The ASEAN Occupational Safety and Health Network (ASEAN-OSHNET) is now firmly established under ASEAN cooperation on labour affairs. ASEAN officials responsible for occupational safety and health met in Bali on 2-3 August 2000, at their first Coordinating Board Meeting to establish the ASEAN-OSHNET Secretariat and appoint its Executive Director as recommended by a feasibility study undertaken by the ASEAN Sub-Committee on Labour Affairs. Among other things, the First ASEAN-OSHNET Coordinating Board Meeting discussed the formulation of a Vision/Mission Statement for the Network, a strategic plan of action and strategies to obtain resources for its work.

The work of the ASEAN-OSHNET will be guided by a Plan of Action with four main programme areas, namely: Information, Training, Research, and Standards. Programme coordinators were designated for each of the programme areas, to develop projects and activities. Projects to be implemented this year include three projects on training, namely: Third Country Training Program (TCTP) on the Improvement of Occupational Safety and Health in Small and Medium Enterprises, coordinated by the Philippines; Training for Safety and Health Officers and Train the Trainers Course on Forklift Safety, both coordinated by Malaysia. These projects are to be implemented on a cost-sharing basis, with the host country defraying all organising costs and participants undertaking the cost of airfare and daily expenses. The fourth, a Safety Officers’ Training Course developed by Singapore’s Occupational Safety and Health Centre, will be implemented with funding from the Singapore Government. The course will bring two participants from each Member Country and will cover topics such as hazards in factories, safety audits, accident prevention and the implementation of safe operating procedures.

Indonesia is the host of the ASEAN-OSHNET Secretariat for its first three-year term, after which the OSHNET Secretariat will be rotated among Member Countries. The First ASEAN-OSHNET Coordinating Board Meeting approved the appointment of Dr. Zulmiar Yanri from the Department of Manpower of Indonesia, as the Executive Director for the ASEAN-OSHNET Secretariat. Dr. Zulmiar can be contacted at:

ASEAN-OSHNET Secretariat
c/o Directorate of Occupational Health and Development
Department of Manpower
Jalan Jend. Gatot Subroto Kav. 51
Jakarta, Indonesia
Tel: 62 21 5253044
Fax: 62 21 5250043
Email: [email protected]

As host of the ASEAN-OSHNET Secretariat, Indonesia previewed the ASEAN OSHNET homepage (at URL: http://www.asean-oshnet.or.id) during the meeting. The homepage, while still under development, aims to provide among others, information on the OSH links and OSH conditions in the Member Countries as well as available OSH training resources.

The ASEAN-OSHNET Coordinating Board will next meet in the first quarter of 2001.