Occupational Health and Safety Knowledge Management

The internship is located in the Labour administration, labour inspection and occupational safety and health Branch (LABADMIN/OSH) in the Governance and Tripartism Department. The Branch supports ILO global policy making and assists member States in strengthening and modernizing national labour administration, inspection and occupational health and safety policies, systems and services. The Branch also carries out activities related to strengthening institutional capacities to acquire and use OSH knowledge and information for prevention. This includes monitoring, research and prospective studies on OSH with a view to identify key trends, prepare situational reports and inform policy development, programme design and implementation. It also manages and further develops the wealth of ILO knowledge assets in these areas.

A global survey was undertaken to document the constitution, mandate, governance modalities, scope of work and operational aspects of OSH knowledge agencies, institutions and organisations (AIOs) as constitutive entities of national OSH systems. Results allowed to establish the INTEROSH database (www.ilo.org/interosh) and identify AIOs and knowledge networks capacity development needs. This internship primarily consists of further investigating, and reporting on, the wealth of information collected through the global survey and other studies, supporting the development and promotion of the INTEROSH web portal, and preparing technical material for strengthening the roles and capacities of AIOs in national OSH systems.

The intern will be exposed to ILO conventions, recommendations and codes of practices covering the main issues and topics found in occupational health and safety policies, laws, regulations, standards, national OSH systems and programmes, as well as occupational health services. These include employers’ duties and responsibilities to protect the safety and health of workers; workers' rights and duties, assessment and control of occupational hazards or risks; recording, reporting and notification of occupational injuries and diseases; workers’ health surveillance; surveillance of the working environment; investigation of accidents/incidents and diseases; inspection and enforcement of OSH laws and regulations; others.

The intern will benefit from the direct guidance and supervision of the ILO Coordinator for OSH networks, knowledge and information management. He/She will be guided towards preparing a review of recent literature on OSH knowledge development, conducting supplementary analytical work of existing data and information originating from the global survey, and contributing to ILO working papers. The intern will gain first-hand experience with the ILO INTEROSH database and more largely with the ILO global policy and legislation IT platform. He/She will also have opportunities to engage with AIOs from around the world. Altogether, the intern will develop a comprehensive understanding of the state of OSH knowledge development and the essential role AIOs play in national systems. The intern will be required to present the results of his/her work to other ILO colleagues. The specific duties of this internship will be the following:

• Undertake a literature review on OSH knowledge development and networking;
• Undertake supplementary analysis of existing data and information on AIOs, including statistical analysis and preparation of tables and infographics using MsExcel and/or SPSS;
• Assist the production of working papers and articles on policy challenges and opportunities in the area of OSH knowledge development and networking;
• Prepare a series of short information notes to feature survey results on INTEROSH;
• Update the INTEROSH database contributor’s guidelines and promotional material;
• Engage relations with AIOs to complement, review, update and consolidate information in the INTEROSH database;
• Assist the organization of a global meeting of AIOs and regional networks;
• Design and organize pilot webinars for AIOs and other interested parties on selected topics, e.g. setting research priorities in OSH, collaborating with universities, collaborating with private sector or NGOs, organizing awareness-raising campaigns, others.

*Interns should expect to devote 10% to 20% of their time to administrative tasks.

The internship contract is for a 3 to 6 months duration starting as soon as possible and ending no later than 15 December 2019.

Public health administration, management and/or relevant disciplines of social sciences. A background or specialization in occupational safety and health and/or comparative studies in this area would be a strong advantage.

Applicants should currently be in the last year of a Master's degree (or equivalent), or have completed studies within 12 months prior to this application.

Experience in conducting research and/or comparative studies in public administration and related field, including occupational safety and health; with relevant work experience and ability to use MS Office software (Excel, Word, PowerPoint); experience in working with a database would be an advantage. Experience organizing webinars would also be an advantage.

Applicants should have working knowledge (both oral and written) of at least one of the ILO's official languages (English, French or Spanish).Fluency in any other language would be an advantage.

a) Good analysis and research skills; b) Ability to draft clearly and concisely for the purpose of preparing literature summaries, reports and studies; c) Good understanding of the occupational safety and health domain; d) Good organization skills; e) Good communication skills; f) Quality oriented with attention to details; g) Ability to work autonomously; h) Ability to adapt to an international, multicultural and multilingual environment.