Implementing Occupational Safety and Health Legislation in Papua New Guinea

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(DLIR) has developed a new OSH Bill to substantially update the existing legislative framework and repeal at least 12 outdated ordinances and regulations in this area.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 this year. 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: I. The need to strengthen the management capacity of DLIR to fulfil their role and responsibilities under the new legislation. II. The need to strengthen the technical capacity of inspectors of DLIR to fulfil their role and responsibilities under the new legislation. III. The need to inform workers and employers of their rights, roles and responsibilities under the new legislation The development objective therefore is that the capacities of the Government, employers and workers to implement their respective rights, roles and responsibilities under new OSH legislation in PNG is strengthened. 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. The ILO and DLIR have discussed future needs in some detail and this concept note reflects the outcomes of these discussions.

Project symbol

PNG/15/50/JPN

Admin unit

CO-Suva

Start date

01/09/2015

End date

31/07/2017

Total allocation

109232

Total expenditure

Status

Closed

109232

Development Partners

Japan, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

Country/Countries

Papua New Guinea

Outcomes

Ratification and application of international labour standards