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Since September 1, 2024, a new methodology for conducting a special assessment of working conditions (SAWC) has been in effect in Russia, which introduces a number of innovations. What an employer should pay attention to when conducting a SAWC using a new methodology — this was discussed at the master class «SAWC with an excellent mark. Step-by-step instructions for employers». It was conducted by experts from EcoStandard group as part of the IX St. Petersburg International Labor Forum and the CUBE EXPO exhibition «Personnel. Management. Security», taking place at the Expoforum.

The main changes related to the procedures for the study of industrial health and safety hazards (IHSH) and the distribution of working conditions in workplaces by class according to their degree of harmfulness and/or danger based on the data obtained, said Tatiana Kucherenko, head of the St. Petersburg EcoStandard group’s SAWC department. The procedure for conducting the SAWC has also undergone a number of changes, she added.

The expert gave some practical advice on conducting the SAWC using the new methodology. First, it is necessary to check the availability of the organization selected for the special assessment in the register of accredited companies. Second, it is necessary to keep the numbering of certified workplaces in accordance with the one that was used in the previous SAWC. We also must not forget about the need to approve the protocol of the commission on the results of the identification of the IHSH — this is a new document that now needs to be drawn up.

Special attention should be paid to the final stage of the SAWC: within 30 calendar days, the employer must familiarize employees with the results of the special assessment, submit an appropriate declaration to the FGIS and post the information on the company’s official website. «Companies often forget about the need for the last step. Meanwhile, failure to post the results of the SAWC on the website may be qualified by the labor Inspectorate as a violation of the procedure for conducting the SAWC, and this entails administrative liability — a fine of 50 thousand to 80 thousand rubles,» Tatiana Kucherenko recalled. The new methodology empowers the employer to accept the results of the SAWC in electronic form, and the companies that order the SAWC procedure are increasingly using this, the expert emphasized.

A special assessment of working conditions is not a formal procedure, Daria Kosheva, Project Manager for Strategic Development at EcoStandard group, reminded. The results of the SAWC are used in the development of measures to improve working conditions and the matrix of medical examinations, in monitoring the state of working conditions in the workplace and during the assessment and management of occupational risks. The results of the special assessment are also used to develop standards for the distribution of PPE and are an important element for updating or compiling training programs on occupational safety at enterprises, Daria Kosheva emphasized.

On April 3, at the main day of the IX St. Petersburg International Labor Forum, Expoforum hosted a plenary session that brought together opinion leaders, experts, and practitioners.

«In an era of rapid change and dynamically developing technologies, a person becomes the main asset — his talent, knowledge and desire for creation. The St. Petersburg International Labor Forum is a place where we are forming a new labor market model based on the principles of sustainable development, social justice and responsibility,» Governor Aleksander Beglov emphasized in his greeting to the participants of the plenary session, — «our common goal is to give everyone who wants to work for the good of the Fatherland the opportunity to fully realize their potential and contribute to the prosperity of Russia. This is our main investment in the future.»

The key aspect of the discussion was the topic of social adaptation, restoration in society and ensuring the labor rights of the participants of the SMO and their family members.

«This is an order from the President of Russia. We need to constantly improve our work with veterans and members of the SMO, and develop additional, specific and understandable proposals to strengthen the support system not only for participants in the special operation, but also for their family members. To set priorities clearly,» Aleksander Beglov noted.

The Governor spoke about the measures that were being taken in St. Petersburg to help SMO participants. In particular, he was talking about assistance in finding employment, organizing retraining and providing further vocational education at leading educational sites in the city, taking into account the needs of the labor market. Beglov stressed that it was important to take into account the unique experience of veterans and ensure that their social and labor rights, as well as the rights of their families, were respected.

He also offered to share his experience and best practices in this area. In April, the training of the first group of participants in the regional personnel program «Time of the Heroes of St. Petersburg», which included more than 20 people, will start in St. Petersburg. In addition, a new set of candidates has been announced to participate in the program.

