Occupational safety and health country profile: Costa Rica
International labour standards
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NORMLEX
Ratification of ILO conventions
Database on international labour standards
Provides access to the latest information on ILO international labour standards on OSH (such as ratification information, reporting requirements, comments of the ILO's supervisory bodies, etc.).
Policies and programmes
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2005
Profile for Central America, Haiti, Panama and Dominican Republic
in Spanish
Challenges and proposals, inputs by the Employment Forum: Situation analysis
Laws and regulations
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LEGOSH
National regulatory framework
Global database on OSH legislation
Provides a picture of the regulatory framework of the main elements of OSH legislation. Contains comprehensive legal information and analysis.
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NATLEX
National legislation
National labour legislation database
Includes abstracts of OSH legislation and citation information. Full text of laws or a relevant source is linked to the records, when available.
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Main laws
in Spanish
The Constitution provides, in article 66, a duty upon employers to take all the necessary hygiene and security measures in the workplace.
The General Regulations is the leading legislation. It aims to provide general and obligatory OSH conditions at all workplaces to protect the life, health, corporal integrity and the morality of workers.
The Labour Code, reformed in 2011, under the Title IV about the protection of workers during the exercise of the work, completes the OSH norms.
There are also many other regulations addressing specific hazards or risks (such as pesticides, noise and vibration, asbestos, ionising radiation, etc.)
Authorities and bodies
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Responsible authorities
in Spanish
The Labour Code requires an Occupational Health Committee to act as a technical body under the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.
The Ministry is responsible for all labour and social welfare issues. In coordination with other agencies, it must monitor the implementation of laws, decrees and regulations related to labour relations between employers and workers. The Ministry, through the Department of Social Welfare, has an Occupational Security and Health Office which aims to improve the OSH working conditions in all workplaces and institutions, private or public.
The functions of the Office are: maintain a general manual of industrial hygiene; research about occupational diseases; promote the formation of industrial safety Committees; support the Occupational Health Advisory Committee; attributions on pensions.
Statistics
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Occupational injuries
by economic activity
Information and advisory services
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Knowledge and research bodies
ILO-CIS centre
in Spanish
Promoting training and research in OSH