African Newsletter on OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH and SAFETY Volume 21, Number 2, August 2011

African Newsletter ON OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY Volume 21, number 2, August 2011

Information society and transfer of technology

African Newsletter ON OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY Contents Volume 21, number 2, August 2011 Information Society and transfer of technology 323 EditorialEditorial N.Jorma Henwood Rantanen Published by SOUTHEmeritus AFRICA Professor Finnish Institute of Occupational Health Topeliuksenkatu 41 a A FI-00250 Helsinki, Finland ArticlesArticles Editor in Chief 24 Preventing the risk of occupational pesticide poisonings Suvi Lehtinen 4 ILO list of occupational diseases and health care workers S.in Niu Africa through innovative information networking Hanna-Andrea Rother Editor ILO South Africa Marianne Joronen 10 Protection of health care workers with focus on respiratory 28 The AIHA-NCS Developing World Outreach Initiative – Linguistic Editors health K.A MichellCase Study in Technology Transfer Activities Sheryl S. Hinkkanen SOUTHRichard AFRICAHirsh, MPH CIH Alice Lehtinen 1331 Hepatitis Strengthening in the occupationalcontext of Botswana health and safety in low Layout NK.income Mwaniki countries through training: The Zimbabwe Liisa Surakka, Kirjapaino Uusimaa, Studio BOTSWANAexperience Joconiah Chirenda, M. Taputaira, S. Muteti, S. Rusakaniko The Editorial Board is listed (as of June 2009) on the back 16 SafetyZimbabwe implication of pesticides use in vegetable cultivation page. Example: small-scale farmers in Dar es Salaam A list of contact persons in Africa is also on the back page. 32 BK.Africa Kaoneka, - Information E. Lekei, AJ. networkingRwazo, JJ. Matee This publication enjoys copyright under Protocol 2 of TANZANIAAndrew Cutz the Universal Copyright Convention. Nevertheless, short excerpts of articles may be reproduced without authoriza- 2033 EthiopianDistance Education migrant workers’ in Occupational perceptions Safety of the and UK’s Health health at tion, on condition that source is indicated. For rights of re- andthe ILOsafety International regulations Training Centre production or translation, application should be made to TA.Robin Jemaneh Poppe, Lisa Marie Kreibich, Félix Martín Daza the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, International ETHIOPIAInternational Training Centre of ILO Affairs, Topeliuksenkatu 41 a A, FI-00250 Helsinki, Finland. Italy 23 Towards Better Work and Well-being - International The African Newsletter on Occupational Health and Safety 36 conferenceStrengthening occupational safety and health inspection homepage address is: T.system Pääkkönen http://www.ttl.fi/AfricanNewsletter FINLANDCecilia Mulindeti-Kamanga Zimbabwe

The next issue of the African Newsletter will come out 37 Mental stress assessment at the workplace in a hotel at the end of December 2011. The theme of the issue in Libreville Gabon 3/2011 is Climate change including the green agenda. Pearl Comlan, A. Mouanga, J. Roy, J. Djeki GABON African Newsletter is financially supported by the Finnish In- stitute of Occupational Health, the World Health Organiza- tion, WHO, and the International Labour Office.

Photographs of the cover page: © International Labour Organization/M. Crozet

Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, 2011 The responsibility for opinions expressed in signed articles, studies and other contributionscontributions rests rests solely solely with with their their authors, authors, and andpublication publication does Printed publication: ISSN 0788-4877 notdoes constitute not constitute an endorsement an endorsement by bythe the International International Labour Labour Office, On-line publication: ISSN 1239-4386 World Health Organization or the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health of the opinions expressed in it.

Information and communication technology has changed the world radically

he world has changed in the past 25 years logical developments. Hazardous exposures can be control- faster than ever in the history of mankind. led better, and in extreme cases distant control of hazardous One of the key factors behind the change has processes can help to remove workers from risky environ- been the introduction of communication and in- ments. These improvements are likely to be one explanation formation technologies, ICT. In spite of temporary setbacks, for the constantly declining trends of occupational accidents Tthe long-term trend seems to indicate that this change proc- and diseases in industrialized countries. For example, fatal ess will continue at an accelerating rate. accident rates in Europe, North America and Japan declined The Information Society, and its technical foundation by more than 40% during the past 20 years and this change ICT, are no new concepts, but they became universally influ- otherwise than elsewhere, is not due to registration gaps but ential trend drivers at the beginning of the 1990s. The first represents a true improvement in safety. wave brought the fast spread of personal computers, followed Yet the developments brought by the IS have also had in the mid-1990s by the second wave, the world-wide distri- several negative impacts at work. These stem not necessarily bution of mobile phones and the gradual transition to the always from the technology itself, but from its inappropriate third wave involving content development and distribution. implementation. The wide-scale implementation of ICT in The fourth wave which we are now experiencing, the social work life has changed everything: technology itself, work or- mobilization stage, is no longer dominantly technical, but ganization, job contents, working practices, the competence very much societal and in its way, cultural. and skills required, and management systems. The result has Studies on the impact of the information society have been instability and incontinuities in work life. The mobil- provided much evidence of the far-reaching positive impacts ity of both work and workers has proceeded from local and on several sectors of the society, including work life. The in- national to global. Working hours have been modified dra- disputable benefits of the IS include the wider and faster dis- matically, often without respect for the psychological and semination of information, the improved effectiveness and physiological requirements of human beings. The continu- versatility of communication in real time, the availability of ous increase in the demands for new competence and higher better information in general about everything as a result of productivity, continuous changes in work organization, job the more effective data processing, as well as advances in re- insecurity, inappropriate working hours, as well as problems search, technical development, and education and learning. in reconciling work and family life are reported as burdens to Other benefits have been improved production technologies, some 30 to 70% of the workforce, depending on the country savings in energy, materials and environments as well as im- and economic sector. Many of those adverse effects do not provement of the whole service sector, ranging from govern- hinge on the technology itself, but on our ignorance or neg- ment and other public services to the whole spectrum of pri- ligence of proper way to use the new technologies. vate personal and community services and business services. A high percentage of the research reports dealing with Thanks to these advancements, we now know more than ever, the adverse health and social impacts of work in the IS has we generate more new information and knowledge than be- pointed to failures in management, training and participation fore, we produce more goods and services than previously, during the planning and implementation of changes rather and we distribute both information and material goods fast- than technology hazards. One dramatic global example is er and wider than ever before. In addition, many goods and the emergence of the world-wide work stress epidemic, a services have decreased in price, making them accessible to paradoxical phenomenon given that the early expectations people with a lower income. presumed that ICT would reduce stress and workload. Re- Work life in the information society also entails numer- cent examples have given evidence on higher vulnerability ous positive impacts: new safer and healthier jobs are gener- and wider – in the worst case, even global – crises caused ated and many heavy and hazardous older jobs have disap- by failures in ICT-based information, security or produc- peared. Improved, safer production methods and products, tions systems. Also the expansion of the current global fi- including safer and better working practices and work tools, nancial crisis - with all its dramatic impacts on employment have been developed. Protective technologies, both collective and workers’ life - was made possible by enabling fast global and personal, have been developed apace with other techno- speculative operations with the help of ICT.

