Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2016, published 106th ILC session (2017)

Safety and Health in Construction Convention, 1988 (No. 167) - Denmark (Ratification: 1995)

Article 22(1) of the Convention. Structural frames and formwork. Supervision by a competent person. The Committee notes from the information provided by the Government in its report, in reply to its previous request, that section 27 of Executive Order No. 1516 on building and construction (16 December 2010), which provides that the mounting and dismantling of bearing structures must be done under the supervision of a specifically designated person who has received the necessary instructions and training, gives effect to this provision of the Convention.

Article 23(b). Work over water. With reference to its previous comment in which it requested the Government to provide information on the legislative provisions ensuring the rescue of any workers in danger of drowning where work is done over or in close proximity to water, the Committee notes the Government’s indication that, pursuant to section 23(2) of Executive Order No. 559 on the performance of work (17 June 2004), employers must ensure that the necessary measures are taken with regard to first aid, firefighting and evacuation of employees, taking into account the nature of the work. However, the Committee notes that section 23(2) does not expressly provide for measures to be taken with regard to the rescue of workers, as required under Article 23(b). The Committee therefore requests the Government to specify whether, under section 23(2) of Executive Order No. 559, employers have the obligation to provide for measures to ensure the rescue of workers in danger of drowning where work is done over, or in close proximity to water.

Article 35. Effective enforcement of the provisions of the Convention. Application in practice. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that since January 2012 inspections by the Working Environment Authority (WEA) are risk-based, and that all enterprises with two or more full-time employees and approximately half of the companies that have between one and two full-time employees will be inspected before the end of 2019. The WEA also conducts one-day actions which target construction sites in different parts of the country. In this regard, the Committee notes the statistical information provided by the Government, according to which the number of occupational safety and health improvement notices issued to construction enterprises by the WEA increased from 3,728 in 2010 to 6,392 in 2014. The Committee also notes that, while the number of occupational accidents in the construction sector has remained relatively stable between 2010 (4,517) and 2013 (4,698), the number of occupational diseases reported during this period has increased considerably, from 1,942 cases in 2010 to 3,749 cases in 2013. The Committee requests the Government to indicate whether an analysis of the causes of the increase in the number of occupational diseases in the construction industry has been undertaken and to provide information in this respect, as well as on any measures envisaged to address this increase. It also requests the Government to continue providing detailed information on the manner in which inspection services ensure the enforcement of the provisions of the Convention and on the application of the Convention in practice.