Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2003, published 92nd ILC session (2004)

Radiation Protection Convention, 1960 (No. 115) - Greece (Ratification: 1982)

The Committee notes the information provided by the Government in its report. It notes with interest Ministerial Decision No. 1014/94 (Official Gazette, No. 216) of 6 March 2001, governing the regulations on radiation protection, which were issued by the Ministers of National Economy, Labour, Health, Welfare and Development, to transpose into national legislation European Directive 96/29/Euratom of 13 May 1996, laying down basic safety standards for the protection of the health of workers and the general public against the dangers arising from ionizing radiation, which reflects the dose limits set forth by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) in its 1990 Recommendations and Directive 97/43/Euratom of 30 June 1997 on the health protection of individuals against the dangers of ionizing radiation in relation to medical exposure. It further notes that Ministerial Decision No. 1014/94 repeals Ministerial Decision No. 14632/(FOR)1416 of 1989.

In view of the new regulations, the Committee would draw the Government’s attention to the following point.

Article 8 of the Convention. The Committee notes the dose limits set forth by sections 1.3 and 1.3.1 of Ministerial Decision No. 1014/94 for exposure to ionizing radiations of the different categories of workers. Section 1.3.2 establishes a dose limit of 1 mSv for the general public. The Committee observes that its scope does not seem to include workers who are not directly engaged in radiation work. The Committee, while emphasizing that this provision of the Convention raises a particular concern for workers who, while not directly engaged in radiation work and thus not necessarily benefiting from monitoring programmes, special medical examination etc., may remain in, or pass through, areas where they may be exposed to ionizing radiations, recalls the Government’s obligation under Article 8 of the Convention to establish appropriate annual dose limits for exposure of workers who are not directly engaged in radiation work. With regard to the determination of the annual dose limits for non-radiation workers in the light of the knowledge available at the time, the Committee draws again the Government’s attention to section 5.4.5 of the ILO code of practice of 1986, according to which workers not directly involved in radiation work shall be protected as if they were members of the general public. For the general public, the ICRP, in its 1990 recommendations, spells out an annual effective dose limit of 1 mSv, averaged over five years. The Committee hopes that the Government will soon take the necessary measures, in the light of the above explanations, to establish appropriate dose limits for exposure to ionizing radiation of workers who are not directly engaged in radiation work, in order to fulfil its obligations under Article 8 of the Convention.

The Committee is raising other points in a request directly addressed to the Government.