World Health Organization - Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean
WHO Country Office in Lebanon

WHO Collaborative Programme

Safety Promotion

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Situation Analysis

Lebanon is facing constraints in implementing and operating nation-wide occupational health services as a consequence of the long years of civil strife. Sufficient number of trained occupational health personnel is not available and the organization of the industrial and agricultural sectors has to be strengthened. Available statistical data on morbidity and mortality from disease and accidents attributed to working conditions in the country are not adequate and probably underestimate the problem. Information on specialized health personnel rendering services to workers in manufacturing, agriculture, construction, mines and small scale factories is incomplete.

WHO's role will be to support the national authority to undertake situation analysis in order to obtain reliable information on the morbidity and mortality patterns of workers in different categories at organized and unorganized work sites, assist in the development of a national plan on occupational health, support the training of workers in various aspects of occupational health, promote appropriate measures to improve the status of workers health and organize inter-country meetings and consultations to exchange information and experiences in occupational health.

Achievements :

The government is sensitive to the need of improving workers health and promoting occupational health in the country. Several government personnel have received training in different aspects of occupational health, including plan and policy formulation. The training of community health workers in occupational health is being pursued as part of an integrated occupational health services in the primary health care system of the country. 

Constraints:

- Insufficient number of adequately trained health personnel in occupational health and work safety and lack of resources - both technical and financial.

- Lack of reliable Information systems on occupational health and work safety. The available systems need to be strengthened to effectively contribute to programme development at the national level.

Priority Areas:

- Conduction of detailed situation analysis to assess the development trends of occupational health services and identify the needs and priorities

- Development of a national plan and strategy on occupational health.

- Development of occupational health surveillance system.

Objectives: 

- To ensure universal access to adequate occupational health services through primary health care system for workers from all categories of work.

- To reduce avoidable occupational disabilities through appropriate preventive and rehabilitative measures.

- To enable universal access to safe and healthy environment and work conditions.

- To enable working people to adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles and healthy behaviour.

Indicators:

1. Documented national occupational health strategy and plan of action.

2. Number of functional occupational health units within the national health care systems including primary health care system.

3. Number of occupational diseases reported per annum to the occupational health surveillance system

4. Number of the risk factors and situations reported per annum to the occupational health surveillance system

5. Number of occupational health personnel trained per annum

6. Number of occupational health personnel available in the country:

- Number of health and safety inspectors/10,000 workers, by industry

- Number of occupational hygienists with occupational hygiene qualifications/10,000 workers, by province (governorate).

- Number of occupational health physicians/10,000 workers, by province (governorate).

- Number of occupational health nurses/10,000 by province (governorate)