Head of Bashkiria on reducing industrial injuries: "We save lives"

UFA, 24 June 2019. /Bashinform News Agency, Ksenia Kalinina/ translated by Tatiana Aksyutina/.

In Bashkortostan, in the five months of 2019, 22 employees died at the production sites. Yuri Melnikov, the Interim Minister of Family, Labor and Social Protection RB reported about this at a meeting in the Government of Bashkortostan on June 24.

According to the head of the department, from January to May 2019, 22 people died as a result of industrial accidents. It is two times less than in the same period of the last year (a decline of 60%) - 57 people died for a specified period in 2018. Among other things, the reduction of occupational injuries is due to the sizeable preventive work carried out by the Ministry of Labor RB in conjunction with relevant departments.

“An additional source of funding in the field of occupational injuries prevention and improvement of working conditions are funds of the Social Insurance Fund, which are allocated for standard measures to improve working conditions. In 2018, the number of funds used by the companies amounted to 295 million rubles. They increase annually. The Ministry of Family, together with the Fund, conducts monitoring. Unfortunately, currently, the work is not organized at the proper level. As of June 4, only 421 organizations applied for the use of these funds - the amount is 27 million rubles, which is less than 4% of the planned amount. According to the Fund, the funds that can be used is 730 million rubles in 2019. In 34 municipalities, this work is almost undone. Not a single application for financial support was received from 18 municipal districts. 16 municipalities had only one organization applied to the Fund. The deadline for receiving applications is August 1, 2019,” Yury Melnikov reported.

The Acting Head of Bashkortostan, Radiy Khabirov, noted that the number of industrial injuries was decreasing in the republic. Though 34 municipalities should submit their reports on the reasons for non-usage of the funds.