Photo source: official website of the St. Petersburg City Administration

The current demand for workers in Russia in 2024 is 45% higher than in the previous year, Headhunter representatives announced at the opening of the IX St. Petersburg International Labor Forum, held at Expoforum. While some companies are looking for ways to train and attract blue-collar workers, others are thinking about how to keep and retain them. Designer workwear, safety shoes, and relaxation rooms are being developed for employees. New developments and solutions designed to improve working conditions in production and attract young people are presented at the CUBE EXPO 2025 exhibition.

An important role is given to educational events. Among the exhibitors are the Committee on Labor and Employment of the Population of St. Petersburg and the educational project of St. Petersburg State University «Advanced Engineering School». The purpose of the university unit is to train engineering personnel for the mineral resources industry.

Artem Kudinov, head of the Scientific and Technical Department of the Advanced Engineering School of St. Petersburg State University, sees the value of the project in the fact that, thanks to the university’s close cooperation with leading industry enterprises, students find future employers during their studies. The Committee on Labor and Employment of the Population of St. Petersburg clarified that if targeted training involves one hundred percent employment, then a project such as an Advanced Engineering School, although it does not guarantee, but greatly increases the graduate’s employability.

Elena Gorina, Director of the training center of ECT LLC (United Labor Center Group of Companies specializes in providing labor protection services), told the participants and guests of the exhibition about the specifics of protecting workers’ working conditions.

«Our most disciplined students are not doctors or engineers, as one might assume, but builders. St. Petersburg is actively being built, and the majority of those who follow legislative and technical changes are industries where occupational injuries are highly developed,» the expert said.

In addition, the construction industry is closely linked to attracting migrants, for whom the employer has to bear enormous responsibility. And, of course, this is an industry that is constantly under the supervision of regulatory authorities.

«Medical examinations, language training, production technologies, regular monitoring — and as a result, migrants are often more prepared in occupational safety issues than our builders,» Elena Gorina summed up.

The issue of occupational safety is acute in complex industries, so Russian industrialists have begun to actively pick up trends and adapt to the market. Thus, the Komus company saw the creation of its own brands of personal protective equipment as one of the promising areas of activity to replace the departed foreign ones.

Madina Ruslanova, a representative of Komus LLC, considers the development of a customer-based business to be the key to success: «When global manufacturers of PPE (personal protective equipment) began to leave the market, we started thinking about how we could close this need for our partners, developed our own Topfort trademark and now manufacture high-tech hand protection products from scratch (various types of gloves), respiratory organs (respirators), feet (shoes for builders with metal insole, special shoes for oil and gas workers, food workers)».

Soon, a line of specialized clothing was added to the PPE line. Everything is made in Russia. «We are helping our partners to develop and we are developing ourselves due to this,» Madina Ruslanova does not hide her pride.

Other manufacturers, in particular, Avangard Workwear Northwest LLC, a developer and manufacturer of professional equipment, followed the same path — compensating for the departure of foreign players. The company’s specialty is beautiful, functional and comfortable clothes and shoes for workers. The manufacturer has no doubt: workwear ceases to be a utilitarian item with a complete lack of design. A worker at the end of the day should not rush to get rid of work clothes, because they are uncomfortable and unattractive in appearance. It is necessary to blur the line between overalls and casual clothes. This is a global trend, and we want to match it. Designer shirts made of special (fire- and wear-resistant) denim also have protective and signaling functions, but they are absolutely appropriate in an ordinary urban environment, that is, outside the workplace.

«When the head of an enterprise treats a worker not as a tool that pulls or drills something, but evaluates him as an investment and cares about his comfort and appearance, then people want to work for such a leader,» Igor Kiriyenko, director of AW Northwest LLC, has no doubt.

