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1. The Committee notes the information contained in the Government’s report and the attached documentation. It notes that section 75(1)(b) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (Act No. 32 of 1997) provides that the Ministry may adopt regulations to further regulate occupational safety and health issues. It notes the detailed draft regulations on the safe use of chemicals at work of 31 January 2003, which was attached to the Government’s report, but also notes that this draft text does not contain any rules with respect to ionizing radiation. The Committee asks the Government to provide information in its next report on measures taken or envisaged to ensure that workers are protected against ionizing radiation at work, particularly through issuing regulations under section 75 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

2. Article 3, paragraph 1, of the Convention. Effective protection of workers in the light of knowledge available at the time. With respect to exposure limits to chemical substances and agents, the Committee notes that Annex 2 in the proposed regulations refers to the international standard established by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists. The Committee takes this opportunity to refer the Government to its general observation of 1992 under this Convention, in which the Committee refers to the exposure limits on ionizing radiation recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), No. 60 (1990), according to which the permissible level of exposure to ionizing radiation for workers engaged in radiation work is recommended to be 20 mSv per year, averaged over five years, but not exceeding 50 mSv in any single year. The Committee requests the Government to provide further information on measures taken or envisaged to give effect to the Convention, taking due account of the recommendations of the ICRP referred to in the Committee’s general observation of 1992 under this Convention.