Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2011, published 101st ILC session (2012)

Hygiene (Commerce and Offices) Convention, 1964 (No. 120) - Bulgaria (Ratification: 1965)

Article 6(2) of the Convention. Establishment of a system of sufficiently dissuasive penalties. The Committee notes with satisfaction that information that the penalties for violations of the labour law are provided for in articles 413, 414, and 415(c) of the Labour Code and that the size of these penalties has been increased in 2006 and 2008. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the system of dissuasive penalties in the country.

Part IV of the report form. Application in practice. The Committee notes the information that as a result of systematic application of coercive measures by the controlling bodies in recent years, a high degree of compliance with the Health and Safety at Work Act has been achieved. It also notes that the Government indicates that further efforts need to be deployed in order to increase the awareness of the fact that successful enterprise policies for safety and health are directly dependent on collective agreements at the enterprise level. The Committee also notes the statement by the Government that an essential element of prevention is effective systems for occupational safety and health training and qualifications of workers and managers and that the labour inspectorates have noted the good practice of conducting annual tests of the qualifications of the staff in this respect in large enterprises engaged in mining, manufacturing of chemical products, construction and cement production, and also in the manufacture of various chemicals, the printing and food industries, but that this practice was not yet applied in the case of small enterprises. It also notes the information that in 2009 the number of workers found to work in unhygienic conditions had nonetheless decreased by 5 per cent since 2008. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the application in practice of national occupational safety and health legislation and to indicate measures taken to address the reported lack of appropriate working conditions in small enterprises and to provide information on the impact of such measures.