NoC169/46 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 6.7.92
3.7.3.TheCommitteerecommends theCommission
toconsidertheoptionofrotationofthePresidencyof
theAgencyamongthefourgroupsrepresentedonthe
Administrative Board.3.7.4.Withaviewtotheobservationsmadeinpara­
graph3.7.1,theCommitteecannotacceptthepro­
visionsinArticle8(6).DecisionsintheAdministrative
BoardoftheAgencyshouldbetakenbyasimple
majority.
DoneatBrussels,29April1992.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
MichaelGEUENICH
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilDirectiveconcerningtheminimumsafetyandhealth
requirementsforworkonboardfishingvessels—10thindividualDirectivewithinthemeaning
ofDirective89/391/EEC(!)
(92/C169/15)
On23December1991theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle118AoftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity ,onthe
abovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforSocial,Family,EducationalandCulturalAffairs,whichwasresponsiblefor
preparingtheCommittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon22April1992.The
RapporteurwasMrEtty.
Atits296thPlenarySession(meetingof29April1992)theEconomicandSocialCommittee
adoptedthefollowingOpinionbyaunanimousvote:
inotherhighrisksectorssuchasmining,constructions
andagriculture .Onsmallvesselstheincidenceofacci­
dentsishigherthanonlargeones.In1989,280000
fishermenwereemployedinthesector.1.Introduction
1.1.TheCommissionproposalisanotherindividual
Directiveunderthe'FrameworkDirective'(89/391/
EEC)ontheintroductionofmeasurestoencourage
improvements inthesafetyandhealthofworkersat
theworkplace.Theannextothe'FrameworkDirective'
listsanumberoffieldsforwhichspecificinstruments
willbeprepared.'Fisheries'arementionedamongthem.
1.2.OneimportantreasonfortheCommissionto
proposeaspecialDirectiveforworkplacesonboard
fishingvesselsisthatfishingisahighrisksector.
Workingconditionsandoccupationalsafetyandhealth
conditionscontributesignificantlytothishighrisk.
Accidentstatisticsshowthat,inallthemaritimeMem­
berStatesoftheEC,seafishingisthemostdangerous
ofallthemajorindustries.Onaveragefatalaccidents
occuralmosttentimesmoreofteninseafishingthan1.3.Againstthisbackgroundofhighrisk,itisaston­
ishingthatanumberofMemberStatesdonothave
anyspecificprovisionsatallforsomeofthesubject
areasaddressedbythepresentCommissionproposal.
1.4.Relevantinternationalinstruments,createdby
interaliatheInternationalLabourOrganization (ILO)
andtheInternationalMaritimeOrganization (IMO)
concentrateontheintrinsicsafetyofvesselsandemer­
gencyequipmentanddealtoamuchlesserextentwith
safetyandhealthoffishermenatwork.Onlyasmall
numberofMemberStatesoftheEChaveratifiedthese
instruments .TheCommitteeurgesgovernmentsof
MemberStatestostudyonceagainthepossibilityof
ratification .Furthermore ,inseekingtoimprovethe
safetyandhealthoffishermen,MemberStatesshould
turntothefollowinginternationalinstrumentsand
codesofpracticeforadviceandguidance:ILOConven­
tions112,113,119,125,134and140;ILORecommen­ (i)OJNoC337,31.12.1991,p.21.

6.7.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC169/47
dations108,126,139,142;FoodandAgricultureOrgan­
izationoftheUnitedNations(FAO)/ILO/IMODocu­
mentforGuidanceonFishermen'sTrainingandCertifi­
cation,FAO/ILO/IMOCodeofSafetyforFishermen
(PartsAandB)andIMOConventiononSafetyof
FishingVessels('Torremolinos 'Convention )andits
Resolution .—casualtyinvestigationsandstatistics,
—labourinspection.
Asregardstheimportantproblemofhoursofwork:
theCommissionshouldexhortworkers'andemployers'
organizationstofindsolutionstoresolveissuesrelating
toexorbitantlylongworkinghoursthroughthebar­
gainingprocess.Indoingso,contractingpartiesshould
beguidedbyILORecommendation No7:Recommen­
dationconcerningthelimitationofhoursofworkin
thefishingindustry(1920).Inparticular,collective
agreementsshouldspecifyminimumrestperiodson
boardthevesselsandbetweentrips.
TheCommitteenotesthattheproposedDirective,given
itslegalbasis,cannotcoverdeath,disabilityandsick­
nessinsuranceforfishermen .1.5.ThepresentdraftDirectiveshouldbeconsidered
inthecontextofotherindividualDirectivesunderthe
FrameworkDirective.
1.6.ThedraftDirectivedoesnotdealwiththeprob­
lemsofthefisherysector.Itshouldbenotedthatthe
sectoriscurrentlyinadifficultsituationfinancially.
