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ILO Convention No. 174: the international foundation for major industrial accident prevention
Institutional watch: adopted in 1993, Convention No. 174 of the International Labour Organization commits states to identify their major hazard installations and organise their prevention. A framework African administrations can use directly.
Institutional watch. This article presents a public text and its relevance for our clients. It does not replace the official text.
The text
The Prevention of Major Industrial Accidents Convention, No. 174, was adopted by the International Labour Conference on 22 June 1993 and entered into force on 3 January 1997. It is accompanied by Recommendation No. 181. Its purpose is to prevent major accidents involving hazardous substances and to limit their consequences for workers, the public and the environment.
What it asks of states
- Identify major hazard installations, on the basis of a list of substances and thresholds.
- Require operators to have a documented system of prevention and protection: hazard identification, risk assessment, technical and organisational measures, internal emergency plans, safety report.
- Organise external emergency plans and information for populations liable to be affected.
- Establish a competent authority with inspection and enforcement powers.
- Take siting into account, considering the location of major hazard installations in relation to residential areas.
What it brings
Convention No. 174 is one of the few international instruments devoted specifically to major industrial accidents. Whether or not a state has ratified it, it provides a legitimate and recognised basis for building or overhauling a national framework, and for discussing shared expectations with operators and lenders.
For the administrations we support, it serves as a checklist: which building blocks already exist, which are missing, where to start.
Source: International Labour Organization, Convention No. 174 (1993) and Recommendation No. 181, NORMLEX database.
