Improvement of Health and Safety in Construction and other High-Risk Sectors in Ethiopia

Ethiopia is a large and diverse country, landlocked with an area of 1.1 million km2. It has a total population of over 90 million and a population growth rate of 2.6 percent (2013). There is a continuing high level of construction activity associated with growing investments in infrastructure, industrial development and real estate. This growth in construction and industrialisation has not always been matched by improvements in health and safety, leaving workers vulnerable to injury and occupational illness.

Health Focus has been contracted by the World Bank to; review the existing institutional framework for the management of community and occupational health and safety in Ethiopia, and provide options for;

• adjustments in responsibilities,

• improved collection of statistics, and

• a programme to build national capacity in occupational and community health and safety in Ethiopia

The assignment will review and recommend options in three areas:

• the appropriate institutional framework for OSH management

• data collection and reporting systems, and

• building capacity to manage, enforce and implement OHS practices.