Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2016, published 106th ILC session (2017)

Hygiene (Commerce and Offices) Convention, 1964 (No. 120) - Costa Rica (Ratification: 1966)

Article 1 of the Convention. Application to establishments, institutions and administrative services in which the workers are mainly engaged in office work. Article 17. Protection of workers against substances or processes which are obnoxious, unhealthy or toxic or for any reason harmful. In its previous comments, the Committee urged the Government to take all the necessary steps to issue regulations under section 294 (procedures for ascertaining whether an activity or workplace is unhealthy or hazardous) and section 300 (requirement for enterprises with over 50 workers to have made an assessment of their working conditions and environment) of the Occupational Risks Act. The Committee notes the Government’s indications in its report that the regulations under section 294 had not yet been drawn up but would be adopted at the end of 2015. With regard to section 300, the Committee notes with interest that the Occupational Health Council, by Decision No. 2365-2015 of 6 May 2015, adopted the regulations in question, entitled the Regulations for offices and occupational health committees. The Committee requests the Government to continue providing information on the process for the adoption of regulations under section 294 referred to above.

Article 4. Legislation. Technical assistance. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that Decision No. 2163-2014 of the executive committee of the Occupational Health Council envisages as a general policy measure the updating of the occupational health regulations and that Official Memo No. DTM 683-2015 of 13 July 2015 formalizes the request for technical assistance from the Office to draw up, adopt and promulgate the General Occupational Safety and Health Regulations, as recommended by the Occupational Health Council. The Committee requests the Government to provide information in this respect and trusts that this process will benefit from the technical assistance requested from the Office.