The Department for Labour, Employment and Social Protection of the Lepel District Executive Committee informs about fatalities and casualties in the workplace who sustained severe occupational injuries in 2018 compared to 2017.
According to operational data from the Department as of January 8, 2019, last year 21 workers died and 75 people sustained severe occupational injuries in organisations of the Vitebsk region (in 2017 – 16 and 71, respectively). In 2018, the number of fatalities in the workplace per 100,000 insured persons under mandatory insurance against industrial accidents and occupational diseases (Kch) in the region was 4.8 (nationwide – 3.8). In organisations of the Lepel district in the past year 2018, 2 people sustained severe occupational injuries (in 2017 – 3, respectively). Fatal industrial accidents were not recorded in the Lepel district in 2017 and 2018.
A significant increase in workplace accidents with severe consequences was recorded in 2018 in organisations of communal ownership within the region, where 13 employees died, which is 5 more than in 2017, and 48 people sustained severe workplace injuries (compared to 30 victims in 2017).
Thus, out of the total number of victims with severe consequences, 61 people, or 63.5 percent of the total number in the region, were from organisations of communal ownership (in 2017 – 38 victims, or 43.7 percent). Furthermore, 37 people, or 60.7 percent of the victims with severe consequences in organisations of communal ownership, were employees of agricultural organisations.
Monitoring the causes of accidents with severe consequences shows that they are often a consequence of the failure of managers and specialists to fulfil their occupational safety duties, while violations of labour and production discipline, and occupational safety instructions by victims, indicate shortcomings and omissions by employers in ensuring control over compliance with occupational safety requirements, labour and production discipline by officials and employees.
The main causes of accidents with severe consequences in the Vitebsk region, for which special investigations were completed by January 8, 2019, were:
- violation of labour and production discipline, requirements of normative legal acts, technical normative legal acts, and local normative acts on occupational safety by victims – 15.1 percent of the total number of causes;
- failure of managers and specialists to fulfil occupational safety duties – 14.3 percent;
- personal negligence of victims – 10.3 percent;
- violation of safety requirements during the operation of vehicles, machinery, mechanisms, equipment, fittings, and tools – 6.3 percent;
- allowing victims to work without training and knowledge testing on occupational safety issues – 6.3 percent;
- violation of occupational safety requirements by other employees – 6.3 percent;
- unsatisfactory condition and deficiencies in the organisation of workplaces – 5.6 percent;
- violation of traffic rules by other persons – 5.6 percent.
Additionally, it should be noted that last year 5 employees of the region were under the influence of alcohol at the time of death or sustaining a severe workplace injury.
Taking into account the foregoing,
we propose to take additional measures to prevent an increase in workplace injuries, to eliminate the causes of industrial injuries, to ensure the unconditional fulfillment of their duties on labor protection by both the officials of the organization and the employees themselves, as well as to ensure production and technological, executive and labor discipline.
This letter is sent for use in work and for communication to the employees of the organization.