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

Asbestos Convention, 1986 (No. 162) - Cameroon (Ratification: 1989)

The Committee notes that the Government does not contain any new information on legislation adopted to implement the Convention and that the Government reiterates its request for technical assistance from the Office in the development of legislation to give effect to the provisions of this Convention. The Committee also notes that the Order No. 051 on diseases caused by exposure to asbestos adopted on 22 September 2009, has not been made available. The Committee urges the Government to take all required measures to ensure a full application of the Convention, including requesting technical assistance from the Office for the development of the required legislation. The Committee also requests the Government to submit copies of all existing relevant legislation.

Part V of the report form. Application in practice. The Committee notes that, although reference is made to the fact that inspectors ensure control over hazardous and corrosive substances and that relevant statistical and other data will be collected by the National Labour Observatory (ONT), no such information was included in the report. With reference to its previous comments the Committee again refers to the communications of the General Confederation of Labour–Liberty of Cameroon (CGT–Liberté), transmitted to the Government on 8 November 2005, indicating that, while asbestos is not produced in the country, it has been used to create firewalls in certain buildings and there is a general lack of awareness of the dangers related thereto. The Committee asks the Government to respond to the communication by the CGT–Liberté and to give a general appreciation of the manner in which the Convention is applied in the country, and to attach extracts from inspection reports and, where such statistics exist, information on the number of workers covered by the legislation, the number and nature of the contraventions reported, and the number, nature and cause of accidents and occupational diseases reported.

[The Government is asked to report in detail in 2013.]