Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1992, published 79th ILC session (1992)

The Committee notes the information supplied by the Government in reply to its previous direct request.

Article 1, paragraphs 1 and 3, of the Convention. The Committee notes with interest the Government's indication that the competent service for occupational safety and health has requested the relevant international bodies to provide the most recent information concerning occupational cancer and carcinogenic substances with a view towards including these in the list contained in Instruction No. 2 of 1984 concerning protection from carcinogenic substances. In this regard, the Committee would also draw the Government's attention once again to the Asbestos Convention, 1986 (No. 162), which calls for the prohibition of the use of crocidolite and spraying of all types of asbestos. It requests the Government to continue supplying information on any progress made in updating the list of carcinogenic substances, the use of which is prohibited or made subject to authorisation or control.

Article 3. In its comments for a number of years now, the Committee has requested the Government to provide information on the measures taken to establish an appropriate system of records in respect of workers exposed to carcinogenic substances. The Government has still supplied no information in this regard. The Committee would refer the Government to Chapter 8 of the ILO: Occupational Health Series, No. 39 on Occupational Cancer: Prevention and Control (Second (revised) edition), 1988 which provides useful information concerning the establishment of registers. It notes, in particular, that such registers are intended to record "the names of exposed persons, the results of technical monitoring, special medical examinations and laboratory tests performed" on workers exposed to carcinogenic substances so that "the competent authority and selected scientific workers (may) keep a close watch on the magnitude of the problem of occupational cancer in the country, the level of risk involved in the various types of exposure, the dose-response relationship and the effectiveness of preventive action". The Committee, therefore, requests the Government to indicate the measures taken or envisaged to ensure the establishment of an appropriate system of records, in accordance with Article 3 of the Convention.

Article 5. The Committee notes the information provided in the Government's report that section 5, paragraph 22, of Instructions No. 22 of 1987 provide that the worker shall undergo a medical examination before employment and shall benefit from periodic and special examinations according to instructions established by the doctor or the medical service of the establishment. The Committee would recall, however, that this Article of the Convention provides that workers shall be provided with medical examinations or biological or other tests or investigations, not only during the period of employment, but also after the period of employment as is necessary to evaluate their exposure and supervise their state of health in relation to the occupational hazards to which they were exposed. The Committee hopes that the Government will take the necessary measures to ensure that workers who have been exposed to carcinogenic substances benefit from medical examinations or other tests even after their period of employment as is necessary to evaluate their exposure and supervise their state of health in relation to occupational hazards.

Point IV of the report form. For a number of years, the Committee has requested the Government to provide the information requested under point IV of the report form concerning the practical application of the Convention, and in particular, to provide relevant extracts from inspection reports and any statistics available on the number of workers covered by the legislation or other measures giving effect to the Convention, the number and nature of contraventions reported, the number, nature and cause of cases of disease, etc.