Prevention pays

Prevention includes every measure aimed at preventing undesirable events that might limit or destroy the physical or mental soundness and wellbeing of the individual. It is a matter not just of ethical but also economic concern since successful prevention is beneficial to other social security schemes such as pension systems and general healthcare. It is also beneficial for workers, enterprises and society as a whole.

In a large number of countries occupational prevention activities have attained a high level of penetration. Statistics show that where investment in prevention measures has been made over a period of time, a significant decrease in work-related accidents and occupational diseases takes place.

With globalization and the fast pace of change in the workplace, new occupational risks are emerging. This can place new demands on safety and health strategies and, as a consequence, they may need to be adapted accordingly.

Prevention is at the heart of Dynamic Social Security

The concept of prevention is increasingly recognized as highly relevant to providing security under other social security programmes: e.g. preventing ill–health, preventing (long-term) unemployment, preventing poverty after retirement, and so forth. The successes and lessons learned in the area of safety and health are very useful for the other social security branches.