Occupational health: a world of false promises

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dc.contributor.authorLaDou, Joseph
dc.contributor.authorLondon, Leslie
dc.contributor.authorWatterson, Andrew
dc.date.accessioned2018-11-28T06:47:09Z
dc.date.available2018-11-28T06:47:09Z
dc.date.issued2018-11-21
dc.date.updated2018-11-26T10:29:38Z
dc.description.abstractThe response of the World Health Organization (WHO) to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2015 demonstrated that the global health system is unprepared to address what should be its primary mission, control of disease epidemics while protecting health workers. Critics blamed WHO politics and its rigid culture for the poor response to the epidemic. We find that United Nations agencies, WHO and the International Labor Organization (ILO), are faced with the global problem of inadequate worker protections and a growing crisis in occupational health. The WHO and ILO are given monumental tasks but only trivial budgets, and funding trends show UN agency dependence on private donations which are far larger than funds contributed by member states. The WHO and ILO have limited capacity to make the necessary changes occupational health and safety demand. The UN could strengthen the national and global civil society voice in WHO and ILO structures, and by keeping conflict of interest out of policy decisions, ensure greater freedom to operate without interference.
dc.identifier.apacitationLaDou, J., London, L., & Watterson, A. (2018). Occupational health: a world of false promises. <i>Environmental Health</i>, http://hdl.handle.net/11427/29091en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationLaDou, Joseph, Leslie London, and Andrew Watterson "Occupational health: a world of false promises." <i>Environmental Health</i> (2018) http://hdl.handle.net/11427/29091en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationEnvironmental Health. 2018 Nov 21;17(1):81
dc.identifier.ris TY - AU - LaDou, Joseph AU - London, Leslie AU - Watterson, Andrew AB - The response of the World Health Organization (WHO) to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2015 demonstrated that the global health system is unprepared to address what should be its primary mission, control of disease epidemics while protecting health workers. Critics blamed WHO politics and its rigid culture for the poor response to the epidemic. We find that United Nations agencies, WHO and the International Labor Organization (ILO), are faced with the global problem of inadequate worker protections and a growing crisis in occupational health. The WHO and ILO are given monumental tasks but only trivial budgets, and funding trends show UN agency dependence on private donations which are far larger than funds contributed by member states. The WHO and ILO have limited capacity to make the necessary changes occupational health and safety demand. The UN could strengthen the national and global civil society voice in WHO and ILO structures, and by keeping conflict of interest out of policy decisions, ensure greater freedom to operate without interference. DA - 2018-11-21 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town J1 - Environmental Health LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2018 T1 - Occupational health: a world of false promises TI - Occupational health: a world of false promises UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/29091 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-018-0422-x
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/29091
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationLaDou J, London L, Watterson A. Occupational health: a world of false promises. Environmental Health. 2018; http://hdl.handle.net/11427/29091.en_ZA
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherBioMed Central
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.rights.holderThe Author(s).
dc.sourceEnvironmental Health
dc.source.urihttps://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/
dc.subject.otherHuman rights
dc.subject.otherILO decent work
dc.subject.otherILO conventions
dc.subject.otherOccupational health
dc.subject.otherOccupational safety
dc.subject.otherUN funding
dc.subject.otherWHO program of work
dc.titleOccupational health: a world of false promises
dc.typeJournal Article
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
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