Observation (CEACR) - adopted 1999, published 88th ILC session (2000)

Prevention of Accidents (Seafarers) Convention, 1970 (No. 134) - Costa Rica (Ratification: 1979)

In comments which the Committee has been making for several years, the Committee has pointed out that national legislation contains no special provisions on accident prevention for seafarers within the meaning of the Convention. The Committee recalls that it has periodically expressed the hope that the Government would enact occupational health regulations, envisaged under section 283 of the Labour Code, for all seafarers who are employed in any capacity on board a ship, other than a ship of war, and ordinarily engaged in maritime navigation, as provided for under Article 1, paragraph 1, of the Convention. The Committee is therefore bound once again to recall that in 1988 the Government reported to the Office that the regulations in question were being drafted.

Consequently, the Committee urges the Government to adopt shortly the necessary provisions concerning the prevention of occupational accidents for seafarers (Articles 4 and 5 of the Convention), the appointment of suitable persons or the establishment of joint committees (Article 7) and the prevention of occupational accidents programmes (Article 8).

The Committee also notes the Government's statement with regard to the absence of a register in which data and reports issued by the inspection services on seafarers are recorded. Nevertheless, the Committee hopes that the Government will take the necessary steps to collect information on the number of workers covered by the legislation and the number of occupational accidents reported, as required under Part V of the report form.