Nicole Laboratory, a manufacturer of cosmetic products, has made a bet on caring for the health of the working atmosphere (both physically and psychologically). Svetlana Gutseva, the manager of work with leading clients, spoke about the innovative development presented at the exhibition — phyto-sprays and phyto-concentrates. Many enterprises make relaxation and relaxation rooms for their employees, and Nicole Laboratory equips them with phyto-installations, which, thanks to the complex action of sprayed essential oils, increase efficiency, reduce stress levels and enhance employee immunity.

«Our research has shown that as a result of using such installations, the incidence in teams decreases by 20–30%. The positive effect is also expressed in the fact that the staff feels care for them and the company’s contribution to the health and well-being of each employee. Thus, the overall emotional background at the enterprise also increases,» Svetlana Gutseva summed up.

The CUBE EXPO 2025 exhibition presents developments that will improve the field of work for staff, but the staff themselves sometimes have to make room: robots and automated systems are increasingly replacing people.

Anton Dubynin, Head of Major Businesses at Nobilis LLC, demonstrated to the guests of the exhibition industrial, mobile and vandal-proof complexes that allow for remote pre-trip and pre-shift medical monitoring. The automated complex, with the size of an average mailbox, is fully equipped with all medical meters (tonometer, thermometer, breathalyzer) and replaces the paramedic station at the enterprise, as well as eliminates the need to maintain medical staff. It also significantly speeds up the diagnostic process: the speed of self-examination of one person at an industrial complex is less than 1 minute, while a paramedic spends about 10 minutes on it. If we consider that the device costs an average of 180–230 thousand rubles, the warranty period is 5 years, and annual verification and consumables are included in the cost of the complex, then the benefits for the enterprise are obvious. Russian Railways, Gazprom, and Rosavtodor are among Nobilis’ largest clients.

But not always leading enterprises can feel the advantages of domestic developments. Daniil Rutkovsky, Development Manager at Stels Neva, complained that major Russian companies were advising their regional divisions to use modern slip protection manufactured by Stels Neva, but sales had not yet taken off.

«We are the only Russian manufacturers of patented and certified anti-slip materials that comply with all international and, of course, Russian standards. But we stumbled over cheap rubber mats. They are the main competitors of our high-tech products. In this situation, price and habit run the show. We will try to reverse this situation,» Daniil Rutkovsky expressed hope.

Science and practice confirm the importance of systematic work of enterprises on corporate health programs. It is not the state, but common sense that dictates the need to develop this area, as evidenced by the figures and data provided by the participants of the session «Corporate health programs as a fundamental element of saving the health of employees of the enterprise», held at the Expoforum site as part of the IX St. Petersburg International Labor Forum and the CUBE EXPO exhibition «Personnel. Management. Security.»

By 2030, the shortage of personnel in Russia may reach 2.4 million people, and the current one is 1.5 million, while 71.9 million people are employed, of which 36% are dealing with harmful factors. Such state statistics data were provided by Evgeny Khibarev, Doctor of Medicine, Deputy Director for Scientific Work at the N.F. Izmerov Research Institute of Occupational Medicine, substantiating the thesis on the need to develop and implement corporate health programs.

Science can help, and there is already work done in this direction in the form of a pilot project for the prevention of occupational diseases. Among the results, there are already registered programs for creating a digital employee profile and an approved methodology.

Among the measures to strengthen the health of employees, regular medical examinations can be effective for early detection of risks and prevention of the development of serious diseases, providing employees with medical insurance and access to high-quality medical services, said Marina Fadeeva, First Deputy Director General of the ANO DPO MUC «Personnel Development», Vice Rector. In addition, she mentioned the organization of sports and wellness activities to promote health and team spirit, as well as the creation of an environmentally friendly work environment to reduce stress and improve the overall well-being of employees.

