Is certification of agroindustrial complex employees' working conditions necessary?

摘要

Up to 90% of workers in Russia's agroindustrial sector have to operate in unsatisfactory conditions, with 1 in 4 requiring special compensatory payments. During 1988-97 there were 20thin549 deaths, the largest number being caused by machinery. Around 1000 new cases of occupational illness are reported annually. New health and safety regulations and certification systems are urgently needed. A proposed method of hazard assessment is outlined, with 3 main categories: acceptable, dangerous, and extreme. The second category has 3 sub-sections: infringements not threatening safety, those not posing direct threats and those doing so. Both the latter can be overcome. Once the degree of hazard in an enterprise has been assessed, a plan for remedial measures should be constructed and certification issued when this has been complied with. Certification should be for a fixed period and take the form of a unitary document indicating the degree of hazard in the working environment. Enterprises should be accountable on an annual basis. The introduction of certification systems will not only improve working conditions and safety management but also, through reduction of injuries and illness, have beneficial effects on the agroindustrial sector's productivity.