Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2010, published 100th ILC session (2011)

Occupational Health Services Convention, 1985 (No. 161) - Colombia (Ratification: 2001)

The Committee refers the Government to its observation and asks it to provide information on the following matters.

Article 2 of the Convention. Measures taken for periodic review of a coherent national policy on occupational health services. The Committee notes that, according to the Government, the national occupational health policy is defined and updated every four years by means of an occupational health plan, and that the current plan covers the period 2008–12. The Committee points out that the national policy referred to in this Convention is the national policy on occupational health services as defined in Article 1 of the Convention, namely, services entrusted with essentially preventive functions and responsible for advising the employer, the workers and their representatives on the requirements for establishing and maintaining a safe and healthy working environment and the adaptation of work to the capabilities of workers. The Committee requests the Government to provide further information on the content of its national health services policy and to state whether the policy was formulated and implemented and has been reviewed in consultation with the social partners.

Article 3(1). Progressive development of health services for all workers. The Committee takes note of the information supplied by the Government but points out that it does not include the requisite information on occupational health services. The Committee requests the Government to provide detailed information on the application of this Article as regards the health services.

Article 5. Functions of the occupational health services. The Committee notes that, according to the Government, Resolution No. 1016 of 1989 regulates the occupational health programmes that employers must develop, and that the subprogrammes on preventive medicine and occupational medicine refer to some of the aspects covered by this Article of the Convention. The Committee notes, however, that in the information provided, the Government refers to a programme without specifying the services that perform the functions laid down in this Article. The Committee asks the Government to indicate clearly which services in Colombia perform the functions specified in Article 5, and to provide detailed information on the manner in which effect is given in law and in practice to each item of this Article.

Noting that the Government has continued to provide information on health programmes and plans without making specific reference in its replies to occupational services, it again requests the Government to provide the information required by Articles 9(1), 10–12 and 14 of the Convention taking into account the definition of occupational health services set out in Article 1 of this Convention.