Monday, 30 October 2023 - In a pivotal move that align with Wawasan 2035 Goal 2 of Ensuring World-Class Health and Safety in the Workplace, along with the support from the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Safety, Health and Environment National Authority (SHENA) of Brunei Darussalam hosted a workshop that focus on the core features of two fundamental ILO Conventions: namely, the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155) and the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006 (No. 187).

This workshop has brought together relevant government agencies and industry stakeholders in a tripartite forum with group break-out sessions to constructively discuss the current state of workplace safety and health in Brunei Darussalam, key aspects for a national OSH policy and national OSH programmes. During the workshop, the visiting experts also presented the ILO’s supervisory system and approach in relation to international labour standards, the roles of employers and workers in workplace safety and health and ILO tools related to OSH. Participants were also given the opportunity to collectively deliberate on occupational safety and health from the perspectives of policymakers, employers and workers.

The workshop opening was graced by Yang Mulia Awang Salminan bin Haji Burut, Permanent Secretary (Safety and Welfare), Ministry of Home Affairs and officiated by Yang Mulia Haji Junit bin Haji Zakaria, Acting Interim Chief Executive Officer at SHENA. In his welcoming remarks, the Acting Interim Chief Executive Officer highlighted that Brunei Darussalam aims to develop and implement a comprehensive National OSH policy, in order to set clear guidelines and standards for workplace safety and health protection for all those at work, and aligned with the requirements set under the two key fundamental ILO Conventions C 155 and C 187 in which Brunei Darussalam is aiming to ratify.

The ILO expert mission to Brunei Darussalam continues with a second workshop on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Qualification Systems and OSH Committees and OSH Management Systems with invited workplace safety and health managers and officers. This initiative focuses on building a solid understanding of the ILO’s criteria for evaluating OSH professionals as well as recognising their crucial role in ensuring workplace safety. The second segment of the workshop explored the legal requirements for workplaces to form OSH Committees and OSH Management Systems through a presentation by SHENA followed by participant-led break-out sessions on these same topics.

The ILO is the tripartite specialised agency of the United Nations that establishes international labour standards including for occupational health and safety. This comprehensive three-day mission has brought together a variety of stakeholders and representatives from the Government, academia, industry, employers, and the ILO. This series of events reinforces Brunei Darussalam’s commitment to ensure that the national workplace safety and health conditions attain international standards and aims to equip participants in these workshops with valuable tools to enhance OSH practices and deepen their understanding of the ILO's technical assistance opportunities and regional activities related to workplace safety and health.