International
Labour Organization
Your health and safety at work
LEGISLATION AND ENFORCEMENT
Appendix I. Relevant ILO Codes of Practice, guides and manuals
1. Safety and health in coal mines, 1986, 176 pp. (English, French, Spanish), ISBN 92-2-105339-3, Sw.fr.20.
2. Safety and health in open-cast mines, 1991, 121 pp. (English, French, Spanish), ISBN 92-2-107103-0, Sw.fr.20.
3. Radiation protection of workers (ionizing radiations), 1987, 71 pp. (English, French, Spanish), ISBN 92-2-105996-0, Sw.fr.15.
4. Occupational exposure to airborne substances harmful to health, 3rd impression, 1991, 44 pp. (English, French, Spanish), ISBN 92-2-102442-3, Sw.fr.17.50.
5. Safety, health and working conditions in the transfer of technology to developing countries, 1988, 81 pp. (English, French, Spanish), ISBN 92-2-106122-1, Sw.fr.15.
6. Prevention of major industrial accidents, 1991, 108 pp. (English, French, Spanish), ISBN 92-2-107101-4, Sw.fr.20.
7. Safety and health in the construction of fixed off-shore installations in the petroleum industry, 1981, 135 pp. (English, French, Spanish), ISBN 92-2-102900-X, Sw.Fr.20.
8. Safety in the use of asbestos, 3rd impression 1990, 116 pp. (English, French, Spanish), ISBN 92-2-103872-6, Sw.fr.20.
9. Safety and health in building and civil engineering work, 3rd impression 1985, 386 pp. (English, French, Spanish), ISBN 92-2-100974-2, Sw.fr.40.
10. Safety and health in construction, 1992, xiii + 162 pp. (English), ISBN 92-2-107104-9, Sw.fr.20.
11. Occupational safety and health in the iron and steel industry, 1983, 342 pp. (English, French, Spanish), ISBN 92-2-103471-2, Sw.fr.22.50.
12. Safety and health in shipbuilding and ship repairing, 3rd impression 1984, 260 pp. (English, French, Spanish), ISBN 92-2-101199-2, Sw.fr.27.50.
13. Safety and health in dock work, 4th impression 1992, 221 pp. (English, French, Spanish), ISBN 92-2-101593-9, Sw.fr.27.50.
14. Safe construction and operation of tractors, 1976, 39 pp. (English, French, Spanish), ISBN 92-2-101403-7, Sw.fr.12.50.
15. Safe design and use of chain saws, 1978, 71 pp. (English), ISBN 92-2-101927-6, Sw.fr.15.
16. Safety in the use of chemicals at work: A Code of Practice, 1993 (also available in French and Spanish), ISBN 92-2-108006-4, Sw.fr.20.
17. Recording and notification of occupational accidents and diseases: A Code of Practice, (Forthcoming) 1995, (English, French, Spanish), ISBN 92-2-109435-9.
Occupational safety and health series
Guidelines for the use of ILO international classification of radiographs of pneumoconioses, Revised edition 1980, 7th impression 1991, 48 pp. (English, French, German), ISBN 92-2-102463-6, Sw.Fr.7.50.
Occupational exposure limits for airborne toxic substances, 3rd edition, 1991, 455 pp. (English), ISBN 92-2-107293-2, Sw.Fr.47.50.
Safe use of pesticides: Guidelines, 3rd impression 1985, 42 pp. (English), ISBN 92-2-101826-1, Sw.fr.12.50.
Occupational cancer - prevention and control, 2nd (revised) edition 1988, 122 pp. (English, French), ISBN 92-2-106454-9, Sw.fr.17.50.
Prevention of occupational cancer: An international symposium, 1982, 680 pp. (Multilingual), ISBN 92-2-002907-3, Sw.fr.47.50.
Sixth International Report on the prevention and suppression of dust in mining, tunnelling and quarrying, 1982, 160 pp. (English, French), ISBN 92-2-103006-7, Sw.fr.17.50.
Occupational hazards from non-ionizing electro-magnetic radiation, 1985, 133 pp. (English), ISBN 92-2-103540-9, Sw.fr.17.50.
The provision of the basic safety standards for radiation protection relevant to the protection of workers against ionizing radiation, 1985, 23 pp. (English, French, Spanish), ISBN 92-2-105097-1, Sw.fr.6.