AfrAfr Newslett Newslett on on Occup Occup Health Health and and Safety Safety 2011;21:23 2010;20:3 • 23

Four main challenges can be recognized in the tran- Preventing the risks sition to the new stage in the development of the information society. First, the digital divide continues to prevail in spite of occupational of the effective spreading of new technologies. The In- ternet has a penetration rate of 11.4% in Africa, 23.8% in Asia, 58.3% in Europe, 60% in Oceania (incl. Australia pesticide poisoning and New Zealand), 78.3% in North America and 36.2 % in Latin America and the Caribbean. These figures give a world average of 30%, which means that two-thirds in Africa through of the world’s population do not enjoy the benefits of the Internet and the IS in general although many of the adverse effects of the IS are reflected in their lives, too. innovative information Thus the first challenge is to continue efforts to extend the IS for everyone within and between countries and networking continents. The adverse impacts of the IS and ICT on occupational health in work life constitute the second challenge, and the world has done too little to manage these better. Hanna-Andrea Rother The available research provides good, clear and simple SOUTH AFRICA advice on how to avoid such problems. The proper application include careful planning of the implementation of changes, human-oriented strategies, respect for As concerns controlling occupational pesticide poisonings, eradicating their the psycho-physiological and social realities of human acute and chronic health effects, and reducing workers’ exposures, the expec- beings, ensuring workers’ training and education, and tation is that pesticide regulators (i.e., registrars and government officials from workers’ participation in the planning and implementa- various ministries) undertake country-based risk management (1). In Africa, tion of changes in their work. There is a growing body of pesticide regulators and others often indicate that lack of capacity, both human evidence showing that these strategies also provide the and other resources, inhibits the ability to regulate and control the use of pesti- best returns on the investments made in ICT. cides in order to mitigate poisonings and long-term health effects (2–3). In or- The third challenge is the vulnerability of work der to be effective in enforcing legislation, monitoring risks and ensuring the life in the IS. This challenge involves several issues de- implementation of risk mitigation measures, regulators require various levels rived from different sources, such as intentional attacks of capacity. Capacity building in this context refers to the provision of skills and against organized systems, breaches of confidentiality resources in order for regulators to prevent pesticide risks to humans and the and breakages of data security, and technical failures of environment (Table 1) and to find suitable pest management solutions. Though either hardware or software. Insufficient competences not comprehensive, Table 1 gives an overview of how pesticide risk manage- of users critical to safety and inappropriate program- ment requires extensive skills/capacity in many areas for pesticide regulators ming are integral elements of these issues. A highly (with predominately backgrounds in chemistry, agriculture, ecology, etc.) and topical issue is the systems-wide vulnerability in cases where capacity is lacking. of natural disasters. Much needs to be done to address these issues and many of the new challenges that will History of the COEHR/HRMP Information Networking appear, particularly in the social sphere of the IS that is and Capacity Building now burgeoning. The fourth universal challenge is well recognized by In 1996 the Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health Research (CO- researchers studying the IS and ICT. Owing to many of EHR) ran a series of pesticide policy reform workshops throughout South Africa’s the obstacles described above, we still use only a minor nine provinces in an effort to provide information and support for developing share of the real potential of the IS. The real benefits of policy that ensured the protection and risk reduction of all, especially workers, the IS will not be obtained merely from the technology exposed to pesticides (4). Although numerous academics, researchers, industry itself, but from the information and content which can representatives, government officials, extension officers, environmental health be transmitted. Even effective transmission alone is not practitioners and others are addressing the issue of pesticides, a resounding com- enough; we need to be able to understand the content ment was the need for an information network, as all were working in silos and and transform it into economic, productive, social or had limited access to up-to-date information. As a result, in 1997 the COEHR educational actions. This still needs massive educational established the South African Pesticide List server run through the list server programme. In other words, we need to learn to make platform (i.e., mailman) of the University of Cape Town. intelligent use of the IS and ICT. A part of this intelligent Originally this list server catered to a South African audience. As interest use is to make the IS available to each and every person grew and the list server became known more widely, the network acquired mem- and at each workplace. When this objective is reached, bers from elsewhere in Africa and other developing countries. Today, the 220 we can start speaking of the Wise Society. members represent both developing and industrialized countries. This list server is moderated and serviced by an administrator with funding from the Swedish Chemical Agency (KemI). The list predominately keeps members abreast of current health and environment research, biocides, alternatives, training and con- Jorma Rantanen ferences, funding, the latest United Nations (UN) guidance documents, current Emeritus Professor global pesticide legislation, and the relevant UN Conventions and approaches.

24 • Afr Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2011;21:24–7 Photo by Melanie Jackson

Participants in the inaugural University of Cape Town Postgraduate Diploma in Pesticide Risk Management from eight African countries, Fiji and St. Lucia, with Programme Convenor, Dr. Andrea Rother (front, second left) and the University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Thandabantu Nhlapo (front, third left).

The network members also use the list Table 1. Examples of Capacity Building Requirements for Pesticide Regulators to ask questions. In 2006, as part of the Work and Definition of Capacity Examples of Capacity Requirement Effective pesticide legisla- Data on current registration in other countries Health in Southern Africa (WHASA) tion/registration Exposure data project, the COEHR established the Appropriate risk assessment data for country context registrar’s e-list server in response to Compliance with international organizations regulators’ request for a formalized Effective enforcement of Informed inspectors mechanism of networking with oth- legislation Surveillance systems particularly at borders er regulators and resource persons Adequate surveillance data of incidences (environment and health) (Figure 1) (5). The registrar’s list has Disposal/obsolete stocks management grown from 30 to 160 members. This Human skills Trained staff in toxicology, ecotoxicology, risk management, agriculture, quality assurance, policy analysis and political brokering, international conventions and closed forum is meant to provide reg- negotiations, socioeconomic analysis, training, facilitation and awareness-raising, risk ulators with support in many of the communication, exposure assessment, economics, trade, conducting situation and areas highlighted in Table 1, as well as gap analysis, and pest management to give regulators an opportunity to Assessment and implemen- Knowledge of alternatives/pest management solutions available and substitution ask questions of each other and sup- tation of alternatives principles Economic analysis skills port persons. Integrated Pest Management skills The Health Risk Management Pro- Knowledge of sustainable/ecological agriculture gramme (HRMP) of the COEHR es- Risk reduction management Skills in: tablished the pesticide regulators’ Dis- Implementing a hierarchy of controls cussion Forum in 2009 for regular on- Conducting and implementing life-cycle analysis line real-time discussions of issues rel- Management of containers and obsolete stocks evant to and problematic for regulators Public health pesticides Skills in: (6). It was proving costly for regulators management Vector biology to hold physical meetings; a particu- Risk management Integrated approach management lar issue was the cost of translation. Policy and international negotiations Each session of these bi-monthly dis- Training, awareness-raising Skills in: cussions has a different presenter and and risk communication Effective training and facilitation chair who present topics chosen by Developing culturally appropriate risk communication tools members. This Discussion Forum pro- Integrated awareness-raising programme development vides translation of discussions, blogs Participatory training approaches

Afr Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2011;21:24–7 • 25 and newsletters in French, English and Portu- Programme (HRMP) in the COEHR, in col- Lessons Learned guese. Thus regulators can write in their own laboration with the United Nations Food and language and messages are translated in either Agricultural Organization (FAO), has un- This networking forum approach is applicable direction. In order to promote participation, a dertaken to strengthen the skills of pesticide to other target populations in order to build newsletter in three languages was established. regulators and risk managers in managing the problem-solving capacity in occupational In addition, there is a blog where members un- and reducing pesticide risks through a new health. Some of the key lessons learned, which able to attend discussions can post messages, Post Graduate Programme in Pesticide Risk other initiatives should take into account for and e-mail updates of the online discussion Management at the University of Cape Town. effective networking, are: are sent as it is taking place. This holistic course encompasses all aspects • the need for a committed driver and mod- of pesticide risk management and risk reduc- erator Low-cost Networking tion. It is grounded in International Code • good support staff for daily messaging and of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of technical support Consistent and on-going contact with stake- Pesticides (7) and in a life-cycle approach. • sustainable financial support – initially this holders is necessary for capacity building The first students, representing eight Afri- will be external in some cases and will ulti- through networking to be effective. Using Vu- can countries, Fiji and Saint Lucia, started mately result in membership support la, the educational platform of the University on this programme in March 2011. Link- • holding an initial meeting to present the of Cape Town, for networking has meant only ing initiatives is vital for building skills, and networking technology to the group, to limited costs for what has transpired to be an thus students are required to participate in explain how it functions and to establish effective and fruitful networking forum. Al- the discussion forum, to comment on Unit- the ‘buy-in’ of stakeholders and potential though face-to-face meetings are beneficial ed Nations documents and to fill in relevant members and necessary for networking and problem- questionnaires. This programme therefore • regular evaluation of the process and tak- solving, such meetings are expensive and tend makes the building of skills circular rather ing account of suggestions and comments to be held infrequently, not more than once than linear. in activities. This generates the flexibility to a year. Regulators work with few staff and in Participants in the inaugural Univer- adapt and upgrade the networking process isolation from other regulators. Consistent sity of Cape Town Postgraduate Diploma to meet the members’ needs and challenges contact and discussion promotes enhance- in Pesticide Risk Management from eight ment of their skill in a way that does not result African countries, Fiji and St. Lucia, with Engage key stakeholders in the field by in- from one-off training sessions and meetings. Programme Convenor, Dr. Andrea Roth- viting them to be a part of the network er (front, second left) and the University’s Double up on activities for effectiveness Skills Building Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Thanda- (e.g., have students and discussion forum bantu Nhlapo (front, third left). members comment on or review draft UN More recently, the Health Risk Management guidance documents).

