KARACHI: Describing occupational safety and health conditions in the formal and informal sectors in Pakistan as alarmingly poor, speakers at a workshop have stated that hazardous working conditions persist in the country due to weak enforcement of existing regulations and the absence of a national preventive safety culture.

They were speaking at the daylong workshop organised at the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (FUUAST), Gulshan campus, where students were apprised about the concerns related to HSE (health, safety and environment), Safe Work Programme by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the legal and social expectations related to the HSE.

Citing the ILO data, they said that approximately 1,136 workers in Pakistan suffered occupational injuries per 100,000 workers annually, though that figure was likely underreported due to the lack of a robust data collection and monitoring system.

According to the speakers, weak enforcement of existing regulations and the absence of a national preventive safety culture contributed to lower labour productivity, with Pakistan ranking 110th out of 140 countries on the productivity index.

“Health and safety accidents in Pakistan result in an estimated loss of 4.32 billion man-hours per year. These incidents also contribute to a notable loss of experience due to years of the life lost. With life expectancy in Pakistan being six years lower than the global average, the country’s labour force is also nine per cent smaller than the global workforce,” said Saad Abdul Wahab Khan, director & CEO of Grow Safe, a company providing HSE services.

About the global impact of health and safety accidents, he said it accounted for 4pc of global GDP annually. Worldwide, there were 340 million accidents, 160 million work-related diseases, and 2.3 million fatalities each year — equating to 6,300 deaths per day.

Faculty of Science Dean Prof M. Zahid, student adviser Murshid, environment department head Dr Haq Nawaz Abbasi, Dr Waqar Ahmad, chemistry department head Dr Aneela Wahab and a large number of students attended the event.

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2025