Uruguay has a new List of Hazardous Work applicable to persons under 18 years of age. The new list replaces the one approved in 2006 and is expected to be a more effective tool for the protection of adolescent work allowed in the country.

Andrea Zaugg, Advisor to the General Inspection of Labor and Social Security of the Ministry of Labor and Focal Point for Uruguay of the Regional Initiative for Latin America and the Caribbean Free of Child Labor, highlighted the importance of updating and pointed out that “The vast majority of cases of work permits to minors who were granted in a dangerous work situation were not included in the 2006 list and the work permit should be granted as an exception ”.

The new list was built from a gender and ethnic-racial perspective, as well as a territorial anchor. In this way, the comprehensive protection of children and adolescents was reinforced, from their physical, psychological, moral and social development to their educational training.

According to Zaugg, the list was prepared in a participatory manner through the National Committee for the Eradication of Child Labor (CETI) and a series of consultations in which labor inspectors and the National Institute for Children and Adolescents, National Council of Health and Safety at Work (CONASSAT), the Tripartite for Health and Safety at Rural Work and the Faculty of Medicine through the specialty in Occupational Health.

Finally, the List of Hazardous Work was regulated by INAU Board Resolution No. 3344 dated October 18, 2017.

Zaugg pointed out that the process of adopting the new list allowed to build the bases for the elaboration of a didactic guide for the training of public officials and social actors linked to the subject and for its replication in schools and other spaces.

These actions, together with the preparation of the questionnaire for the second  National Survey of Child Labor  and the national awareness campaign  "If you are going to work, let it be with your permission" , are scopes of the first part of the project " Support for public policy aimed at eradicating child labor and dangerous adolescent work ”, implemented by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security (MTSS) with the technical and financial support of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), an active partner committed to Latin America and the Caribbean to end child labor and achieve Target 8.7 of the 2030 Agenda.

The project seeks to contribute to the eradication of dangerous adolescent work, strengthening access to permitted work for adolescents aged 15 and over. According to Zaugg, the project required the design of specific and concrete tools on adolescent work, both dangerous and permitted, that contribute to improving the level of knowledge and the capacity for action of employers.

Starting in April 2018, the project will focus on training social actors and officials from other departments of Uruguay, in addition to strengthening the capacity of the two inspection bodies with competence on the subject of the Ministry of Labor and the National Children's Institute.

• List of Dangerous Jobs  in Uruguay

• Resolution

To review the list of hazardous jobs for other countries in the region, click  here .