Background and justification

Data on occupational safety and health are scant in the region. Hence the negative impact of poor work conditions is unappreciated and the scientific basis for interventions and policy formulation is to a great extent absent.

Profiling regional occupational health and safety will contribute to information for advocacy (Project 6) and prioritisation, and assist SADC in collecting OSH data. The small and informal sector and hazardous child labour will be particular targets of this profiling. 

Objectives

• The provision of systematic methods to collect data on the extent of occupational exposures, injuries and diseases at national and community level, in selected SADC countries
• Community and country profiling in OSH

Indicators for objectives' attainment

• After one year all the SADC countries with household surveys are identified, the date of the next surveys is known, and the preferred OSH questions are compiled. By the end of the fourth year, questions are added in all countries willing to incorporate them. At least one report will be compiled analysing the results.
• All current and planned surveillance sites in SADC are identified by the end of the second year and evaluated for occupational safety and health appropriateness by the third year.
• One district site is identified for community profiles of occupational health and safety in three SADC countries by the end of the first year. Community profiling is completed by the end of the third year in the three sites.
• A country profile, based upon the WHO method, exists for at least seven SADC countries, and a partially completed profile exist for the remaining countries.
  

Activities

• SADC Directorate approaches appropriate ministries for permission to perform country profile, community profiling and household surveys 
• Community profiling is conducted in one district in each of three countries by the Regional programme director
• Regional programme director compiles questions in appropriate languages and organises incorporation of questions into household surveys
• Reports of occupational disease and injury rates are compiled for each participating country based upon the country profiles and the household surveys conducted in all countries
• Surveillance sites are assessed for use as vehicles for occupational safety and health monitoring and a report is compiled by the third year. Cost, logistics, feasibility etc are ascertained

Target groups

The target groups for the information collected will be SADC Directorates and Labour and Health Ministries and Departments in member countries, trade union federations and employer organisations and the occupational, and public health practitioners in all SADC countries