Psychosocial factors at work, 1986, 81 pp. (English, French, Spanish), ISBN 92-2-105411-X, Sw.fr.15.
Protection of workers against radiofrequency and microwave radiation: A technical review, 1986, (English, French), ISBN 92-2-105604-X, Sw.fr.17.50.
Ergonomics in developing countries: An international symposium, 1987, 646 pp. (English), ISBN 92-2-105755-0, Sw.fr.60.
Maximum weights in load lifting and carrying, 1988, 38 pp. (English, French, Spanish), ISBN 92-2-106271-6, Sw.fr.10.
Safety in the use of industrial robots, 1989, 80 pp. (English), ISBN 92-2-106434-4, Sw.fr.12.50.
Working with visual display units, 2nd impression 1990, 57 pp. (English, French), ISBN 92-2-106509-X, Sw.fr.12.50.
Guidelines for the radiation protection of workers in industry (ionizing radiation), 1989, 36 pp. (English), ISBN 92-2-106442-5, Sw.fr.10.
The organization of first aid in the workplace, 1989, 73 pp. (English), ISBN 92-2-106440-9, Sw.fr.15.
Safety in the use of mineral and synthetic fibres, 1990, 94 pp. (English, French, Spanish), ISBN 92-2-106443-3, Sw.fr.15.
International data on anthropometry, 1990, 113 pp. (English), ISBN 92-2-106449-2, Sw.fr.17.50.
International directory of occupational safety and health institutions, 1990, 272 pp. (English), ISBN 92-2-106452-2, Sw.fr.35.
Occupational lung diseases: Prevention and control, 1991, 94 pp. (English), ISBN 92-2-106463-8, Sw.fr.17.50.
The use of lasers in the workplace: A practical guide, 1993, x + 62 pp. (English), ISBN 92-2-108260-1, Sw.fr.17.50.
Protection for workers from power frequency electric and magnetic fields: A practical guide, 1983, xi + 82 pp. (English), ISBN 92-2-108261-X, Sw.fr.20.
Visual display units: Radiation protection guidance, 1994, viii + 53 pp. (English), ISBN 92-2-108262-8, Sw.fr.15.
Training manual on safety and health in construction, 1987, ISBN 92-2-105888-3.
Ergonomic checkpoints
A collection of practical, easy to use ergonomic solutions for improving working conditions. This manual is an extremely useful tool for everyone who wants to improve their working conditions for better safety, health and efficiency. Each of the 128 checkpoints has been developed to help the user look at various workplaces and identify practical solutions which can be made applicable under local conditions. Forthcoming (1995), ISBN 92-2-109442-1.
Safety and health in the use of chemicals at work: A training manual, 1993, ix + 78 pp. ISBN 92-2-106470-0, Sw.fr.17.50.
Safety and health in the use of agrochemicals: A guide, 1991, 79 pp. (English), ISBN 92-2-107281-9, Sw.fr.25.
Labour inspection in the construction industry, 1989, 69 pp. (English, French, Spanish), ISBN 92-2-106590-1.
Labour inspection: A workers' education manual, 1986, 100 pp. (English, French, Spanish), ISBN 92-2-105359-8, Sw.fr.17.50.
Working conditions and environment: A workers' education manual, 1983, 81 pp. (French), ISBN 92-2-203189-X, Sw.fr.12.50.
Higher productivity and a better place to work: Training manual, 1988, 2 vols. (English, Spanish). Vol. 1: Action manual, 115 pp. ISBN 92-2-106409-3, Sw.fr.15.
Vol. 2: Trainers' manual, 2nd impression 1990, 76 pp. ISBN 92-2-106410-7, Sw.fr.30.
Deterrence and compensation - Legal liability in occupational safety and health, 1982, 76 pp. (English), ISBN 92-2-103010-5, Sw.fr.17.50.
Safety and health practices of multinational enterprises, 2nd impression 1986, 90 pp. (English, French, Spanish), ISBN 92-2-103742-8, Sw.fr.17.50.
Improving working conditions and environment: An international programme (PIACT), 1984, 129 pp. (English, French, Spanish), ISBN 92-2-103804-1, Sw.fr.20.
