Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1990, published 77th ILC session (1990)

Benzene Convention, 1971 (No. 136) - Uruguay (Ratification: 1977)

The Committee notes with interest the adoption of Decree No. 406/88 of 17 June 1988 prescribing general regulations on safety and health conditions. In particular, concerning the applications of Article 1 and Article 2, paragraph 1, of the Convention, it notes that this Decree applies to all public or private establishments of an industry, commerce or services nature and that Part IV, Chapters I and II of the Decree regulate all workplaces where workers are exposed to the chemical, physical or biological agents listed in the Table of Hygienic Limits approved by the Minister of Public Health on 1 October 1982. The Government has indicated in its report that two complementary decrees are presently being studied and that one of these will implement existing standards and adopt new standards to regulate the activities in which workers are exposed to specific health risks, such as activities involving exposure to benzene. The Committee hopes that the specific regulations concerning exposure to benzene will be adopted in the near future and that they will include the provisions necessary for the full application of the following Articles of the Convention:

Article 4, paragraph 2. The use of benzene and of products containing benzene as a solvent or dilutent shall be prohibited by national laws or regulations, unless the process is carried out in an enclosed system.

Article 7, paragraph 1. The Committee would recall that Article 7 provides that, as far as practicable, work processes involving the use of benzene or products containing benzene shall be carried out in an enclosed system. The Government is requested to indicate the measures taken or envisaged to ensure that work processes involving the use of benzene are carried out in an enclosed system.

Article 8, paragraph 2. The Committee notes that Part IV, Chapter V, Sections 11 and 12 of Decree No. 406/88 ensure provision of adequate means of respiratory protection in workplaces where the air is contaminated with elements to such an extent as to be a risk to life or health. The Committee would recall, however, that Article 8, paragraph 2, concerns the special situation where a worker may be exposed to concentrations of benzene in the air which exceed the maximum determined by the competent authority, and for this reason requires not only the provision of adequate means of personal protection but also provides that the duration of exposure shall be limited as far as possible, even when the necessary means of personal protection are provided to the worker. The Government is requested to indicate the measures taken or envisaged in this regard. [The Government is requested to report in detail for the period ending 30 June 1990.]