ILO runs an OHS programme entitled ‘Programme on Safety and Health at Work and the Environment (SafeWork)’. It has four major activities, which are linked directly to its strategic aims:
- preventive policies and programmes are developed to protect workers in hazardous occupations and sectors
- effective protection is extended to vulnerable groups of workers falling outside the scope of traditional protective measures
- governments and employers’ and workers’ organisations are better equipped to address problems of workers’ well-being, occupational health care and the quality of working life, and
- the social and economic impact of improving workers’ protection is documented and recognised by policy and decision makers.
Safe Work Australia and ILO
Safe Work Australia is responsible for ensuring that Australia’s obligations as a member of the ILO are met. Safe Work Australia contributes input relating to OHS and workers' compensation issues. Australia is party to a number of ILO conventions including those relating to OHS and has the primary duty to report back to the ILO on Australia’s compliance of OHS and compensation related conventions.
International Labour Organization website
Safe Work Australia is a designated National Centre for the ILO's CIS, the knowledge management arm of the SafeWork Program. The international network of CIS Centres contributes to the exchange of information among persons responsible for establishing and implementing national policies and programmes.