Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2014, published 104th ILC session (2015)

Maximum Weight Convention, 1967 (No. 127) - Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) (Ratification: 1984)

Article 3 of the Convention. Maximum weight of loads transported manually by a worker. Article 7. Employment of women and young workers in the manual transport of loads. For many years, the Committee has been requesting the Government to adopt the necessary measures to amend section 223 of the Regulations on Occupational Safety and Health Conditions of 1973, which sets a limit of 20 kg for loads transported manually by women. However, the Committee notes that no information is provided regarding the review of the admissible weight limit for loads transported manually by women, or on the criteria used to establish and review this standard. The Committee also notes that, according to its report, the Government has prepared, through the National Institute for Occupational Prevention, Health and Safety (INPSASEL), a draft technical standard regulating the manual handling, lifting and transport of loads (CMLTMC). In this regard, the Government states that the draft standard has been subject to public consultations and hearings at the national level, has been accepted by the Ministerial Office attached to the INPSASEL and is currently awaiting publication in the Official Journal of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in order to enter into force. Moreover, the Committee notes that, according to the Government, the technical standard in question sets out criteria, guidelines and procedures to regulate the manual handling, lifting and transport of loads weighing over 3 kg. The Committee requests the Government to provide a copy of the technical standard and of any other legislation that regulates the maximum weight, and to indicate whether this standard or any others have amended or repealed section 223 of the regulations referred to above.

Article 5. Training of workers assigned to the manual transport of loads, on the techniques to be used. The Committee notes that, according to the report, the draft CMLTMC establishes the duty of employers to ensure that workers receive training and practical and theoretical information on the safe handling of loads, and to implement and operate educational programmes on active work breaks, with the active involvement of workers who handle loads, taking into account, inter alia, the nature and type of the load, and the frequency and areas in which they are handled. Moreover, the Government indicates that the content of the training plans has to be based on a detailed analysis of work processes. The Committee once again requests the Government to supply documentation illustrating the training provided for workers assigned to the manual transport of loads, such as manuals or teaching materials used.

Application of the Convention in practice. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government on musculoskeletal disorders for the period 2009–14, during which the INPSASEL recorded a total of 13,162 cases of occupational illness involving musculoskeletal disorders, of which 69.7 per cent occurred in the manufacturing industry. In this respect, the Committee notes the Government’s indication that it is not possible to determine which of these occupational illnesses are caused by the handling of loads. The Government adds that the INPSASEL is working on the review and updating of classification parameters to distinguish between illnesses caused by the handling of loads and those caused by other factors. Moreover, the Committee notes the table included in the Government’s report, which disaggregates the musculoskeletal disorders in manufacturing industries by the respective pathology. The Committee requests the Government to provide any relevant information on the development of new classification parameters to establish which of the reported illnesses are caused by the handling of loads, and to continue providing information on the application of the Convention in practice.