Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2010, published 100th ILC session (2011)

Hygiene (Commerce and Offices) Convention, 1964 (No. 120) - Finland (Ratification: 1968)

The Committee notes the information and new legislations contained in the Government’s report including the comments submitted by the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK). With respect to the comments by the SAK and one of it’s members, JHL, on temporary and fixed-term employees, issues arising out of working alone and the arrangement of statutory breaks, and certain working environments causing distributions to employees’ circadian rhythms, the Committee refers to its comments under Convention No. 155.

Article 6 of the Convention. Labour inspections. The Committee notes the Government’s statistical report on labour inspections carried out during 2006 to 2009. The Committee further notes the occupational safety and health regional administration focus during the contract period of 2008 to 2011 on controlling threats of violence from customers, manual lifting, moving and repetitive tasks in the trade sector. The Committee also notes in regard to this aspect the concerns expressed by the SAK on inadequate labour inspections. Several workplaces schedule the cleaning and arrangement of products for display during night hours and information should therefore be collected on the number of labour inspections conducted outside office hours. The Committee requests the Government to provide further information on the outcome of such focus and on the concern raised by SAK. The Committee would also be grateful if the Government could endeavour to provide relevant statistical information disaggregated by gender.

Article 10. Temperature at the workplace. With reference to its previous comments the Committee notes the Government’s response that limit values for health hazards posed by cold workplaces have not been defined. It also notes the Government’s suggestions on how harm caused by cold workplaces can be controlled through the use of ISO 15743 as a checklist to identify risk factors. The Committee further notes that the Government states that labour inspections are conducted in workplaces of all sizes including small enterprises. The Committee notes, however, that the SAK observes that reductions of temperature-related problems for cashiers have not been successful, due to the fact that occupational safety and health surveillance does not cover self-employed shop owners. The Committee asks the Government to provide further information on measures undertaken or envisaged to ensure protection of workers from exposure to excessively cold temperatures.

Article 14. Sufficient and suitable seats supplied for workers. The Committee notes the SAK comments that employees of speciality stores do not always have a place to sit for image reasons. The Committee asks the Government to provide further information on measures undertaken or envisaged to ensure that sufficient and suitable seats are supplied for workers and that workers are given reasonable opportunities to use them.

Article 18. Protection against noise. The Committee notes the SAK comment that noise hazards particularly occur in connection with bottle return systems. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on measures undertaken or envisaged to ensure that noise and vibrations likely to have harmful effects on workers shall be reduced as far as possible by appropriate and practical means.