To support the development of strategies to improve occupational safety and health in global apparel industry supply chains, a better understanding of the OSH challenges in these supply chains and opportunities for improvement is needed. The findings provide information that can be used to develop effective strategies to improve occupational safety and health in global apparel industry supply chains and to identify research gaps and opportunities for future research. The analysis of drivers and constraints to improving occupational safety and health in the country case studies is therefore not exhaustive, and the overview should be read and interpreted in this context.
The first part of this overview discusses the general characteristics of global supply chains in the apparel industry. This section provides an overview of the characteristics of the global apparel industry supply chains and key indicators from the case studies conducted by the Vision Zero Fund.
Workforce characteristics
Export processing zones, industrial parks; usually close to ports or main roads. Subcontractors Small and medium sized. Source: Based on the author's extensive fieldwork in several apparel exporting countries (in Central America and sub-Saharan Africa, and in China, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Jordan, Pakistan and Vietnam) and on secondary research on other top exporters (including India, Mexico , Morocco and Turkey). Based on the author's analysis of labor force data for 82 countries in the 2017 ILOSTAT database (Employment by Gender and Economic Activity - ISIC Level 2), plus India and Pakistan (2018) and Indonesia (2015).
2 OSH
OSH vulnerability profiles
- Main occupational hazards and risks in
- Sensitivity factors
- Coping capacity
- Gender-specific vulnerabilities
The key categories of occupational hazards identified in the Vision Zero Fund clothing case studies are as follows:12. Mechanical or machine-related hazards exist in the fabric cutting department and for sewing machine operators. Physical risks include exposure to high temperatures (identified in the Lao People's Democratic Republic and Myanmar case studies) and exposure to loud noises (identified in the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Madagascar and Myanmar case studies).
The risk of slipping on a wet floor or tripping and falling was also identified in the case studies for Madagascar and Myanmar. The case studies for Lao People's Democratic Republic and Madagascar reported psychosocial risks related to the pressure to meet tight production targets and deadlines and high workloads. Psychosocial risks associated with violence and harassment are reported in another study, but this issue is only raised in the Vision Zero Fund case studies.
In the Vision Zero Fund case studies, most of the issues surrounding PPE appear to stem from a lack of proper training on its use and a lack of requirements for workers to use it. Vision Zero's case studies show that all types of companies and workers in garment factories are likely to be exposed to occupational hazards for the reasons already mentioned. Injury compensation and medical coverage are dependent on participation in social security programs.
For example, in the Lao People's Democratic Republic, registration is mandatory, but many workers are not registered.
3 Drivers and constraints
Drivers and constraints for OSH improvement
- National OSH system
- Industry dynamics and relationships
To understand the root causes of occupational safety and health vulnerabilities or underperformance, and to identify the constraints that need to be addressed and the driving forces Behind the improvement of occupational safety and health in global supply chains, the assessment methodology developed by the ILO and used in the case studies takes into account elements of the market and institutional environment. The Better Work Synthesis Report for Indonesia found that some districts do not have local construction safety regulations, making companies in those areas less likely to focus on or be aware of structural hazards (ILO and IFC, 2018b). 20 In Myanmar, the Vision Zero Fund's activities to strengthen the capacity of the workers' compensation agency resulted in improvements in the delivery of benefits to workers and had an impact in industries beyond the garment sector.
A lack of legal awareness and enforcement was identified in the case studies for Ethiopia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic and Myanmar. In Ethiopia, employers' and workers' organizations were also found to be important drivers in the enforcement of OH&S legislation. The OH&S training curriculum was then included in the initial training provided by the National School of Administration for its future labor inspectors.
As a result of coordinated action, 558 employers and 12,172 workers were registered with ZRSZS. The Madagascar case study found that profit margins for garment production are generally low, limiting the ability of factories to invest in improving occupational health and safety, particularly for subcontractors. The Vision Zero fund case studies found that the drivers of improving occupational safety and health also differ by destination.
For companies participating in the Better Work program, disclosure of audit results had a positive impact on occupational safety and health compliance outcomes in Vietnam.
