Community Health and Safety

Community Health and Safety (CHS) refers to the set of requirements under development bank environmental and social standards that protect people living near a project, or passing through its area of influence, from physical hazards, disease exposure, and security risks generated by project activities.

What is Community Health and Safety?

ESS4 of the World Bank's esf addresses community health, safety, and security as a distinct standard because project-affected people, unlike workers, do not have employment-based protections and often have less power to advocate for themselves. ESS4 requires borrowers to assess and manage risks including: traffic accidents from project vehicles and heavy equipment on public roads, structural hazards from construction activities near settlements, water-borne and vector-borne disease outbreaks linked to standing water in construction sites or worker camps, communicable diseases including sexually transmitted infections associated with large influxes of migrant workers, and security incidents where project guards or private security providers are deployed near communities.

The standard also covers the use of security personnel, requiring borrowers to follow the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights and to investigate allegations of misconduct. Community health risks are assessed as part of the eia and managed through the project's Environmental Management Plan, with the grm providing the mechanism for community members to report health and safety concerns.

Why Community Health and Safety matters for bidders

Construction contractors on large infrastructure projects, particularly those in remote areas with large worker camps, are often the primary source of community health and safety risks. Contract documents routinely require contractors to develop and implement a Community Health and Safety Plan covering traffic management, worker camp management, disease prevention programmes, community liaison arrangements, and security protocols. Proposals that describe the contractor's approach to these issues, backed by performance data from comparable projects, score well in technical evaluations where community risk management is a scored criterion.

FAQ

What is the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights?

The Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights is a multi-stakeholder initiative that provides guidance to companies on maintaining the security of their operations in a manner that respects human rights. ESS4 requires borrowers to apply these principles when private or public security forces are used on development bank-financed projects.

Are worker camp diseases a significant community health risk?

Yes. Influxes of migrant workers to remote areas have historically been linked to increases in communicable diseases, including HIV/AIDS, and require active prevention programmes. ESS4 and the IFC EHS Guidelines require borrowers to conduct community health risk assessments and implement prevention measures as part of worker camp management.

Does community health and safety apply during project operations, not just construction?

Yes. ESS4 applies throughout the project lifecycle, including during construction, commissioning, operations, and decommissioning. Operational hazards such as air emissions, chemical storage, traffic from operational vehicles, and dam safety all fall within the scope of ESS4.