However,thiswillnotbereflectedintheCommittee's
OpinionontheCommissionproposal.Itreferstothe
Opinionitiscurrentlypreparingonthe1991Report
ontheCommunity'sFishingPolicy[doc.SEC(91)2288
final].
1.7.Livingandworkingconditionsonboardnumer­
ousfishingvesselsfromMemberStatesarestrenuous
orhazardous,e.g.extremelylongworkingweeksunder
verydemandingcircumstances ;shortperiodofrest,
poorhygienicconditions;dangerousequipment .These
difficultconditionshavetobeseeninthecontextof
thespecialnaturewhichcharacterizesseafishing.
2.Generalcomments
2.1.TheCommitteewelcomestheCommissionpro­
posal.Itishightimethatmeasuresweretakentoensure
asafeandergonomicworkplaceandequipmentdesign,
asoundworkorganization ,decentlivingandworking
conditionsonboard,healthandsafetytrainingfor
fishermenandspecializedtrainingforanyonelikelyto
commandavessel.3.Specificremarks
3.1.Article2(Definition)
Ingeneralterms,theCommitteerecommendstheCom­
missiontokeepitsdefinitionsinlinewiththoseused
bytheILOandtheIMO.
TheCommitteecanacceptthedefinitionsofafishing
vesselasproposedbytheCommission .However,it
notesthat6fr—70%ofthefishingfleetsofMember
Statesareshorterthan12mbetweenperpendiculars .
Asstatedearlier,occupationalsafetyandhealthrisks
arehigheronboardofthesesmallervessels.Therefore,
theCommitteeconsidersthatsomedetailedcoverage
ofoccupationalsafetyandhealthneedsonallfishing
vessels,irrespectiveoftheirlength,isnecessary.
Ontheunderstanding thattheCommissionwantsto
includeindependentworkersinitsdefinitionofafisher­
man,theCommitteeacceptstheproposeddefinition.
3.2.Article3(Generalprovisions )
TheCommitteethinksthatdetailedhealthandsafety
reporting,asmentionedinthetextfollowingthethird
indentofthisArticle,shouldberequiredonfishing
vesselsasdefinedintheDirective,irrespectiveofpresent
regulationsorlegislationonthematterinMember
States.Itstronglyrecommendsthatreportingshould
bedoneonthebasisofastandardized formattobe
developedbytheCommission .
3.3.Article7(Alterationstovessels)
Technicalmaintenance (firstindent):'defects(...)likely
toaffectthehealthandsafetyofthefishermen'should
berectified'withoutdelay'insteadof'asquicklyas
possible'.
3.4.Article8(Informationoffishermen)
ThisArticleshouldcontainaprovisionconcerningthe
language(s)inwhichtherelevantinformationshould2.2.TheCommitteenotes,however,thatwhilstcer­
tainimportantaspectsarecoveredbyotherrelevant
ECDirectives89/391/EEC(*),89/654/EEC(2),89/656/
EEC(2),90/269/EEC(3),90/270/EEC(3)thefollowing
issuesarenot:
—foodstandards(provisionandpreservationoffood
ofgoodquality,conducivetothehealthoffish­
ermen),
—appointmentofasafetyrepresentative onboard
fishingvesselswithacrewexceedingfivepersons,
(1)OJNoL183,29.6.1989.
(2)OJNoL393,30.12.1989.
(3)OJNoL156,21.6.1990.

NoC169/48 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 6.7.92
beprovided,soastoensurethatthemembersofthe
crewofdifferentnationalitiescanunderstandit.
3.5.Article9(Trainingoffishermen)
TheCommitteeisoftheopinionthatthetextofthis
Articleshouldnotonlyrefertooccupationalsafety
andhealthonboardbutalsospecificallytoaccident
prevention .
TheCommitteefeelsthatbasicsafetytrainingshould
beprovidedpriortoemploymentonboardfishing
vessels.
ThetextoftheDirectiveshouldalsocoverfire-fighting
training.
Itshouldalsocontainalanguageprovisionasreferred
toinparagraph3.4.
Allfishermenshouldbegivenbasicswimminginstruc­
tion.
3.6.Article13(Finalprovisions)
Paragraph3ofthisArticleshouldlisttheJointCom­
mitteeonSocialProblemsinSeaFishingamongthe
bodiestobeinformedbytheCommission .
3.7.Annex1(Minimumrequirementsforfishingves­
selscommissioned forthefirsttime)3.7.5.Section12:Layoutofthework­
stations
Paragraph12.1shouldstatealsostatethatladdersand
stairwaysshouldbeprovidedwithnon-slipmaterial.
Paragraph12.2shouldstatethatworkingareasshould
alsobekeptfreeofoilandothercontaminants .
Inparagraph12.7'minimized'shouldbechangedto
'avoided'.
3.7.6.Section16:Noise
Inthisparagraphitshouldbeclearlystatedthat,the
problemofnoiseshouldbetackledatthesourcealready
atthedesignstage.TheCommitteenotesthatthe
existingNoiseDirective86/188/EECof12May1986(*)
doesnotapplytofishingvessels.ThisDirectiveis
presentlybeingrevised.Itwillincludereferencesto
noiselevels,notonlyforwork,butalsoforresttime,
anditwillalsocoverfishingvessels.
