The Meeting of Experts to adopt Guidelines on maritime occupational safety and health was held from 13 to 17 October 2014 at the International Labour Office in Geneva, in accordance with a Governing Body decision at its 319th Session (October 2013). The Governing Body decided that the Meeting would be composed of 18 experts – six experts nominated by the Employers’ group of the Governing Body; six experts nominated by the Workers’ group of the Governing Body; and six experts nominated by the Governments of Argentina, Australia, Germany, Philippines, South Africa and United Kingdom. The Meeting was open to all governments as observers, with those that had already ratified the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC, 2006) being particularly encouraged to consider sending observers.
The Meeting was attended by six Government experts accompanied by four advisers, six Shipowner experts accompanied by two advisers, and six Seafarer experts accompanied by six advisers. There were 63 observer experts from interested governments, and nine observers from international governmental organizations (IGOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
The purpose of the Meeting was to review and adopt Guidelines on maritime occupational safety and health. These Guidelines for implementing the occupational safety and health (OSH) provisions of the MLC, 2006, would serve to provide supplementary practical information to flag States to be reflected in their national laws and other measures to implement Regulation 4.3 and the related Code of the MLC, 2006, as well as other relevant provisions under Regulations 3.1 and 1.1.
