April 28 is celebrated worldwide as the World Day for Safety and Health at Work

To promote the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases, 28 April is celebrated worldwide as the World Day for Safety and Health at Work. This awareness-raising campaign aims to draw the attention of the public to the problems in the field of occupational safety and health and to the increasing number of injuries, diseases and fatalities related to work. In all regions of the world, governments, trade union organizations, employers' organizations and occupational safety and health practitioners organize and hold events dedicated to the World Day.

The theme of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work in 2023 is "A Safe and Healthy Working Environment as a Fundamental Principle and Right at Work".

The right to work, fair remuneration for it, andalso
to healthy and safe working conditions are among the fundamental rights of citizens, guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus. 

In order to realize these rights, an appropriate legislative framework has been formed in the republic, regulating the rights and obligations of both employers and employees (workers). It is based on the Labor Code of the Republic of Belarus, the Law of the Republic of Belarus "On Labor Protection", acts of the Head of State regulating labor and related relations, as well as normative legal acts and technical legal acts adopted in their development.

The main directions of state policy in the field of labor protection are defined in Article 5 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus "On Labor Protection". These include:

priority of preserving the life and health of employees;

employer's responsibility for creating healthy and safe working conditions;

comprehensive solution of tasks for improving working conditions and labor protection by implementing a set of measures aimed at improving working conditions and labor protection, taking into account other directions of economic and social policy, and achievements in science and technology;

implementation of labor protection management systems;

social protection of employees, compensation for harm to persons who have suffered occupational accidents and (or) have contracted occupational diseases;

establishment of uniform occupational safety and health requirements for all employers;

use of economic methods for managing occupational safety and health, state participation in financing measures to improve working conditions and occupational safety and health;

informing citizens, training employees on occupational safety and health issues;

interaction between republican state administration bodies and other state organizations subordinate to the Government of the Republic of Belarus, controlling (supervisory) bodies, trade unions (hereinafter referred to as trade unions), employers on occupational safety and health issues;

cooperation between employers and employees;

use of international experience in organizing work to improve working conditions and increase labor safety. 

Eliminating many causes of injury does not require material or financial costs. It is sufficient for everyone to conscientiously perform their duties in their place.

duties, i.e., it concerns ensuring labor and production discipline at each workplace. It is this that the joint efforts of employers, trade unions, and other interested parties should primarily be directed towards.

     According to the Vitebsk Regional Department of the State Labor Inspectorate of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Republic of Belarus, 220 workers were injured in industrial accidents in 2022, which is 11.6 percent more than in 2021 (197).

     Cases of industrial injuries occurred in all regions of the oblast, with the exception of the Rossony district.

     The number of absences due to temporary disability of injured workers amounted to 7.8 thousand man-days. Each injured worker accounted for more than 39 days of disability.

      In organizations of the oblast, 14 people died as a result of industrial accidents (11). In addition, 63 people died during working hours due to the presence of a disease in the worker (2021 - 63, 2020 - 61, 2019 - 52).

      According to the Main Statistical Department of the Vitebsk region, in 2022, there was an increase in the number of victims in a state of alcoholic intoxication at the workplace. For the region, this figure increased by 37.5 percent and amounted to 11 people (8).

      In June 2022, the International Labour Conference decided to include "occupational safety and health" among the fundamental principles and rights at work of the ILO.

      The fundamental principles and rights at work are defined as:

     freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining;

     the elimination of all forms of forced labour;

     the effective

prohibition of child labor;

     prevention of discrimination in employment and occupation;

     occupational safety and health.

     The World Day for Safety and Health at Work is an important tool for raising awareness on how to improve workplaces and ensure worker safety.

     As part of the events dedicated to the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, in conjunction with interested parties, it is necessary to organize:

      information coverage of planned events, placement of safety-related materials in the media;

      conferences,

seminars, round tables, fairs, exhibitions, labor protection days on the specified topic;

     work on creating social advertising tools aimed at promoting healthy and safe working conditions;

conducting periodic control over the state of labor protection at workplaces in accordance with the requirements of the Instructions on the procedure for exercising control over compliance by employees with labor protection requirements in the organization and structural divisions, approved by the Resolution of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Republic of Belarus dated May 14, 2020 No. 51.