Chapter IV. Conclusions

A. Instruments on guarding of machinery

648. Convention No. 119 and Recommendation No. 118 deal with one of the most fundamental subjects of the machine age: protecting workers from the dangers caused by the machines with which they work. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution great progress has been made in this area, so that far more attention is now being paid to this subject. But it should not be imagined that the problem has disappeared, even in the most developed and industrialised countries.

649. The first and major conclusion which the Committee of Experts draws from its general survey of this subject, is that many governments have given too little attention to the subject. About one third of the reporting countries appear to have no legislation or other specific measures which would prohibit, or prevent by other equally effective measures, the sale, hire, transfer in any other manner and exhibition of unguarded machinery. More governments appear to have adopted measures prohibiting its use, the other basic provision of the Convention and Recommendation. It may be presumed that many of the governments which did not send reports, also do not have any legislation or other provisions on these subjects.

650. In very many other countries, the measures which have been taken in this field are fragmentary and do not form a coherent system of protection. There are only a few countries where serious attention has been given to developing measures for guarding machinery which include both legislation and the practical measures needed to make the protections effective. A great many countries have indicated that they have incorporated the basic principle in their legislation but have as yet taken no measures to make it effective, or that they have regulated only some of the aspects of this problem.

651. To review some of the particular areas dealt with by these instruments, the Committee has found that the majority of countries apply their legislation on this subject to all power-driven machinery, whether new or second hand, as provided by the Convention. However, the legislation is often imprecise, which may lead to uncertainty. As concerns manually driven machinery, the Committee has found that it is quite rare for national legislation to specify whether it applies to such machinery, again making the coverage of the legislation uncertain. There are also a certain number of cases where there are conflicting provisions on coverage in the national legislation. The Committee recalls that the application of the Convention to manually driven machinery is optional, but that a decision should be taken after consultation with representative organisations of employers and workers.

652. The Committee has also found that very few countries have used the possibility allowed by the Convention of restricting the application of their legislation as regards road, rail and agricultural machinery, but a number of them have adopted special legislation or regulations in this connection.

653. The Convention and Recommendation are applicable to all branches of economic activity, subject to the possibility of exclusions by the ratifying State. The Committee found that in many countries the legislation does apply to all branches of activity, although in a significant number of other countries there were gaps. In some countries the basic legislation applies only to factories and in a number of others, labour legislation does not cover such branches as agriculture and shipping. Only some of these countries have adopted special legislation covering these branches. In this connection, the Committee notes that only one of the 35 countries which have ratified the Convention has availed itself of the possibility of specifying a more limited application upon ratification.

654. The specific measures laid down in the Convention and Recommendation are divided into two basic aspects. The first is measures concerning manufacture, sale, hire, transfer in any other manner and exhibition of machinery and the second is measures to ensure safety in the use of machinery. It may be convenient to think of these two aspects as concerning measures affecting the actual use of machinery, and those affecting all other stages in the machinery's life cycle.

655. The Convention requires the prohibition by national laws or regulations, or prevention by other equally effective measures, of the sale and hire of unprotected machinery. The same measures are required for the transfer in any other manner and exhibition of such machinery, to such extent as the competent authority may determine. The Recommendation adds to these requirements similar ones concerning the design and manufacture of machinery. All of these provisions are subject to some exceptions. These requirements are, of course, rather complex, but if they are undertaken in a thorough way at the national level it will be seen that they constitute a coherent system for preventing dangerous machinery from reaching users.

656. As has been pointed out in the body of the survey, increasing attention is being given to measures which will prevent inadequately guarded machinery from being made available to users, and the present Convention and Recommendation played a significant role in defining and promoting this principle. Its implementation has, however, been a major problem in the full application of the Convention in ratifying countries. The Committee must stress, as it has often done in its comments on the Convention's application, that it is not sufficient to prohibit only the use of unguarded machinery as some governments have suggested, but that it is necessary also to take the other measures laid down in the Convention to provide truly effective protection. The Committee welcomes the fact that, even though practical measures in this respect have not yet been implemented in many countries, the need for them has at least been acknowledged in an increasing number.

