In carrying out their everyday work — cleaning, cooking, doing laundry, ironing, gardening, looking after pets, and caring for children, older adults, and persons with disabilities — domestic workers are exposed to multiple physical, chemical, ergonomic, and psychosocial risks in the workplace, including violence and harassment and climate-related hazards. Yet they are often excluded from national occupational safety and health (OSH protections, as well as from social security coverage.
A safe and healthy working environment is a fundamental principle and right at work and is essential to realizing domestic workers’ right to decent work, in line with ILO Convention 189. This campaign provides domestic workers, their organizations, and employers with guidance on safe and healthy working conditions from a human and labor rights perspective. Ensuring domestic workers’ occupational safety and health means caring for those who care for homes, families, and entire communities.
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Check out our Guide on Occupational Safety and Health for Domestic Workers and Employers:
With the purpose of helping to improve working and occupational safety and health conditions of domestic workers, it was deemed necessary to develop a guide – aimed at both employers and workers – with guidance and recommendations to eliminate, prevent, and reduce the risks of exposure to COVID-19 and other hazards associated with daily household chores during the pandemic, especially in the context of returning to activities after social distancing or suspension of the employment relationship.
