How do you make health workers’ safety a higher-level policy issue?
Investments in occupational health have a positive, productive economic impact (WHO 1994). Better working conditions and a focus on health worker wellness and prevention stand out as two primary practices that influence productivity, job satisfaction, and motivation of health workers (Bradley and McAuliffe 2009). Nearly two decades ago, the World Health Organization (1994) declared that “access to occupational health services should be ensured for all workers of the world, irrespective of age, sex, nationality, occupation, type of employment, or size or location of the workplace.” Further, the World Health Organization drafted a global plan of action for workers’ health at the 60th World Health Assembly to further emphasize the importance of this issue (Houtman, Jettinghoff, and Cedillo 2007). While efforts have been made to achieve international safety standards, it has been a challenge to operationalize them in a resource-constrained context.
Legislation or regulatory standards for OSH provide a policy framework to enable and empower health workers to improve their operational environment. While many developed countries have effectively implemented OSH policies (ILO 2001; COA 2012), many developing countries have yet to address the connection between health worker safety and productivity and prioritize OSH as a worthy investment. However, there are examples where OSH policy has been successfully adopted by four different types of policy influencers—global alliances, national governments, professional councils and associations, and health professional schools—thus facilitating the implementation of priority actions at the organizational level.