657. It is of course vital for the implementation of any national provisions on the guarding of machinery to specify the dangerous machines or parts of machines which require guarding. The Committee has noted with regret in carrying out the present survey that this basic principle is applied far too seldom. In a number of countries, no measures at all appear to have been taken, while in others there is only a general prohibition of the sale, hire, etc. of dangerous machinery without any measures having been taken to define the machinery to which this prohibition applies. Note has been taken with interest of cases in which governments have reported that measures are now being taken, or that there is a continuous review process, to define what machinery and parts are subject to guarding. In this respect, the Committee points out the utility of referring to the list of parts of machinery in Article 2 of Convention No. 119 in order to establish a minimum list for purposes of regulation, and also refers to the different codes of practice which the ILO has established in this respect.

658. The Committee notes with interest that, when such measures have been taken, the dangerous parts listed usually correspond closely to those specified in the Convention. Many of these countries have established an impressive number of special regulations or standards for particular types of machines. A few have also made provision for safeguards against other risks caused by machinery, such as flying particles, electrical pressure, spilling of hot liquids, etc. The fact that the legislation of the majority of countries which have such measures follows the standards outlined in the Convention and Recommendation, indicates the influence which they have had on national legislation and shows that they remain fully valid.

659. The Committee notes that comprehensive legislation on the guarding of machinery covering the pre-use stages in its life cycle exists primarily in countries which manufacture machinery. This legislation most often regulates the sale and hire of machinery. Less common are provisions referring to other means of transfer of machinery and to its exhibition. Only a very small number of countries have provisions regulating the design and manufacture of machinery in respect of its safety.

660. A number of countries have adopted, in line with these instruments, "equally effective measures" other than legislative prohibitions to guarantee that dangerous machinery will not be manufactured or supplied to users. Such measures usually consist of imposing express duties on those concerned to ensure that machinery is safe before it is delivered, and make the breach of this duty a punishable offence. Another useful approach found in a number of countries is to provide for prohibition of the installation of unguarded machinery, along with a procedure for the certification of protective devices and a prohibition on installing devices which have not been certified.

661. The Committee emphasises in this connection that here again, the effectiveness of all such measures depends on a detailed definition of the kinds of machines, or parts of machines, which shall be subject to the measures adopted. There are very few cases in which the definitions and procedures cover all the kinds of dangerous machinery being used in the country, and until this is done the legislation or other "equally effective measures" can have only a limited effect.

662. One common problem is that governments state that, since there is a comprehensive ban in the country on the use of unguarded machinery, there is no need to introduce any legislation concerning its sale, hire, etc. The Committee once again points out that such measures are not sufficient to apply these instruments since they would not prevent putting unguarded machinery into circulation.

663. Another point which should be stressed is that Paragraph 6 of the Recommendation provides for operating instructions for machinery to be based on safe methods of operation. Measures to this effect have been included principally in the legislation of manufacturing countries, but in some countries similar requirements have been adopted for imported machinery. However, while the experience of developed countries suggests that as the complexity of machinery increases, its safe operation will depend even more on the furnishing of safe operating instructions, the Committee must note with regret that in the majority of reporting countries no such requirements exist.

664. The Convention and Recommendation provide that responsibility for providing dangerous machinery with appropriate guards and for complying with the prohibitions imposed in respect of unguarded machinery, shall be shared equally by all those engaged in its production and delivery to the user, without diminishing the responsibility of the employer who uses the machinery. One problem in the reporting countries was that, even where the legislation provides for this responsibility, it relates only to some stages in the furnishing of machinery omitting, for example, the design stage.

