Mongolia’s progress in occupational safety and health (OSH) will be under scrutiny this week, at a high-level meeting in Ulaan Baatar.

Following the meeting a training programme, designed specifically for the needs of homeworkers, will be run for the first time inMongolia, a first, fundamental step in providing practical support for this category of workers.

OSHis an issue of growing importance inMongolia. Although there are no accurate statistics there are an increasing number of reports of work-related diseases and accidents – particularly from the construction sector and small enterprises.

The meeting, the National Tripartite Workshop, aims to develop a second strategic National Occupational Safety and Health Programme for the country covering a five year period, 2005-2009.

To do this the participants will analyse Mongolia’s first national OSH programme (2000 – 2004) and discuss the country’s recently-drafted OSH profile. Also on the agenda will be the specific needs of different economic sectors including small enterprises, construction and mining, rural and informal sector workers. Enforcement mechanisms for labour inspections and child labour will also discussed.

More than 50 delegates are expected to attend the two-day meeting, from 24-25^th February at the Government Palace. As well as officials from the International Labour organization (ILO) they include representatives from concerned government ministries and agencies, employer and union representatives, OSH experts, NGO’s and peoples’ organizations.

On 28^th February – 1^st March an ILO expert from Bangkok, Dr Tsuyoshi Kawakami will run the first Work Improvement for Safe Home (WISH) training course in Mongolia. The WISH formula has already been successfully applied in Cambodia and Thailand where it has helped homeworkers make significant, low cost, practical improvements to their living and working environments.

“We’ve found that very few homeworkers are aware of the safety and health hazards they and their families are exposed to,” said Dr Kawakami, Specialist onOSH. “These include long hours, unhealthy working positions, unguarded machinery, chemicals, poor lighting and electrical and fire hazards. But after training workers are able to implement a range of improvements by themselves”.

Homeworkers in Mongolia carry out a range of small-scale manufacturing activities, such as sewing garments, making leather and fur items, knitting, handicrafts, carpentry, jewelry manufacture, and the processing of food or other raw animal products.  

Around 30 trainees are expected to take part in the WISH course, at least 40 per cent of them women. They include representatives from workers and employers organizations, state professional inspection offices and labour and social welfare service offices. NGOs attending will include women’s organizations, those working with the informal economy, the urban poor or those with disabilities. While some are from Ulaanbaatar, participants have also been invited from aimags (provinces) where there are many home-based businesses such as Darkhan, Erdenet and Tuv aimag.

As part of the training two home-based workplaces in ger (outlying) areas of Ulaanbaatar will be visited, so participants can gain practical experience of spotting safety and health hazards and implementing counter-measures.

After training they will be expected to act as trainers themselves, passing on their new knowledge and skills to others. This course will be held at the Ulaanbaatar Hotel, Ulaan Baatar, in both Mongolian and English. The trained trainers are expected to organise their first WISH training course between April and June 2005.

The WISH training and follow-up process are part of an ILO project aimed at improving the conditions of informal economy workers. Both the training programme and the National Tripartite Workshop are part of the ILO’s Informal Economy Project funded by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID).

For more information please contact:

Dr Tsuyoshi Kawakami,
OSHSpecialist
Mobile: +66 (0)9 939 6891
kawakami@ilo.org

Ms. Shurenchimeg Ziokholt  
National Project Coordinator  
Informal Economy, Poverty and Employment Project  
Tel: 976 11 330 631
Mobile: 997 48914 
Fax: 976 11 330 631
iepemon@mongolnet.mn

Ms. Sophy Fisher
Regional Information Officer
ILO Bangkok
Tel: +66 (0) 2 288 2482
fisher@ilo.org