The human factor is the main cause of accidents at construction sites in the Vitebsk region.
16/12/20110 views
16 December, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo – BELTA/. The "human factor" is the main cause of accidents in the construction industry of the Vitebsk region. This point of view was expressed in an interview with a BELTA correspondent by Sergey Anufriev, First Deputy Head of the Vitebsk Regional Department of the State Labour Inspectorate of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection.
In accordance with the national targeted programme for improving working conditions and occupational safety for 2011-2015 and the action plan for holding the year of safe work in construction in the Vitebsk region in 2011, a month of safety in construction was held in the region. During its course, mobile groups consisting of state inspectors from the regional department, together with employees of the prosecutor's office, the sanitary-epidemiological service, the state construction supervision authority, and the state energy supervision authority, inspected 115 construction organisations of state, communal, and private ownership, working at 142 sites in the Vitebsk region. During the month, construction organisation managers were instructed on the need to dismiss 211 employees who had not undergone timely briefings, occupational safety knowledge tests, medical examinations, who did not use personal protective equipment, and who ensured occupational safety. Employers were recommended to suspend the operation of 55 units of equipment that did not meet safety requirements and to prohibit the production of 22 types of work until violations of occupational safety legislation were rectified. Based on the results of the inspections, labour inspectors sent 21 officials, from director to foreman, for unscheduled occupational safety knowledge tests.
In addition, for the prompt provision of practical and methodological assistance to organisation specialists in organising and conducting safe construction work, state inspectors pointed out in their recommendations the need to eliminate over 1.2 thousand violations of safety requirements.
Noting that the Committee for Construction and Architecture of the Regional Executive Committee, the departments for construction of city and district executive committees, and employers are carrying out certain organisational work to ensure safe working conditions during construction and installation work, the First Deputy Head stated that gross violations of occupational safety legislation requirements have been identified in many organisations in the construction industry of the Vitebsk region.
"The causes of accidents, major shortcomings and violations of labour protection rules and standards are repeated from year to year and are often caused by the so-called human factor, when employer officials fail to fulfil their duties to ensure labour safety and safe organisation of the work process, which indicates low labour and performance discipline in organisations," believes Sergey Anufriev.
During inspections of enterprises conducted during the month-long campaign, it was found that many of them have not carried out an assessment of occupational risks, have not implemented procedures to ensure hazard identification, and employers violate the requirements of the legislation regarding the provision of personal protective equipment to employees and control over their use.
To ensure safe working conditions, prevention and avoidance of industrial injuries for employees in the construction industry, the regional department of the State Labour Inspectorate has developed a list of recommendations aimed at resolving organisational and technical issues. In particular, some of the recommendations include stricter demands on the heads of construction organisations for ensuring labour protection, labour and production discipline in accordance with current legislation, as well as moral and material incentives for employees actively participating in improving working conditions and labour protection.
According to the regional department of the department, in construction organisations of communal ownership form, over 11 months of the current year, compared to the same period in 2010, there has been an increase in severe injuries from two to four accidents. For January-November 2011, 1 fatal accident was registered (in the same period of 2010, there was also 1 accident). -0-
BELTA