Demande directe (CEACR) - adoptée 2001, publiée 90ème session CIT (2002)

Convention (n° 115) sur la protection contre les radiations, 1960 - Argentine (Ratification: 1978)

The Committee notes the information provided by the Government.

1. Article 3, paragraph 1, and Article 6, paragraph 2, of the Convention. The Committee notes with interest that the "Basic Radiological Safety Standards", approved by the Argentine Regulatory Authority and revised for the second time in 1999, reflect entirely the maximum permissible dose limits adopted by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) in 1990, which were reflected in the 1994 International Basic Safety Standards for Protection against Ionizing Radiation and for the Safety of Radiation Sources developed under the auspices of the IAEA, the ILO, the WHO and three other international organizations.

2. Provision of alternative employment. Premature accumulation of a lifetime dose. With regard to the provision of alternative employment for workers having accumulated an effective dose beyond which detriment considered unacceptable is to arise, the Government refers to article 29 of Decree No. 51/79. Pursuant to this provision, the physicians of the occupational health service shall, inter alia, draw the attention of the administration of the enterprise to industrial processes, which could cause harm to the workers’ health, and shall reveal the necessary introduction of modifications of these industrial processes. The Committee further notes provision No. 80 of the "Basic Radiological Safety Standards" prescribing that no worker is supposed to continue carrying out work contrary to qualified medical advice, and provision No. 81 of the above Standards provides that, in the case a worker has received an effective dose beyond 100 mSv in a single year, the responsible person of the undertaking shall decide whether the said worker could continue to be engaged in work involving the exposure to ionizing radiation. The Committee points out that neither article 29 of Decree No. 351/79 nor provision No. 81 of the "Basic Radiological Safety Standards" entail the provision of alternative employment to be offered to the worker whose continued exposure to ionizing radiations is inadvisable for health reasons. The Committee therefore draws the Government’s attention to its 1992 general observation under the Convention, paragraphs 28 to 34 and 35(d), and paragraph I.18. of the International Safety Standards, which recommend alternative employment or social security measures for all workers having accumulated an effective dose beyond which detriment considered unacceptable is to arise. The Committee accordingly requests the Government to indicate the measures taken or envisaged to guarantee the offer of alternative employment opportunities which do not entail exposure to ionizing radiations for workers who cannot continue, because of medical reasons, their employment involving exposure to ionizing radiations.

3. Protection against accidents and emergency situation. The Committee notes with interest provisions Nos. 93 to 99 of the "Basic Radiological Safety Standards", 1999, indicating the circumstances in which exceptional exposure is authorized. It further notes with interest provisions Nos. 100 to 104 of the same standards, which establish the criteria for workers’ exposure to ionizing radiations in emergency situations. With regard to exposure limits of workers in emergency situations, the Committee notes that provision No. 101 fixes a general dose limit of 1 Sv for interventions in emergency situations and a dose limit of 10 Sv for life-saving actions. The Committee recalls paragraphs 16 to 27 and 35 (c) of its 1992 general observation under the Convention. In particular, paragraph 23, referring to the 1990 ICRP Recommendations, provides for a dose limit of 0.5 Sv, that is, 25 times the average annual occupational dose limit, as well as for unlimited exposure, but exclusively for life-saving actions. The Committee accordingly invites the Government to adapt the dose limits established for interventions in emergencies to the Recommendations of the ICRP. It further requests the Government to indicate the measures taken or envisaged to make protection against accidents and during emergency operations as effective as possible, in particular with regard to the design and protective features of the workplace and equipment, and the development of emergency intervention techniques, the use of which in emergency situations would enable the exposure of individuals to ionizing radiations to be avoided.