Abstract
Workers in the informal economy are equally – if not more – at risk of injury and disease than formal workers. Although international law enshrines informal workers’ rights to occupational health and safety protection, national laws largely exclude them from their scope. This article proposes how to align national occupational health and safety laws with international law that protects informal workers. It argues for a context- and occupation- specific approach to extending protection to informal workers, drawing on the case of street vendors in South Africa. It proposes legal reform to, inter alia, adapt the institutional framework for occupational health and safety to accommodate the needs and interests of informal workers. It highlights the importance of coordination between different levels of government and interaction between labour law and different policy fields, including urban planning and workers’ compensation. Finally, it argues that legal reforms must be complemented by additional measures, such as organising informal workers and reforming the curricula for occupational health and safety professionals.
**The other articles in the first edition of the U of OxHRH J can be found here**