Figure 1. Location of the Registrars’ Network Members (5)

26 • Afr Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2011;21:24–7 Conclusion Table 2. Innovative Capacity Building Initiatives of the COEHR1 and the HRMP2

To build pesticide regulators’ capacity Initiative Technology Medium and Process Examples of Target of Capacity Building to act effectively in preventing occupa- Pesticide e-list server E-mail/mailman; 3–6 e-mails daily; Current health and environmental research tional pesticide poisonings and detri- open moderated group findings; regulatory status of specific pesticides mental exposures, there must be con- in different countries; international conventions, tinuous and relevant support as well alternatives, platform for asking questions as the means for regulators to network Registrar’s e-list server E-mail/mailman; 3–6 e-mails daily; Similar to the above but meant specifically for together. The current information net- closed moderated group pesticide regulators only working initiatives by the COEHR and Registrar’s Discussion Internet teaching platform, Vula; bi- Topic-based, topic determined by regulators Forum monthly live seminars and discussions at the end of each year; focused on developing the HRMP promote sustainable and via a chat room, with a new presenter solutions collectively; topical and current issues cost-effective capacity building options and chair each time; newsletters in for those working in the field of pes- three languages; blogs; e-mail updates ticide risk management and risk re- of live chats; sms notifications; closed moderated group duction. Post Graduate Pro- Mixed mode, 2-year part-time course Comprehensively covers all aspects highlighted gramme in Pesticide involving distance learning through in Table 1, and more; grounded in the Inter- For Pesticide Risk Communication Risk Management Vula and contact time; four core national Code of Conduct on the Distribution materials developed by the COEHR modules and two electives and Use of Pesticides (7), as well as a life-cycle and the HRMP, visit: http://www.co- approach ehr.uct.ac.za/publications/pestrel.php Pesticide Risk Commu- Policy briefs, pamphlets, laminated These materials have been licensed with a Crea- nication Materials cards, brochures, stickers tive Common license so that others can adapt and use the materials for training or awareness- To join the Pesticides e-list server, go raising to: https://lists.uct.ac.za/mailman/

listinfo/pesticides-l 1 Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health Research 2 Health Risk Management Programme For more information or a brochure about the Post Graduate Diploma in Pesticide Risk Management offered by the University of Cape Town, contact [email protected]

Acknowledgments: The Swedish Development Coopera- tion Agency, upon the arrangement of the Swedish Chemicals Agency, KemI, has provided financial assistance for the e-list servers, the discussion forum and development of the course. The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization continues to be a source of generous support for the development and operation of the course in Pesticide Risk Management offered by the University of Cape Town. Figure 2. Vula Discussion Forum Home Page

References 1. Rother H-A, Hall R. and London L. Pes- survey in countries at risk of malaria or HCH & Pesticides Association (IHAP) ticide Use Among Emerging Farmers In other vector-borne diseases. Malaria POPs Newsletter, 2011, No. 21:15–17. South Africa: Contributing Factors And Journal, 2011,10:125. 7. FAO. International Code of Conduct on Stakeholder Perceptions. Development 4. Rother, H-A and London, L. Pesticide the Distribution and Use of Pesticides. Southern Africa, 2008, 25(4):399–424. Health and Safety Policy Mechanisms (Revised Version). Rome: Food and 2. Rother, H-A. Pesticide Risk Reduction in South Africa: The State of the Debate. Agricultural Organization of the United Strategies for Vulnerable African Popula- Occupational & Environmental Health Nations (FAO). 2005. tions through Regulatory Capacity Research Unit Working Paper No. 1, http://www.cet.uct.ac.za/ Building and Gender Appropriate Risk Department of Community Health, Communication Strategies. Agricultural University of Cape Town. 1998. Hanna-Andrea Rother Innovations for Sustainable Develop- 5. Rother H-A, Ngowi V, and London L. ment – Contributions from the Finalists WAHSA Action on Pesticides – building Programme Head, Health Risk Manage- of the African Women in Science Com- capacity to reduce hazardous pesticide ment Programme (HRMP) petition, 2009, 2(1):73–8. exposures in the SADC. Occupational Centre for Occupational and Environme- 3. Van den Berg H, Hii J, Soares A, Mnzava Health Southern Africa. WAHSA Special ntal Health Research (COEHR) A, Ameneshewa B, Dash AP, Ejov M, Issue November, 2009, 15:36–45. Hian Tan S, Matthews G, Yadav RS, Zaim 6. Rother H-A. Innovative Capacity Build- University of Cape Town M. Status of pesticide management in ing – The Case of Networking with Af- South Africa the practice of vector control: a global rican Pesticide Regulators, International e-mail: [email protected]

Afr Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2011;21:24–7 • 27 Photo by Niranjana Patel Jagdish Patel conducting Chemical Worker training course in India. The AIHA-NCS Developing World Outreach Initiative – A Case Study in Technology Transfer Activities Richard Hirsh AIHA

Background to address, in small but tangible ways, the lack an inventory of occupational safety and health of occupational health and safety capacity in technical reference materials that are shipped What is the best way to share international the developing world, primarily in Africa and to NGOs and universities in Africa and Asia. expertise when you are tucked into a small Asia. Toward our initial intent, the DWOI has AIHA local section members have donated corner of the world? That was the question I harnessed the growing information society thousands of books to date which are cata- faced for many years, until advances in tech- to utilize a variety of innovative methods to logued via an electronic inventory maintained nology transfer made the answer much easi- initiate technology transfer to Non-Govern- and updated on an excel spreadsheet. Tech- er. In 2006, the Northern California Section mental Organizations (NGOs) and universi- nology transfer is essential for this effort as (NCS) of the American Industrial Hygiene ties in the developing world. This article will the spreadsheet is then periodically sent to a Association (AIHA) (1) embarked on a new describe the efforts employed to date. variety of potential recipients throughout Af- project to harness the efforts of local members rica via an African OH&S list-serve. Potential that perform work internationally. The project Technical Library Reference recipients then review the available referenc- was called the Developing World Outreach In- Materials es and select and submit their “wish lists” via itiative (DWOI). The intent was to focus and email. The DWOI then reviews and fulfills leverage local occupational health and safety One of the first activities of the DWOI, and their orders on a first-come, first-serve basis resources in northern California and attempt what became our primary focus, was to build and organizes the physical shipment of select-

28 • Afr Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2011;21:28–31 ed reference books. These reference materials geria. The DWOI also raised over USD 2000 the AIHA IAC Sharepoint website to help con- include well known titles such as Industrial for the Malaysian Industrial Hygiene Asso- nect international contacts to DWOI services. Ventilation A Manual of Recommended Prac- ciation through the Foundation for Occupa- In conjunction with the Maquiladora tice (25th edition), The Industrial Environment tional Health and Safety (FOHS) Worldwide Health and Safety Support Network (7), The - Its Evaluation and Control, The Analysis of Outreach Fund (http://www.fohs.org/WO- DWOI has been sponsoring individuals from Air Pollutants, and Noise & Vibration Control. Prgm.htm) (6). various Asian NGOs to participate in occupa- Funding for the shipments has been raised tional safety and health trainings. These spon- via local section member contributions made Resources Website sorships provide trainee registrations as well as during bi-monthly dinner meetings and fund- funding for entire training programmes. The ing grants provided through the International The DWOI maintains a webpage (http:// DWOI has identified several reputable occu- Affairs Committee (IAC) of AIHA (2). Dav- www.aiha-ncs.org/displaycommon cfm?an= pational health and safety training courses id Zalk, a past-president of the International 1&subarticlenbr=20) to post meeting minutes, being offered throughout Asia and negotiat- Occupational Hygiene Association, founding contact information of its committee repre- ed discounts for DWOI sponsored attendees advisor to the DWOI, and AIHA-NCS local sentatives, links to a variety of occupational from NGOs. Several of these 2–5 day courses section member, generously donated sever- health and safety organizations operating in have been held in China, India, and Indone- al copies of his new book entitled: “Control the developing world, and technical materials sia to date, but the DWOI is also interested in Banding: A Simplified, Qualitative Strategy donated by local section members. identifying other technical courses in Africa for the Assessment of Occupational Risks and The website has also served to host as a which could also be sponsored. Selection of Solutions” (3). David offered his repository for submitted technical questions In the past year, the DWOI has provided book to any local section member who donat- from NGOs which can then be directed for an- individuals with financial backing to attend ed $20 USD or more to the DWOI. Recently, swers to subject matter experts within the lo- the following occupational health and safety Barbara Cohrrsen, a past local section presi- cal section. The DWOI now has a web link on training events: dent, and editor of the Patty’s Industrial Hy- giene 6th Edition 4-volume reference text set (4), offered to raffle a set of these reference materials at an upcoming dinner meeting to