665. The Committee notes that a number of countries have not adopted provisions which attribute responsibility clearly for all the acts covered by these instruments, but that there is a tendency to broaden the circle of persons made directly responsible for ensuring safety of machinery and equipment passing through their hands. It is important in this connection not to forget that agents of persons selling, hiring, etc. machinery, as well as of manufacturers, should also be included in the list of persons made responsible, though this is not done consistently.

666. The Committee has noted that transfer between countries can constitute a major problem. It has found with regret that very few measures have been adopted either in exporting or in importing countries in this regard. Yet the international transfer of technology is becoming increasingly important, and it is vital that the transfer of machinery does not also mean the transfer of injuries and occupational accidents. It therefore hopes that the measures observed on the national level will be strengthened, and that they will be applied also to international transfers of machinery, through trade or aid.

667. The second major aspect of the Convention and Recommendation relates to safety in the use of dangerous machinery. The Convention and the Recommendation provide for a prohibition on the use of any machinery if any dangerous part of this machinery, including the point of operation, is without the appropriate guards, unless this would prevent the use of the machinery. In the majority of cases, governments have imposed a requirement that machinery should be appropriately guarded, but have not imposed a prohibition of the use of unguarded machinery. As the Committee has pointed out, it will normally not be sufficient to require guarding of machinery without also prohibiting its use if not properly guarded.

668. As is the case for prohibitions on the sale, hire etc. of unguarded machinery, a number of countries have included a general prohibition on the use of such machinery in their legislation, but have not defined the machinery to which it applies, or have defined only some categories of it. Where measures have been taken, the most common pattern is that a general requirement for the guarding of machinery is included in the legislation, supplemented either in the legislation itself or in regulations or technical standards by more detailed provisions.

669. A limitation often found is that the relevant legislation relates to defined premises, most often to factories. This is beginning to change in some of the countries concerned, as legislation is adopted which applies to any premises where machinery is used. The Committee hopes this trend will be continued in order to provide for the protections contemplated in the Convention and Recommendation.

670. The Committee has pointed out in several instances above that the instruments being examined here are applied in only a partial way. In one respect, however, there seems to be universal agreement: in every country for which information is available, the employer is made responsible for ensuring safety in the use of machinery, including provision of suitable guards. As indicated earlier, the instruments provide for this responsibility to be shared equally with those who design, manufacture and supply machinery, which is not always the case. It may thus be that in many countries employers who use this machinery are bearing a heavier share of the burden than they ought.

671. The workers involved share the employers' obligations in some respects, although of course they also should enjoy certain guarantees. The instruments provide that workers may not use unguarded machinery or make its guards inoperative, but also guarantee that workers should not be compelled to use the machinery where the guards are not in place or are inoperative. Both obligations and guarantees are reflected in full in the legislation of many countries. There are some countries, however, which provide only for the workers' obligations in this respect without incorporating the corresponding guarantees. In far too large a number of countries, however, the provisions of the Convention and Recommendation on workers' obligations and guarantees have still not been included in the legislation.

672. Both the Convention and the Recommendation provide that they shall apply to self-employed workers, if and in so far as the competent authority may determine. Coverage is variable in this respect, with self-employed workers sometimes specifically included and sometimes specifically excluded from legislation. More often still, there is no explicit mention of them. This is yet another aspect of these instruments which would merit attention on the part of governments, and which further shows the need for protective measures at the stages of design, manufacture and transfer of machinery.

673. These instruments provide for various exceptions. The first is for machinery made safe by means other than the provision of guards, for instance through design, construction or placement. A number of countries require explicitly that machinery be so designed, constructed and placed as to remove danger, while a number of others have followed the approach taken in the instruments and exempted such machinery from the coverage of the legislation. Another exception provided for is for maintenance operations and the like. In nearly all the reporting countries having legislation on machinery, there are provisions of more or less detailed character concerning safety measures during maintenance, lubrication, etc., such as that these operations be carried out only by trained personnel and only when the machinery is not in motion.

