In April, the Supervision and Prevention Sector of the Lepel District Department for Emergency Situations conducted an inspection of the State Agricultural Unitary Enterprise "Lepel Variety Testing Station".

During supervisory activities conducted, it was established that the State Agricultural Experimental Institution "Lepel Variety Testing Station" does not fully comply with the requirements for ensuring safe evacuation in case of fire, and general requirements for ensuring fire safety at the facility.

The following violations were identified at the State Agricultural Experimental Institution "Lepel Variety Testing Station":

- The operability and serviceability of fire extinguishing means (fire extinguishers) are not ensured (recharge date has expired) in the laboratory building (Clause 4.1 of the General Fire Safety Regulations);

- Locks on doors located on evacuation routes (external evacuation doors in the laboratory building) are not ensured to be openable from the inside without a key (Clause 48 of the General Fire Safety Regulations);

- Evacuation exits from the laboratory building are not marked with fire safety signs (Clause 44 of the General Fire Safety Regulations);

- Training of employees has not been organised (operating heat-generating units; responsible for the preparation and execution of hot work; performers of hot work; engaged in the harvesting, preparation, processing, storage of grain and leguminous crops and roughage; assigned duties for conducting fire safety briefings) according to the fire technical minimum programs, defined by clause 15 of the "Instructions on the procedure for training employees on fire safety issues and verifying their knowledge in this area", approved by the Resolution of the Ministry of Emergency Situations No. 82 (clause 4.1 of the OTPB);

- Fire safety briefings have not been organised, nor has the training of employees in fire safety measures been carried out; no records are made in the logbook for fire safety briefings regarding their conduct (clause 4.1 of the OTPB, clause 12 of the INSTRUCTIONS on the procedure for training employees on fire safety issues and verifying their knowledge in this area, approved by the Resolution of the Ministry of Emergency Situations No. 82);

- A general fire safety instruction for the entire facility has not been developed, in accordance with the requirements of appendix 1 to the Resolution of the Ministry of Emergency Situations No. 82 (clause 7 of the OTPB);

- The operability and serviceability of fire extinguishing means (fire extinguishers) have not been ensured (recharge date has expired) in the grain storage building (clause 4.1 of the OTPB);

- Fire warning signs have not been displayed

- evacuation exits from the buildings of the Drimowshchina and Lyudshchytsy farms are not secured (para. 44 of the General Rules for Fire Safety);

- the Drimowshchina and Lyudshchytsy farms are not provided with the required number of primary fire extinguishing means in the premises (para. 53 of the General Rules for Fire Safety, para. 2 of the Appendix to the Instructions on the Norms for Equipping Facilities with Primary Fire Extinguishing Means, approved by Resolution of the Ministry of Emergency Situations No. 82).

Evacuation plans for fire or other emergency situations have been practiced with employees, and briefings on fire safety rules have been conducted. During the monitoring, presentations were made to work collectives. 11 people were instructed.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations reminds that in accordance with Article 20 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus "On Fire Safety", heads of organizations must ensure fire safety and fire prevention measures in their respective organizations.