Improving working conditions in small enterprises in developing Asia, Kazutaka Kogi, 1985, 158 pp. (English), ISBN 92-2-105008-4, Sw.fr.20.
Shop hygiene. A learning element for staff of consumer cooperatives, MATCOM, Vienna - Material and techniques for cooperative management training, 1984, 28 pp. (English, French), ISBN 92-2-103692-8, Sw.fr.5.
Reports to the International Labour Conference
Safety and health and the working environment, 66/1980 - Report VII(a), 84 pp. (French, German, Russian, Spanish), ISBN 92-2-102100-9, Sw.fr.17.50.
Occupational health services, 70/1984 - Report V(1), 87 pp. (French, Spanish, German, Russian, Arabic), ISBN 92-2-103444-5, Sw.fr.15.
Safety in the use of asbestos, 71/1985 - Report VI(1), 52 pp. (English, French, Spanish, German, Russian, Arabic, Chinese), ISBN 92-2-103732-0, Sw.fr.15.
Safety and health in construction, 73/1987 - Report V(1), 91 pp. (English, French, Spanish, German, Russian, Arabic, Chinese), ISBN 92-2-105576-0, Sw.fr.17.50.
Conditions of work and life of seafarers, Report of the Director-General (I), 74th (Maritime) Session, 1987, pp. 25-64. (English, French, Spanish, German, Russian, Arabic, Chinese), ISBN 92-2-105787-9, Sw.fr.17.50.
Safety in the use of chemicals at work, 76/1989 - Report VI(1), 57 pp. (English, French, Spanish, German, Russian, Arabic, Chinese), ISBN 92-2-106665-7, Sw.fr.15.
Night work, 76/1989 - Report V(1), 83 pp. (English, French, Spanish, German, Russian, Arabic, Chinese), ISBN 92-2-106663-0, Sw.fr.17.50.
Prevention of industrial disasters, 79/1992 - Report V(1), 48 pp. (English, French, Spanish, German, Russian, Arabic, Chinese), ISBN 92-2-107969-4, Sw.fr.12.50.
Safety and health in mines, 1994 - Report V(1), 67 pp. ILC 81/V/1, ISBN 92-2-108952-5, ISSN 0074-6681, Sw.fr.12.50.
The Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981
Part II. Principles of National Policy
Part III. Action at the National Level
Part IV. Action at the Level of the Undertaking
The General Conference of the International Labour Organisation,
Having been convened at Geneva by the Governing Body of the International Labour Office, and having met in its Sixty-seventh Session on 3 June 1981, and
Having decided upon the adoption of certain proposals with regard to safety and health and the working environment, which is the sixth item on the agenda of the session, and
Having determined that these proposals shall take the form of an international Convention, adopts the twenty-second day of June of the year one thousand nine hundred and eighty-one, the following Convention, which may be cited as the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981:
TEXT
Article 1
1. This Convention applies to all branches of economic activity.
2. A Member ratifying this Convention may, after consultation at the earliest possible stage with the representative organisations of employers and workers concerned, exclude from its application, in part or in whole, particular branches of economic activity, such as maritime shipping or fishing, in respect of which special problems of a substantial nature arise.
3. Each Member which ratifies this Convention shall list, in the first report on the application of the Convention submitted under article 22 of the Constitution of the International Labour Organisation, any branches which may have been excluded in pursuance of paragraph 2 of this Article, giving the reasons for such exclusion and describing the measures taken to give adequate protection to workers in excluded branches, and shall indicate in subsequent reports any progress towards wider application.
Article 2
1. This Convention applies to all workers in the branches of economic activity covered.
2. A Member ratifying this Convention may, after consultation at the earliest possible stage with the representative organisations of employers and workers concerned, exclude from its application, in part or in whole, limited categories of workers in respect of which there are particular difficulties.
3. Each Member which ratifies this Convention shall list, in the first report on the application of the Convention submitted under article 22 of the Constitution of the International Labour Organisation, any limited categories of workers which may have been excluded in pursuance of paragraph 2 of this Article, giving the reasons for such exclusion, and shall indicate in subsequent reports any progress towards wider application.