Photo by Niranjana Patel help fund future book shipments. To date, over 20 shipments have been sent to recipients in Botswana, Kenya, Indonesia, Nigeria, Sudan, Singapore, South Africa, Tan- zania, Thailand, Uganda, and Zambia. Some of the recent targeted recipients include the Southern African Institute for Occupation- al Hygiene – which represents 14 countries in Africa (500 registered members), the De- partment of Health, Safety and Environment at the Gateway Industrial and Petrogas Insti- tute in Nigeria, the Ventilation Manager of the Konkola Copper Mines in Zambia, the Youth Press and Development Organization (YPDO) in Zambia, the Centre for Science and Tech- nology Innovations, A UNESCO Associated The DWOI also maintains a Resources webpage with additional occupational health and safety Centre in Kenya, and a University Professor links to valuable resources. of Toxicology in Nigeria. The Ventilation Manager from the largest mining operation in Zambia, Konkola Copper Mines expressed his thanks in a recent email: “Many thanks to you / your organization / and team for these books, some have already been snapped up by people studying and writing exams. Obviously if you conduct a similar exercise, or have more books available in the fields of occupational Hygiene / Health and Ventilation, we would welcome them with open arms – unfortunately there is an extreme shortage of such material here in Zambia.” In addition to the book shipments, The DWOI utilized advances of the information society to coordinate the delivery of Indus- trial Hygiene equipment via SKC Inc.’s international outreach program (www.skcinc. com) (5) to the University of Calabar in Ni- Sponsoring Occupational Health & Safety Training

Afr Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2011;2128–31: • 29 • Managing Industrial Hygiene Risk under the International Affiliate Membership • EHS Risk Assessment and Prevention Sys- status. This allows individuals in the develop- tems ing world to access all the resources at www. • Chinese Occupational Hygiene Regulatory aiha.org afforded to the AIHA membership. The burgeoning Framework and Update The DWOI has sponsored at least two indi- information • Internal EHS Trainer Training vidual AIHA international affiliate member- • OHS Hazards for Chemical Workers. ships each year since 2006 and three mem- society has been a berships in 2011. In January 2011, Jagdish Patel, Director tremendous asset of the People’s Training and Research Centre Linking Business Travel (PTRC) in India, completed a two-day DWOI- in assisting a few sponsoredtraining which took place in An- At times, AIHA-NCS local section members volunteers from kleshwar, on the west coast of India. This train- travel to developing countries on business or ing was attended by 25 participants from the vacation. The DWOI has promoted a service one corner of the area, representing trade unions, safety gradu- to link these individuals with occupational ate programmes, and seven different factories. health and safety NGOs in the visited coun- world to address the Mr. Patel has been instrumental in bringing try to offer technical support, training, or lec- needs of workers to light the working conditions of agate work- tures during their visits. Although some previ- ers. In February of last year, the National La- ous attempts in Argentina and Macau did not and professionals bour Committee published a report entitled materialize, the DWOI has been successful in Heart of Darkness, describing working condi- linking local section members to NGOs in In- globally. tions in the gemstone industry. The report can donesia. In fact, one DWOI member is mov- be found at: http://www.globallabourrights. ing to Indonesia and has been in communi- org/admin/reports/files/hearts_of_darkness. cation with local NGO contacts to coordinate International Themed Dinner pdf. (8) support services that she can offer during her Meetings In February 2011, Richard Hirsh, the upcoming relocation. DWOI founder and chairperson, participated In October 2010, DWOI members Dav- In order to update local section members on in a five-day industrial hygiene training event id Hornung and Garrett Brown travelled to occupational health and safety issues in the in Hyderabad, India organized by Nayati Inter- Bandung, Indonesia to participate in the an- developing world, the DWOI has hosted an national. The class title: W501 “International nual conference of the Asian Network for annual dinner meeting since 2007 with an in- Module: Measurement of Hazardous Substanc- the Rights of Occupational Accident Victims ternational theme. The dinner meeting has es Including Risk Assessment” is one of the (ANROAV) (http://www.anroav.org/) (10). coincided with the annual students’ night OHLearning.com (9) modules which is now This annual meeting is a chance for numer- to encourage students to become involved available to download for free. The class was at- ous grassroot occupational health and safe- in developing world OH&S issues. The din- tended by 22 students from all over India. Since ty organizations to gather and discuss their ner meetings have included presentations by it began in 2010, OHLearning.com has pro- work, recent campaigns, and challenges. The a variety of guest speakers including Brian vided a unique and powerful delivery method DWOI will aim to connect with ANROAV Daly, Past Chair of the AIHA International for occupational health and safety technology participants in need of AIHA-NCS’s member Affairs Committee (IAC) and member of the transfer. The website has now registered well expertise. The DWOI has established formal 2005–2007 International Task Force; Pam over 100,000 page views. In that time, cours- partnerships with ANROAV and the Asian Tau Lee, UC Berkeley’s COEH, Labor Oc- es have been run, or are planned, in countries Monitor Resource Center (AMRC) http:// cupational Health Program; Garrett Brown, such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, www.amrc.org.hk/ (11). Director of the Maquiladora Health & Safe- India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Norway, Singa- ty Support Network (http://mhssn.igc.org/); pore, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, Trinidad, Connecting Students with Perry Gottesfeld, Director of Occupational the United Kingdom, the USA, and Vietnam. Developing World Projects Knowledge (OK) International (http://www. The training modules are now available in sev- okinternational.org/) (12) on occupational eral languages including Spanish, Portuguese, More recently, DWOI member Nina health projects in India; Heather Barr, Uni- Mandarin, Norwegian, and French. Townsend, a graduate student at the Univer- versity of California at San Francisco, on a sity of California’s Berkeley’s School of Pub- mining project in Mexico; David Hornung, AIHA International Affiliate lic Health Environmental Sciences Program, on the ANROAV conference in Indonesia; Memberships returned from a trip to the Dominican Re- Dr. Mark Nicas, on the future of industrial public, where she surveyed garment work- hygiene educational programmes; and Nina Another method employed by the DWOI to ers. The DWOI was able to link Nina with the Townsend on the working conditions faced by promote access to occupational health and Center for Occupational and Environmental garment workers in the Dominican Republic. safety information and facilitate technolo- Health, which provides NIOSH grants to stu- gy transfer is through sponsorship of Inter- dents conducting projects in the developing Discussion national Affiliate Memberships in AIHA for world. After Nina’s research project in the Do- NGOs. Individuals who reside in, and are citi- minican Republic, she presented her findings The burgeoning information society has been zens of a country defined by the World Bank during an AIHA-NCS dinner meeting to ac- a tremendous asset in assisting a few volun- as a low-income, lower-middle-income, or up- quaint local section members with the work- teers from one corner of the world to address per middle-income economy, and who are ing conditions she encountered in the garment the needs of workers and professionals glo- practising occupational and environmental industry, as well as made recommendations bally. The AIHA-NCS Developing World Out- health and safety are eligible to join AIHA for corrective actions. reach Initiative’s efforts to promote occupa-

30 • Afr Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2011;21:28–31 tional health and safety in the developing world can make tangible and positive impacts and provide a model for other local AIHA sections, national organizations, and other like-minded groups. Technology transfer can be ac- complished using a variety of methods. Among these are technical reference and equipment shipments, sponsoring attendees at occupational health training events, participation in training courses and conferences, sponsoring AIHA international affiliate memberships, and using the web to link resources and recipients. We would like to both encourage other organizations to do the same and seek more oppor- tunities in Africa where we can offer our help.