Among the economic benefits of health programs, the expert named a reduction in medical costs and sick leave compensation, increased productivity and reduced staff turnover, as well as an improvement in the company’s image. Individual prevention programs and creation of healthy workplaces will be the most effective in terms of saving workers’ health, which is achieved through cooperation between employers and employees, investments in infrastructure, involvement of medical experts to develop programs, and personalization of approaches to health promotion. All this increases the comfort, safety and effectiveness of initiatives.

A non-trivial thought was expressed by Vladimir Shuppo, director of GRAND Cryo LLC: prevention and preventive actions to preserve health should begin with the head of the enterprise so that he feels their influence and wishes the same to his employees. But the CEO needs to recover in preventoria. According to Vladimir Shuppo, they take the best from dispensaries in terms of medical equipment, but they are distinguished by an increased level of service. The first one, according to the head of GRAND Cryo, will open in the summer of 2025 in Altai under the name Altay Restart with the Cryo ClinIQ clinic and will combine five-star service with advanced medical technologies.

The effectiveness of preventive health measures is confirmed by the practices of Russian Railways, which were described by Olga Yenikeeva, Head of the Department of Medical Prevention and Healthy Lifestyle at the Central Directorate of Healthcare, a branch of the company. One of the most impressive is a comprehensive program to combat cardiovascular and oncological diseases, as a result, mortality from these diseases among employees is 3 times lower than the average in Russia.

The interest of the audience was aroused by a joint project of Russian Railways and EVOGEN LLC to assess the genetic risks of diseases among employees and measures to prevent them. Due to the high cost, the number of participants totals a couple of thousand people, of whom 75% turned out to be carriers of hereditary diseases. Many people found the new diabetes control program, which involves remote monitoring, and a mobile clinical and diagnostic center in the form of a 14-car train to be non-trivial. And this is only a small part!

The foresight of Russian Railways was noted by Vasily Yaremenko, head of the Center for the Study and Assessment of Legal and Economic Problems of the Industrial Safety and Labor Protection System (Center LLC).

«Why are they involved in prevention in a state-owned company? Because it’s profitable. This has a tremendous economic effect!» he began his speech.

According to him, already now there are leading companies in Russia in terms of the level of development of health protection. They develop a body of basic areas and additionally create their own. Vasily Yaremenko listed among the main areas assessment of industrial risks and the health of workers, organization of medical care, compliance with sanitary and hygienic requirements for nutrition, drink, work and rest regimes, as well as measures to promote a healthy lifestyle. The indicators are considered to be the level of injuries, the percentage of occupational diseases, the number of cases of temporary disability, disability rates, the number and dynamics of workers with chronic non-communicable diseases, the number and causes of industrial evacuations, as well as the coverage of preventive measures and training.

Human capital is one of the main factors in the development of the economy of the future, the participants of the large plenary session «Human Capital. Investments in the Future», which took place during the IX St. Petersburg International Labor Forum at the Expoforum Convention and Exhibition Center. However, this capital will require large-scale investments.

The plenary session was moderated by Vladimir Knyaginin, Vice Governor of St. Petersburg.

Personnel training today will determine the economic development of the country in the future, said Andrey Kutepov, Senator from St. Petersburg, opening the plenary session. The responsibility for this lies with the regions, which must understand who and how they need to prepare, he stressed.

«As Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko says, there is no need for everyone to go to Moscow, you need to learn how to realize yourself in the regions, at home,» Andrey Kutepov explained.

According to estimates by the Ministry of Labor, the country needs to prepare 3 million people for the labor market, the senator said, and for this it will be necessary to review the higher education system, since now every second university graduates lawyers, and even technical universities graduate PR specialists and managers.

All the other speakers agreed that in the 21st century, human capital is becoming the foundation of the economy along with technical equipment, but its development requires large-scale investments in the field of education. At the same time, it is necessary to solve the tasks of economic transformation at the expense of the country’s own potential, which means that priority should be given to Russian specialists, said Mikhail Ivankov, head of the Federal Service for Labor and Employment. He spoke about targeted training, the professional development system and the reform of the employment service as measures to achieve these goals.

