R197 - Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Recommendation, 2006 (No. 197)

I. NATIONAL POLICY

1. 1. The national policy formulated under Article 3 of the Convention should take into account Part II of the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155), as well as the relevant rights, duties and responsibilities of workers, employers and governments in that Convention.

II. NATIONAL SYSTEM

1. 2. In establishing, maintaining, progressively developing and periodically reviewing the national system for occupational safety and health defined in Article 1(b) of the Convention, Members:
   • (a) should take into account the instruments of the International Labour Organization (ILO) relevant to the promotional framework for occupational safety and health listed in the Annex to this Recommendation, in particular the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155), the Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (No. 81) and the Labour Inspection (Agriculture) Convention, 1969 (No. 129); and
   • (b) may extend the consultations provided for in Article 4(1) of the Convention to other interested parties.
2. 3. With a view to preventing occupational injuries, diseases and deaths, the national system should provide appropriate measures for the protection of all workers, in particular, workers in high-risk sectors, and vulnerable workers such as those in the informal economy and migrant and young workers.
3. 4. Members should take measures to protect the safety and health of workers of both genders, including the protection of their reproductive health.
4. 5. In promoting a national preventative safety and health culture as defined in Article 1(d) of the Convention, Members should seek:
   • (a) to raise workplace and public awareness on occupational safety and health through national campaigns linked with, where appropriate, workplace and international initiatives;
   • (b) to promote mechanisms for delivery of occupational safety and health education and training, in particular for management, supervisors, workers and their representatives and government officials responsible for safety and health;
   • (c) to introduce occupational safety and health concepts and, where appropriate, competencies, in educational and vocational training programmes;
   • (d) to facilitate the exchange of occupational safety and health statistics and data among relevant authorities, employers, workers and their representatives;
   • (e) to provide information and advice to employers and workers and their respective organizations and to promote or facilitate cooperation among them with a view to eliminating or minimizing, so far as is reasonably practicable, work-related hazards and risks;
   • (f) to promote, at the level of the workplace, the establishment of safety and health policies and joint safety and health committees and the designation of workers' occupational safety and health representatives, in accordance with national law and practice; and
   • (g) to address the constraints of micro-enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises and contractors in the implementation of occupational safety and health policies and regulations, in accordance with national law and practice.
5. 6. Members should promote a management systems approach to occupational safety and health, such as the approach set out in the Guidelines on occupational safety and health management systems (ILO-OSH 2001).

III. NATIONAL PROGRAMME

1. 7. The national programme on occupational safety and health as defined in Article 1(c) of the Convention should be based on principles of assessment and management of hazards and risks, in particular at the workplace level.
2. 8. The national programme should identify priorities for action, which should be periodically reviewed and updated.
3. 9. In formulating and reviewing the national programme, Members may extend the consultations provided for in Article 5(1) of the Convention to other interested parties.
4. 10. With a view to giving effect to the provisions of Article 5 of the Convention, the national programme should actively promote workplace prevention measures and activities that include the participation of employers, workers and their representatives.
5. 11. The national programme on occupational safety and health should be coordinated, where appropriate, with other national programmes and plans, such as those relating to public health and economic development.
6. 12. In formulating and reviewing the national programme, Members should take into account the instruments of the ILO relevant to the promotional framework for occupational safety and health, listed in the Annex to this Recommendation, without prejudice to their obligations under Conventions that they have ratified.

IV. NATIONAL PROFILE

1. 13. Members should prepare and regularly update a national profile which summarizes the existing situation on occupational safety and health and the progress made towards achieving a safe and healthy working environment. The profile should be used as a basis for formulating and reviewing the national programme.
2. 14. (1) The national profile on occupational safety and health should include information on the following elements, as applicable:
   • (a) laws and regulations, collective agreements where appropriate, and any other relevant instruments on occupational safety and health;
   • (b) the authority or body, or the authorities or bodies, responsible for occupational safety and health, designated in accordance with national law and practice;
   • (c) the mechanisms for ensuring compliance with national laws and regulations, including the systems of inspection;
   • (d) the arrangements to promote, at the level of the undertaking, cooperation between management, workers and their representatives as an essential element of workplace-related prevention measures;
   • (e) the national tripartite advisory body, or bodies, addressing occupational safety and health issues;
   • (f) the information and advisory services on occupational safety and health;
   • (g) the provision of occupational safety and health training;
   • (h) the occupational health services in accordance with national law and practice;
   • (i) research on occupational safety and health;
   • (j) the mechanism for the collection and analysis of data on occupational injuries and diseases and their causes, taking into account relevant ILO instruments;
   • (k) the provisions for collaboration with relevant insurance or social security schemes covering occupational injuries and diseases; and
   • (l) the support mechanisms for a progressive improvement of occupational safety and health conditions in micro-enterprises, in small and medium-sized enterprises and in the informal economy.
   • (2) In addition, the national profile on occupational safety and health should include information on the following elements, where appropriate:

• (a) coordination and collaboration mechanisms at national and enterprise levels, including national programme review mechanisms;
• (b) technical standards, codes of practice and guidelines on occupational safety and health;
• (c) educational and awareness-raising arrangements, including promotional initiatives;
• (d) specialized technical, medical and scientific institutions with linkages to various aspects of occupational safety and health, including research institutes and laboratories concerned with occupational safety and health;
• (e) personnel engaged in the area of occupational safety and health, such as inspectors, safety and health officers, and occupational physicians and hygienists;
• (f) occupational injury and disease statistics;
• (g) occupational safety and health policies and programmes of organizations of employers and workers;
• (h) regular or ongoing activities related to occupational safety and health, including international collaboration;
• (i) financial and budgetary resources with regard to occupational safety and health; and
• (j) data addressing demography, literacy, economy and employment, as available, as well as any other relevant information.

V. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AND EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION

1. 15. The International Labour Organization should:
   • (a) facilitate international technical cooperation on occupational safety and health with a view to assisting countries, particularly developing countries, for the following purposes:
     • (i) to strengthen their capacity for the establishment and maintenance of a national preventative safety and health culture;
     • (ii) to promote a management systems approach to occupational safety and health; and
     • (iii) to promote the ratification, in the case of Conventions, and implementation of instruments of the ILO relevant to the promotional framework for occupational safety and health, listed in the Annex to this Recommendation;
   • (b) facilitate the exchange of information on national policies within the meaning of Article 1(a) of the Convention, on national systems and programmes on occupational safety and health, including on good practices and innovative approaches, and on the identification of new and emerging hazards and risks in the workplace; and
   • (c) provide information on progress made towards achieving a safe and healthy working environment.

VI. UPDATING OF THE ANNEX

1. 16. The Annex to this Recommendation should be reviewed and updated by the Governing Body of the International Labour Office. Any revised annex so established shall be adopted by the Governing Body and shall replace the preceding annex after having been communicated to the Members of the International Labour Organization.