Changes are being introduced to the Labour Protection Law in Belarus; the document has been sent to the Council of Ministers and is undergoing coordination with interested departments, as reported by Ivan Karchevsky, Head of the Department for Labour Protection and State Expertise of Working Conditions of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, at a press conference dedicated to the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, according to a BELTA correspondent.
Changes are being introduced to the Labour Protection Law in Belarus; the document has been sent to the Council of Ministers and is undergoing coordination with interested departments, as reported by Ivan Karchevsky, Head of the Department for Labour Protection and State Expertise of Working Conditions of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, at a press conference dedicated to the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, according to a BELTA correspondent.
The draft normative legal act has been posted on the ministry's website. It was reviewed at the Public Advisory Council under the Ministry of Labour. "We have tried to take into account the issues that arose during the discussion. We hope that the bill will be submitted to the House of Representatives of the National Assembly in June and considered at the autumn session," noted Ivan Karchevsky.
According to him, the amendments to the legislation are related to changes in approaches to regulating legal relations in the field of labour protection. The focus of supervisory activities has shifted to preventive measures and control over compliance with safety standards within organisations, and the possibility of conducting inspections has been limited.
"The law is supplemented by an independent article 'Control by Officials of Organisations over Compliance with Labour Protection Legislation Requirements'. This is not a new norm; there is a current resolution of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection that defines organisational issues. However, considering the need to provide a legislative basis for the employer's actions, we are specifying the frequency and types of control, who carries it out, and so on," noted Ivan Karchevsky.
Unlike the current version, the bill grants "a certain degree of freedom" to small organisations (micro-organisations and service enterprises). They will have the right to carry out control not daily, but at least once a month.
Adjustments are also being made in connection with the adoption of Decree No. 7 "On the Development of Entrepreneurship". The requirements that must be observed by all entities without exception have been retained. The article regulating the safety of technological processes and equipment operation has been supplemented with norms defining the procedure for issuing work permits for hazardous operations. "Based on our law, other state administration bodies will, if necessary, determine the appropriate form if the specifics of a particular type of activity require it," noted Ivan Karchevsky.
The innovations are also caused by the emergence of new types of work; two additional articles are being introduced: "Occupational Safety of Domestic Workers" and "Occupational Safety of Homeworkers".
In addition, minor amendments have been made to the law in connection with changes to the decree on insurance activities and other regulatory legal acts.