674. The Committee would call attention to the possibility for temporary exceptions after ratification, in order to allow the national legislation and practice to be brought into conformity with the Convention. Certain such exceptions have been found not always in conformity with these instruments, and attention should be paid that they are not used extensively except as a transitional measure.

675. In conclusion, the Committee recalls that this subject is a very complex one. While it is encouraging to note that there is a general realisation that measures are required to guard workers against the dangers presented by the machines they use, it is also a matter of concern to see how far many countries have yet to go and the difficulty of the task ahead of them. Machinery of one type or another is almost universal in the workplace, whether in a highly technological factory in a developed country or a small workshop far from large cities. Many thousands of workers lose their lives or their eyes or their limbs every year, in many cases because machinery has not been properly designed, guarded or installed.

676. As has been shown above, Convention No. 119 and Recommendation No. 118, although adopted some time ago, retain their full value as a guide for national action in this field. The Committee therefore calls on governments, as well as on employers' and workers' organisations, to examine the position in their own countries. It is not difficult to see where workers should be protected from the machinery they use. It is more difficult to design, adopt and implement a comprehensive system. But it is well worthwhile for the lives and health of the men and women who work with these machines.

B. Instruments on the working environment

677. Whereas the dangers under the instruments on guarding of machinery are mostly of a direct, easily discernible nature, the dangers covered by Convention No. 148 and Recommendation No. 156 are more insidious and harder to define. The same differences appear in the instruments themselves, with more flexibility and less strictly defined measures being required under Convention No. 148 and Recommendation No. 156. Part of this difference arises from the fact that these instruments were adopted a good deal later than those on the protection of machinery, during which time the increase in the number of member States at very different stages of economic development made it necessary to take greater account of their situation in setting standards.

678. The first general conclusion at which the Committee can arrive in relation to these instruments is the same as for the instruments on guarding of machinery: that most governments have not yet paid sufficient attention to the subjects covered by them. Only a few governments have attempted to formulate a cohesive system of protection even against air pollution in the working environment, which is the easiest to regulate of the three risks covered by these instruments. Even fewer have adopted measures concerning noise, and very few indeed have done anything about vibration.

679. The analysis of the reports and other information available shows that, in spite of the considerable flexibility allowed by the Convention, this flexibility has been used very little by ratifying States. When this is added to the numerous exceptions and omissions in national laws, it indicates that, by a closer comparison of national law with the possibilities of flexibility offered, more countries might be able to ratify the Convention. In this connection, the Committee notes that a substantial number of countries are beginning a gradual replacement of their fragmentary laws on the subjects covered by these instruments, by legislation of more general application to the whole of the economy; or are providing for the implementation by stages of legislation which covers a larger segment of the national economy. The Committee welcomes this tendency, and hopes that governments will continue to expand the coverage of their legislation. An analysis of the uses of flexibility in the acceptance of different parts of the Convention has shown that arrangements for the progressive application of the Convention's requirements may prove valuable both for developed and for developing countries, particularly in a time when safety and health legislation is undergoing rapid development.

680. As concerns the practical measures which have been taken in member States concerning air pollution, noise and vibration, there is an extremely wide variation which is closely linked to the level of economic development. In some developed countries health and safety legislation has become a separate and highly developed branch of labour law. On the other hand, there is a considerable number of developing countries with virtually no legislation on the protection of the working environment of the kind provided for by these instruments. In the majority of the developing countries which have adopted some legislation, the existing provisions are limited to laying down basic protective measures against air pollution, such as adequate ventilation of workplaces, but which go no further on this subject and do not deal at all with noise and vibration. Even in some of these countries, however, there is a tendency toward adopting more specific legislation for branches of economic activity which are particularly hazardous, such as mining.

681. The Committee has noted the development in an increasing number of countries of "umbrella" legislation on health and safety in the working environment. This kind of general legislation takes the same fundamental approach as do Convention No. 148 and Recommendation No. 156, and typically has a general scope with a comprehensive approach to all factors in the working environment from the point of view of ensuring workers' safety. It also tends to define employers' responsibility as including the establishment and maintenance of the quality of life in the working environment, requires instituting procedures for employer-worker collaboration on safety and health at different levels, and rationalises administrative arrangements and responsibilities for the enforcement of the legislation.