Article 3
For the purpose of this Convention
(a) the term [ branches of economic activity ] covers all branches in which workers are employed, including the public service;
(b) the term [ workers ] covers all employed persons, including public employees;
(c) the term [ workplace ] covers all places where workers need to be or to go by reason of their work and which are under the direct or indirect control of the employer;
(d) the term [ regulations ] covers all provisions given force of law by the competent authority or authorities;
(e) the term [ health ] , in relation to work, indicates not merely the absence of disease or infirmity; it also includes the physical and mental elements affecting health which are directly related to safety and hygiene at work.
Article 4
1. Each Member shall, in the light of national conditions and practice, and in consultation with the most representative organisations of employers and workers, formulate, implement and periodically review a coherent national policy on occupational safety, occupational health and the working environment.
2. The aim of the policy shall be to prevent accidents and injury to health arising out of, linked with or occurring in the course of work, by minimising, so far as is reasonably practicable, the causes of hazards inherent in the working environment.
Article 5
The policy referred to in Article 4 of this Convention shall take account of the following main spheres of action in so far as they affect occupational safety and health and the working environment:
(a) design, testing, choice, substitution, installation, arrangement, use and maintenance of the material elements of work (workplaces, working environment, tools, machinery and equipment, chemical, physical and biological substances and agents, work processes);
(b) relationships between the material elements of work and the persons who carry out or supervise the work, and adaptation of machinery, equipment, working time, organisation of work and work processes to the physical and mental capacities of the workers;
(c) training, including necessary further training, qualifications and motivations of persons involved, in one capacity or another, in the achievement of adequate levels of safety and health;
(d) communication and co-operation at the levels of the working group and the undertaking and at all other appropriate levels up to and including the national level;
(e) the protection of workers and their representatives from disciplinary measures as a result of actions properly taken by them in conformity with the policy referred to in Article 4 of this Convention.
Article 6
The formulation of the policy referred to in Article 4 of this Convention shall indicate the respective functions and responsibilities in respect of occupational safety and health and the working environment of public authorities, employers, workers and others, taking account both of the complementary character of such responsibilities and of national conditions and practice.
Article 7
The situation regarding occupational safety and health and the working environment shall be reviewed at appropriate intervals, either over-all or in respect of particular areas, with a view to identifying major problems, evolving effective methods for dealing with them and priorities of action, and evaluating results.
Article 8
Each Member shall, by laws or regulations or any other method consistent with national conditions and practice and in consultation with the representative organisations of employers and workers concerned, take such steps as may be necessary to give effect to Article 4 of this Convention.
Article 9
1. The enforcement of laws and regulations concerning occupational safety and health and the working environment shall be secured by an adequate and appropriate system of inspection.
2. The enforcement system shall provide for adequate penalties for violations of the laws and regulations.
Article 10
Measures shall be taken to provide guidance to employers and workers so as to help them to comply with legal obligations.
Article 11
To give effect to the policy referred to in Article 4 of this Convention, the competent authority or authorities shall ensure that the following functions are progressively carried out:
(a) the determination, where the nature and degree of hazards so require, of conditions governing the design, construction and layout of undertakings, the commencement of their operations, major alterations affecting them and changes in their purposes, the safety of technical equipment used at work, as well as the application of procedures defined by the competent authorities;
(b) the determination of work processes and of substances and agents the exposure to which is to be prohibited, limited or made subject to authorisation or control by the competent authority or authorities; health hazards due to the simultaneous exposure to several substances or agents shall be taken into consideration;
(c) the establishment and application of procedures for the notification of occupational accidents and diseases, by employers and, when appropriate, insurance institutions and others directly concerned, and the production of annual statistics on occupational accidents and diseases;
(d) the holding of inquiries, where cases of occupational accidents, occupational diseases or any other injuries to health which arise in the course of or in connection with work appear to reflect situations which are serious;
(e) the publication, annually, of information on measures taken in pursuance of the policy referred to in Article 4 of this Convention and on occupational accidents, occupational diseases and other injuries to health which arise in the course of or in connection with work;
(f) the introduction or extension of systems, taking into account national conditions and possibilities, to examine chemical, physical and biological agents in respect of the risk to the health of workers.