References 1. Northern California Section (NCS) of the American Industrial Hy- giene Association (AIHA): http:// www.aiha-ncs.org/displaycommon. cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=20). 2. AIHA International Affairs Committee: http://aiha.org/insideaiha/volunteer- groups/Pages/InternationalAffairs.aspx. 3. Zalk DM. “Control Banding: A Simplified, Qualitative Strategy for the Assessment of Occupational Risks and Selection of Solutions.” 2010, TU Delft publisher. p. Photo by © International Labour Organization/M. Crozet 220 (http://controlbanding.net/Work. html). 4. Rose V and Cohrrsen B, Editors, Patty’s Industrial Hygiene 6th Edition, Wiley and Sons, 2010. Strengthening occupational health and safety 5. SKC Inc. International Outreach Program (www.skcinc.com). in low income countries through training: 6. Foundation for Occupational Health and Safety (FOHS) Worldwide Outreach Fund (http://www.fohs.org/WOPrgm. The Zimbabwe experience htm). 7. Maquiladora Health and Safety Support Network (http://mhssn.igc.org/). 8. Heart of Darkness, http://www.globallabourrights.org/reports?id=0001. J. Chirenda 9. Occupational Hygiene Training Associa- M. Taputaira tion (OHTA) http://www.ohlearning. com/ S. Muteti 10. Asian Network for the Rights of Occupa- S. Rusakaniko tion Accident Victims (ANROAV) http:// www.anroav.org/. ZIMBABWE 11. Asian Monitor Resource Center (AMRC) http://www.amrc.org.hk/. 12. Occupational Knowledge (OK) Interna- tional http://www.okinternational.org/. Introduction jective of the DOSH evaluation was to assess the contribution to improving OH&S in the The Department of Community Medicine at Zimbabwean industry. Richard Hirsh, MPH CIH the College of Health Sciences of the Univer- Chair, Developing World Outreach Ini- sity of Zimbabwe (UZ) has been training peo- Carrying out a survey tiative ple working in occupational health and safety Northern California Section, American (OH&S) in industry since 2002 (unpublished A population survey was conducted of all Industrial Hygiene Association Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety DOSH alumni from 2002 to 2008 and the com- EHS Manager, Nektar Therapeutics (DOSH) Evaluation Report, 2010). The impact panies that hosted the students during and after 231 Flood Avenue of these trained occupational health personnel training. Structured interviews and a checklist San Francisco, CA 94112 on the improvement of OH&S in Zimbabwe’s were used with the DOSH alumni and industry [email protected] industry has not been documented. One ob- representatives to elicit information on the cur-

Afr Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2011;21:31–2 • 31 rent work status of the alumni and industry’s the time spent away from work. The com- We concluded that the current Diploma perception of the contribution of the alumni, pany executives also recommended that the in Occupational, Environmental Health and and to determine whether recommendations University of Zimbabwe should introduce a Safety (DOSH) programme has strengthened arising from alumni’s research projects had Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental and Oc- the practice of occupational health and safety been implemented. The findings were dissemi- cupational Health training, indicating that in Zimbabwe. It is our conclusion that the ab- nated to the DOSH Advisory Board and the there were some limitations in the current sence of an electronic database with partici- Academic Board of the Department of Com- training. pants’ contact information has hindered the munity Medicine. The alumni reported that the supervision accurate evaluation of the impact of the DOSH of students by the University of Zimbabwe training programme. A more advanced EOH Results faculty was one of the major challenges affect- degree programme is long overdue for a di- ing their DOSH training. This issue stemmed verse Zimbabwean economy. The Department of Community Medicine from the inadequate human resources for en- had trained a total of 38 persons in Occupa- vironmental and occupational health at the We recommend that the Department of Com- tional and Environmental Health and Safety University of Zimbabwe. munity Medicine: (OEHS) at Diploma level. About 79% (30) of The major limitation affecting evaluation of 1. Develop a database with the contact infor- them agreed to participate in the evaluation the DOSH programme was the difficulty in lo- mation of present and former DOSH stu- but because of challenges with communica- cating alumni, either because they had changed dents, in order to enable easy networking tion technology, only 20 (59%) actually partic- their contact details or had migrated to other of the DOH&S graduates. ipated. Of the DOSH alumni who participated countries in search of better-paying jobs. 2. Review the relevancy of the current Di- in the evaluation, 75% indicated that their cur- ploma course with the aim of upgrading rent jobs were related to environmental and Discussion, Conclusion and it to an academic degree. occupational health (OEH) and 71% had been Recommendations 3. Restructure the Diploma programme so promoted soon after completing the DOH&S that trainees spend more time at on-site training. Ninety per cent (90%) of the DOSH The DOSH training by the University of assignments. graduates confirmed that they had gained sig- Zimbabwe has had a positive qualitative im- nificant knowledge and had a better under- pact, as most of the graduates are employed at J. Chirenda, M. Taputaira, S. Muteti, standing of EOH issues compared to before senior administrative levels within the Zim- S. Rusakaniko the training. A significant number of DOSH babwean industry. Evidence from the DOSH University of Zimbabwe graduates (38%) indicated that they had faced evaluation indicates the lack of a system to College of Health Sciences challenges with training sponsorship. record the contact data of present and former Department of Community Medicine Most (40%) company executives had re- students, for the purpose of follow-up in fu- ceived some form of EOH education and in- ture. The absence of a mechanism for collect- Dr Joconiah Chirenda formation from the National Social Security ing feedback from former students and in- 3rd Floor New Health Sciences Building Authority (NSSA), consultants and in-house dustry hampers the upgrading of the DOSH Department of Community Medicine training (64%). The major recommendations programme to either a Bachelor’s degree pro- College of Health Sciences presented by the company executives were to gramme or a postgraduate Master’s degree University of Zimbabwe shorten the theory component and to intro- programme, which industry executives are P O Box A178, Avondale duce shorter modules that would minimize rightfully requesting. Harare, Zimbabwe

AFRICA: Information networking

TheIndustrial Hygiene List for Africa was created on June 25, 2005 within the YahooGroups to facilitate communication among environmental health and safety (EHS) professionals with interest in Africa. Currently the mailing list has 825 subscribers from all across Africa and abroad, and continues to look for new subscribers, content and moderators.

To embrace the evolution of the social media - last year we created Industrial Hygiene List for Africa (on LinkedIn) as a subgroup of GlobalOccHyg List now with 100 subscribers.

Please join as we continue to build a safer and better Global Village within the occupational and environmental health and safety community.

Andrew Cutz

Andrew Cutz, CIH | Moderator, Industrial Hygiene List for Africa | http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Industrial_Hygiene_List_for_Africa/ (on Yahoo Groups) | http://rss.groups.yahoo.com/group/Industrial_Hygiene_List_for_Africa/rss (RSS Feed) | http://tinyurl.com/IH-List-for-AFRICA (on LinkedIn) NEW!

32 • Afr Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2011;21:31–2 Photo fy© ITCILO/Ben Cagnetta Distance Education in Occupational Safety and Health at the ILO International Training Centre Robin Poppe Lisa Marie Kreibich Félix Martín Daza

Introduction visits to study high-performing systems and increase sustainability and impact, the ITC- enterprises. In recent years the ITC-ILO has ILO has promoted approaches that combine The ILO International Training Centre (ITC- annually organized around 450 activities for distance and face-to-face components. This ILO) is the training arm of the International more than 13,000 participants from over 150 approach allows a combination of initial in- Labour Organization (ILO). Located in Turin, countries. formation and knowledge accessed through it runs training, learning and capacity develop- internet-based tools, face-to-face training dur- ment services for governments, employers’ or- Distance Education and ing which knowledge-sharing among practi- ganizations, workers’ organizations and other Learning Technology tioners is emphasized and distance learning national and international partners in support Applications (DELTA) techniques used to exchange resources, en- of decent work and sustainable development. courage idea-sharing through forums, and to (1) Generally, ITC-ILO training includes the Training and learning activities can take place facilitate or support the application of new promotion of ILO principles, the sharing and in Turin, in the participants’ home country or competencies. analysis of experience and best practices, and via the internet. (2) In recent years, in order to

