Laboratory technicians and employees will have their health checked once a year 

Kathmandu, November 1

The government has issued Laboratory Hazards Allowance Management Guideline, 2015 in line with the Good Governance (Management and Operation) Act, 2006 to provide special hazard allowance to employees depending on the nature of their work.

The guideline aims to safeguard the rights and interest of government employees, who operate various scientific equipment in lab as part of research and experimental activities and are vulnerable to hazardous chemicals or radioactive materials and viruses.

For the purpose of providing special allowances to lab technicians and employees, the guideline has stipulated a provision of seven-member Hazards Allowance Fixation Committee headed by secretary at the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment. Other members include representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Agricultural Development, Ministry of General Administration, Ministry of Health and Population and MoSTE.

The committee will conduct risk assessment of various labs in government agencies and fix the allowance based on the risk level. Any employee working in lab will be entitled to an allowance not exceeding 25 per cent of his/her monthly remuneration.

The government will provide the amount with the monthly remuneration under the heading of allowance.

“If the lab technicians and employees are on leave or are deputed to other government offices for consecutive three months, they will not be entitled to hazardous allowance for that period,” says the new law. Similarly, any employee undergoing training for more than a month at a time will also be eligible to enjoy the allowance for that period.

Lab technicians and employees will have to get their health checked once a year and the expenses thereof will be borne by the government.

In case of need of medical treatment due to the adverse effects of chemicals and radioactive materials while working in lab, the government will extend all necessary support to the concerned employees.

The law has also provisioned additional 25 per cent monthly pension and gratuity to employees who retire or quit after working in labs for a minimum period of 10 years. If an employee dies of accident at the time of working in the lab, the grieving family will be provided with a cash relief of one million rupees.