Occupational injury is the clearest ill effect of poor working and employment conditions in the world. In 1998, the global number of fatal injuries was estimated at 350 000, or 970 deaths per day. Moreover, the number of non-fatal occupational injuries with three or more days' absence from work, was 264 million, more than 700 000 injured workers per day.1

This is a dramatic problem, with a greater effect in developing regions than in developed regions. Countries with Established Market Economies have the lowest rates, probably a consequence of their prevention policies and structural shift from industrial to service-based economies. Conversely, the higher rates in developing countries of Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa and other Asian and …