Afr Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2011;21:33–5 • 33 DELTA DELTA is an ITC-ILO unit in charge of strengthening the Centre’s in-house capacity to apply state-of-the-art learning and knowledge-sharing methods and technology. It also provides training services to out- side partners. The DELTA team’s strategic approach provides participants in ITC-ILO activities with more than subject-matter content, namely collaborative learning experiences, technology-enhanced learning and innovative product development. It offers services in the field of training, product development and learning, such as competency-based human resources development; lifelong e-learning; training-of-trainers manuals; design and development of (online) communities of practice; blended learning and training packages; collaborative e-learning platforms 1. Postgraduate Course on and self-guided e-learning products; learning presentations, exercises and other interactive needs analysis; and facilitation of workshops Occupational Health and Safety in the Workplace learning activities to strike a balance between and training activities, as well as learning and theory and practice and to stimulate discus- knowledge-management audits. In partnership with the University of Turin, in sions. Furthermore, DELTA is responsible for 2011 the ITC-ILO offers the th6 edition of the the Centre’s learning and technology blog, postgraduate course on Occupational Safety 2. Courses on occupational safety a knowledge-sharing and staff development and Health in the Workplace. An internation- and health of the Programme for tool, which fosters digital literacy and raises al approach has been applied to the contents, Employers’ Activities critical awareness of new learning methodo- the methodology and the composition of the The Programme for Employers’ Activities logy and technology. training team. As OSH professionals need a (ACT/EMP) is a specialized unit of the ITC- In 2010, DELTA received its first interna- multidisciplinary background to successfully ILO. It trains employers’ organizations to be- tional certification in the field of e-learning operate in the broad field of OSH, the pro- come strong partners in economic and social for capacity development. gramme incorporates training sessions on all development and to provide better services to the topics and disciplines relevant to OSH, their members. as well as on the development of organiza- ACT/EMP offers OSH training under a tional, managerial and interpersonal skills. project financed by the Ministry of Labour and Distance learning tools used The course has two phases, an online distance Immigration of Spain for the employers’ or- for OSH training activities learning period and face-to-face residential ganizations of Latin America. The programme training on ITC-ILO’s campus in Turin.(3) consists of four phases: two one-week sub-re- The ITC-ILO organizes training activities that During the 15 weeks of the online phase, gional face-to-face workshops in Latin Amer- enhance the aims of the ILO regarding OSH, participants have access to a ‘learning and in- ica, a three-month distance learning phase, namely to create worldwide awareness of the formation platform’ which they use for study and a two-week regional workshop in Turin. dimensions and consequences of work-related and to interact with their personal tutors and Throughout the course, and in particular accidents, injuries and diseases; to secure ba- fellow students, taking full advantage of the during the distance learning phase, the Learn- sic protection for all workers through interna- information provided. An introduction to ing Employers Network (LEMPNET) interac- tional labour standards; as well as to enhance the fundamentals and basic concepts of OSH tive online platform is available to the partici- the capacity of Member States and industry enables participants with different levels and pants.(4) It allows them to access the training to design and implement policies that provide fields of knowledge to reach an adequate, ho- modules and course material, deepen their prevention and protection. mogeneous level for the residential phase. The knowledge of OSH issues through documents The OSH training courses for institutional platform contains a course section for indi- and links in the library section, share ques- representatives mainly focus on formulating vidual use, an assistance section which pro- tions and answers on specific topics, exchange national OSH policy and strategies, strength- vides customized support, a collective section documents, photos and information, and in- ening national government departments, and in which participants are able to take part in teract and network with colleagues and tutors. developing employers’ and workers organiza- technical discussions, share experiences and This platform supports knowledge-shar- tions’ OSH capacity. collaborate with fellow learners, and a library ing and learning amongst Employers’ Organ- Some OSH training activities are blended, section which allows participants to deepen izations around the world. It hosts a series using face-to-face training as well as distance their knowledge of OSH issues through use- of tailor-made services, such as information learning. Specific training materials and dis- ful documents and links. on ACT/EMP; relevant developments for the tance-learning platforms and tools provided The residential phase of eight weeks in- employers’ community; a list of partners in a by the DELTA team have been developed for cludes classroom lectures, study visits to se- specific region for further help; online train- OSH training. Some examples of these cours- lected enterprises, working groups and learning needs analysis; publication of Employers’ es are: ing assessment exercises. Lectures include Organizations’ news, opinion polls and a CV

34 • Afr Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2011;21:33–5 database; and a dedicated space for course participants.

3. Courses on occupational safety and health of the Bureau for Workers’ Activities The ACTRAV-Turin Labour Education Pro- gram is the training arm of the Bureau for Workers’ Activities of the ILO. ACTRAV Tu- rin responds to the training needs of workers’ organizations around the world by delivering advanced training courses, developing training materials, organizing educational projects and providing advisory services. The structure and contents of the Program’s activities are aimed at responding to the economic, social, and political challenges unions face as they represent their members in a rapidly changing world of work. In order to raise the awareness of the ILO’s principles and standards concerning workers’ safety and health among unions, and to strengthen their capacity to promote and de- fend these standards, ACTRAV Turin offers a course on OSH for representatives of regional and federal workers’ organizations from Lat- in America. The course is conducted through two distance learning phases and one classroom activity. The current course, a distance learning activity from October to December 2010 and from March to May 2011 will end in Septem- ber 2011 with a face-to-face activity. SoliComm is the platform for distance education used to carry out distance learning activities. Many thousands of unionists from all over the world have been using the platform since 2004 for participating in distance education and networking activities in Eng- lish, Spanish, Portuguese and French. It allows participants of the course to revise the training materials in the library section, to exchange opinions on topics proposed by the tutor and to complete two individual projects for which the tutor provides specific guidelines. However, SoliComm is not only aimed at distance education. It is also what ACTRAV defines as a Community Information and Par- References ticipation System (CIPS). This means that So- 1. http://www.itcilo.org/en 2. http://www.itcilo.org/en/the-centre/programmes/distance-education-and- liComm is a set of computer communication learning-technology-applications-delta tools that can be used by labour organizations 3. http://lamp.itcilo.org/oshcourse/ for building networks, organizing educational 4. http://lempnet.itcilo.org/en/en/en/sst/home/proyecto-sst-2010-11 activities, and conducting campaigns. It has 5. http://actrav.itcilo.org/index_en.php?PageID=11 components for an e-mail service, a mailing list, computer conferencing designed especially for group work, a computer space for labour Robin Poppe organizations from developing and emerging Lisa Marie Kreibich market countries to maintain websites, an e- Félix Martín Daza library to share online resources (papers, re- International Training Centre of the ILO ports, data, etc) within their organizations or Viale Maestri del Lavoro, 10 with any other organizations in the world, and 10127 Turin - Italy a search engine focusing exclusively on labour http://www.itcilo.org websites. (5) [email protected]

Afr Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2011;21:33–5 • 35 Strengthening occupational safety and health inspection systems: The African Regional Labour

Administration Centre (ARLAC)

Cecilia Mulindeti-Kamanga Photos by Adriko Raymond ZIMBABWE

Introduction

In April 2010 the African Regional Labour Ad- ministrative Centre (ARLAC) in Harare, Zim- babwe organized a capacity-building workshop, entitled “Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) and HIV and AIDS at the workplace”, directed towards the needs of officials from government, employer and worker organizations. It is important to note that the HIV and AIDS pandemic continues to have a devastating impact on health, social development and economic development in the member countries. Thus, over the years ARLAC has conducted relevant training and research activities to address the issue by imparting knowledge about HIV and AIDS transmission and prevention and about safe work. Participants for this workshop were drawn on a tripartite basis from the member countries of Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Sudan, Uganda and Zimba- bwe. The forum therefore created a basis for the future networking of labour inspectors in charge of OSH among the member countries.

