RADIATION PROTECTION CONVENTION, 1960

Convention No.115 concerning the Protection of Workers against Ionising Radiations

(Date of coming into force: 17/06/1962)

PREAMBLE

The General Conference of the International Labour Organisation,

Having been convened at Geneva by the Governing Body of the International Labour Office, and having

met in its Forty-fourth Session on 1 June 1960, and

Having decided upon the adoption of certain proposals with regard to the protection of workers against

ionising radiations, which is the fourth item on the agenda of the session, and

Having determined that these proposals shall take the form of an international Convention,

adopts the twenty-second day of June of the year one thousand nine hundred and sixty, the following

Convention, which may be cited as the Radiation Protection Convention, 1960:

PART I GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1

Each Member of the International Labour Organisation which ratifies this Convention undertakes to give

effect thereto by means of laws or regulations, codes of practice or other appropriate means. In applying the

provisions of the Convention the competent authority shall consult with representatives of employers and

workers.

Article 2

1. This Convention applies to all activities involving exposure of workers to ionising radiations in the

course of their work.

2. This Convention does not apply to radioactive substances, whether sealed or unsealed, nor to apparatus

generating ionising radiations which substances or apparatus, owing to the limited doses of ionising

radiations which can be received from them, are exempted from its provisions by one of the methods of

giving effect to the Convention mentioned in Article 1.

Article 3

1. In the light of knowledge available at the time, all appropriate steps shall be taken to ensure effective

protection of workers, as regards their health and safety, against ionising radiations.

2. Rules and measures necessary for this purpose shall be adopted, and data essential for effective

protection shall be made available.

3. With a view to ensuring such effective protection--

(a) measures for the protection of workers against ionising radiations adopted after ratification of

the Convention by the Member concerned shall comply with the provisions thereof;

(b) the Member concerned shall notify, as soon as practicable, measures adopted by it prior to the

ratification of the Convention, so as to comply with the provisions thereof, and shall promote

such modification of other measures existing at the time of ratification;

Labour Office, when ratifying the Convention, a statement indicating the manner in which

and the categories of workers to which the provisions of the Convention are applied, and shall

indicate in its reports on the application of the Convention any further progress made in the

matter;

(d) at the expiration of three years from the date on which this Convention first enters into force

the Governing Body of the International Labour Office shall submit to the Conference a

special report concerning the application of subparagraph (b) of this paragraph and containing

such proposals as it may think appropriate for further action in regard to the matter.

PART II PROTECTIVE MEASURES

Article 4

The activities referred to in Article 2 shall be so arranged and conducted as to afford the protection

envisaged in this Part of the Convention.

Article 5

Every effort shall be made to restrict the exposure of workers to ionising radiations to the lowest practicable

level, and any unnecessary exposure shall be avoided by all parties concerned.

Article 6

1. Maximum permissible doses of ionising radiations which may be received from sources external to or

internal to the body and maximum permissible amounts of radioactive substances which can be taken into

the body shall be fixed in accordance with Part I of this Convention for various categories of workers.

2. Such maximum permissible doses and amounts shall be kept under constant review in the light of

current knowledge.

Article 7

1. Appropriate levels shall be fixed in accordance with Article 6 for workers who are directly engaged in

radiation work and are--

(a) aged 18 and over;

(b) under the age of 18.

2. No worker under the age of 16 shall be engaged in work involving ionising radiations.

Article 8

Appropriate levels shall be fixed in accordance with Article 6 for workers who are not directly engaged in

radiation work, but who remain or pass where they may be exposed to ionising radiations or radioactive

substances.

Article 9

1. Appropriate warnings shall be used to indicate the presence of hazards from ionising radiations. Any

information necessary in this connection shall be supplied to the workers.

2. All workers directly engaged in radiation work shall be adequately instructed, before and during such

employment, in the precautions to be taken for their protection, as regards their health and safety, and the

reasons therefor.

Article 10

Laws or regulations shall require the notification in a manner prescribed thereby of work involving exposure

of workers to ionising radiations in the course of their work.

Article 11

Appropriate monitoring of workers and places of work shall be carried out in order to measure the exposure

of workers to ionising radiations and radioactive substances, with a view to ascertaining that the applicable

levels are respected.

Article 12

All workers directly engaged in radiation work shall undergo an appropriate medical examination prior to or

shortly after taking up such work and subsequently undergo further medical examinations at appropriate

intervals.

Article 13

Circumstances shall be specified, by one of the methods of giving effect to the Convention mentioned in

Article 1, in which, because of the nature or degree of the exposure or a combination of both, the following

action shall be taken promptly:

(a) the worker shall undergo an appropriate medical examination;

(b) the employer shall notify the competent authority in accordance with its requirements;

performed;

(d) the employer shall take any necessary remedial action on the basis of the technical findings and the

medical advice.

Article 14

No worker shall be employed or shall continue to be employed in work by reason of which the worker could

be subject to exposure to ionising radiations contrary to qualified medical advice.

Article 15

Each Member which ratifies this Convention undertakes to provide appropriate inspection services for the

purpose of supervising the application of its provisions, or to satisfy itself that appropriate inspection is

carried out.

PART III FINAL PROVISIONS

Article 16

The formal ratifications of this Convention shall be communicated to the Director-General of the

International Labour Office for registration.

Article 17

1. This Convention shall be binding only upon those Members of the International Labour Organisation

whose ratifications have been registered with the Director-General.

2. It shall come into force twelve months after the date on which the ratifications of two Members have

been registered with the Director-General.

3. Thereafter, this Convention shall come into force for any Member twelve months after the date on

which its ratifications has been registered.

Article 18

1. A Member which has ratified this Convention may denounce it after the expiration of ten years from

the date on which the Convention first comes into force, by an Act communicated to the Director-General of

the International Labour Office for registration. Such denunciation should not take effect until one year after

the date on which it is registered.

2. Each Member which has ratified this Convention and which does not, within the year following the

expiration of the period of five years mentioned in the preceding paragraph, exercise the right of

denunciation provided for in this Article, will be bound for another period of five years and, thereafter, may

denounce this Convention at the expiration of each period of ten years under the terms provided for in this

Article.

Article 19

1. The Director-General of the International Labour Office shall notify all Members of the International

Labour Organisation of the registration of all ratifications and denunciations communicated to him by the

Members of the Organisation.

2. When notifying the Members of the Organisation of the registration of the second ratification

communicated to him, the Director-General shall draw the attention of the Members of the Organisation to

the date upon which the Convention will come into force.

Article 20

The Director-General of the International Labour Office shall communicate to the Secretary-General of the

United Nations for registration in accordance with Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations full

particulars of all ratifications and acts of denunciation registered by him in accordance with the provisions of

the preceding Articles.

Article 21

At such times as may consider necessary the Governing Body of the International Labour Office shall

present to the General Conference a report on the working of this Convention and shall examine the

desirability of placing on the agenda of the Conference the question of its revision in whole or in part.

Article 22

1. Should the Conference adopt a new Convention revising this Convention in whole or in part, then,

unless the new Convention otherwise provides:

a) the ratification by a Member of the new revising Convention shall ipso jure involve the

immediate denunciation of this Convention, notwithstanding the provisions of Article 18

above, if and when the new revising Convention shall have come into force;

b) as from the date when the new revising Convention comes into force this Convention shall

cease to be open to ratification by the Members.

2. This Convention shall in any case remain in force in its actual form and content for those Members

which have ratified it but have not ratified the revising Convention.

Article 23

The English and French versions of the text of this Convention are equally authoritative.