Implementing Occupational Safety and Health Legislation in Papua New Guinea

This project specifically focuses on further building the national capacities to implement OSH legislation. This work is a continuation of the ILO’s commitment to providing technical support for labour law reform and its implementation in PNG.

This project specifically focuses on further building the national capacities to implement OSH legislation. This work is a continuation of the ILO’s commitment to providing technical support for labour law reform and its implementation in PNG. The ILO’s contribution to these areas is grounded in international labour standards particularly relating to Labour Inspection and OSH. It also provides an important platform for the PNG Government to consider the potential benefits of future ratification of ILO standards in this area, particularly the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No.155) and the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006, (No.187). These standards, in addition to the fundamentals of labour inspection referred to in the Labour Inspection Convention (No 81) provide the key framework for capacity building actions.

To maximise the benefits of capacity building support, particularly in relation to representative organisations of employers and workers, a train-the-trainer approach would be developed. This model would maximise the resources available and enable transference of training to employers and workers who are the ultimate beneficiaries of this project.

The ILO Office of Pacific Island Countries has provided technical support to Papua New Guinea (PNG) Department of Labour and Industrial Relations (DLIR) to develop new occupational safety and health (OSH) legislation. PNG’s Department of Labour and Industrial Relations (DLIR) has developed a new OSH Bill to substantially update the existing legislative framework and repeal at least 12 outdated ordinances and regulations in this area. This work has been supported with technical assistance from the Fiji Government under a Memorandum of Understanding and additional support from the ILO relating to providing Technical Memoranda on compliance with international labour standards. It is expected the legislation will be passed into law in 2015.

In preparation for the passing of legislation into law, in 2014, the ILO Office of Pacific Island Countries conducted a participatory capacity assessment of the DLIR’s OSH and labour inspectors capacity with respect to implementing future legislative responsibilities. This work, in addition to wider ongoing discussions with the DLIR, has identified three areas of development need; namely:
  1. The need to strengthen the management capacity of DLIR to fulfil their role and responsibilities under the new legislation.
  2. The need to strengthen the technical capacity of inspectors of DLIR to fulfil their role and responsibilities under the new legislation.
  3. The need to inform workers and employers of their rights, roles and responsibilities under the new legislation

This year the ILO is providing technical support for the development of a Train-the-Trainers Foundation Skills Training Programme for Inspectors which will provide some foundation work for strengthening the technical capacity of inspectors referred to above. This training is underpinned by, and promotes, International Labour Standards relating to labour inspection (e.g. ILO Convention 81) and Occupational Safety and Health. It focuses on basic inspection skills and includes training units that specifically target vulnerable groups, including responsive inspection strategies focusing on disability and gender.
This is considered the first step in building inspection capacity. However there is a significant need to move beyond this to more specialised training and broaden the focus to strengthening management capacity as well as the capacities of employers and workers to understand their roles and responsibilities under OSH legislation.