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

White Lead (Painting) Convention, 1921 (No. 13) - Mauritania (Ratification: 1961)

The Committee notes the observations of the General Confederation of Workers of Mauritania (CGTM), received on 8 September 2015, and the Government’s reply thereto.

In its observations, the CGTM alleges, inter alia, that the Government is not implementing any occupational safety and health protection or prevention policy and that therefore workers are more and more seriously exposed to toxic and carcinogenic products that are used on construction sites, that the list of occupational diseases does not include all the diseases arising from the occupational use of white lead and other organic pollutants, and that enterprise safety and health committees do not exist in practice in either public or private enterprises, notwithstanding section 252 of the Labour Code which provides for their establishment in all enterprises with no fewer than 50 employees. In its reply, the Government refers to Order No. 10300 of 2 June 1965 prohibiting the use of white lead, sulphate of lead and lead linseed oil in the painting of buildings, section 1 of which prohibits any use of these substances in any type of building painting, whether internal or external. It adds that the application of these provisions is ensured by the Director-General of Labour, labour inspectors and physicians who conduct occupational medicine missions and that any violation is penalized in accordance with the provisions of the Labour Code. The Committee requests the Government to provide further information on the measures taken or envisaged, particularly monitoring measures, to ensure the effective application of the abovementioned Order, namely in the construction sector. It also requests the Government to provide a copy of the list of occupational diseases, as well as statistics on cases of morbidity and mortality caused by lead poisoning, particularly in the construction sector.