Article 12
Measures shall be taken, in accordance with national law and practice, with a view to ensuring that those who design, manufacture, import, provide or transfer machinery, equipment or substances for occupational use
(a) satisfy themselves that, so far as is reasonably practicable, the machinery, equipment or substance does not entail dangers for the safety and health of those using it correctly;
(b) make available information concerning the correct installation and use of machinery and equipment and the correct use of substances, and information on hazards of machinery and equipment and dangerous properties of chemical substances and physical and biological agents or products, as well as instructions on how hazards are to be avoided;
(c) undertake studies and research or otherwise keep abreast of the scientific and technical knowledge necessary to comply with subparagraphs (a) and (b) of this Article.
Article 13
A worker who has removed himself from a work situation which he has reasonable justification to believe presents an imminent and serious danger to his life or health shall be protected from undue consequences in accordance with national conditions and practice.
Article 14
Measures shall be taken with a view to promoting in a manner appropriate to national conditions and practice, the inclusion of questions of occupational safety and health and the working environment at all levels of education and training, including higher technical, medical and professional education, in a manner meeting the training needs of all workers.
Article 15
1. With a view to ensuring the coherence of the policy referred to in Article 4 of this Convention and of measures for its application, each Member shall, after consultation at the earliest possible stage with the most representative organisations of employers and workers, and with other bodies as appropriate, make arrangements appropriate to national conditions and practice to ensure the necessary co-ordination between various authorities and bodies called upon to give effect to Parts II and III of this Convention. 2. Whenever circumstances so require and national conditions and practice permit, these arrangements shall include the establishment of a central body.
Article 16
1. Employers shall be required to ensure that, so far as is reasonably practicable, the workplaces, machinery, equipment and processes under their control are safe and without risk to health.
2. Employers shall be required to ensure that, so far as is reasonably practicable, the chemical, physical and biological substances and agents under their control are without risk to health when the appropriate measures of protection are taken.
3. Employers shall be required to provide, where necessary, adequate protective clothing and protective equipment to prevent, so far is reasonably practicable, risk of accidents or of adverse effects on health. Article 17 Whenever two or more undertakings engage in activities simultaneously at one workplace, they shall collaborate in applying the requirements of this Convention.
Article 18
Employers shall be required to provide, where necessary, for measures to deal with emergencies and accidents, including adequate first-aid arrangements.
Article 19
There shall be arrangements at the level of the undertaking under which
(a) workers, in the course of performing their work, co-operate in the fulfilment by their employer of the obligations placed upon him;
(b) representatives of workers in the undertaking co-operate with the employer in the field of occupational safety and health;
(c) representatives of workers in an undertaking are given adequate information on measures taken by the employer to secure occupational safety and health and may consult their representative organisations about such information provided they do not disclose commercial secrets;
(d) workers and their representatives in the undertaking are given appropriate training in occupational safety and health;
(e) workers or their representatives and, as the case may be, their representative organisations in an undertaking, in accordance with national law and practice, are enabled to enquire into, and are consulted by the employer on, all aspects of occupational safety and health associated with their work; for this purpose technical advisers may, by mutual agreement, be brought in from outside the undertaking;
(f) a worker reports forthwith to his immediate supervisor any situation which he has reasonable justification to believe presents an imminent and serious danger to his life or health; until the employer has taken remedial action, if necessary, the employer cannot require workers to return to a work situation where there is continuing imminent and serious danger to life or health. Article 20 Co-operation between management and workers and/or their representatives within the undertaking shall be an essential element of organisational and other measures taken in pursuance of Articles 16 to 19 of this Convention.
Article 21
Occupational safety and health measures shall not involve any expenditure for the workers.
Article 22
This Convention does not revise any international labour Conventions or Recommendations.
Article 23
The formal ratifications of this Convention shall be communicated to the Director-General of the International Labour Office for registration.
Article 24
1. This Convention shall be binding only upon those Members of the International Labour Organisation whose ratifications have been registered with the Director-General.
2. It shall come into force twelve months after the date on which the ratifications of two Members have been registered with the Director-General.
3. Thereafter, this Convention shall come into force for any Member twelve months after the date on which its ratifications has been registered.
Article 25
1. A Member which has ratified this Convention may denounce it after the expiration of ten years from the date on which the Convention first comes into force, by an Act communicated to the Director-General of the International Labour Office for registration. Such denunciation should not take effect until one year after the date on which it is registered.