682. The Committee welcomes this approach to regulation in this area. While it is still a feature of the legislation in only a limited number of countries, the tendency in this direction is encouraging. The Committee therefore urges the majority of Members which have not yet done so to undertake this kind of global approach to the problem.

683. Even where such general legislation has been adopted, it is normally necessary to supplement, regulate and update it at various stages. In many cases, however, this process does not take place on a sufficiently regular or continuous basis to meet the needs of the situation.

684. In the majority of countries, employers have a positive duty to assure the safety and health of employees at work. Wherever this duty has not already been enshrined in the law, this should be done in a way which is sufficiently specific that employers have proper guidance in taking the necessary measures. This will also, of course, assist workers in defining and protecting their own rights.

685. One gap which has been noted in the legislation of many countries concerns the obligation to ensure the collaboration of two or more employers at the same workplace, in respect of safety and health. Convention No. 148 was the first ILO instrument which dealt with this question. Although procedures and responsibilities may be difficult to define, close attention should be paid to this, both because of an increasing tendency for employers to share workplaces, and because when they do so it is often in industries which involve a particularly high level of occupational risk.

686. Mention must be made also of the responsibility of employers towards the protection of the general environment. There have been a number of incidents in recent years where industrial accidents have had disastrous consequences for the general public as well as for the workers directly concerned. The growth of industrial power is making such incidents more frequent, and their potential consequences more serious.

687. It should not be forgotten that risks to the general public in these situations have arisen primarily in cases where exceptionally high occupational risks have escaped from the working environment into the general environment. It is therefore in the working environment that the primary control must be exercised. Since the question of this relationship was first raised in Recommendation No. 156, the importance of the subject has been brought, tragically and repeatedly, to the attention of everyone. It is a dramatic reminder that this branch of labour law does not concern employers and workers alone.

688. Workers also have their responsibilities in the field of safety and health. As the Committee has found, the majority of countries have laid down a basic obligation for them to respect safety and health measures, and the definition of these responsibilities is developing. This should be a subject in the future of intensive re-examination by workers' and employers' organisations as well as by governments, in order to achieve a more comprehensive and more balanced sharing of responsibilities among all the parties concerned.

689. Perhaps the most fundamental requirement of Convention No. 148 is that criteria and exposure limits be set at the national level for exposure to hazards in the working environment due to air pollution, noise and vibration. National measures in this connection are examined at length in the survey, and the explanations given there should be of assistance to governments in assessing how to set such limits when they have not yet done so. Without reviewing this in great detail in these conclusions, the Committee notes that a large number of governments have taken measures, of greater or lesser scope, to set these criteria for air pollution. Far fewer have done so for noise, and a very limited number for vibration. More attention has been paid to air pollution at the international level as well, and both national and international standards now exist for most air pollutants and most working situations. There is thus very little reason why any government should not be able to adopt criteria based on one or more of these models, whether or not these can yet be implemented in detail.

690. In this connection, the Committee would stress the value of a gradual approach to these matters when a government is unable to take immediate comprehensive measures. It is often valuable, for instance, to adopt criteria or exposure limits to be adhered to on a voluntary basis, as an interim or experimental measure. This can lead to the gradual imposition of binding standards when experience shows whether the measures first taken were appropriate. Measures can also be taken concerning a few pollutants at first, which can gradually be expanded to others as regulatory experience and administrative capacity grows.

691. This gradual and progressive approach can be closely based on the various national and international standards which exist concerning air pollution, and to a lesser degree concerning noise and vibration. As shown in the survey, for air pollution there are some basic approaches taken by leading countries in this field, which can serve as a basic source for any country which wishes to take measures. These are often based on, or are supplemented by, various guide-lines and codes of practice adopted at the international level by the ILO or by other international organisations and regional groupings.

