Occupational Health and Safety Reform in Morocco

Project description

This Project is part of the EU-Morocco Action Plan and in particular Article 5.5 thereof, which aims to contribute to the strengthening of fundamental social rights and core labour standards in the Kingdom of Morocco.

Since 2004 with the revision of the Labour Code, and in particular the provisions relating to health and safety at work, and the new law on compensation for accidents at work in 2014, the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco, in consultation with the social partners and stakeholders, has committed itself to improving health and safety at work, and more broadly living conditions at work.

While these efforts have had a positive impact, particularly through a significant reduction in accidents at work and better recognition of accidents and occupational diseases, the situation needs improvement.  The culture of prevention should become ingrained to move from a logic of remediation to a logic of prevention.

In addition, the Kingdom of Morocco published the National Profile for Occupational Health and Safety in September 2017. This document is a comprehensive inventory of the existing OHS situation. The profile identifies strengths and weaknesses and opportunities to improve the quality of work life. It will serve as a guideline for the project which is supporting the Ministry of Labour and Professional Integration in the development of the national strategy for the promotion and control of OSH and its action plan by converging towards the requirements of the acquis and European good practices.

Scope of work

The project’s objective is being achieved by:

• Developing the national policy for occupational health and safety and health policy
• Strengthening the system for promoting and monitoring health, hygiene and safety at the workplace, including through training activities on these subjects;
• Institutionalization of the precautionary principle and prevention of occupational risks related to the handling of dangerous or toxic substances;
• The approximation of national legislation with the general principles of the European directives on the prevention of occupational risks and the protection of safety and health as well as the elimination of risk and accident factors;
• The development of good practices to reduce accidents and occupational diseases.
• Cooperation of partner institutions operating or involved in the field of OHS;

The project’s stakeholders are; Directorate of Labour, the regional directorates of the Ministry of Labour, the trade unions, the employers’ groups, the workers, the enterprises and the non-governmental organizations and all the ministerial departments concerned.

Results

Establishing change through the occupational health and safety policy in order to build the foundations of a shared vision for coherent and effective public action in favor of economic and social rights of employees in both the public and private sectors.