An evaluation of enforcement of the occupational diseases and environmental diseases control act B.E. 2562 in workplace

Abstract

The Occupational and Environmental Disease Control Act B.E 2562 (A.D. 2019) strengthens and enhances occupational health activities in the country. However, this law is still unfamiliar to practice. This study aims to evaluate the enforcement of the Act in the context of occupational disease control and prevention in workplaces, identify obstacles and opportunities for improvement, and provide suggestions to workplaces for complying with the law. The method includes analyzing and comparing legislation, assessing workplace awareness, comprehension, and implementation readiness, and conducting in-depth stakeholder interviews. The findings indicate that the Act's key features include coverage of environmental diseases, occupational health for informal workers, and the establishment of standards for occupational and environmental medicine service units. The current implementation faces gaps that require improvement, such as insufficient budget and inadequate personnel capacity. Capacity-building and public awareness campaigns are crucial for strengthening law enforcement. 64.3 percent of workplaces demonstrated a very high level of understanding of the Act. The establishments have begun preparing for implementation. This is a preliminary pilot study conducted only in a workplace context and does not include all relevant stakeholder perspectives or a comprehensive qualitative evaluation. Future studies should be conducted to cover all stakeholder groups and provide a more thorough qualitative assessment of implementation.