A.—sc.

Article 22. The French and English texts of this Convention shall both be authentic. Resolution concerning Modifications of the Reduction of Hours of Work (Textiles) Convention, 1937, in the Case of certain Countries. See page 32 for text. Draft Convention (No. 62) concerning Safety Provisions in the Building Industry. The General Conference of the International Labour Organization, Having been convened at Geneva by the Governing Body of the International' Labour Office, and having met in its Twenty-third Session on 3rd June, 1937, and Considering that building work gives rise to serious accident risks which it is necessary to reduce both on humanitarian and on economic grounds, and Having decided upon the adoption of certain proposals with regard to safety provisions for workers in the building industry with reference to scaffolding and hoisting machinery, which is the first item on the agenda of the session, and Considering that, in view of the desirability of standardizing minimum safety provisions without prescribing requirements too rigid for general application, the most appropriate form for these proposals is that of a Draft International Convention accompanied by a recommendation embodying a model code of safety regulations, adopts, this twenty-third day of June, of the year one thousand nine hundred and thirty-seven, the following Draft Convention, which may be cited as the Safety Provisions (Building) Convention, Part I.—Obligations of Parties to Convention. Article 1. 1. Each member of the International Labour Organization which ratifies this Convention undertakes that it will maintain in force laws or regulations — (a) Which ensure the application of the general rules set forth in Parts II to IV of this Convention : and (b) In virtue of which an appropriate authority has power to make regulations for the purpose of giving such effect as may be possible and desirable under national conditions to the provisions of, or provisions equivalent to the provisions of, the model code annexed to the Safety Provisions (Building) Recommendation, 1937, or any revised Model code subsequently recommended by the International Labour Conference. 2. Each such member further undertakes that it will communicate every third year to the International Labour Office a report indicating the extent to which effect has been given to the provisions of the model code annexed to the Safety Provisions (Building) Recommendation, 1937, or of any revised model code subsequently recommended by the International Labour Conference. Article 2. 1. The laws or regulations for ensuring the application of the general rules set forth in Parts II to IV of this Convention shall apply to all work done on the site in connection with the construction, repair, alteration, maintenance, and demolition of all types of buildings. 2. The said laws or regulations may provide that the competent authority may, after consultation with the organizations of employers and workers concerned where such exist, exempt from all or any of their provisions work of such a character that reasonably safe conditions normally obtain. Article 3. The laws or regulations for ensuring the application of the general rules set forth in Parts II to IV of this Convention, and regulations made by the appropriate authority for the purpose of giving effect to the Model code annexed to the Safety Provisions (Building) Recommendation, 1937, shall— (а) Require employers to bring them to the notice of all persons concerned in a manner approved by the competent authority ; (б) Define the persons responsible for compliance therewith ; and (c) Prescribe adequate penalties for any violation thereof. Article 4. Each member which ratifies this Convention undertakes to maintain, or satisfy itself that there is maintained, a system of inspection adequate to ensure the effective enforcement of its laws and regulations relating to safety precautions in the building industry. Article 5. 1. In the case of a member the territory of which includes large areas where, by reason of the sparseness of the population or the stage of economic development of the area, the competent authority considers it impracticable to enforce the provisions of this Convention, the authority may exempt such areas from the application of the Convention either generally or with such exceptions in respect of particular localities or particular kinds of building operations as it thinks fit.

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