At the press conference in the government, Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population Birzhan Nurymbetov spoke about the Concept of Zero Injury – Vision Zero, the main purpose of which is to reduce the number of accidents and jobs with harmful working conditions.

According to the minister, the issue of labor safety is one of the most important aspects of labor relations, which requires constant monitoring.

“Non-payment of wages can always be controlled and managed, and industrial accidents occur unexpectedly, no one warns them. This is a question where not only state control is needed, it is a question where daily, hourly control is needed,” Nurymbetov said.

According to him, this year Kazakhstan joined the Vision Zero Concept, which calls for preventing emergency situations at workplaces.

“The concept of zero injuries is promoted by a very reputable international organization, which calls on all countries and companies to show commitment to this concept, to seek a system at their enterprise to reduce jobs with harmful hazardous working conditions and strive to prevent injuries in general,” said the Minister of Labor.

This Concept has seven golden rules:

• Become a leader — show commitment to principles;
• Identify threats — control risks;
• Define goals — develop programs;
• Create a safety and labor protection system — achieve a high level of organization;
• Ensure safety and labor protection in the workplace, when working with machines and equipment;
• Improve qualifications — develop professional skills;
• Invest in staff — motivate through participation.

“Our country has joined this concept, confirming its desire to reduce the minimum occupational injuries that exist today in the field. We have recorded 1,069 facts of work-related injuries, while already 129 people died in the workplace,” the minister said.

Nurymbetov called on domestic unions to be interested in creating production councils in enterprises with difficult working conditions.

“Since 2016, production councils have been created everywhere. We are in favor of expanding the number of such councils; today about 15 thousand of them have been created, but, unfortunately, they are few in industrial sectors. We urge our unions to be active in this matter, because in accordance with the law, councils are created with the initiative of the employer or employee,” the minister explained.

It is worth noting that already 117 enterprises have joined the Vision Zero concept of zero injuries. 2,300 enterprises have implemented international and national standards for safety and labor protection. This year, the level of occupational injuries decreased by 13%, mortality at work — by 23%.