ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta, 16 February 2001 - The establishment of the ASEAN Occupational Safety and Health Network (OSHNET) in August 2000 is an important step in ASEAN's to establish and strengthen networks in education and training, particularly those promoting occupational safety and health, as called for by the Hanoi Plan of Action adopted by the 6^th ASEAN Summit in 1998.

In his opening remarks, the ASEAN Secretary General, H.E. Mr. Rodolfo C. Severino, Jr., observed that the concept of a regional center was first proposed in 1976, but it was not until 1996 when a feasibility study was undertaken by the ASEAN Sub Committee on Labour Affairs and the ASEAN Secretariat, with assistance from the United Nations Development Programme, to look into the possibility of setting up a regional center or network. The Minister of Manpower and Transmigration of Indonesia, H.E. Mr. Al Hilal Hamdi, in his keynote speech, stated that the establishment of the ASEAN OSHNET would be a significant factor in facilitating the development of qualified and competitive workforces in the region and would contribute towards the ASEAN Labour Minister’s vision of a technologically competitive ASEAN.

The ASEAN OSHNET is a program under the ASEAN Labour Ministers Meeting and has the following objectives:

1. To promote cooperation and solidarity among the National Occupational Safety and health (OSH) centres of the ASEAN countries.
   
   

2. To enhance the capability of National Occupational Safety and health centres in OSH promotion, training and research.
   
   

3. To facilitate and promote the exchange of the relevant OSH information and the sharing of training expertise-, and
   
   

4. To facilitate and promote the development and harmonization of ASEAN OSH standards, and guidelines.

The ASEAN-OSHNET Secretariat is currently hosted by the Indonesian Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration for a three-year term (2000-2003). The ASEAN OSHNET Executive Director, Dr. Zulmiar Yanri, stated that the work of the ASEAN­OSHNET is guided by a plan of action comprising the priority areas of information, training, research and standards.

Dr. Zulmiar pointed out that although the ASEAN-OSHNET has only been in existence for less than six months, several priority activities under its plan have already been implemented, mostly on the basis of cost sharing among ASEAN Member Countries. In the program area on information, the ASEAN OSHNET Secretariat has set up its website at http://www.asean-osh.net, which will serve as a vehicle for the exchange of information on OSH standards, expertise, training programs, curriculum, and as a depository for statistics and case studies.

Under the program area on training, which is coordinated by the Philippines, several activities have been implemented shortly after the establishment of the OSHNET. An eight-week ASEAN course for industrial safety officers focusing on safety audits and the implementation of prevention programs and safety procedures was conducted by the Occupational Safety and Health Division of the Singapore Ministry of Manpower in late 2000, with training scholarships provided by the Government of Singapore. In November 2000, the Philippine National Occupational Safety and Health in implemented a training course on improving safety in small and medium scale enterprises, with funding support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). A third course, conducted and funded by the Malaysian National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health in October 2000, aimed at promoting safety in forklift operations.

A project to formulate ASEAN guidelines for classification, labeling and packaging of hazardous chemicals is being developed under the program area on standards coordinated by Malaysia. Among the proposed activities in research, coordinated by Indonesia, OSHNET plans to conduct a study of the health impact of rice dust on rice mill workers in the region as well as survey labour protection practices in small and medium scale enterprises.

The OSHNET Secretariat welcomes the support and cooperation of donor countries and international agencies in collaborative activities to implement its plan of action.

 

Please refer to:
Dr. Zulmiar Yanri Executive Director
ASEAN OSHNET Secretariat
Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration RI Building 8th A Floor
Jalan Gatot Subroto Kav. 51, Jakarta 12950
Phone/fax: 62 21 522 2959
Email: [email protected]
http://www.asean-osh.net