Panel 2 – Expanding and strengthening occupational risk prevention and control schemes

1. III HEMISPHERIC WORKSHOP ON OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY Panel 2 – Expanding and strengthening occupational risk prevention and control schemes Experiences of preventing and controlling risks of occupational accidents and diseases; and information systems Dr. Juan Horacio González Gaviola Superintendent of Occupational Risk Cuzco, Peru • October 21 and 22, 2008

2. National Occupational Health and Safety System • Argentine Republic: Federalorganization • The national government (Ministry of Labor, Employment, and Social Security - MTEySS - and the Superintendency of Occupational Risk - SRT), together with the provincial governments, comprise the Comprehensive Labor Inspection and Social Security System (SIDITySS). Law 25.877. • Labor inspection is carried out under the shared jurisdiction of the provincial governments and the national government. • Failure to comply with Workplace Health and Safety norms generates: • Disciplinary procedures under provincial or national jurisdiction. • Imposition of sanctions: uniform system established in the Federal Labor Agreement (Law 25.212 – Annex II). • SRT/province agreements: Building inspection capacity (50% increase in the size of the health and safety inspector team (currently 156).

3. Data on Argentina

6. National Occupational Health and Safety System • Regulatory action: • Occupational Health and Safety: Law 19.587 • Occupational risks: Law 24.557 • Training action: • Workers: Union agreements • Provinces: Training of inspectors, and training of trainers • Employers: WISE (Work Improvement Small Enterprises) / with chambers of commerce: Studies of specific risks • General public: Seminars • Inspection action: • Nation • Provinces: agreements • Occupational risk insurers (ARTs): Member reports of non-compliance

7. Societal stakeholders and system players • National government: through the Superintendency of Occupational Risk (SRT) and the Superintendency of Insurance of the Nation (SSN) • Provincial governments and the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires • Workers, and their representatives and unions • Employers (privates and public) • ARTs

8. Prevention actions Public dissemination and awareness campaigns U$300,000/year Training agreements with unions 2007 – 16 signed 2400 workers 2008 – 17 signed 12 under negotiation 8300 workers

9. Permanent oversight programs • Objective: • To oversee the obligations established in Law 24.557 for employers and insurers within the competence and jurisdiction of the SRT: • Employers in Territories of National Jurisdiction (TJNs) – • Self-insured employers • Occupational Risk insurers • Central activity: • Coordination of inspection tasks, targeted programs with provinces. • Joint inspection operations with provincial governments. • Control Policy in the TJNs targeted at the following groups: Nuclear energy, Electricity generation and transport , Airports, Mining, Natural gas transport and distribution, Ports, Railways, Long distance passenger car transportation, National roads and bridges, Public agencies, Oil companies

10. Targeted oversight programs Incidence and business size - “Empresas testigo” [warned companies] (50 or more workers) - Manufacturing SMEs (11- 49 workers) Severity - Reduction in fatal accidents Activity - Construction companies - Agribusiness Other businesses: Basic group businesses

11. Targeted oversight programs Warned companies Employers/accidents ratio

12. Information systems • E-government implementation: • Electronic window (for forwarding requests to the ARTs) • Electronic complaints window(resolution of cases and forwarding of documentation by ARTs) • Management of internal processes – Procurement – Per diems – Requests for leave • Some results: • - Reduction in average complaint resolution time • Previously: 4 months to 3 years • Now: 5 to 7 days • - Better worker access to their rights • Better SRT image and greater authority with the ARTs • Debureaucratization of administrative systems • Cost reduction • Fewer man-hours on administrative tasks

13. Information systems Role: Information is an essential instrument in the design and application of state policy for the prevention of occupational risks. In terms of compensation – financial and in-kind – reliable data is a key element of state control of the system’s stakeholders. Channels: www.srtprov.gov.ar (for provincial governments) www.arts.gov.ar (for ARTs and the self-insured)

14. Information systems Example of an information circuit

15. Entities connected to the information system • National government: through the Superintendency of Occupational Risk (SRT) of the Federal Public Revenue Administration (AFIP) • Provincial governments and the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires • Self-insured employers • Occupational risk insurers (ARTs) • General public (only for annual OA/PD statistics and other publicly-available data, at: www.srt.gov.ar)

16. SRT Provincial labor administration A.R.T./A.A. Workers MAIN INFORMATION CIRCUITS OF THE OCCUPATIONAL RISK SYSTEM Governmental control Reports Oversight OVERSEES Membership and technical assistance Employers Report accidents and professional diseases BENEFITS Oversight Working conditions

17. Challenges in the area of prevention and information • Strengthening of the AFIP’s Recording Simplification Program (PSR). • No. of accidents per business • Coordination of prevention actions among companies sharing risks • Widespread compliance with the PSR by employers and the ARTs (location of accident by the employer’s or third party business) • Incorporation of public employers • Improvement of data quality through automatic controls and case audits • Perfection of the ARTs’ control system [tablero de control].

18. Contribution of labor inspection to strengthening a culture of prevention • SRT/province cooperation agreements to: • 1. Conduct joint inspections • 2. Cooperate with financial resources in strengthening local labor inspection • 3. Facilitate technical resources for the inspection areas • 4. Harmonize oversightprocedures • 5. Provide the inspection team with specific training • Make available the SRT information system for recording inspection activities • Provide employer information and statistical studies on occupational accident rates • Monitoring, evaluation, and control of the implementation of management systems.

19. Final reflections Institutional strengthening designed to: • Build the system’s capacity for oversight, control, and prevention. • Coordinate planning and inspection with provincial authorities, focusing actions on companies with high accident rates. • Fulfill short- and medium-term prevention targets in SMEs. • Form quadripartite committees (SRT, unions, employers, and insurers) to improve prevention measures and compensatory benefits.

20. We consider work the gateway to a better quality of life And not a way to lose the health or lives of workers. Thank you very much www.srt.gov.ar