Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2022, published 111st ILC session (2023)

Malta

Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (No. 81) (Ratification: 1965)
Labour Inspection (Agriculture) Convention, 1969 (No. 129) (Ratification: 1988)

In order to provide a comprehensive view of the issues relating to the application of the ratified Conventions on labour inspection, the Committee considers it appropriate to examine Conventions Nos 81 (labour inspection) and 129 (labour inspection in agriculture) together.

Article 14 of Convention No. 81 and Article 19 of Convention No. 129. Notification of cases of occupational disease. In its previous comment, the Committee requested the Government to provide information on the activities undertaken by the Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA) to improve the notification of occupational accidents and diseases.The Government indicates that theOHSA has been working with all medical practitioners to encourage them to notify OHSA of any known or suspected case of occupational disease. For this reason, several seminars were organized by the OHSA as part of the continuing medical education of medical practitioners. According to the Government, the OHSA has worked with the dermatology department to prepare a summary notification form by which the OHSA could be notified of dermatological conditions which are suspected to be occupational in origin. In addition, the Government states that the OHSA is working to prepare draft regulations concerning the notification process of occupational injuries and diseases. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the activities undertaken by the OHSA to improve the notification of occupational accidents and diseases and on the results achieved. It also requests the Government to provide a copy of the regulations addressing the process of notification for occupational injuries and diseases, once adopted.

Articles 20 and 21 of Convention No. 81 and Articles 26 and 27 of Convention No. 129. Annual labour inspection reports. The Committee notes that the 2020 annual report of the Department for Industrial and Employment Relations (DIER) and the 2019 annual report of the OHSA were sent by the Government.With regard to Convention No. 129, the Committee notes that the reports do not contain disaggregated information on labour inspection activities in the agricultural sector, such as statistics of agricultural undertakings liable to inspection and the number of persons working therein (Article 27(c)), statistics of inspection visits (Article 27(d)), statistics of violations and penalties imposed (Article 27(e)), statistics of occupational accidents, including their causes (Article 27(g)). Moreover, as previously noted, the reports do not contain information on the number of occupational diseases (Article 21(g) of Convention No. 81 and Article 27(g) of Convention No. 129). The Committee requests the Government to continue to transmit to the ILO the annual reports on the work of the labour inspection services. It also requests the Government to take the necessary measures to ensure that the reports contain all the information listed in Articles 21 and 27 of Conventions Nos 81 and 129 respectively.