At the same time, it is necessary to find a balance between training our own specialists and attracting foreign citizens.

«A large number of industries are in need of workforce, including low-skilled one,» admitted Aleksander Gorovoy, First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, «despite the fact that we have recently taken multiple measures aimed at restricting the entry of illegal migrants into the country and deporting them, foreign citizens continue to travel to the territory of the Russian Federation.»

About 6.5 million of them are in the shadow employment zone, which has increased many times recently. And in those regions where the authorities imposed bans on the work of migrants in various industries, there was an immediate sharp increase in shadow employment, Aleksander Gorovoy noted.

However, Mikhail Ivankov noted in response that the fight against this phenomenon is being conducted more and more actively. There are indicators to identify signs of shadow employment, he said, and special commissions are working in all regions to identify and stop illegal employment. Over the past 3 years, more than 2 million people have been legalized, Mikhail Ivankov said.

A representative of the Indian Embassy suggested one of the solutions to the problem in his speech. «Russia is in need of labor, and India is ready to provide it. Thus, we will have an opportunity for mutually beneficial cooperation,» he suggested, assuring that all migration from India is legal and the Indian side fully controls this process.

Anna Tsivileva, Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, reminded that one should not forget about veterans of a special military operation who, after the return, also want to benefit in civilian life: «It is important to think about where to find an application for their skills and knowledge.»

And the chairman of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions, Sergey Chernogaev, in turn, advised involving trade unions in discussing salary and education issues.

«The trade unions believe that a person’s continuous professional development should begin at school and be based on the development of flexible competencies,» said the Federation leader.

Since about the middle of last year, the labor market has been moving into a new stage, Dmitry Puchkov, Director for development of the Avito Work platform, shared his observations: the number of job search ads is growing, and vacancies are falling. The salary race has been exhausted, the expert concluded, and it is economically impractical to continue it further. This means that new challenges for employers are, firstly, employee retention, which is more important than hiring new ones, and secondly, automation and robotization of all possible processes.

«Often, in order to retain an employee, it is enough to create comfortable conditions for him,» Dmitry Puchkov noted. The fact that the ratio of CVs and vacancies has almost equalized, and salary growth has noticeably slowed down, was also noticed on the hh.ru portal. Dmitry Markelov, the GR director of the service, told about this.

In order for human capital to become the foundation of a reliable future, it is necessary to make a lot more efforts and solve many problems. And many participants noted the importance of synchronizing the training of labor personnel with the needs of the country. When choosing their path in education and training, citizens should be guided by the strategy pursued by the state, Dmitry Tikhonov, Vice Rector for Additional and Pre-university Education at the Polytechnic University, summed up at the end of the meeting.

In order to remain in demand and increase earnings, an occupational safety specialist must implement innovative practices that save the company’s resources, the participants of the seminar «Occupational Safety Specialist in 2025: how to stay in demand and earn more» concluded, which was held as part of the IX St. Petersburg International Labor Forum and the CUBE EXPO exhibition «Personnel. Management. Security».

During the event, the participants discussed how to successfully develop a career in the field of occupational safety, which specialists are in demand now, and how to unlock their potential to increase earnings.

«The recent shortage of personnel could not but affect the labor protection market,» said Artem Krylov, editor-in-chief of the OT Media portal, opening the seminar, «about half of the workers in this area are thinking about changing jobs.»

At the same time, the profession of an occupational safety specialist is not in an acute shortage, said the head of external communications of the hh.ru service in the regions Anna Osipova, but there is also no oversupply; competition here is at an average level. Such specialists are most in demand in the field of construction, as well as food production, in the extractive, oil and gas, and energy industries. You can also expect the highest salaries there — more than 100 thousand rubles. The lowest incomes in labor protection are in agriculture, Anna Osipova noted, since many enterprises here are located in regions with low wages in general. The median salary for occupational safety specialists is now about 80 thousand rubles. In addition, Anna Osipova shared her observation: most often they are looking for specialists with up to 6 years of experience, while only 3% of vacancies with the required experience exceed this.

