Inspection in Occupational Health and Safety in the Province of Santa Fe - Argentina -

1. Session 4: Good Practices on Prevention Inspection in Occupational Health and Safety in the Province of Santa Fe - Argentina -

2. Province of Santa Fe • Surface: 133.007 Km2 • Population: 3.250.000 inhabitants. • Territory: predominantly rural, at the same time, heavily urbanized.

3. Province of Santa Fe • Productive structure linked to agriculture • Fourth country's economy in terms of products • It generates 21% of the total value of national products exported • It contributes with 8.3% of Gross National Product

4. Basic Pillars of the good practice 1.-Knowledge of standards and adherence to them 2.- Ethical behavior 3- Scientific evidence

5. Occupational Health and Safety: high- priority in Santa Fe • Creating a specific functional organic structure • Provincial Organization for Health and Safety at Work • Specialized inspection service, highly professional, recruited by open competition • Main axis in the Decent Work Provincial Agenda (only sub-state in Argentina and second in Latin America)

6. Inspection Service Specialized in OHS • Three month selection process • Public announcement and comprehensive assessments: four stages • Creation of multidisciplinary professional team: technicians in Occupational Health and Safety, experienced engineers and architects, occupational physicians, lawyers • Professional competence and personal ethical qualities that ensure high quality standards in the audits

7. Previous training, continuous professional development • Those selected received one month full time training course as a first step in an ongoing training program. • Axes of training:      - Techniques and strategies according to major risk factors in different sectors.      - Accident investigation by Tree Causes Method

8. New process of integrated work and installationof new technology • job stability and good salary •   administrative circuits, streamlined and transparent methods and procedures •   computerized system for on-line management: less handling of records, procedures and actions and improved quality and transparency in the inspection •   full equipment: notebooks, broad band, cellular phones, digital cameras, new vehicles, personal protective equipment and the latest instruments to measure •   24 hour toll free service to complain about serious and imminent risks

9. Code of Ethics of the Labor Inspectorate • First province in Argentina to implement it •   Voluntary adherence and publicizing • General and specific assumptions that are part of the integrity, honesty, transparency and professionalism of the inspectors in the performance of their duties, always acting in accordance with the state interests •   Specification of incompatibilities and conflicts of interests.

10. New approach to the inspection service • To promote prevention rather than punishment •  To encourage the establishment and functioning of Committees of Occupational Health and Safety and safety representatives, as stated by the Law of Committees of Occupational Health and Safety, first in Argentina •   To train workers and employers • To provide technical assistance for small and medium enterprises, cooperatives and enterprises that are self-managed by workers

11. New approach to the inspection service • Sectoral operational research from the conceptual framework of conditions and working environment   • Visits to companies to establish the current state of their working conditions and to make recommendations intended to improve • Aimed at well-defined economic activities, the current field of study is all foundries located in the provincial territory. • Diagnosis discussed in tripartite provincial seminars to agree on recommendations and undertakings.

12. Why to promote and consolidate a specialized inspection to ensure good practice in occupational health and safety?

13. The focus on the control of substantial aspects, those that jeopardize the health of the worker beyond formal or documentary policy violation, prevails. • It imposes consideration of the subject to be verified according to the technical soundness of the inspector’s knowledge. • It exceeds the purely repressive role, providing training and technical assistance concerning shortcomings. • It facilitates cultural change of social agents. • It introduces the possibility to make positive changes.

14. Positive changes to preserve the health of workers should be achieved. It is unacceptable that a worker die, get injured or ill at the same place where he sought likelihood.