manual: women workers' rights and gender equality - International ...

information to the workers. Another option is to invite a resource person to the session who is
familiar with all laws and regulations on occupational safety and health issues.
The following section gives brief explanations of the situations that are provided on the pictures:
Carrying heavy loads
Workers should be protected against the dangers of carrying heavy loads. In Prakas no. 124 Lifting
Weights by Manual Labour the following weights are given for different groups:
Description of weight
Men
Women
Aged 15+ Aged 18+ Aged 15+ Aged 18+
Carrying individual load 12 kg 50 kg 6 kg 25 kg
Single wheel cartload 32 kg 80 kg forbidden 40 kg
3 or 4 wheel cartload 48 kg 120 kg 24 kg 60 kg
Pregnant women doing heavy work
The same Prakas states that pregnant women or women who have just returned to work after
delivering a baby or an abortion, during the following 2 months, are not allowed to carry loads more
than 5 kg.
Working with chemicals (industry, agriculture)
Workers who are working with chemicals like lead, nickel, white lead (painting), acids or benzene
but also pesticides used in agriculture should be protected against the dangerous effects of these
chemicals. Through breathing in, skin contact or swallowing, the risk of skin diseases, cancer and
lung diseases is very high. It can also destroy someone’s fertility. Protective equipment like masks
and gloves can help to protect the person but of course the employer should take measures to
make the risks as small as possible with good ventilation, storage facilities, labeling of all
chemicals, and good handling of chemical waste.
Prakas no. 125, issued on 15 June 2002 concerning Ventilation and Clean Atmosphere in the
Workplace deals with the emission of dangerous substances, including gas, toxic fumes and dust
by factories, and with the storage of toxic materials.
The Ministry of Environment is preparing a sub-decree on Management of Poisonous Chemicals
but it has not yet been issued.
Dust
There are a number of occupations that are a risk to health because dust is involved. Workers in
mines, in textile, cloth or wood production or workers at a place where a lot of burning takes place
are very vulnerable to inhaling small particles in the air. The smaller the particles, the further into
the lungs they can reach. They can damage the person’s internal organs or result in lung diseases.
Prakas No. 125, Article 4 states that workplaces that cannot prevent or avoid dangerous levels of
noise and dust must provide individual workers with protective gear which must be maintained in
good order. Article 5 warns that failure to comply with these provisions will result in punishment (or
fine) as set out in Chapter 16 of the Labor Law.
Working with dangerous machines
Dangerous machines are, for instance, sawing machines, hydraulic presses, milling machines,
grinding machines, etc. The machines should be well maintained and the electricity transmission
line should be in good condition.
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