CAISSE REGIONALE D'ASSURANCE MALADIE D'ILE-DE-FRANCE
(CRAM Ile-de-France) www.cramif.fr

Your excellency, Minister of Labour,
Dear President of FUNDACENTRO,
Dear chair of the ISSA Construction Section,
Distinguished guests and delegates,
ladies and gentlemen,

• As President of the International Social Security Association, I have a great pleasure to be here in Salvador do Bahia, and to convey the greetings and best wishes from around 350 social security institutions in more than 150 countries around the world, the institutions that comprise the membership of the International Social Security Association.
• I wish to congratulate and thank the host, FUNDACENTRO, and in particular Mrs. Pavan, President of the Institute, for having it made possible to organize this event. The fact that the Minister of Labour is present today reflects the importance and relevance of this event for Brazil. It also shows the commitment of government and the social partners, equally present today, in pursuing all efforts to strengthen occupational safety and health in Brazil.

Our Association already had the pleasure to work closely together with FUNDACENTRO in the organization of the 15th World Congress, which took place in April 1999 in Sao Paolo. The event was a great success.

• Nearly 80 years ago, the International Social Security Association was created and co-founded by the International Labour Organization, to meet the need for joint international efforts aimed at protecting, promoting and developing social security programmes throughout the world in order to advance mankind. Our inspiring principle in this respect is social justice.
• A basic human precept and key objective of social security, is the preservation of the health of mankind; this is recognized by most countries in the society of nations. Prevention - damage control - is a nationally and internationally recognized factor in social security, and it is a permanent mission, worldwide.
• By adopting this precept, the ISSA has therefore set for itself the objective of reducing the human suffering and financial losses brought about by work injuries and diseases. Since the 1960s, it has developed a comprehensive prevention programme, carried out by our Special Commission on Prevention and 11 International Sections, which are fully engaged in the fight to face down the challenges posed by the harsh realities of today's world of work, with the aim of bringing our goal of "Safety Worldwide" ever closer.
• Today's event is therefore just one example of the multiple and diverse activities undertaken by all Sections. As ISSA sees its responsibility and role to encourage debate, to have an exchange of views and to share experience and information, the sections not only organize international technical events in different regions of the world, but equally proceed with important work on specialized subjects through internationally composed working and study groups, and regularly bring out technical brochures, publications, guidelines and recommendations. During the ISSA General Assembly in 2004, for instance, the Special Commission adopted a Declaration on Asbestos wherein it urges all countries to ban the manufacture, trade and use of all types of asbestos and asbestos-containing products as soon as possible asbestos-producing.

Having this said, the most important event for the Association in the area of prevention is the World Congress on Occupational Safety and Health, jointly organized every three years with the International Labour Organization and a national host.

• Ladies and gentlemen, nearly 2,5 million work-related deaths occur annually, while non-fatal diseases are estimated at over 160 million a year. This means that approximately 4 per cent of World Gross Domestic Product is lost due to accidents and work-related diseases. In the European Union for instance, every year nearly 5 million employees suffer work-related accidents involving more than three days' absence from work.
• Over and above these human tragedies, there is a tremendous waste of resources. Yet, the point I would like to make at the start of this meeting is to recall who we are talking about during the course of this highly technical exchange of international experience. The focus of our concern and interest is the worker and his/her family. The meeting is hence about them and how to better protect them against occupational accidents and diseases.
• The burden of occupational accidents and diseases is not evenly spread across the globe. The problems in the world regions are different. We have seen a clear decrease of serious injuries in industrialized countries, attributable to real improvements in making work healthier and safer.
• In developing countries however, the trends are less favourable. Apart from still having to get to grips with the so-called traditional occupational risks, new risks have emerged with the globalization: more industries are being set up - often informal and dangerous ones, and workers have no previous experience in industrial work. All these factors influence the rates and numbers of injuries and diseases.
• The construction sector is an important employment generator, in particular in booming economies such in China, India, Thailand and Brazil. It is therefore also a sector associated with a high number of work-related accidents and diseases: in fact, there are, according to ILO figures, at least 60.000 fatal accidents each year on construction sites around the world. Potential hazards are, amongst others, associated with working at heights, excavation work or the use of cranes. These situations can be managed to prevent accidents! by establishing a preventative safety and health culture. Prevention begins with a clear commitment to put worker safety and health at the top of the agenda.
• So, where do we stand? How can the challenges encountered at the construction sites be tackled in the most adequate manner? Which measures have proven effective to that end? What has fared? What can be learned from the past to improve prevention strategies for the future? These questions are at the heart of the two-day agenda of this meeting, which, I am convinced, will be extremely fruitful and help improve in getting closer to our goal, namely safety worldwide.
• Again, I want to thank our hosts for this wonderful setting and its organization. And to you, the participants who are giving their time and energy to a cause that will benefit tens of thousands of our fellow citizens worldwide.

Thank you.