3.7.7.TheCommissionmightconsidertoaddasec­
tiononworkpractices.
3.8.Annex11(Minimumrequirementsforfishingves­
selsalreadyinuse)
3.8.1.Section6:Ventilation ofenclosed
workplaces
TheCommitteenotesthatinsomelanguagesthetext
ofthissectioninAnnexesIandIIisidentical,andthat
inothersthethirdparagraph['Anybreakdown (NB:
oftheventilationsystem)mustbeindicatedbyacontrol
systemwherethisisnecessaryforthefishermen's
health']ofthetextinAnnexIismissinginAnnexII.
AccordingtotheEuropeanCommission ,theshorter
versionofAnnexIIisthecorrectone.
TheCommitteedoesnotagreewiththelatterandurges
theCommissiontoaddthethirdparagraphof
AnnexItothetextofAnnexII.
3.8.2.Section13:Accommodation
Inparagraph13.1theword'minimize'shouldbe
changedto'avoided'.Inthisparagraph,too,thepro­
visionsinthecorresponding sectionofAnnexIabout
'Appropriatemeasures(which)shouldbetakentopro­
tectnon-smokersagainstdiscomfortcausedbytobacco
smoke'shouldberetained.
Paragraph13.2shouldstatethatrefrigeratorsandother
lowtemperaturefood-storageequipmentshouldnotbe
placedinthecrew'ssleepingaccommodation .3.7.1.Section4:Emergency escaperout­
esandexists
Inparagraph4.2theformulation'mustdependon'
shouldbechangedto'mustbedeterminedinrelation
to'.
3.7.2.Section5:Firedetectionandfire­
fighting
Thissectionshouldstateclearlythatnomaterialsmay
beused(likeasbestos)whichconstituteahealthhazard.
3.7.3.Section6:Ventilation ofenclosed
workplaces
Thephrase'havingregardtotheworkingmethodsused
andthephysicaldemandsplacedonthefishermen'in
thefirstparagraphshouldbedeleted.
3.7.4.Section9:Floors,wallsandceil­
ingsofrooms
Paragraph9.1,firstsentence,shouldstipulatethat
floorsshouldalsobekeptclearofobstaclesandfree
ofoilandothercontaminants . (!)OJNoL137,24.5.1986.

6.7.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC169/49
Thissectionshouldalsoincludeaprovisionforproper
ventilationwhereverpracticable .—walkietalkie,
—radio.
3.9.2.InthisAnnex,asectiononmaintenance is
missing.3.9.AnnexIII(Emergencyescapeandsurvivalequip­
ment)
3.10.AnnexIV(PersonalProtectiveEquipment )3.9.1.Section3:liferaftsandlifeboats
Tothelistofequipmentthefollowingelementsshould
beadded:
—flares,3.10.1.Lightweightlife-jacketsshouldbewornby
allfishermenworkingondeck.
DoneatBrussels,29April1992.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
MichaelGEUENICH
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilDecisionontheorganizationoftheEuropeanYear
oftheElderlyandofSolidaritybetweenGenerations1993(M
92/C169/16)
On29January1992theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle198oftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity,onthe
abovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforSocial,Family,EducationalandCulturalAffairs,whichwasresponsiblefor
preparingtheCommittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon22April1992.The
RapporteurwasMrRoseingrave .
Atits296thPlenarySession(meetingof29April1992)theEconomicandSocialCommittee
adoptedthefollowingOpinionbyaunanimousvote.
portivestrategiesenablingolderpeopletoparticipate
asfull'citizens'ofaEuropeanUnionandassuringthem
basicrightsandpropercare.1.Generalremarks
1.1.InitsOpinionof4July1990(2),theCommittee
welcomedboththeCommunityActionProgrammefor
theelderlyandendorsedtheideaofdesignating1993
as'EuropeanYearforOlderPeople'.
1.2.Thecurrentspecificproposalcanthereforebe
supportedandshouldbeenhanced,inkeepingwiththe
commitments madeintheSocialCharterandAction
Programme,andinresponsetogrowingcallsforsup­1.3.TheCommitteewouldsuggestthatacleargoal
oftheEuropeanYearshouldbetolaunchaCommunity
CharteroftheFundamentalRightsofOlderPeople,
togetherwithanActionProgrammeincludingmeasures
topromoteinter-generational solidarityforits
implementation whichwouldtesttheeffectivenessof
theobjectivesoftheYear.Obviouslyitwouldbeof
littleuseiftheobjectivesweretoremainasmere
aspirations.SuchaCharterandProgrammecouldbuild
outofArticles24and25oftheexistingSocialCharter(!)OJNoCIS,1.2.1992,p.5.
(2)OJNoC225,10.9.1990.