692. While the criteria to be applied for air pollution are by far the best developed at both the national and international levels, there is also substantial guidance available concerning both noise and vibration. The relative lack of attention given to these problems at the national level is something which should be corrected at the earliest possible time, adopting in this case as well the gradual and progressive approach to which reference has been made above.

693. Once the basic criteria have been established against which dangers from air pollution, noise and vibration are to be measured, it is of course necessary to apply them by the various measures laid down in these instruments. The development of procedures to prevent, to monitor and to report these dangers are thus of even greater importance than in most other areas of protection of the safety and health of workers, and indeed were the first subjects ever regulated by an international Convention on labour matters, even before the existence of the ILO. As pointed out above, such measures are required already in a number of ILO Conventions, and measures taken under them for the prohibition or regulation of the use of substances or processes are of the same kind as those provided for in these instruments. These administrative measures can thus be linked together to form a coherent system of protection against dangers posed by air pollution, noise and vibration in the working environment. Here too, of course, such procedures are better developed for air pollution than for the other two dangers, but in many cases such measures are lacking even for air pollution.

694. Administrative measures must of course be used only to supplement technical measures which eliminate exposure to these hazards or reduce it as far as possible. These technical measures are indispensable to any attempt to protect workers from these dangers. The Committee recalls that the kinds of measures laid down in the guarding of machinery instruments are relevant also to the instruments on the working environment, in that they invoke the responsibility not only of the employers and workers directly involved at the workplace but also of the designers, manufacturers and distributors of machinery and equipment which may be dangerous in ways which include air pollution, noise and vibration.

695. The Committee has noted in surveying the information available that there is not a single country in which some kinds of technical measures are not laid down in the safety and health legislation to keep the working environment free from occupational hazards. As for other areas covered by this survey, however, the extent to which such measures have been adopted is so varied that only the most general conclusions can be drawn. The same applies to organisational measures, such as limiting exposure times and limiting access to potentially hazardous premises, as well as to the provision of personal protective equipment. In general, the requirements laid down in national legislation do not meet the requirements of the instruments in a way which might be said to provide a comprehensive system of protection for workers.

696. It should be easier to provide for some measures of protection through supervision of the health of workers through medical examinations and the establishment of a system of medical records. The Committee calls attention in this respect to the Occupational Health Services Convention (No. 161) and Recommendation (No. 171), 1985, which provide even more comprehensively than do the present instruments for protection in this regard. Medical supervision can be either very sophisticated and of general application, as in some countries, or more specific and limited as in others. It should not, however, prove impossible for most countries to provide for at least minimal supervision in cases of the highest risk operations, pending the time when regular and more comprehensive supervision can be introduced. Similar measures can be taken at various levels for the keeping of medical records, as laid down in these instruments.

C. Measures in common

697. The role of employers' and workers' organisations is always important in implementing the provisions of international labour Conventions and Recommendations, but rarely does it have as much day-to-day impact as in questions relating to safety and health. Employers and workers are uniquely situated to be able to give concrete advice on the measures which should be taken to provide protection in the workplace. A substantial number of countries have established general tripartite bodies with either general or special responsibility for safety and health, or which otherwise provide for these consultations. In the socialist countries, workers' organisations have a particularly important role in this field, including the right to initiate and supervise the application of legislation and other measures, and such arrangements are also provided for in other countries.

698. The information and instruction of workers in safe working methods, and an objective knowledge of the hazards with which they are faced, are essential factors in the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases. Responsibilities in this area fall both on employers and on workers, and a large number of governments have taken various kinds of measures to provide for this instruction. The kinds of measures provided for are often inconsistent between different countries and even within countries, however, and this clearly merits further attention at the national level.