Workshop aims The workshop, held in Harare, Zimbabwe, had the following aims: • To discuss the basis for action, identify roles and responsibilities, and set out key policies and actions needed for sound management of occupational safety and health in relation to HIV and AIDS in the workplace. • To reengineer and improve the responses • Ensure a coordinated approach among so- the National Day for Safety and Health in Zim- of OSH to HIV and AIDS at the workplace. cial partners to promote and support the babwe on 28 April 2010. The ARLAC work- highest possible standards in the world of shop participants were invited by the National Workshop objectives work, especially in terms of occupational Social Security Association (NSSA) to take hazards and HIV and AIDS. part in the celebrations, starting with a pro- The main workshop objective was: • Promote a preventive culture, particularly cession from Town Hall along the Julius Ny- • To strengthen the capacity for the imple- with regard to occupational hazards and erere Street in Harare. The Theme was Creat- mentation and development of OSH man- HIV and AIDS. ing an Effective and Sustainable Preventive Oc- agement practice in view of emerging is- • Promote policy research and public discus- cupational Safety and Health Culture to Secure sues, such as sustainable enterprise devel- sions on emerging issues of concern to the the Future. After marching on the streets of opment and HIV/AIDS, among others. world of work, particularly in the ARLAC Harare, celebrants converged and the follow- constituents. ing took place: the national anthem of Zim- Workshop outcomes babwe was sung, a play was performed, there National Day for Safety and were speeches from the ILO, workers’ union After successfully completing the workshop, Health celebrations representatives, the Employers Confederation it was expected that participants would be of Zimbabwe (EMCOZ), and the Minister of able to: The workshop coincided with event marking Labour and Social Services, and finally a note

36 • Afr Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2011;21:36–7 of thanks from the Director of NSSA. Uganda was given the opportunity to make a speech on behalf of the ARLAC participants from the different member states.

Conclusion At the end of the workshop, the participants Photos by Adriko Raymond acknowledged the following: • That HIV and AIDS is a medical condition and member states should adopt a multisectoral approach in dealing with it. • There is a need to domesticate all relevant international Conventions, including those pertinent to OSH. • There is a need to strengthen monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. • There is need to support the adoption of the ILO standard on HIV and AIDS in the workplace.

The participants recognized the following challenges: • There is inadequate participation of both OSH personnel and HIV and AIDS personnel at high-level conferences on HIV and AIDS. • HIV and AIDS have a negative impact at the workplace. Photo by Pearl Comlan • There is a need for mainstreaming of OSH and HIV and AIDS at the workplace. • People living with HIV are stigmatized. • There is limited access to care and support. Mental stress assessment • There are inadequate resources for OSH and HIV and AIDS programmes. at the workplace in a hotel • A coordinated approach to OSH and HIV and AIDS programmes is lacking. in Libreville, Gabon Therefore, the following recommendations, in the form of an action plan, were adopted: P. Comlan • Inclusion of OSH and HIV and AIDS per- A. Mouanga sonnel at relevant high level conferences. J. Roy • The mainstreaming of OSH and HIV and J. Djeki AIDS at the workplace. • Establishment of a regional database per- GABON sonnel trained in OSH and HIV and AIDS. • The conducting of research on OSH and HIV and AIDS • The development of a monitoring and eval- Introduction suffering is not documented among hotel in- uation framework on the work done by dustry professionals. We therefore conducted member states. Mental stress in the workplace is the result an evaluation of stress among employees in a of an imbalance between the demands of the hotel in Libreville, Gabon. Cecilia Mulindeti-Kamanga, Mrs. psychological or mental workload, the de- Director cision latitude left to the employees and the How the study was done ARLAC social support received (1). Stressed workers African Regional Labour are more likely to be unhealthy, poorly moti- During August 2010, in order to evaluate stress Administration Centre vated, less productive and less respectful of and mental suffering of occupational origin 16 Km Harare-Bulawayo Road the safety rules. They impact on perform- systematically, two interviewers carried out P. O. Box 6097 ance, and market competition is heavy in three anonymous questionnaires for all em- Harare, Zimbabwe all sectors, including hotels (2). High stress ployees who visited the infirmary for their an- Telephone: +263 11 606 364 levels are related to working conditions in nual medical fitness. The questionnaires were Email: [email protected] hotels, but empirical evidence is scarce in the administered and completed in the waiting [email protected] literature (3). In Gabon, stress and mental room before the visit. Informed consent was

Afr Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2011;21:37–9 • 37 obtained from all of the study participants. minor depression; a scrore of under 13 indi- pay attention to employees’ mental status if So that employees could identify the stressors cates there is no stress disorder. “Good stress”, they wish to improve the profitability of their found at the workplace, we used a checklist or positive stress, is considered by some man- businesses. According to Mikkelsen and Ein- of professional stressors. We chose the Cungi agers to be a way of managing people without arsen, ambiguous situations cause anxiety and test, which measures the effect of stress on a generating mental suffering, but the existence frustration and generate anger, irritability and person, because it is not oriented to the cause. of a high level together with a high HAD score resentment. These negative outcomes stem for Cungi’s stress scale involves a questionnaire means that the employee’s mental health is stunted personal development or situations of 11 items rated from 1 to 6. (3). The test is endangered. that violate moral imperatives and personal quick and easy to use. The arbitrary values dignity (8). were: <25: no stress; between 25 and 30: an Results A Spanish study led by ISUS revealed average stress level; between 30 and 35: a high that stress levels in hotels and restaurants are stress level; and a value of 35 or over: an ex- During the study period, 200 employees were higher than the national average, and that ten- cessive stress level. invited to visit the consultation room. The re- sions and conflicts at the workplace cannot be We coupled the Cungi test with the HAD sponse rate to the questionnaire was 87%. Men solved in the social dialogue (9). According scale (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) accounted for 61.5% of respondents. The av- to Smith and Carroll, many leaders behave in order to measure the level of mental suf- erage age of the study group was 35 ± 8 years. in an individualistic way and do not support fering. The HAD questionnaire consists of 14 The five professional stressors most often cit- workers’ associations. Instead, they consid- items measuring the level of anxiety and de- ed were tensions at work (37.9%), work over- er their employers to be social leaders (10). pression in two separate subscales of 7 items load (34.5%), lack of support (32.8%), lack of Vogt in Austria noted that 60% of employees each. Each item has 4 response categories from progress (31.6%) and the monotony of tasks complain about the urgency of their tasks and 0 to 3 (3). Scale scores range from 0 (no symp- (29.9%). The distribution of stressors most 56% complained about an overload of work. toms) to 21 (maximum distress) for both de- frequently cited at the workplace is presented Physical load caused significant physical fa- pression and anxiety: a score of 19 or over in Table 1. tigue among respondents (11). In Australia, indicates a major depressive episode; a score Table 2 showed that more than half of em- Lee and Krause observed that overwork, lack of 13 to 19 indicates adjustment disorder and ployees reported mental suffering classified as of recognition, inadequate feedback and lack follows: adjustment disorders and minor de- of communication were sources of stress for Photo by Pearl Comlan pression, 40.8%; anxiety syndrome, 40.2%; de- more than half of respondents (12). Bunk et pression, 25.3%; and major depressive episode al. identified various effects of exposure to anxiety, 16.1%. The index of mental distress stress: emotional, mental, psychosomatic, be- increased significantly with stress. havioural and physical effects (13). In the hotel industry, aspects of job struc- Discussion ture should be reviewed in order to improve some components of stress. Overwork should The small size of the study group and the fact be reduced, communication should be facili- that the investigation was conducted at a sin- tated to allow the early identification of prob- gle hotel in Libreville were the limitations of lems, continuing emphasis should be placed this study. The results cannot be extrapolated on skilled, trained assistance for new employ- to all hotel professionals in Gabon. Still, a high ees. The lack of recognition for their specialist proportion of employees agreed to participate skills and inadequate participation in manage- in the study. The response rate was 87%, which ment may require a reorientation of approach enabled us to describe job stress and mental at both individual and professional levels. A suffering in this enterprise. follow-up study is needed in order to address Management of occupational men- these issues. tal stress is a complex phenomenon. Stress is more prevalent in the service sector, e.g. Conclusion in hotels, than in other sectors. It originates from the interface between workers and cus- Job stress is a real problem for workers and tomers (3). employers in the hotel industry. As the work Occupational mental stress exists in the environment is changing, the nature of stress hotel industry in Gabon. It creates mental suf- issues changes. It is important to identify and fering among the population studied. Anxiety constantly monitor stress problems. The pro- and depression indices revealed that a large ductivity of the work force is a key factor as number of these hotel employees experienced far as the success of a hotel is concerned. Pro- mental suffering, and there is a high propor- ductivity in turn depends on employee’s psy- tion of mental suffering among them. chosocial well-being. In a highly dynamic and Our study was able to identify a number competitive world, the hotel worker is exposed of associated stressors contributing directly to to many categories of stressors that can affect the existence of and increase in stress at work: all realms of life. Stress in the hotel industry tensions; overwork; lack of support; lack of ca- leads to psychological disorders and the emer- reer evolution; and the monotony of the tasks. gence of anxiety-depressive syndromes that Scientific data show a strong link between can cause extended sickness leave. It would mental health status and business productiv- be necessary to consider standard preventive ity (4, 5, 6, 7). Thus, hotel management should measures for stress at work in the framework

38 • Afr Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2011;21:37–9 Table 1. Distribution of stressors most frequently cited at the workplace.

