Manila (ILO News) – The International Labour Organization's (ILO) Ship to Shore Rights South East Asia programme (S2SR SEA), funded by the European Union, unveiled the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) board game "Safety and Health at Sea" on 21 November 2023 in Manila City. The board game is a strategic tool designed for workers in the fishing and seafood processing sectors to be better equipped with sector-specific knowledge of occupational safety and health, particularly crucial given the inherent risks associated with one of the world's most dangerous professions.

In collaboration with the Department of Labor and Employment – Occupational Safety and Health Center (DOLE-OSHC), the board game launch event convened key stakeholders, including fishers and sea-based workers who shared their invaluable insights, ensuring the game's relevance and effectiveness for its target users.

The collaborative development of "Safety and Health at Sea" involved the expertise of a youth OSH champion, who facilitated user-testing, refined game mechanics, and contributed to the overall design of the board game kit. A workshop allowed prospective users to provide valuable feedback, playing a pivotal role in refining the game for wider distribution.

"We believe that involving end-users in the development process is crucial to the success of initiatives like this. The insights gathered during the user-testing workshop were instrumental in refining the game and making it a powerful tool for promoting safety and health awareness," said Jose Maria S. Batino, Executive Director, the Department of Labor and Employment – Occupational Safety and Health Center (DOLE-OSHC).

During the launch, players immersed themselves in the interactive board game. The event not only introduced participants to the mechanics and objectives of the game but also provided them with an opportunity to actively engage in gameplay. By learning through playing and making decisions about realistic scenarios that address occupational safety and health risks, hazards, challenges, and best practices, this initiative provided a hands-on and impactful experience for all involved.

“A safe work environment is one of the indicators of decent work. The European Union fully subscribes to this concept, which was originally formulated by the ILO, and we have the mandate to promote decent work for all in its cooperation with partner countries. The EU Delegation to the Philippines is therefore proud to be supporting this ILO initiative to spread the message of decent and safe work in the fishing industry through the OSH board game. We hope the stakeholders, in particular migrant fishers will gain knowledge and insights from it and this knowledge can also serve to strengthen their advocacy for fair and better treatment”, said Christoph Wagner, EU Delegation to the Philippines’ Head of Cooperation.

“The Safety and Health at Sea is more than just a board game; it's a transformative approach to fostering safety and health awareness among workers in the fishing and seafood processing sectors”, said Khalid Hassan, Director, ILO Country Office for the Philippines.

Ship to Shore Rights South East Asia is an initiative of the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN), implemented by the ILO in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with the overall objective of promoting regular and safe labour migration and decent work for all migrant workers in the fishing and seafood processing sectors. The programme addresses the characteristics of working in the fishing and seafood processing sectors as well as the barriers and risks present during migration, which can lead to unsafe migration, decent work deficits, abuse and forced labour.

More information:

Hussein Macarambon
National Programme Coordinator
ILO Country Office for the Philippines
Email: macarambon@ilo.org

Pichit Phromkade
Communications Officer
ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Email: phromkade@ilo.org