When applying for a job, you need to pay attention to a well-written CV, recommended Nadezhda Belousova, head of the labor protection department of the O’Key retail chain. It should be as specific as possible, and the applicant’s qualifications should correspond to the position they are applying for. The skills that an employer values are adaptability, effective communication, stress management, as well as the ability to predict risks and think systematically, she added.

Sergey Vinnik, head of the ECOPSI Safe Manufacturing Practice, believes that today it is no longer enough for an occupational safety specialist to simply serve his time at work, look for violations, and issue instructions for elimination thereof. To become a good, and therefore highly paid, specialist, you need to be a strategist who saves company’s millions and preserves its reputation, he said. This means that an employee needs to implement innovative processes in their work in order to reduce the company’s costs and receive bonuses for this. He also needs to engage in personal development, be able to convince and resolve conflicts, and be a flexible generalist rather than a highly specialized employee. This is the secret of a long career, said Sergey Vinnik.

The specifics of the implementation of industrial safety rules at enterprises were discussed by the participants of the talk show «Leadership development tools in the safety culture». The event took place as part of the IX St. Petersburg International Labor Forum and the CUBE EXPO exhibition «Personnel. Management. Security» at the Expoforum Convention and Exhibition Center.

It is necessary to introduce a safety culture in companies starting from top management.

«From my own experience, I can say that it is important to convey to managers what the positive effect of implementing a safety culture will be, and using concrete examples,» said Pavel Zakharov, Director of HSE of FT Sirius, Talents and Success Foundation, President of the Association of Industrial Safety Directors.

As an example, he cited a case where a safety culture was implemented at an enterprise of 60 thousand people.

All of the company’s top managers began to oversee one area or another, including risk reduction at height, quality management of personal protective equipment, fire safety of facilities, safe handling of loading and unloading operations, and so on. As a result, after a few months, the company not only reduced the level of injuries, but also increased productivity.

«Such initiatives go first through top management and go down,» Pavel Zakharov emphasized.

According to him, next it is necessary to work with middle managers and line staff. Larisa Cheremisina, Head of Occupational Safety at Megafon PJSC, spoke about her experience working with «middle» managers.

«These specialists complain about the inconvenience of occupational safety-related processes. They are inconvenient to perform, and it takes a lot of time. The assessment of occupational risks is also extended for a long time,» she said, «we have created a special group to address these issues, and we have been able to automate the risk assessment process. As a result, injuries decreased to almost zero,» she said.

Nadezhda Belousova, Head of the Occupational Safety Department of the O’Key retail chain, spoke about what methods of staff motivation can be used. According to her, it is important to involve middle managers in the development of rules that will be implemented in the company, and clearly explain to them their areas of responsibility.

«You can also find an informal leader in the team, explain in detail to him why labor protection is important, what it will give the company and the specialist himself. And then, when certain work is done, it is necessary to note that a specific person helps to introduce a safety culture,» explained Nadezhda Belousova.

«As for working with line staff, you do not need to load an employee with rules and schemes, you need to explain in the process of preparing for work why it is important to comply with certain safety rules,» says Ekaterina Tomilova, Head of the Occupational Safety Service at Regional Network of Food Enterprises LLC.

«At the same time, I am against financial motivation in terms of occupational safety: it is strange to give a person a bonus for working without injury,» Ekaterina Tomilova believes. According to her, the work on the introduction of security at the enterprise is practically a volunteer activity, it requires a certain empathy from specialists and an individual approach when working with colleagues.

The transition of all enterprises from January 1, 2025 to Uniform Model Standards for the Distribution of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and the development of relevant local regulations turned out to be processes full of difficulties for employers, fraught with formal violations and subsequent fines. Leading industry experts at the session «The practice of forming local regulations on the provision of workers with PPE» as part of the IX St. Petersburg International Labor Forum and the CUBE EXPO exhibition «Personnel. Management. Safety» analyzed the most common mistakes of enterprises and suggested how to optimize the cost of purchasing PPE.