Stressors Administration Front office Housekeeping Laundry Maintenance Food and beverage (N = 27) (N = 23) (N = 30) (N = 12) (N = 10) (N = 72) % % % % % % Tension 29.6 69.6 43.3 33.3 00.0 34.7

Overwork 14.8 60.9 26.7 16.7 50.0 37.5

Lack of support 33.3 65.2 26.7 25.0 30.0 26.4

No change 33.3 34.8 33.3 25.0 20.0 31.9

Monotonous task 33.3 34.8 16.7 8.3 10.0 38.9

Urgent tasks 22.2 30.4 26.7 25.0 30.0 23.6

Physical load 14.8 30.4 20.0 50.0 10.0 33.3

Table 2. Distribution of employees by stress (Cungi test) and mental suffering (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale). N=174.

Cungi % HAD<13 13≤HAD<19 HAD≥19 A<9 A≥9 D<9 D≥9

Cungi<25 103 (59.2%) 55 (73.3%) 38 (36.9%) 10 (9.7%) 70 (68.0%) 33 (32.0%) 83 (80.6%) 20 (19.4%)

25≤Cungi≤29 31 (17.8%) 12 (16.0%) 13 (41.9%) 6 (19.4%) 19 (61.3%) 12 (38.7%) 20 (64.5%) 11 (35.5%)

30≤Cungi≤34 19 (10.9%) 5 (6.7%) 9 (47.4%) 5 (26.3%) 7 (36.8%) 12 (63.2%) 13 (68.4%) 6 (31.6%)

Cungi≥35 21 (12.1%) 3 (4.0%) 11 (52.4%) 7 (33.3%) 8 (38.1%) 13 (61.9%) 14 (66.7%) 7 (33.3%)

Total 174 (100.0%) 75 (43.1%) 71 (40.8%) 28 (16.1%) 104 (59.8%) 70 (40.2%) 130 (74.7%) 44 (25.3%)

of an integrated approach to occupational 7. Foresight mental capital and wellbeing pro- P. Comlan1, A. Mouanga2 , Jee Roy3, J. Djeki1 health management. ject. Final Project Report London, The Go- 1 Département de Santé au Travail, Faculté de vernment Office for Science, 2008. Médecine, Université des Sciences de la Santé, References 8. Einarsen S, Mikkelsen EG. Individual effects BP 4009, Owendo, Gabon. 1. Karasek RA. Job demands, job decision lati- of exposure to bullying at work. In: Einarsen 2 Service de psychiatrie, Centre Hospitalier et Uni- tude, and mental Strain: implications for job S, Hoel H, Zapf D and Cooper CL (Eds.): Bul- versitaire de Brazzaville, BP32, Brazzaville, Congo. redesign. Adm Sci Q 1979; 24:285–308. lying and emotional abuse in the workplace. 3 Département de Santé au Travail, CNSS (Cais- 2. Légeron P. Le stress au travail. Paris: Odile Ja- International perspectives in research and se Nationale de Sécurité Sociale), BP 134, Libre- cob, 2001. practice; London: Taylor and Francis, 2003. ville, Gabon. 3. International Labour Office (ILO): Human re- 9. Isusi I. Working conditions in the HORECA sources development, employment, and glo- (Hotel, Restaurant and Catering) sector: Spa- Additional information: balisation in the hotel, catering and tourism nish report. Dublin: European Foundation Dr Pearl Comlan sector: Report for discussion at the Tripartite for the Improvement of Working and Living BP 224 Libreville, Gabon Meeting on Human Resources Development, Conditions, 2003. Cel. 241 06243873 Employment and Globalisation in the Hotel, 10. Smith M, Carroll M. Working conditions in Fax. 241 731629 Catering and Tourism Sector, Geneva, 2001. the HORECA sector: Spanish report. Dublin: [email protected] Geneva: International Labour Office, 2001. European Foundation for the Improvement Occupational Health specialist 4. Tasho W, Jordan J, Robertson I. Case Study: of Working and Living Conditions, 2003. Department of Occcupational Health Establishing the Business Case for Investing 11. Vogt M. Working conditions in the HORE- Université des Sciences de la Santé. in Stress Prevention Activities and Evaluating CA sector: Spanish report. Dublin: European Owendo Gabon their Impact on Sickness Absence Levels. Nor- Foundation for the Improvement of Working wich: HSE Books, 2005. and Living Conditions, 2003. 5. Bond FW, Flaxman PE, Loivette S. A Business 12. Lee PT, Krause N. The impact of a worker Case for the Management Standards for health study on working conditions. Journal Stress. Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. Nor- of Public Health Policy 2001;23:267–85. wich: Health & Safety Executive, 2006. 13. Bunk BP, De Jonge J, Ybema JF, De Wollf CJ. 6. Brun J-P. Links between Mental Wellbeing at Psychological aspects of occupational stress. Work and Productivity. Foresight - Mental In: Drenth PJD, Thierry H and De Wolff CJ Capital and Wellbeing. London: Government (Eds.): Work Psychology. Hove: Psychology Office for Science, 2008. Press, 1998.

Afr Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 2011;21:37–9 • 39 Contact persons/country editors Editorial Board as of 1 January 2011

Chief Health and Safety Officer Mrs Ifeoma Nwankwo Chief Health and Safety Officer Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs Federal Ministry of Labour Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs Division of Occupational Health and Safety and Productivity Division of Occupational Health and Safety Private Bag 00241 Occupational Safety and BOTSWANA Gaborone Health Department BOTSWANA P.M.B. 4 Mathewos Meja Abuja OSH Information Expert Samir Ragab Seliem NIGERIA Ministry of Labour and Egyptian Trade Union Federation Social Affairs Occupational Health and Peter H. Mavuso ETHIOPIA Safety Secretary Head of CIS National Centre 90 Elgalaa Street P.O.Box 198 Chief Inspector of Factories Cairo Mbabane Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare EGYPT SWAZILAND GHANA

Ministry of Labour and Head of Information Chief Inspector of Factories Social Affairs Training and Research Ministry of Labour and Industrial Relations P.O. Box 2056 Occupational Safety and MAURITIUS Addis Ababa Health Authority (OSHA) ETHIOPIA P.O. Box 519 Chief Inspector of Factories Dar es Salaam Ministry of Labour Commissioner of Labour TANZANIA SIERRA LEONE Ministry of Trade Industry and Employment Commissioner Mr Mukhtar Mohamed Ali Mukhtar Central Bank Building Occupational Safety and HSSEQ Expert Banjul Health Ministry of Electricity & Dams GAMBIA P.O. Box 227 Government of Sudan Kampala Khartoum, SUDAN The Director UGANDA Directorate of Occupational Gabor Sandi, Head, CIS Health and Safety Services Tecklu Ghebreyohannes International Occupational Safety and (Commercial Street) Director of Labour Inspection Div. Health Information Centre P.O.Box 34120 Ministry of Labour and Human International Labour Office 00100 - Nairobi Welfare CH-1211 Geneva 22 KENYA Department of Labour SWITZERLAND P.O. Box 5252 The Director Asmara Evelyn Kortum Occupational Safety and Healh ERITREA Technical Officer Private Bag 344 Occupational Health Lilongwe Mr Mukhtar Mohamed Ali Mukhtar Interventions for Healthy Environments MALAWI HSSEQ Expert Department of Public Health and Environment Government of Sudan World Health Organization Ministry of Electricity & Dams CH-1211 Geneva 27 Al Riyadh, Al Mashtal St. Buil. (5), Sq. (16) SWITZERLAND Khartoum SUDAN Jorma Rantanen Past President of ICOH ICOH International Commission on Occupational Health

Harri Vainio Director General C ECO DI LA R B Finnish Institute of Occupational Health O E L N FINLAND

441 763 Printed matter SLY-Lehtipainot OY, Kirjapaino Uusimaa, Porvoo