World Day for Safety and Health at Work: Social Dialogue and Culture of Prevention

B. Odgerel, Engineer at the Monitoring Department of Power Plant 3 starts off her day before sunrise, overseeing complex systems that power Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia. For Odgerel, safety isn’t just a checklist—it’s a lived reality. She credits the union-led training sessions for equipping her with the skills to identify hazards and respond to emergencies, ensuring her team returns safely home each night. Engineers like her are encouraged to speak up about risks and their concerns are addressed, not dismissed because of an open dialogue. Such dialogue between workers, management, and union representatives has fostered a culture where prevention is everyone’s responsibility.

For night workers in Thailand, April 28 is not as special as we all claim to recognize it as World Day for Safety and Health at Work, because it’s just another ordinary working day and through into the night for them.

Thailand’s night musicians embody both the urgency of workplace protections and the power of collective action. Behind the neon-lit stages of Bangkok’s entertainment districts, these workers navigate sleepless nights, unstable gigs, and the physical toll of racing between venues—often sacrificing rest to secure income. “We sleep at red lights or practice until 2 AM, but who ensures our safety when we walk home in the dark?” asks Nattapong, voicing the hidden risks of a profession where overtime, sleep deprivation, and unsafe commutes compound mental and physical strain. Young unionist like Miss Dear sees hope in solidarity: by organizing, musicians can demand fair contracts, late-night transportation, and workplaces that prioritize well-being over exploitation. Yet, as Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Asia emphasizes, true safety requires more than individual resilience—it demands systemic change. Through social dialogue, unions empower workers to negotiate standards for rest periods, hazard reporting, and mental health support, transforming precarious gigs into dignified work. This April 28, let their struggle remind us: a culture of prevention begins when every worker—whether on stage or behind the scenes—has the power to speak freely, return home safely, and thrive without fear.

Sanitary workers are the unsung heroes of Islamabad, quietly ensuring the city’s beauty and cleanliness while facing daily risks and systemic challenges. On this World Day for Safety and Health at Work, their voices demand to be heard—not just in commemoration, but in a call for action. Irshad Begum, now retired, reflects on a life of service marked by dignity and hardship, wishing not for accolades but for real happiness, fair treatment, and occupational safety for the young generations who follow her path. Despite low wages, delayed payments, and inadequate health protections, these workers persevere, supported by unions like the CDA Mazdoor Union, which tirelessly advocate for safer workplaces and basic facilities, especially for women. As the world unites on April 28 to promote a culture of prevention and safety, the story of Islamabad’s sanitary workers underscores a universal truth: health and safety at work is a fundamental right, not a privilege. Through social dialogue and collective bargaining, we must ensure that all workers—regardless of their job or status—are empowered to speak up, protected from harm, and able to return home safely at the end of each day. Only then can we truly honor their essential contribution and build a future where every workplace is a safe and decent one for all.

Watch full documentary of Pakistan's Unsung Heroes > https://asia.fes.de/news/a-documentary-film-on-sanitary-workers-of-islamabad-unsung-heroes.html

In the recent period, platform work has become a significant source of employment for the growing population in India. Incentivised by flexibility of working hours and low entry barriers, platform work has increasingly drawn women as a source of livelihood. However, gender biases, lack of social protection and structural barriers limit complete participation of women, restricting them to traditional sectors within platform economy like beauty services, childcare, domestic support to households and home-based retail enterprises.  

According to them, both mental and physical wellbeing together defines a safe and healthy workplace. While these women do not have a defined workplace, relying on their vehicle as a space they occupy during work hour, their concerns of a safe and healthy workplace require attention. To According to these workers, it is important to install monitoring devices (like dash cams) inside cabs and buses and have proper access to on-call and in-person support for grievance redressals like passenger misbehaviour and road incidents to ensure safety at work. The existing complaint mechanism has failed to provide support, according to these workers. Moreover, better police surveillance on road and their timely interventions ensures increased safety, specially during evening and night hours. Such safety arrangements ensure mental wellbeing for these female drivers, contributing to better mindfulness required while driving.