Operating under the mantra that “ decent work is safe work , ” the ILO Programme on Safety and Health at Work and the Environment , SafeWork , has the goal of making work safer for all . According to the ILO , someone dies from a work-related accident or disease every 15 seconds . Unsafe labour practices have a long , sordid history . From the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire to the 2013 fertilizer explosion in West , Texas , industrial disasters negatively affect the lives of workers and their dependents with high associated economic costs . Since its creation in 1919 , ensuring worker safety has been one of the ILO ’s fundamental missions . The ILO has over its history adopted several conventions that have the goal of maximising worker safety and health . Currently , there are three fundamental conventions that are in effect : the Occupation Safety and Health Convention ( C155 , 1981 ) , the Occupational Health Services Convention ( C161 , 1985 ) , and the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention ( C187 , 2006 ) . The most recent convention has the stated aim of “ promoting a preventative safety and health culture and progressively achieving a safe and healthy working environment . ” One challenge that the ILO faces is the low ratification levels of the fundamental health and safety conventions . C155 , C161 , and C187 have been ratified by 60 , 31 , and 25 nations respectively . From the perspective of the ILO failing to meet the expectations delineated in the conventions are examples of international labor standards violations
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire
International labour law