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In its previous comments, the Committee noted that the national legislation only gives effect to the Convention with respect to women and to men workers above 16 years of age and working in the civil construction industry, while the Convention, in accordance with Article 2, applies to all workers in all branches of economic activity. The Committee nevertheless noted the Government's indication in its first report that it was conscious of the need to adopt legislation ensuring the application of the Convention in all sectors of economic activity. The Committee hoped that the planned legislation would also contain provisions relating to the following Articles of the Convention:

(a)Article 5 (training of workers in working techniques with a view to preventing accidents before their assignment to the manual transport of loads other than light loads);

(b)Article 7 (limited assignment of young workers of less than 18 years of age to the transport of loads other than light loads and of a weight substantially less than that permitted for adult male workers).

The Committee notes the Government's statement in its latest report that it is still conscious of the need to adopt legislation ensuring the application of the Convention to all sectors of economic activity and that the current revision of existing standards in the light of EC directives will provide the opportunity to include in Portugese legislation the provisions of the Convention that are not yet covered.

The Committee hopes that new standards will be adopted in this respect in the near future and requests the Government to indicate any progress achieved in this respect in its next report.