Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2011, published 101st ILC session (2012)

Labour Inspection (Agriculture) Convention, 1969 (No. 129) - Finland (Ratification: 1974)

The Committee notes the Government’s report received at the Office on 6 October 2010. Also referring to its comments on the application of the Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (No. 81), the Committee wishes to draw the Government’s attention to the following points.

Articles 3, 7, 9 and 14 of the Convention. Labour inspection system in agriculture. The Government indicates that, since early 2010, the duties of the former health and safety inspectorate are performed by regional administrative agencies and that each region has two specialist inspectors specifically for agriculture but should the latter retire, the open position will not be sector specific. The Committee requests the Government to indicate the measures taken or contemplated to ensure an effective system of labour inspection in agriculture, including through adequate training of sufficient numbers of inspectors in agriculture-related matters.

Article 19. Notification to the labour inspectorate in agriculture of occupational accidents and cases of occupational disease. The Government indicates that, according to the Institute of Occupational Health, the most typical occupational disease for berry-pickers is paralysis of the nerves in the tibia and that no case has been reported between 2005–07, despite the fact that an average of six cases per year were reported between 1995 and 2002. It indicates that it is difficult to conclude whether this trend is the result of the effectiveness of health and safety measures or deficiencies in the reporting system or other factors. The Committee requests the Government to supply information on the measures taken or contemplated to improve the system for notifying and recording occupational accidents and cases of occupational disease of berry-pickers with a view to ensuring systematic notification and investigation of these cases. The Committee draws the attention of the Government to the code of practice on the recording and notification of occupational diseases, which is available on the ILO website at: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_protect/---protrav/---safework/documents/normativeinstrument/wcms_107800.pdf.

Articles 25, 26 and 27. Reporting obligations regarding inspection activities. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that the annual report contains general information on activities undertaken in agriculture and that the database of the occupational safety and health administration is being reorganized with a view to obtaining sufficiently diversified statistical information as of 2013–14. The Committee requests the Government to supply detailed statistics on the work of the labour inspectorate in agriculture presented in a separate part of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s annual report further to the reorganization of the database of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.