In accordance with the decision taken by the Governing Body of the ILO at its 288th Session in November 2003, a Meeting of Experts on Safety and Health in the Iron and Steel Industry was convened in Geneva from 1 to 9 February 2005 to draw up and adopt a revised code of practice on safety and health in the iron and steel industry. The Meeting was composed of seven experts appointed following consultations with Governments, eight experts appointed following consultations with the Employers’ group and eight experts appointed following consultations with the Workers’ group of the Governing Body.

The original code of practice on safety and health in the iron and steel industry was adopted at a meeting of experts in 1981. This new code, which reflects the many changes in the industry, its workforce, the roles of the competent authorities, employers, workers and their organizations, and on the development of new ILO instruments on occupational safety and health, focuses on the production of iron and steel and basic iron and steel products, such as rolled and coated steel, including from recycled material. It does not deal with the mining of raw materials for iron and steel production, which is covered by the Safety and Health in Mines Convention, 1995 (No. 176), and by codes of practice on safety and health in coal mines (1986) and safety and health in opencast mines (1991), nor does it deal with the fabrication of commercial steel products.

This code of practice is based on principles established in international instruments relevant to the protection of workers’ safety and health. The first two chapters deal with the objectives and application of the code. The next two chapters address, within a national framework, the responsibilities, duties and rights of the competent authority, the labour inspectorate, employers, workers and their organizations, suppliers, manufacturers and designers, and contractors, and occupational safety and health (OSH) management systems and services and OSH reporting.

Part II of the code addresses different operations commonly used in the production of iron and steel – from coke ovens to steel furnaces and foundries, to rolling mills, coating lines and recycling. It also covers transport, competence and training, personal protective equipment, emergency preparedness, and special protection and hygiene issues. Each section describes hazards, assesses risk and provides guidance on eliminating or controlling risk.