Safe Work Australia's United Nations activities


United Nations

United Nations System - Principle Organs

Australia is a founding member of the United Nations (UN) and many of the international bodies that Safe Work Australia liaises with are set up as specialised agencies or other entities under the Economic and Social Council of the UN. These bodies maintain autonomy over their own purpose, programs of work, budgets, membership and structures:

  • The World Health Organization (WHO) is the specialised agency of the UN concerning health and related fields. 
  • The WHO Collaborating Centres on Occupational Health are an international network of policy makers, regulators and researchers. Safe Work Australia is designated as one of only two WHO Collaborating Centres in Occupational Health in Australia. Safe Work Australia currently has eight projects lodged with the WHO CC in OHS. Safe Work Australia’s activity on reporting to the WHO on work related to WHO CC on OH, the WHO Global Strategy on Occupational Health, and other networks we are members of is at times extensive.
  • The WHO Global Strategy on Occupational Health was initiated to combat traditional and emerging health issues and boost prevention.
  • The ILO is the only tripartite UN agency, bringing together representatives of governments, employers and workers to draw up and oversee international labour standards. Safe Work Australia’s activity on reporting to the ILO and supporting the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) on work related to the ILO conventions and protocols is at times extensive.
  • The ILO Programme on Safety and Health at Work and the Environment (SafeWork) is a part of the ILO.
  • The CISDOC - CIS (from French, Centre international d’Information de securite et d’hygiène du travail) is also a part of the ILO. The DEEWR library contributes to the UN CISDOC.
  • The GHS is an internationally agreed system of classification and hazard communication for chemicals. The UN Sub-Committee of Experts on the GHS (UNSCEGHS) is the group responsible for development of the GHS. The subcommittee comprises delegates from more than 30 countries and a number of non-government organizations. For the workplace chemicals sector, Safe Work Australia is reviewing the national standards and codes of practice relating to workplace hazardous substances and dangerous goods, including classification, labelling and safety data sheets. The new framework combines the existing hazardous substances and dangerous goods frameworks into a single system, and utilises the GHS for classification and hazard communication. Safe Work Australia is the lead agency for GHS implementation in Australia, and provides the head of the Australian delegation on the GHS subcommittee. As the head of the Australian delegation at UNSCEGHS meetings, Safe Work Australia's role is to provide the agreed Australian government position on chemicals issues for all agencies responsible for chemicals management in Australia. Safe Work Australia also participates in United Nations Institute of Training and Research (UNITAR) meetings twice a year in conjunction with attendance at UNSCEGHS meetings. UNITAR is involved in a number of capacity building activities internationally in relation to GHS implementation, including development of training material.
  • The two major United Nations (UN) activities with direct relevance to the work of Safe Work Australia involve the Transport of Dangerous Goods (TDG) and the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS).

  • While not set up under the UN, the International Social Security Association (ISSA) has a role that includes insurance against employment accidents and occupational disease, and maintains partnerships with the ILO and other international bodies (their head office is co-located with the ILO).
  • The World Congress on Safety and Health at Work is jointly organized every three years by the ILO and the International Social Security Association (ISSA). The predecessors of Safe Work Australia (ASCC and NOHSC) regularly attended these meetings, the most recent being 2008 in Korea. Safe Work Australia will attend the next World Congress in Turkey in 2011.
  •  The UN Sub-Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods (UNSCETDG) aims to implement an internationally agreed system for the labelling, packaging and transportation of dangerous goods, through the development of the UN’s Model Regulations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods. Australia’s dangerous goods transport requirements align with the UN’s Model Regulations