Spain regulates the safety and health in domestic work in accordance with ILO Convention 189
Royal Decree 893/2024, which regulates the protection of safety and health in the field of domestic service within the family household, develops and implements Articles 5 and 13 of ILO Convention 189, which came into force in Spain on February 29, 2024.
12 September 2024
MADRID (ILO News) - The Government of Spain, after consultation with social partners, has approved the Royal Decree regulating and developing the right of domestic workers in family households to receive information, training, and participation in matters of occupational safety and health, the monitoring of their health status, and, where applicable, the cessation of activity in the event of serious and imminent danger.
It also establishes the obligation of employers to conduct the necessary risk assessments, adopt appropriate preventive measures, and provide suitable work equipment and personal protective equipment (PPE).
All of the above, according to the preamble of the regulation, is done in implementation of Article 13 of ILO Convention 189. Additionally, in line with the content of Article 5 of the aforementioned ILO Convention, the Royal Decree establishes the right to protection against violence and harassment, including violence, sexual harassment, and harassment on grounds of race or ethnicity, nationality, gender, identity or sexual orientation, or gender expression. The regulation tasks the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (INSST) with developing a protocol to address such situations. It is also important to recall that Spain ratified ILO Convention 190 on violence and harassment in 2022.
Spain ratified ILO Convention 189 on February 28, 2023, and it came into force the following year. To fulfill the international commitments acquired by this ratification, Spain anticipated its implementation by approving Royal Decree-Law 16/2022 of September 6, aimed at improving working conditions and Social Security for domestic workers.
With the approval of Royal Decree 893/2024, the Government and Spain’s social partners also advance their shared commitment established in the Spanish Occupational Safety and Health Strategy 2023-2027, which included actions in line with ILO Convention 189 to enhance the protection of domestic workers.