Codes of Practice
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SafeWork

  1. Guidelines on occupational safety and health management systems (ILO-OSH 2001)

    These Guidelines present practical tools and call for coherent policies to protect workers from occupational hazards and risks while improving productivity.

  2. Technical and ethical guidelines for workers' health surveillance (OSH 72)

    These guidelines provide assistance for workers' health surveillance schemes that facilitate preventive action for a healthy and safe working environment.

Codes of Practice

ILO Codes of Practice set out practical guidelines for public authorities, employers, workers, enterprises, and specialized occupational safety and health protection bodies (such as enterprise safety committees). They are not legally binding instruments and are not intended to replace the provisions of national laws or regulations, or accepted standards. Codes of Practice provide guidance on safety and health at work in certain economic sectors (e.g. construction, opencast mines, coal mines, iron and steel industries, non-ferrous metals industries, agriculture, shipbuilding and ship repairing, forestry), on protecting workers against certain hazards (e.g. radiation, lasers, visual display units, chemicals, asbestos, airborne substances), and on certain safety and health measures (e.g. occupational safety and health management systems; ethical guidelines for workers' health surveillance; recording and notification of occupational accidents and diseases; protection of workers' personal data; safety, health and working conditions in the transfer of technology to developing countries).

  1. Safety and health in the iron and steel industry

    09 February 2005

    This new code, which reflects the many changes in the industry, its workforce, the roles of the competent authorities, employers, workers and their organizations, and on the development of new ILO instruments on occupational safety and health, focuses on the production of iron and steel and basic iron and steel products, such as rolled and coated steel, including from recycled material. It does not deal with the mining of raw materials for iron and steel production nor does it deal with the fabrication of commercial steel products. The original code of practice on safety and health in the iron and steel industry was adopted in 1981.

  2. Safety and health in shipbreaking: Guidelines for Asian countries and Turkey

    01 March 2004

    These guidelines are the first of their kind to provide assistance to ensure safe work in shipbreaking within the framework of the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda. In so doing they provide advice on the transformation of a mainly informal economy activity into a more formal organized one.

  3. Managing disability in the workplace

    01 January 2002

  4. Safety and health in the non-ferrous metals industries

    04 September 2001

    This code of practice provides practical guidelines for ensuring that the safety and health of all those involved in non-ferrous metals production, in large and small enterprises, are afforded the highest priority.

  5. HIV/AIDS and the world of work

    01 January 2001

  6. Ambient factors in the workplace

    01 January 2001

  7. Safety and health in forestry work

    01 January 1998

    The objective of this code is to protect workers from occupational safety and health hazards in forestry work and to prevent or reduce the incidence of illness or injury by providing practical guidelines.

  8. Protection of workers’ personal data

    01 January 1997

  9. Recording and notification of occupational accidents and diseases

    01 January 1996

  10. Management of alcohol- and drug-related issues in the workplace

    01 January 1996

  11. Accident prevention on board ship at sea and in port

    01 January 1996

  12. Safety and health in construction

    01 January 1992

    The objective of this code is to provide practical guidance on a legal, administrative, technical and educational framework for safety and health in the construction sector.

  13. Prevention of major industrial accidents

    01 January 1991

    The objective of this code of practice is to provide guidance in the setting up of an administrative, legal and technical system for the control of major hazard installations. It seeks to protect workers, the public and the environment by: preventing major accidents from occurring at these installations; minimising the consequences of a major accident on site and off site, for example by: arranging appropriate separation between major hazard installations and housing and other centres of population nearby such as hospitals, schools and shops; and appropriate emergency planning.

  14. Safety and health in opencast mines

    01 January 1991

    This code applies to any situation or operation involving occupational safety and health aspects in opencast mines, and calls for attention to be paid to them by the competent authorities with responsibility for safety and health and working conditions with regard to opencast mining.

  15. Safety, health and working conditions in the transfer of technology to developing countries

    01 January 1988

  16. Safety and Health in Coal Mines

    01 January 1986

  17. Safety in the use of asbestos

    01 January 1984

  18. Safety and health in the construction of fixed offshore installations in the petroleum industry

    01 January 1982

  19. Occupational exposure to airborne substances harmful to health

    01 January 1980

  20. Guide to health and hygiene in agricultural work

    01 January 1979

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