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

Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155) - Cyprus (Ratification: 1989)

The Committee welcomes the Government’s comprehensive report including information regarding 45 new pieces of legislation giving further effect to the Convention. The Committee notes, in particular, Regulations PI 530/2007 and PI 531/2007 specifying the requirements on the notification of occupational diseases as well as accidents and dangerous occurrences, paving the way for a future ratification of the Protocol of 2002 of this Convention. The Government is requested to provide information on any progress made in this respect.

The Committee notes with interest the information provided in relation to the application of Article 4, National policy, including the adoption of the 2007–12 national policy of Cyprus for and a specific target to reduce the rate of accidents by 25 per cent during the reference period, the target on construction safety including the signature of a Common Policy Declaration for the Construction Sector on 11 September 2009; Article 10, Guidance on legal obligations, including the results of the project “Technical assistance for the improvement of the capacity of the Cyprus competent authority, the social partners and the employees of the construction industry, extractive industry, and dockworkers on safety and health at work issues” which included preparation of good practice guides as well as the training of 2,000 persons from the private and public sectors; and Article 14, Education and training, including the introduction of safety and health at work issues in the analytical programme at all levels of the public education system, i.e. the pre-elementary, elementary, gymnasium, secondary and technical education.

Article 1(2) of the Convention. Scope of application – fishing and armed forces. With reference to its previous comments, the Committee notes from the Government’s response that the Safety and Health at Work Law applies to uniformed members of the armed forces with the exception of certain activities, mainly armed conflicts and military situations, such as military exercises, and that the armed forces services apply an internal occupational safety and health system and specific procedures managing occupational risks involved in their activities. Furthermore, the Committee notes from the Government’s report that following discussions and cooperation with the Ministry of Defence and the Department of Labour Inspection in the context of the review of the Safety and Health at Work Law, the aforesaid exception will be amended. The Committee requests the Government to provide a copy of the legislation once it has been adopted.

Article 2(2). Scope of the application – domestic workers. The Committee notes that the Government is currently in the process of amending the Safety and Health at Work Law so as to provide protection for domestic workers, and include provisions regulating the entrance of inspectors into private dwellings. The Committee asks the Government to keep it informed of any decisions taken in this regard and to submit a copy of the amended legislation once it has been adopted.

Part V of the report form. Application in practice. The Committee welcomes the information contained in the inspection reports for the years
2004–08 made available to the Committee including information, inter alia, that the number of occupational accidents notified in 2004 increased from 2,172 to 2,367 in 2008, that the number of fatal accidents varied between 12 and 18 over the period, and that 37.05 per cent of the notified occupational accidents occurred in construction. The Committee further notes that for male workers the majority of occupational accidents occurred in the construction industry, but for female workers they occurred in the food and beverage service industry. Noting the emphasis placed in the national policy on efforts to address the high level of occupational accidents in the construction industry, the Committee requests the Government to provide information on efforts made to address the problems reported for workers in the food and beverage service industry and to continue to provide up-to-date statistical information with its forthcoming reports.