Public supervision of occupational safety

Public supervision of occupational safety is duty of fellowship representatives, trade union representatives (art. 46 of OS law of Ukraine).

Fellowship institute to supervise occupational safety is to be arranged in every enterprise irrespective to law of ownership and activity, and quantity of personality. Members of institute are experienced and active employees elected from enterprise or workshop. During one month after election representatives should be trained on occupational safety. Training is fully paid by director.

OS representatives conduct supervision of:

- compliance with legislation and standard acts of occupational safety;

- providing instruction and standards of occupational safety to employees within the enterprise;

- investigation, recording and auditing of accidents;

- using funds of occupational safety.

OS representatives have the following rights:

- free admission and inspection of occupational safety and hygiene at the whole enterprise or its units;

- record in the registration book propositions obligate for director to eliminate found noncompliance with OS standards;

- require site-manger to shut work at hazardous workplace;

- posing responsibility to employee who doesn’t follow OS standards acts.

The general duty of care of trade union representatives is protection of employees’ interests in sphere of occupational safety. They are involved into the following activities:

- working out national, branch and regional programs aimed at improving occupational safety, hygiene and working environment;

- working out state general and branch act of occupational safety;

- working out together with director or owner measures to reach occupational safety standards;

- accident investigation;

- proposing and approving with fellowship the order and amount of one-time financial support to employees who suffered of accident;

- working out propositions on occupational safety to be submitted for collective bargaining contract;

- organizing social insurance;

- work of commissions on occupational safety for assessing officials’ knowledge of OS standards.

In accordance to OS law of Ukraine OS supervision is duty of trade union committee, its commission on occupational safety, workshop committees and public OS inspectors.