4 Conclusions
Conclusions
- Summary of findings
- Knowledge gaps and prospects for
Garment factory workers in the four case study countries are exposed to various occupational hazards and hazards. The case studies from all four countries found that the limited development of national OSH systems in the four countries was one of the main barriers to improving occupational safety and health in clothing supply chains. To date, research efforts focused on occupational safety and health within global apparel industry supply chains are scarce and remain fragmented.
The analysis presented in this review is based on a limited number of country cases for one stage of the chain in countries that play a limited role in global supply chains in the garment industry. Since most of the available research focuses on the activities carried out in the countries, the analysis is often limited to cutting and sewing activities in garment manufacturing and does not cover dyeing and finishing or textile production. Information can be obtained from countries that collect data on occupational injuries and illnesses and workers' compensation claims, combined with short and long-term studies in the garment and textile industry by occupation.25 This information can also be obtained through independent channels of support that interact regularly with factories, such as the Better Work program or industry associations.
This would enable a better understanding of gaps and opportunities for strengthening the institutional framework and capacity to support OSH improvement at the workplace level in global supply chains in the apparel industry. Knowledge of the impact of sustainable resource policies on OSH beyond the first level is limited. These forces include emerging technologies26 and, more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic, which are affecting demand and supply in global supply chains in the apparel industry, as well as implications for OSH.
Research into these forces and their impact on OH&S outcomes and practices in global apparel supply chains, on the strategies, responses and motivations of stakeholders and on the constraints they face in mitigating adverse OH&S impacts at all levels of the supply chain is also important to better inform stakeholders in the development of effective strategies to ensure safer and healthier supply chains.
Appendices
Occupational hazards identified in Vision Zero case studies on improving occupational safety and health in global supply chains in the apparel industry. Exposure to hazardous chemicals X (stain removal) and. dyeing/finishing) X (stain removal activity) X 1 X (footwear production, adhesives). X* indicates that the hazard was not specifically identified in the case study report, but was confirmed as an occupational hazard in subsequent assessments conducted by the Vision Zero Fund in garment factories nationwide.
1 The case study report does not address exposure but mentions a lack of chemical safety (ILO 2020a). Cuts are not common, but can cause very serious injuries (amputated fingers) (Rasolonjatovoarivelo 2020); 4 According to 93 percent of workers in the companies visited, needlestick injuries from sewing machines are common. In 1984, the ILO and the World Health Organization defined psychosocial hazards as "interactions between and among the work environment, work content, organizational conditions and workers' abilities, needs, culture, personal considerations outside of employment, which through perceptions and experiences can affect health, work performance and job satisfaction' (ILO 1986, 3; see also ILO 2017).
Drivers of OSH improvement referenced in the Vision Zero Fund's case studies on OSH improvement in global supply chains in the apparel industry. Notes: X: listed as a factor; XX: not listed as a factor, but implied; XXX: listed as a potential factor, but not identified as a driver in the country. Constraints to OSH improvement referenced in Vision Zero Fund case studies on OSH improvement in global supply chains in the apparel industry.
Insufficient labor inspection (lack of labor inspectors, lack of technical skills, insufficient institutional structure/ . .).
Conference, 105th Session, Available at: https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_norm/--- relconf/documents/meetingdocument/wcms_497555.pdf. Available at: https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_norm/--- relconf/documents/meetingdocument/wcms_468097.pdf. Assessment of Drivers and Constraints for Improving Occupational Safety and Health in the Garment Value Chain in Ethiopia (Unpublished).
Available at: https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---africa/---ro-abidjan/---sro-addis_ababa/documents/publication/wcms_737627.pdf. Available at: https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---africa/---ro- abidjan/---sro-addis_ababa/documents/publication/wcms_736190.pdf. Available at: https://betterwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Research-Brief-Sexual-Harassment-LR-Rnd5-4.pdf.
Drivers and Constraints for Improving Occupational Safety and Health in the Global Textile Supply Chain from Madagascar: A Case Study. Available at: https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---asia/---ro-bangkok/---ilo-yangon/documents/publication/wcms_773057.pdf. Available at: https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/- --ed_dialogue/---lab_admin/documents/publication/wcms_635148.pdf.
Available at: https://iosh.com/media/1468/iosh-understanding-the-role-of-supply-chains-full-report-2009.pdf.
International Labour
