What will change in the field of occupational safety? The new version of the law includes proposals of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus

The minimum duration of special breaks for workers working outdoors in extreme temperatures is planned to be fixed at the level of at least 10 minutes. Such a norm is provided in the draft of the new version of the law “On labor protection”, writes sb.by.

The planned changes were discussed today at the dialogue platform in the national trade union center. The event was attended by representatives of state bodies, the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus and the House of Representatives of the National Assembly, who participated in the work of the interdepartmental group on the preparation of the bill.

According to Pavel Manko, Chief Technical Labor Inspector of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus, trade unions have made a number of proposals to adjust existing norms and introduce new approaches. All initiatives, according to the trade union center, are taken into account by the developers of the bill.

- One of our proposals concerns workers who work in the open air. We are talking about additional special breaks during extreme temperatures - both in the cold season and in hot weather. The draft law proposes to fix their minimum duration – at least 10 minutes, said Pavel Manko.

The Chief Technical Labor Inspector of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus noted that earlier such breaks were formally granted in some cases and could last only a few minutes. In addition, their duration for employees of the same profession may vary depending on the organization.

Another proposal of trade unions is to strengthen public control over compliance with labor protection legislation. We are talking about supporting public inspectors – employees of enterprises and organizations, who, along with their main duties, monitor compliance with safety requirements, identify production risks and help to timely eliminate violations. Taking into account the initiative of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus, the draft includes provisions on the assistance of employers in training and encouraging public inspectors on labor protection.

The new version of the law provides for other changes. In particular, the rights and obligations of employers in the field of labor protection are specified, and the concept of “professional risk management” is introduced. It involves a set of measures and procedures to identify hazards, assess occupational risks and take measures to eliminate or reduce them. The proposed changes are aimed at improving the labor protection system and increasing the level of employee safety.