Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2023, published 112nd ILC session (2024)

Radiation Protection Convention, 1960 (No. 115) - Sri Lanka (Ratification: 1986)

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Article 1 of the Convention. Legislation. Consultations with representatives of employers and workers. The Committee notes the Government’s indication in its report that the previous Atomic Energy Authority Act No. 19 of 1969 has been replaced by Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Act No. 40 of 2014. The Committee notes, however, that the Government provides no information on whether the Regulations on Ionizing Radiation Protection of the Atomic Energy Safety Regulations No. 1 of 1999 (the Regulations) are still in force. The Committee also notes that while the Atomic Energy Act contains provisions ensuring consultation with the public and other stakeholders about the regulatory process and the safety, health and environmental aspects of regulated practices, it does not indicate the efforts made to consult with representatives of the workers and the employers regarding the preparation and implementation of measures giving effect to the Convention. The Committee requests the Government to (i) confirm if the Regulations are still in force, and (ii) provide detailed information on the manner in which employers’ and workers’ representatives are consulted in applying the provisions of the Convention.

Articles 6 and 7. Maximum permissible dose limits. The Committee notes that the maximum permissible dose limits of ionizing radiations, set under Annex III of the Regulations, for the lens of the eye of the workers is set at an equivalent dose of 150 mSv in a year and for young workers between the age of 16 and 18 years this limit is set at 50 mSv in a year. The Committee notes that these limits are higher than those recommended in 2014 by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). As recalled by the Committee in its 2015 General Observation, the ICRP recommends the limits to be set at an equivalent dose to the lens of the eye of 20 mSv per year, averaged over defined periods of five years, with no single year exceeding 50 mSv per year, and for students aged 16 to 18 who use sources in the course of their studies, the limits are an equivalent dose to the lens of the eye of 20 mSv in a year . The Committee recalls that Article 6, paragraph 2, of the Convention calls for these maximum doses to be kept under constant review in the light of current knowledge and requests the Government to indicate the measures taken or envisaged to revise the exposure limits in light of the 2014 ICRP recommendations.

Article 12. Medical examination. The Committee notes that the Regulations include provisions for health surveillance based on the general principles of occupational health and designed to assess the initial and continuing fitness of workers for their intended tasks. The Committee requests the Government to provide further information on the medical examinations prescribed and provided in practice to workers directly engaged in radiation work, including examinations prior to or shortly after taking up such work, and their subsequent examinations at appropriate intervals.

Article 14. Alternative employment. The Committee notes that the Atomic Energy Act includes a provision providing compensation to radiation workers for any injury, illness or damage caused due to exposure to ionizing radiation. The Committee, however, also notes that the Act does not include provision ensuring that suitable alternative employment opportunities are provided to workers who have accumulated exposure beyond which an unacceptable risk of detriment to their health is to occur. The Committee accordingly requests the Government to indicate the measures taken to ensure the assignment to suitable alternative employment in circumstances in which it has been determined that the workers concerned, for health reasons, may no longer continue to be employed in work by reason of which they could be subject to occupational exposure.