AMMAN —
Workers’ House for Studies issued a report on Tuesday on safety and health in
the workplace, in which it indicated that the Aqaba Port incident revealed
legislative and regulatory gaps in the field of occupational safety and health.
اضافة اعلان
According to the
report, a copy of which was sent to Jordan News, these gaps point to the
inability of official bodies to impose control over most institutions and work
sites, or the failure of employers to provide decent and safe working
conditions and environment at work sites.
The report said
that figures issued by the Social Security Corporation indicate that an average
of 14,000 work accidents occur annually, causing injuries, and include about
200 deaths, at a rate of one work injury every 37 minutes and one death every
two days.
Injuries caused by
people falling account for the highest percentage of work injuries, followed by
those caused by falling objects, then injuries caused by manual labor tools, in
addition to dust, gas emissions and chemical substances.
The report said
that these figures do not reflect the actual number of work injuries in Jordan,
which is certainly higher than that for several reasons. Most workers in the
informal economy, who are estimated to constitute approximately 48 percent of
the total labor force in the Kingdom, are not covered by social security, and
their injuries are not reported.
The agricultural
sector, whose workers are still not covered by social security insurance, is
considered globally to have the highest rates of work injuries.
The report said
that more than half a million workers are not covered by any type of insurance.
At legislative
level, the report indicated that although the Labor Law has devoted a special
chapter to the issue of occupational safety and health, and issued a number of
regulations and instructions, there is still need for more comprehensive and
detailed technical texts, especially in the sectors most exposed to work
accidents.
The report underlined the importance of having a national
strategy for occupational safety and health to reduce work accidents and
injuries, and to ensure full coordination among all concerned parties. It added
that 4 percent of GDP is lost as a result of the cost of injuries,
disabilities, and related deaths in the form of treatment, compensation and
absenteeism.
Read more National news
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
