Around 40 representatives of the branch republican unions, commissions of the CTUA, as well as representatives of government entities participated in the event.

The event was attended by Ruben Sargsyan, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, representatives of the Republican Union of Employers of Armenia (RUEA), and Igit Hakobyan, Head of the Labour Legislation Supervision Department of Health and Labour Inspection Body.

Elen Manaseryan, Chairperson of the Confederation of Trade Unions of Armenia, highlighted the role of social partnership in reaching compliance with the OSH international standards as well as the role of social dialogue in resolving the OSH issues in Armenia.  


Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Ruben Sargsyan said that “the Ministry is actively engaged in labour-related issues, including accident prevention at work, within the scope of the Labour Code”.

Igit Hakobyan reminded that in the Republic of Armenia, human life and health are the highest values, and through labour laws and regulations occupational safety and health is maintained. Spe Igit Hakobyan also mentioned that compliance with the norms set by the state is the fundamental duty and obligation of employers.
Nver Sargsyan, Project Coordinator for the ILO PILRAT Project, welcomed the participants and expressed gratitude for their interest in the World  Day. He noted an accident which happened around 10 years ago in Bangladesh, where Rana Plaza has collapsed killing more than 1000 people due to not observing OSH standards.  He also drew attention to the staggering number of occupational accidents each year, which stands at approximately 340 million, resulting in 160 million victims and 2.3 million deaths - that's over 6,000 deaths every day. He emphasized that statistical data reveals that 90% of workplace injuries occur due to human error, and hence, they are preventable. Nver Sargsyan emphasized the importance of accident prevention as it is not only cost-effective for employers and the state, but also a crucial element for social justice. Additionally, he mentioned that two OSH Conventions, C155 and C187, have recently been added to the list of ILO Fundamental Conventions. Almost all ILO members have OSH bodies, with 87% of them under the Ministry of Labour and 79% having tripartite OSH bodies.

A photo exhibition dedicated to Safety and Health at Work was organized by the ILO Project on the sidelines of the event, featuring the impressive works by the photographer  Vanya Berezkin. The event was organized with the financial support of the ILO development cooperation Project  “Promoting Implementation of Labour Rights in Armenia Together” (PILRAT) funded by the US Department of Labour.