Mineral dusts and prevention of silicosis, vol 4;2:42-43, September 1997Country News
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Nepal
Development activities in the areas of occupational safety and health in Nepal
The Government of Nepal is committed to enhancing working conditions at workplaces and to improving the occupational safety and health of the workers in Nepal.
The Labour Act of 1992 provides basic requirements for OSH to be implemented in industrial establishments. A number of regulations and technical standards are expected to be issued in order to specify measures to be taken. The labour law is enforced by the labour officers, and factory inspectors are the main officers responsible for implementation of the OSH provisions of the law.
The Ministry of Labour has therefore secured a modest budget for monitoring equipment. This is an initial step in establishment of the national OSH Centre. In 1996, the National Occupational Safety and Health Project was set up, and its activities were started. The project will play a key role in promoting OSH in Nepal.
The main objective and activities of the National OSH Project are as follows:
Objective To compile data on OSH in Nepal, including measurement of the levels of noise, lighting, dust and chemicals in industrial establishments, with a view to developing national standards.
Activities
1. Procuring basic equipment, including those for the measurement of noise, lighting, dust, toxic substances in the air and thermal conditions at workplaces, as well as equipment so that a laboratory can be established.
2. Developing standard formats or checklists for conducting surveys on toxic substances in the air, noise, lighting, dust, chemicals and the working environment at industrial worksites.
3. Collecting relevant standards and information on practices followed in other countries.
4. Analysing the data compiled as a result of the national survey and setting national standards, taking full account of the feasibility of implementation in the national context.
5. Conducting awareness campaigns by organising seminars and workshops for the managers and workers from selected industrial fields.
6. Developing OSH information sheets dealing with practical preventive measures.
In 1994, HMG/Department of Labour submitted a draft project document for the establishment of a National OSH Centre in Nepal to the ILO Office in Kathmandu.
In this connection, Mr. S. Machida, Occupational Safety and Health Technical Specialist,ILO East Asia Multidisciplinary Advisory Team (EASMAT) recently agreed to provide a consultant, occupational safety and health centre development in Nepal, with the following terms of reference.
The consultant will:
1. Analyse the needs of industries for advisory services and training on OSH in Nepal, using the available data/documents, which include the Programme of Action and SPROUT on OSH Centre, and through visits to industries and local inspection offices as well as employers' and workers' organisations .
2. Analyse the potential capacity/commitment of the Department of Labour and its inspectorate in providing advisory and training services through establishment of the OSH Centre in the short and medium term.
3. Develop a list of feasible and practical measures to be carried out by the OSH Centre in consultation with senior officials of the Department of Labour and the Ministry of Labour under two scenarios: (a) within the budget of the Government; and (b) with international support.
4. Provide practical advice on the design and implementation of field surveys, given the staffing and equipment resources currently available.
5. Advise on the types of equipment to be installed in the OSH Centre, and the order of priorities.
6. Prepare a report summarising findings and recommendations, including those listed above.
Fiji
Fiji has recently promulgated a new Health and Safety at Work Act. This Act applies to all workplaces in Fiji including its territorial waters, land and airspace except for those workplaces or operations covered by the Mining Act, Quarries Act, Explosives Act, and Petroleum (Exploration and Exploitation) Act.
The Act establishes objectives, obligations and functions, sets out the roles and duties of employers, workers, suppliers and inspectors, and provides methods for the development of regulations, standards and codes of practice, including the progressive replacement of existing health and safety legislation over a period of five years.
The Ministry will also be involved in the development of regulations and codes and in providing assistance to the newly established National Advisory Board, which will have a crucial tripartite role to play in the development of a coherent national approach to occupational health and safety, in place of the previous fragmented administration. To date, the following regulations have been drafted and submitted to the Occupational Health and Safety Board for consideration: Committees and Representatives Regulations; Forms and Procedures, Workplace Conditions, Training, and Commercial and Leisure Diving.
China, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region
New ordinance to safeguard safety and health of all employees
A new piece of legislation, the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance, aimed at protecting the safety and health at work of all employees, was recently introduced in Hong Kong. Before this Ordinance was passed, safety protection requirements were stipulated mainly in the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance and its 27 sets of regulations. The latter law only covers the industrial sector, which employs about 800,000 workers. The Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance, which became operative on 23 May this year, extends this coverage to all workplaces, and the term "workplace" has a very wide meaning in the law. In practice, all places where employees work will be covered. In other words, in addition to factories, construction sites and catering establishments, such other places as offices, laboratories, shopping arcades and educational institutions will come within the ambit of the new law. It is estimated that an additional 1.8. million workers will be covered.
Under the Ordinance, employers and occupiers of premises have the general duty to ensure the safety and health of all their employees at work as well as those working in their premises.
On the other hand, employees also have a responsibility to take care of themselves and others whilst at work, and to co-operate with their employers and the occupiers of the premises as far as measures taken to ensure safety and health at work are concerned.
Other main provisions in the Ordinance concern: the power of the Commissioner for Labour to issue improvement notices and suspension notices; the responsibility of employers and occupiers of premises to report accidents and dangerous incidents; the obligation of medical practitioners to report occupational diseases; the powers of occurrences; the powers of occupational safety and health officers; and penalties for breaching the Ordinance.
The ordinance is basically an enabling ordinance: It sets out requirements in general terms. There will be five subsidiary regulations to be made under the Ordinance. These include the general conditions pertaining to occupational safety and health at a workplace, as well as to manual handling operations, display screen equipment, dangerous substances, the safe use of machinery and equipment and personal protective equipment. These regulations will be introduced in stages.
Pakistan
Dr. Nabil T. Watfa, Head of the ILO's Occupational Hygiene Section in Geneva, visited Pakistan in April 1997. He held discussions on bilateral occupational safety and health matters with the Directorate of Labour Sind's Occupational Safety and Health Centre, the Inspectorate of Mines, and with the Social Security Institution as well as with representatives of trade unions and the Employers' Federation of Pakistan. Dr. Watfa stressed the need for further cooperation between the ILO and government.
The Occupational Safety and Health Centre has conducted a training programme on occupational safety and health that dealt with chemical safety and use of PPEs.
The Centre for the Improvement of Working Conditions and Environment in Lahore, Punjab has started to publish a bimonthly newsletter, called "Safety Health & Environment", which contains information relating to occupational safety and health, in both English and Urdu, the national language. Further, the Centre has continued the occupational safety and health publicity campaign begun in 1996 by distributing literature and by providing on-site safety talks.
The Centre for the Improvement of Working Conditions and Environment has recently launched a case study designed to assess the risks posed by the use of chemicals. The preliminary study report will be available by August 1997.