699. As concerns measures of supervision and application, the Committee emphasises once again the need for governments to review the adequacy of the penalties laid down in the legislation; and particularly where progress in the implementation of effective enforcement is slow, to consider increasing the penalties to a sufficiently high level to discourage offences. As the Committee has stated on more than one occasion, fines should not be merely nominal, and imprisonment should be provided for more serious offences. It also should be remembered that what is being enforced relates to the life and health of workers.

700. Finally, the Committee cannot leave this subject without mentioning the question of labour inspection. Inspection is necessary to the enforcement of all labour legislation, but in the safety and health field particularly it is necessary to provide for regular supervision, adequate to cover the number of undertakings concerned at appropriate intervals, and above all by properly trained inspectors with adequate powers. The Committee has stressed this many times in the past, and no doubt will do so many times in the future.

D. General

701. In addition to these conclusions which focus on specific provisions of the Conventions and Recommendations being examined here, the Committee would put forward some general remarks. As indicated above, this is the first time it has carried out a general survey in the field of safety and health for many years, and thus some of its conclusions may seem of a rather general nature in relation to the coverage of the instruments being dealt with here. These instruments are, however, themselves of a wide scope and touch upon some of the most fundamental concerns in this field.

702. The first of the Committee's concerns is, as is often the case, the lack of information available from many countries on the measures which they have, or have not, taken to give effect to the instruments on the guarding of machinery and on the working environment. It is very difficult for the Committee to perform the task assigned to it in the absence of adequate information, and this diminishes the value of the surveys it carries out. Nor should there be any reluctance by governments to submit information on their national situations in connection with these surveys, as their purpose is merely to assess where problems lie.

703. The problems which the Committee has found in relation to these instruments, whether on the guarding of machinery or on the protection of the working environment, are almost entirely due to a lack of consistent and coherent measures having been taken. It is extremely rare to find anything which has been done which is contrary to the spirit of protection which is at the basis of these instruments; it is at least as rare, however, to find that a government has paid the necessary attention to regulating these questions.

704. This lack of action is due to a lack of technical knowledge in many countries, as the subjects covered by these instruments are sometimes complex. This can, however, be overcome with the assistance which is available from the ILO itself or from other countries.

705. This lack of will to do something about these problems is often a more serious obstacle to action than a lack of expertise, as even where the technical knowledge is available the enactment of comprehensive measures will necessarily occupy a good deal of the time of national legislatures and other policy-making bodies. It is nevertheless vital that national governments consecrate the time and resources necessary, as soon as possible if they have not already done so, to adopting a comprehensive and progressive plan of national action on the protection of the safety and health of workers. This is one of those areas which is rarely in the headlines, and which will excite little attention until there is a major disaster. Indeed, most of the disasters in this field are small human ones, rather than the more dramatic situations which capture the imagination of the public. The loss of an eye or a limb to an unguarded machine, the contracting of silicosis from working in polluted air, a loss of hearing from working close to a source of great noise -- all these happen to individuals, gradually or suddenly, outside the public eye.

706. If purely practical justifications are needed in addition to the human costs of inadequate occupational safety, literally incalculable amounts are spent in lost training provided to workers who are injured or fall ill, in medical and disability payments, and in lost working time. Any measures which can be taken to reduce the enormous number of occupational accidents and illnesses will reduce this burden on the countries in which they take place.

707. The Committee therefore urges every Member to examine its own position in relation to the instruments on the guarding of machinery and on the protection of the working environment. Where it is not possible to adopt immediately the full range of measures which would give effect to these instruments, it is certainly possible to begin to adopt some of them. Their implementation can be gradual, and it can begin with voluntary standards and move to standards which are legally enforceable. Tripartite committees can be convened on these questions, to make recommendations as to how to proceed. For countries which have adopted a number of measures in different fields, this may be the time to begin to unify them into a system covering all measures of safety and health and their supervision. Finally, for those countries which have taken comprehensive measures, the Committee hopes that they will make their experience available to others in order to improve the situation of such workers all around the world.

Cross references
Constitution: Article 19
Constitution: Article 22
Constitution: Article 35