Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1988, published 75th ILC session (1988)

Prevention of Accidents (Seafarers) Convention, 1970 (No. 134) - Mexico (Ratification: 1974)

Articles 2 and 3 of the Convention. The Committee takes note of the information supplied by the Government in its report, in reply to its previous comments, and of the appended documentation including the statistics and investigation forms concerning occupational accidents.

The Committee notes the Government's statements concerning the practical difficulties which it encounters in gathering statistical data that would enable it to conduct investigation and research with a view to preventing occupational accidents in general and accidents to seafarers in particular. It also notes the efforts undertaken in this area and, in particular, the fact that the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (of tripartite membership) plans to propose certain modifications to Instruction No. 21 (concerning the prescriptions and characteristics of reports on occupational risks with a view to including them in the statistics), to provide for the obligation for enterprises to report occupational accidents; these modifications will also cover maritime enterprises. Furthermore, the Committee takes note of the instructions issued by the Ministry of Labour, pursuant to the Law on statistical and geographical information, to implement a programme of periodical inquiries into occupational risks with a view to formulating a national policy designed to reduce the number of such accidents.

The Committee hopes that the Government will make every effort to ensure that occupational accidents occuring to seafarers are the subject of appropriate investigations and reports and that detailed statistics on such accidents, including the data referred to in Article 2 of the Convention, are compiled and analysed. The Committee also hopes that it will be possible to undertake research into general trends in accidents due to particular hazards of maritime employment in order to provide a sound basis for the prevention of such accidents, in accordance with Article 3.

The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the measures taken and results obtained in this area.

Article 4, paragraphs 2 and 3(d) and (h). In its previous comments, the Committee requested the Government to provide a copy of the Manual of Safety Above and Below Deck which was drawn up in accordance with the indications contained in its previous reports, on the basis of standards established by the International Maritime Organisation. In its last report, the Government states that certain amendments have been made to the above Manual and provides the text of a Safety Manual for Personnel on Board Ship (Manual de seguridad para personal embarcado).

The Committee notes that the Manual in question contains no provision giving effect to the above-mentioned paragraphs of the Convention. It therefore requests the Government to indicate the measures it intends to take (for example, within the framework of specific instructions applicable to seafarers and issued under the General Regulations on Occupational Safety and Health) with a view to preventing accidents due to particular hazards of maritime employment, and ensuring more effective application of the above provisions of the Convention. The Committee also hopes that it will be possible for such measures to give effect to subparagraphs (d) (special safety measures on and below deck) and (h) (dangerous cargo and ballast) of paragraph 3 of Article 4 of this instrument.