Natalia Semchenkova, Head of the Professional Risk Management System at Technoavia-Saint Petersburg LLC, suggested four steps to develop internal standards for enterprises based on Uniform Model Standards for Distribution of PPE from the relevant order of the Ministry of Labor: select a basic set of PPE in accordance with the position, select a set of PPE for identified hazards, select dermatological personal protective equipment and flushing agents, and, finally, form internal standards for the distribution of PPE.

She noted that in order to comply with the law, it is very important to correctly prescribe the grounds for distributing a PPE, and this is not just a general reference to the order of the Ministry of Labor, but a detailed reference to specific points and appendices. Natalia Semchenkova also predicted that 2025 will be a period of fines due to the start of law enforcement practice, but by 2026 the market will learn how to work correctly with Uniform Model Standards.

The compatibility of personal protective equipment has become a popular practical nuance, which was noticed by several speakers at once. For example, if a helmet and headphones are intended to protect an employee, then they must be mutually adapted to use. In an incompatible case, the employee will not be able to use one of the means of protection correctly, and this is a violation.

Tatiana Pilipenko, Deputy General Director of Vostok-Service-Specialcomplex JSC, noted that it was very important to properly organize the purchase of PPE and draw up a technical specification. Special attention, for example, should be paid to the duration and frequency of work related to the effects of harmful and dangerous industrial factors, since the number of PPE provided for delivery and operation may depend on this.

«Previously, it was possible to extend the service life of PPE, but now it is not. A one-day delay will actually lead to the fact that you will be found to have violated the Labor Code. Therefore, start all procurement procedures in advance,» advised Tatiana Pilipenko. In addition, it is worth taking protective equipment with a reserve, because according to the new rules, it is forbidden to transfer PPE for individual use to another employee after the employee has left.

It is equally important to monitor the validity of the PPE compliance documents, as the certificate may be suspended. According to Sergey Frolov, the head of CERTICA PPE LLC, the reasons for the suspension include data inconsistencies, incomplete test protocols, use of other certificates that have already been used, and lack of information about conducting inspection control on time.

He also identified a problem that requires systemic improvement. There appeared a difficulty in labeling gloves. The codes of the commodity nomenclature of the EEA FEA are available, but there is no state structure authorized to classify products according to the OKPD2 codes. At the same time, there is a letter from the Ministry of Industry and Trade about the need for both codes for labeling.

In addition to difficulties with registration, counting and prescribing, enterprises may also face difficulties from employees. Harsh men working in production are not always ready to be responsible enough about safety, especially when it comes to dermatological protective equipment.

At the same time, the employer is obliged to ensure their application, otherwise he risks being fined. Anna Andreeva, Director of Strategic Development at Security Laboratory LLC, suggested that the approach has proven strategically effective, in which ensuring the law becomes primarily the basis for sincere concern for the health of employees.

Irina Gnezdilova, Head of the Occupational Safety Department at Gazprom Energo LLC, shared the practical nuances of developing standards for the issuance and provision of PPE and DPPE (dermatological personal protective equipment). She showed how she had marked the typology in the documentation in different colors: mandatory PPE is highlighted in green, additional PPE for «workers in working professions» is highlighted in gray, winter PPE is indicated in blue, and dermatological PPE is indicated in orange.

Irina Gnezdilova also spoke about the optimization experience in terms of compatibility of different PPE. For example, «suit for protection against harmful biological factors» and «suit for protection against mechanical influences» can be replaced by «suit for protection against harmful biological factors and mechanical influences». At the same time, she stressed that work in this area is still underway, and the organization is waiting for changes and amendments to regulatory documents.

