General responsibilities, duties and rights, and legal framework

• Pages: 13-27

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3. General responsibilities, duties and rights,

and legal framework

3.1. Responsibilities and duties of competent authorities

3.1.1. Each government should nominate a competent

authority or authorities, as appropriate, which should, in

consultation with the representative organizations of em-

ployers and workers, formulate, implement and periodically

review a coherent national policy and principles for safe ship-

breaking. Such policy should include:

(a) the control of the import and preparation of ships for

breaking;

(b) employment and working conditions, OSH, workers’

rights and workers’ welfare;

(c) the protection of both persons and the environment in

the vicinity of a shipbreaking worksite.

The policy on shipbreaking should form part of an over-

all policy on OSH and the working environment as required

by the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981

(No. 155).

3.1.2. The policy should:

(a) recognize shipbreaking as an official occupation of the

national economy;

(b) aim at preventing illness and injury to health arising from

shipbreaking activities through the identification of haz-

ards and the elimination of or exercising control over

risks from all existing situations in the working environ-

ment;

(c) be supported by specific laws and regulations and have an

effective mechanism of inspection for their enforcement.