Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1993, published 80th ILC session (1993)

Radiation Protection Convention, 1960 (No. 115) - Guyana (Ratification: 1966)

I. The Committee notes from the Government's report that no change in the application of the Convention has occurred, but that proposals are still under consideration by the Government. It hopes that the Government's next report will contain full information on the matters raised in its previous direct request, which read as follows:

1. The Committee noted from the Government's reply in its 1982 report that legislation had not yet been enacted to give effect to Article 10 of the Convention, which requires the notification of work involving exposure of workers to ionizing radiations. It hopes that in the next report the Government will be able to indicate that steps have been taken in this regard.

2. The Committee also noted that measures are still to be taken to ensure the application of Article 3, paragraph 1, and Article 6, paragraph 2, of the Convention, which require, in light of current knowledge, that all appropriate steps shall be taken to ensure the protection of workers and that dose limits shall be kept under constant review. In this regard, the Committee noted that the Government had indicated in its first report that the Convention was applied by the United Kingdom Code of Practice for the Protection of Persons against Ionizing Radiations Arising from Medical and Dental Use. It requests the Government to indicate whether and under what provisions the revision of this Code in 1972 and the revision of the more general Code of Practice against Ionizing Radiations in 1985, in regard to medical and dental use, are applied in Guyana.

3. The Committee further requests the Government to supply copies of the Factories (Health and Welfare) Regulations No. 1951 and the Factories Act Cap 95:02.

II. The Committee would call the Government's attention to its general observation of 1992 under this Convention which sets forth, inter alia, the revised exposure limits established on the basis of new physiological findings by the International Commission on Radiological Protection in its 1990 Recommendations (Publication No. 60). The Committee would recall that, under Article 3, paragraph 1, and Article 6, paragraph 2, of the Convention, all appropriate steps shall be taken to ensure effective protection of workers against ionizing radiations and to review maximum permissible doses of ionizing radiations in the light of current knowledge. The Government is requested to indicate the steps taken or being considered in relation to the matters raised in the conclusions to the general observation.