The issues of occupational safety and health training were discussed by experts at the XXI Russian-Belarusian Conference on the Unification of legislation in terms of occupational safety training and knowledge testing in relation to occupational safety requirements.

The conference was held as part of the IX St. Petersburg International Labor Forum and the CUBE EXPO 2025 exhibition, attended by representatives of the Ministries of Labor and Social Protection of Russia and the Republic of Belarus.

The lack of occupational safety training is the main concomitant factor in industrial accidents, said Dmitry Demidenko, head of the Federal Labor Supervision Department, Deputy Head of the Federal Labor and Employment Service.

According to him, in 2024, more than 6.6 thousand control (supervisory) measures were carried out, the results of which revealed more than 47 thousand violations of labor legislation, including 25 thousand violations of occupational safety requirements, of which 5 thousand violations of the requirements of occupational safety training.

At the same time, in Russia, the training of occupational safety staff is attributed to the employer’s responsibility and does not qualify as an educational activity.

«Today, the occupational safety and health training system in Russia is a large set of measures that employers implement in their organization,» explained Maria Lvova, Head of the Occupational Safety and Health Regulatory Division at the Department of Labor Conditions and Safety at the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection.

Within the framework of this system, five global training programs are identified, as well as 24 categories of persons subject to occupational safety training. To ensure transparency of the organizations’ activities and their results, three registries have been formed. One of them contains information about employers who train their employees in occupational safety, the other contains information about accredited organizations that provide such training services, and the third contains up-to-date data on trained employees.

According to Maria Lvova, as of March 2025, these registers contain data on more than 21 million workers who have been trained and tested in occupational safety, in total, more than 105.4 million entries have been entered into the register of trained persons.

In the Republic of Belarus, the complex of measures for training in the field of occupational safety, unlike in Russia, is in the area of responsibility of educational organizations.

According to Ivan Karchevsky, Head of the Occupational Safety Department of the Belarusian Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, the situation in the Republic of Belarus is fundamentally similar to the Russian one in the field of occupational injuries and occupational safety. «We are trying to reduce the occupational injury rate, but so far we are not satisfied with the results,» he said. More than half of industrial accidents are related to violations of occupational safety requirements, while one in four cases is the result of an employee violating labor discipline, and one in five is due to the victim’s personal negligence, Ivan Karchevsky said. To combat these phenomena, Belarus has introduced administrative liability of employees for violations of occupational safety requirements since 2021, and quarterly zero-injury weeks are also being held. Since 2024, the Year of Safe Work in a separate industrial sector has been announced in the country. Last year, it was the construction sector, and as a result of the event, a decrease in the number of accidents at work was recorded, Ivan Karchevsky noted. He said that Russia and Belarus are actively working on the unification of labor laws. By now, the occupational safety rules for performing work at height have been unified, Ivan Karchevsky gave an example.

Both countries have also consistently implemented measures to reduce the number of jobs with harmful working conditions. In the Republic of Belarus, this is done through regular certification and modernization of production facilities. «Every year in the country, the number of jobs with harmful working conditions is reduced by 15–20 thousand,» said Ivan Karchevsky.

An analogue of the Belarusian certification in Russia is the System of special assessment of working conditions (SAWC). It is constantly being improved at the legislative level, and for the convenience of employers and employees, FGIS SAWC has been created and is operating, said Georgy Molebnov, Director of the Department of Labor Conditions and Safety at the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Russian Federation. Today, more than 150 thousand users have already been registered in this system, more than 10 thousand employers have set up personal accounts, and their number is increasing. «Interest in this system is growing, personal accounts are registered not only by major companies, but also by representatives of small and medium-sized businesses,» said Georgy Molebnov.

The platform’s capabilities are also expanding. So, in 2025, users will have access to a service for an individual to receive information on the results of the SAWC at his workplace, and regulatory authorities will be able to proactively inform employers about the SAWC or signs of a violation of the SAWC, said Georgy Molebnov.