Rada passes law on worker safety, health to EU standards

The Ukrainian parliament, known as the Verkhovna Rada, has passed legislation to establish a new system of workplace safety and health in line with European standards. A total of 246 members of parliament voted in favor of bill No. 10147 during a plenary session on Monday.

The new system is designed based on the principles of risk assessment, control, and management, which form the foundation for comparable systems in European and globalized countries. According to the bill's explanatory note, these principles are arranged hierarchically in Council Directive 89/391/EEC, encompassing risk prevention, elimination of risk sources, and adapting work to workers, especially in the design of workplaces and selection of production equipment and working methods.

This shift in the system's principles also signifies a change in the focus of state policy. While the existing emphasis was on "occupational safety" or "labor protection," the new legislation now centers on "worker safety." The primary objective of this policy should be to establish requirements not for the process of organizing safety, but for its outcomes, which include the complete elimination or minimization of risks to workers' lives and health.

Drawing inspiration from the European model, the law introduces a set of minimum workplace safety and health requirements. It further mandates employers to conduct regular risk assessments at specific workplaces and develop and implement measures to mitigate or eliminate those risks. Additionally, the legislation compels expert organizations to obtain mandatory liability insurance when entering into contracts for services related to workplace safety and health.