2. Each Member which has ratified this Convention and which does not, within the year following the expiration of the period of ten years mentioned in the preceding paragraph, exercise the right of denunciation provided for in this Article, will be bound for another period of ten years and, thereafter, may denounce this Convention at the expiration of each period of ten years under the terms provided for in this Article.
Article 26
1. The Director-General of the International Labour Office shall notify all Members of the International Labour Organisation of the registration of all ratifications and denunciations communicated to him by the Members of the Organisation.
2. When notifying the Members of the Organisation of the registration of the second ratification communicated to him, the Director-General shall draw the attention of the Members of the Organisation to the date upon which the Convention will come into force.
Article 27
The Director-General of the International Labour Office shall communicate to the Secretary-General of the United Nations for registration in accordance with Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations full particulars of all ratifications and acts of denunciation registered by him in accordance with the provisions of the preceding Articles.
Article 28
At such times as may consider necessary the Governing Body of the International Labour Office shall present to the General Conference a report on the working of this Convention and shall examine the desirability of placing on the agenda of the Conference the question of its revision in whole or in part.
Article 29
1. Should the Conference adopt a new Convention revising this Convention in whole or in part, then, unless the new Convention otherwise provides:
a) the ratification by a Member of the new revising Convention shall ipso jure involve the immediate denunciation of this Convention, notwithstanding the provisions of Article 25 above, if and when the new revising Convention shall have come into force;
b) as from the date when the new revising Convention comes into force this Convention shall cease to be open to ratification by the Members.
2. This Convention shall in any case remain in force in its actual form and content for those Members which have ratified it but have not ratified the revising Convention.
Article 30
The English and French versions of the text of this Convention are equally authoritative.
Continue to the Occupational Safety and Health Recommendation, 1981
II. Technical Fields of Action
III. Action at the National Level
IV. Action at the Level of the Undertaking
The General Conference of the International Labour Organisation,
Having been convened at Geneva by the Governing Body of the International Labour Office, and having met in its Sixty-seventh Session on 3 June 1981, and
Having decided upon the adoption of certain proposals with regard to safety and health and the working environment, which is the sixth item on the agenda of the session, and
Having determined that these proposals shall take the form of a Recommendation supplementing the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981, adopts this twenty-second day of June of the year one thousand nine hundred and eighty-one, the following Recommendation, which may be cited as the Occupational Safety and Health Recommendation, 1981:
1. (1) To the greatest extent possible, the provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981, hereinafter referred to as the Convention, and of this Recommendation should be applied to all branches of economic activity and to all categories of workers.
(2) Provision should be made for such measures as may be necessary and practicable to give self-employed persons protection analogous to that provided for in the Convention and in this Recommendation.
2. For the purpose of this Recommendation
(a) the term [ branches of economic activity ] covers all branches in which workers are employed, including the public service;
(b) the term [ workers ] covers all employed persons, including public employees;
(c) the term [ workplace ] covers all places where workers need to be or to go by reason of their work and which are under the direct or indirect control of the employer;
(d) the term [ regulations ] covers all provisions given force of law by the competent authority or authorities;
(e) the term [ health ] , in relation to work, indicates not merely the absence of disease or infirmity; it also includes the physical and mental elements affecting health which are directly related to safety and hygiene at work.
3. As appropriate for different branches of economic activity and different types of work and taking into account the principle of giving priority to eliminating hazards at their source, measures should be taken in pursuance of the policy referred to in Article 4 of the Convention, in particular in the following fields:
(a) design, siting, structural features, installation, maintenance, repair and alteration of workplaces and means of access thereto and egress therefrom;
(b) lighting, ventilation, order and cleanliness of workplaces;
(c) temperature, humidity and movement of air in the workplace;
(d) design, construction, use, maintenance, testing and inspection of machinery and equipment liable to present hazards and, as appropriate, their approval and transfer;
(e) prevention of harmful physical or mental stress due to conditions of work;
(f) handling, stacking and storage of loads and materials, manually or mechanically;
(g) use of electricity;
(h) manufacture, packing, labelling, transport, storage and use of dangerous substances and agents, disposal of their wastes and residues, and, as appropriate, their replacement by other substances or agents which are not dangerous or which are less dangerous;
(i) radiation protection;
(j) prevention and control of, and protection against, occupational hazards due to noise and vibration;
(k) control of the atmosphere and other ambient factors of workplaces;
(l) prevention and control of hazards due to high and low barometric pressures;
(m) prevention of fires and explosions and measures to be taken in case of fire or explosion;
(n) design, manufacture, supply, use, maintenance and testing of personal protective equipment and protective clothing;
(o) sanitary installations, washing facilities, facilities for changing and storing clothes, supply of drinking water, and any other welfare facilities connected with occupational safety and health;
(p) first-aid treatment;
(q) establishment of emergency plans;
(r) supervision of the health of workers.
