ILO Recommendation No. 164 says workers should take reasonable care for their own safety and others’, follow safety and health instructions, use protective equipment and safeguards correctly, and report hazards they cannot correct as well as work-related accidents or injury to health. These are worker duties within a broader safety framework: the Recommendation also sets out employer measures and national action.
What are my duties under ILO R164?
Paragraph 16 of the International Labour Organization’s Recommendation No. 164 (R164) describes five arrangements for worker conduct:
- Take reasonable care. Workers should take reasonable care for their own safety and for the safety of people who may be affected by their acts or omissions at work.
- Follow safety instructions and procedures. Comply with applicable instructions and procedures given to protect workers’ safety and health.
- Use safeguards and protective equipment correctly. Use safety devices and protective equipment properly, and do not render them inoperative.
- Report hazards they cannot correct. Promptly report to their immediate supervisor any situation they believe may present a risk and that they cannot themselves correct.
- Report accidents and injury to health. Report accidents and injury to health arising in the course of, or in connection with, work.
The instrument’s wording is about reasonable care and reporting a situation workers believe may present a risk; it does not require workers to personally fix every hazard. The hazard-reporting duty concerns situations they cannot correct themselves.
Do these duties make employees responsible for workplace safety?
No. R164 places worker conduct within a wider occupational-safety framework that includes employer responsibilities, cooperation at the undertaking level, protective measures and national action. Worker duties do not transfer the whole safety burden to employees.
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Among the employer measures described in paragraph 10 are safe workplaces, machinery and work methods; necessary instructions and training; adequate supervision; and appropriate workplace safety and health arrangements. The paragraph also calls for adequate protective clothing and equipment, without cost to workers, when reasonably necessary because hazards cannot otherwise be prevented or controlled.
Who and what does R164 cover?
R164 says its provisions should apply, to the greatest extent possible, to all economic sectors and categories of workers. It defines workers as all employed persons, including public employees, and says necessary and practicable measures should give self-employed persons analogous protection.
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Its definition of workplace is broad: it includes places workers need to be or go because of work that are under the employer’s direct or indirect control. The Recommendation was adopted in Geneva on 22 June 1981, supplements the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155), and is marked an “up-to-date instrument” in the ILO’s NORMLEX record as of 8 October 2026.
Is ILO R164 legally binding?
R164 is an ILO Recommendation, not a country-specific statute. Its text defines “regulations” as provisions given force of law by competent authorities. Whether a worker has a legally enforceable duty in a particular situation depends on the applicable national law, regulations and workplace rules; the Recommendation does not automatically create identical, directly enforceable duties in every country. Check the rules that apply in your jurisdiction.
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Do not confuse R164 paragraph 16’s duty to report hazards with related provisions in Convention No. 155. The Convention addresses prompt reporting of a situation workers reasonably believe presents an imminent and serious danger. It also says that, while remedial action has not been taken, workers cannot be required to return to a work situation where such danger continues.
Those are Convention provisions, not wording from R164 paragraph 16. Their application and effect depend on the relevant national framework and circumstances; consult local law, workplace procedures or an appropriate safety representative for guidance.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where can I read the standards?
The ILO’s Guide to International Labour Standards on Occupational Safety and Health, published on 16 September 2021, compiles nine OSH standards, including Recommendation No. 164. For the instrument’s exact wording, consult the official R164 record linked above; for its legal effect at work, consult the law and rules applicable where you work.
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