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Occupational health and safety regulations in Ecuador

Abstract:

In Ecuador, the legal framework in occupational health and safety, aims to prevent accidents and occupational diseases derived from work activities in different workplaces, both public and private. In its first part, it takes into account public institutions responsible for health and safety, such as the Ministry of Labor, the Ecuadorian Social Security Institute (IESS) and the Ministry of Public Health; Entities that have promulgated norms, among them Executive Decrees, Ministerial Agreements and Resolutions that, translated into regulations, regulate the prevention of risks in the work and their effects in case of noncompliance in the workers. Among the main norms we can mention the Regulation of Occupational Safety and Health and Improvement of the Work Environment, the Regulation of Corporate Medical Services and the Regulation of Safety in Construction, among others. A documentary study was carried out, for which the content analysis of laws, regulations, agreements, decrees and resolutions was used, among other legal systems. The results of the analysis demonstrate the lack of knowledge about the norms in occupational safety and health, evidencing non-observance of safety laws in both the public and private sectors.