4. With a view to giving effect to the policy referred to in Article 4 of the Convention, and taking account of the technical fields of action listed in Paragraph 3 of this Recommendation, the competent authority or authorities in each country should
(a) issue or approve regulations, codes of practice or other suitable provisions on occupational safety and health and the working environment, account being taken of the links existing between safety and health, on the one hand, and hours of work and rest breaks, on the other;
(b) from time to time review legislative enactments concerning occupational safety and health and the working environment, and provisions issued or approved in pursuance of clause (a) of this Paragraph, in the light of experience and advances in science and technology;
(c) undertake or promote studies and research to identify hazards and find means of overcoming them;
(d) provide information and advice, in an appropriate manner, to employers and workers and promote or facilitate co-operation between them and their organisations, with a view to eliminating hazards or reducing them as far as practicable; where appropriate, a special training programme for migrant workers in their mother tongue should be provided;
(e) provide specific measures to prevent catastrophes, and to co-ordinate and make coherent the actions to be taken at different levels, particularly in industrial zones where undertakings with high potential risks for workers and the surrounding population are situated;
(f) secure good liaison with the International Labour Occupational Safety and Health Hazard Alert System set up within the framework of the International Labour Organisation;
(g) provide appropriate measures for handicapped workers.
5. The system of inspection provided for in paragraph 1 of Article 9 of the Convention should be guided by the provisions of the Labour Inspection Convention, 1947, and the Labour Inspection (Agriculture) Convention, 1969, without prejudice to the obligations thereunder of Members which have ratified these instruments.
6. As appropriate, the competent authority or authorities should, in consultation with the representative organisations of employers and workers concerned, promote measures in the field of conditions of work consistent with the policy referred to in Article 4 of the Convention.
7. The main purposes of the arrangements referred to in Article 15 of the Convention should be to
(a) implement the requirements of Articles 4 and 7 of the Convention;
(b) co-ordinate the exercise of the functions assigned to the competent authority or authorities in pursuance of Article 11 of the Convention and Paragraph 4 of this Recommendation;
(c) co-ordinate activities in the field of occupational safety and health and the working environment which are exercised nationally, regionally or locally, by public authorities, by employers and their organisations, by workers' organisations and representatives, and by other persons or bodies concerned;
(d) promote exchanges of views, information and experience at the national level, at the level of an industry or that of a branch of economic activity.
8. There should be close co-operation between public authorities and representative employers' and workers' organisations, as well as other bodies concerned in measures for the formulation and application of the policy referred to in Article 4 of the Convention.
9. The review referred to in Article 7 of the Convention should cover in particular the situation of the most vulnerable workers, for example, the handicapped.
10. The obligations placed upon employers with a view to achieving the objective set forth in Article 16 of the Convention might include, as appropriate for different branches of economic activity and different types of work, the following:
(a) to provide and maintain workplaces, machinery and equipment, and use work methods, which are as safe and without risk to health as is reasonably practicable;
(b) to give necessary instructions and training, taking account of the functions and capacities of different categories of workers;
(c) to provide adequate supervision of work, of work practices and of application and use of occupational safety and health measures;
(d) to institute organisational arrangements regarding occupational safety and health and the working environment adapted to the size of the undertaking and the nature of its activities;
(e) to provide, without any cost to the worker, adequate personal protective clothing and equipment which are reasonably necessary when hazards cannot be otherwise prevented or controlled;
(f) to ensure that work organisation, particularly with respect to hours of work and rest breaks, does not adversely affect occupational safety and health;
(g) to take all reasonably practicable measures with a view to eliminating excessive physical and mental fatigue;
(h) to undertake studies and research or otherwise keep abreast of the scientific and technical knowledge necessary to comply with the foregoing clauses.
