Global: More inspections equals fewer injuries, lower costs

Beefed up health and safety inspection systems reduce costs and injuries, the International Labour Organisation has said. As evidence the global workplace standards body says the hiring by the Ontario provincial government in Canada of 200 new labour inspectors over the last two years (Risks 184) has had stunning results, not only leading to 9,000 fewer injuries per year but also savings of an estimated 45 million Canadian dollars (£20.7m) in workers' compensation costs, far in excess of the costs. The compensation authority pays the safety inspectorate for its additional labour costs.

'The example shows that strengthening labour inspectorates not only prevents accidents and saves human lives but also pays for all actors involved,' said ILO labour inspection expert Gerd Albracht. An ILO report to the organisation's governing body in November 2006 for the first time set 'reasonable benchmarks' for the number of labour inspectors per worker, with one inspector to 10,000 workers the desired level in industrial market economies. The ILO report proposes a series of measures designed to 'reinvigorate', modernise and strengthen labour inspectorates worldwide.

These include tripartite labour inspection audits to help governments identify and remedy weaknesses in labour inspection, the development of ethical and professional codes of conduct, labour inspection fact sheets, global inspection principles, and hands-on tools for risk assessment, occupational safety and health management systems and targeted training for inspectors. According to the ILO report, resources for labour inspection have been squeezed in many countries as a part of budget austerity measures.

ILO feature on inspection approaches and news release on strengthening labour inspection. Strategies and practice for labour inspection, report of the Committee on Employment and Social Policy to the Governing Body (GB.297/ESP/3), November 2006 [pdf].

Institute for Work and Health newsletter. E Tompa, S Trevithick, C McLeod. A systematic review of the prevention incentives of insurance and regulatory mechanisms for occupational health and safety, Institute for Work and Health, number 213, 2004 [abstract, summary and order form for the full paper].