Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2015, published 105th ILC session (2016)

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

The Committee notes the information provided by the Government in reply to its previous comments concerning Article 14 of the Convention on the inclusion of questions of occupational safety and health (OSH) at all levels of education and training.

Legislation. The Committee welcomes the Government’s comprehensive report which contains a list of 31 new laws and regulations on occupational safety and health, adopted between 2010 and 2015. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on any legislative or regulatory developments which would give further effect to the requirements of the Convention.

Articles 1(2) and 2(2) of the Convention. Scope of application. Further to its previous comment on the extension of the scope of application of the relevant legislation to domestic workers, the Committee notes that amendments to the Safety and Health at Work Laws were introduced in 2011 to allow labour inspectors to enter freely in private dwellings in order to conduct inspection visits and monitor compliance with OSH laws. It further notes the Government’s indication that as a result, the national legislation on OSH giving effect to the Convention applies to all workers in all branches of the economy, except seafarers, for which specific regulations apply, and members of the armed forces, for which the lead authority in Cyprus must safeguard their safety and health wherever possible.

Articles 4 and 7. National policy on occupational safety and health. The Committee notes with interest the detailed information provided by the Government concerning the implementation of the previous National Strategy on Occupational Safety and Health for 2007–12, which resulted in a decrease in work-related accidents by 27.23 per cent against the 25 per cent target, and the adoption of the new National Strategy for 2013–20, in collaboration with representative organizations of employers and workers. The National Strategy sets out a number of goals for the continuous and constant improvement of safety and health at work, including: improvement of the institutional and legislative frameworks; promotion of a preventative safety and health culture; mainstreaming of occupational safety and health issues in other policy areas; close collaboration with the social partners; encouragement of scientific progress and research; and improvement of the labour inspection system. The National Strategy is to be implemented through an action plan, and their periodic evaluation and review will be based on the annual review of the situation regarding safety and health and the working environment. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on measures taken to implement the National Strategy on Occupational Safety and Health for 2013–20, including measures contained in the action plan, arrangements made for its periodic review, and the results thereof.

Article 10. Guidance to employers and workers. The Committee notes that, in accordance with the National Strategy, the Department of Labour Inspection (DLI) provides guidance to employers and workers through a number of initiatives, such as the elaboration of codes of practice, the organization of training seminars, the design of online educational tools for specific economic sectors and the dissemination of informative and training material. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on measures taken to provide guidance to employers and workers and the results thereof.

Application in practice. The Committee takes note of the detailed information contained in the Government’s reports under the present Convention and the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health, 2006 (No. 187), and in the annual reports of the DLI for the years 2011 to 2014. It notes that inspection campaigns were rolled out by the DLI in high-risk sectors, including the construction sector, with a focus on work at heights, excavations and heat stress, the metal processing industry and the food and beverage service industry. It also notes that, as a result of targeted actions, the number of occupational accidents in the construction sector decreased from 649 to 185 between 2008 and 2014 and from 86 to 36 in the metal processing industry for the same period. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the application of the Convention in practice and the inspection activities undertaken, especially in high-risk sectors, and the results thereof (preventative activities, number of visits, number and nature of contraventions identified, sanctions imposed) and the number, nature and cause of work-related accidents and cases of occupational disease reported.