The theme of World Day for Safety and Health at Work on April 28, 2022, is: "Act Together to Build a Positive Safety and Health Culture."

This awareness campaign aims to draw public attention to occupational safety and health issues and the growing number of work-related injuries, illnesses, and fatalities.

For reference: In the Vitebsk region, 197 workers were injured in workplace accidents in 2021, compared to 201 in 2020. Of these, 11 people died at work (10 in 2020). In addition to these 11 fatal accidents, 63 people died at work due to pre-existing health conditions (64 in 2020, 52 in 2019, 57 in 2018, 43 in 2017, 41 in 2016).

For the first quarter of 2022, the total number of workplace accidents was 49 cases (41), including 4 fatalities (6).

The causes of the accidents are due to shortcomings in organizations regarding systematic work on occupational safety and health and the lack of internal control over the implementation of these tasks, as well as non-compliance by employees with the requirements of current legislation on occupational safety and health, labor, and production discipline.

To prevent worker injuries, the primary tasks are to strengthen labor and production discipline in organizations and ensure effective control over its observance.

To ensure labor safety and prevent occupational injuries, it is necessary to:

conduct unscheduled briefings with employees;

draw employees' attention to the fact that when performing work, an employee must only perform the assigned work, be attentive, not distract themselves or others, and comply with the requirements of Article 19 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus "On Occupational Safety and Health";

ensure periodic monitoring of occupational safety and health conditions at workplaces in accordance with the requirements of the Instruction on the Procedure for Monitoring Compliance by Employees with Occupational Safety and Health Requirements in the Organization and Structural Divisions, approved by Resolution No. 51 of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Republic of Belarus dated May 14, 2020;

within the framework of periodic monitoring of occupational safety and health conditions at workplaces in accordance with the requirements of current legislation, define measures for inspecting production equipment (machines and mechanisms) for compliance with operational requirements (presence of protective and interlocking devices on equipment, presence of guiding documentation for equipment, definition in instructions of occupational safety and health requirements for applied equipment, devices, tools, safe methods and techniques of work, sequence of work performance, as well as technical and organizational measures to be reflected in the occupational safety and health instruction).

Department of Labor, Employment and Social Protection of the District Executive Committee.