11. Whenever two or more undertakings engage in activities simultaneously at one workplace, they should collaborate in applying the provisions regarding occupational safety and health and the working environment, without prejudice to the responsibility of each undertaking for the health and safety of its employees. In appropriate cases, the competent authority or authorities should prescribe general procedures for this collaboration.
12. (1) The measures taken to facilitate the co-operation referred to in Article 20 of the Convention should include, where appropriate and necessary, the appointment, in accordance with national practice, of workers' safety delegates, of workers' safety and health committees, and/or of joint safety and health committees; in joint safety and health committees workers should have at least equal representation with employers' representatives.
(2) Workers' safety delegates, workers' safety and health committees, and joint safety and health committees or, as appropriate, other workers' representatives should
(a) be given adequate information on safety and health matters, enabled to examine factors affecting safety and health, and encouraged to propose measures on the subject;
(b) be consulted when major new safety and health measures are envisaged and before they are carried out, and seek to obtain the support of the workers for such measures;
(c) be consulted in planning alterations of work processes, work content or organisation of work, which may have safety or health implications for the workers;
(d) be given protection from dismissal and other measures prejudicial to them while exercising their functions in the field of occupational safety and health as workers' representatives or as members of safety and health committees;
(e) be able to contribute to the decision-making process at the level of the undertaking regarding matters of safety and health;
(f) have access to all parts of the workplace and be able to communicate with the workers on safety and health matters during working hours at the workplace;
(g) be free to contact labour inspectors;
(h) be able to contribute to negotiations in the undertaking on occupational safety and health matters;
(i) have reasonable time during paid working hours to exercise their safety and health functions and to receive training related to these functions;
(j) have recourse to specialists to advise on particular safety and health problems.
13. As necessary in regard to the activities of the undertaking and practicable in regard to size, provision should be made for
(a) the availability of an occupational health service and a safety service, within the undertaking, jointly with other undertakings, or under arrangements with an outside body;
(b) recourse to specialists to advise on particular occupational safety or health problems or supervise the application of measures to meet them.
14. Employers should, where the nature of the operations in their undertakings warrants it, be required to set out in writing their policy and arrangements in the field of occupational safety and health, and the various responsibilities exercised under these arrangements, and to bring this information to the notice of every worker, in a language or medium the worker readily understands.
15. (1) Employers should be required to verify the implementation of applicable standards on occupational safety and health regularly, for instance by environmental monitoring, and to undertake systematic safety audits from time to time.
(2) Employers should be required to keep such records relevant to occupational safety and health and the working environment as are considered necessary by the competent authority or authorities; these might include records of all notifiable occupational accidents and injuries to health which arise in the course of or in connection with work, records of authorisation and exemptions under laws or regulations to supervision of the health of workers in the undertaking, and data concerning exposure to specified substances and agents.
16. The arrangements provided for in Article 19 of the Convention should aim at ensuring that workers
(a) take reasonable care for their own safety and that of other persons who may be affected by their acts or omissions at work;
(b) comply with instructions given for their own safety and health and those of others and with safety and health procedures;
(c) use safety devices and protective equipment correctly and do not render them inoperative;
(d) report forthwith to their immediate supervisor any situation which they have reason to believe could present a hazard and which they cannot themselves correct;
(e) report any accident or injury to health which arises in the course of or in connection with work.
17. No measures prejudicial to a worker should be taken by reference to the fact that, in good faith, he complained of what he considered to be a breach of statutory requirements or a serious inadequacy in the measures taken by the employer in respect of occupational safety and health and the working environment. V. Relations to Existing International Labour Conventions and Recommendations
18. This Recommendation does not revise any international labour Recommendation.
19. (1) In the development and application of the policy referred to in Article 4 of the Convention and without prejudice to their obligations under Conventions they have ratified, Members should refer to the international labour Conventions and Recommendations listed in the Appendix.
(2) The Appendix may be modified by the International Labour Conference, by a two-thirds majority, in connection with the future adoption or revision of any Convention or Recommendation in the field of safety and health and the working environment.
Appendix IV. ILO Conventions and Recommendations adopted between 1985 and 1986