Labour protection is a critical issue in the industrial sector, and efforts are underway to ensure that safety standards are upheld. Recent meetings have highlighted advancements in labour safety measures at Zaporizhstal JSC.
On 29 April, the assembly hall of the Management of Railway Transport hosted a meeting of the managers of structural units and active trade union workers of Zaporizhstal. The state of labour protection in the branch of industry, in Ukraine and at Zaporizhstal JSC, in particular, was discussed at the meeting.
A.S. Sheludchenko, deputy technical director on labour protection and deputy head of the labour protection service, spoke about new trends in production organization and the legal aspects of labour protection. Analyzing the statistical data on labour protection in metallurgy, he stated that at Zaporizhstal JSC there were only 9 cases of industrial injuries, marking it as the best showing in the industry.
"The Zaporizhstal workers’ attitude towards their work regarding health protection and the protection of their lives is quite serious," stated Alexander Stepanovich. "Special gratitude should be expressed to the managers of the structural units and active trade union workers."
From 28 March to 28 April, the month of labour protection was observed. Its results coincided with the Day of Labour Protection in Ukraine and the World Day of Labour Protection. The key themes of this event were “My life, my work, my safe labour” and “Control of professional risks.” During this month-long campaign, shop committees organized purposeful check-ups of the state of labour protection in the structural units, both during day and night shifts. The checks included the presence of instructions on labour protection at workplaces, the availability of individual protection equipment, trouble-free operation of equipment, instruments and devices, monitoring of check-up results, and the fulfillment of planned measures on labour protection.
In the open-hearth furnace shop and cold rolling shop No.1, responsible personnel were appointed to oversee compliance with safety requirements and normative legal acts on labour protection.
Additional measures aimed at preventing industrial injuries, common sicknesses, and cases of professional illnesses have been developed and introduced. For example, in the sintering shop, repairs of the brick walls of the sintering building were completed; in the blast furnace shop, a platform was organized for burning the scum of the hot-metal ladle cars, and the pouring nozzles on the working platforms of casting machines 1-2 have been fenced in; in the shop for the repair of metallurgical furnaces, work on the conveyor from the right and left regenerators MP-2 has been enhanced; in the electrical maintenance shop, additional measures have been introduced to prepare workspaces for the repair of electrical equipment in the Works’ shops.
Proposals from workers regarding the improvement of working conditions, equipment status, production and sanitary facilities, and the elimination of inconsistencies in production means and safety have been collected. Most actively, this effort was carried out in the open-hearth furnace shop, where workers were surveyed on labour protection. In cold-rolling shop No.1, a business game themed “Do you know safety rules?” and a children's drawing competition focusing on breaking labour safety norms took place.
Seminars on labour protection and a competition titled “Best Worker on Labour Protection” were held. The committee reviewing the results of the competition awarded the title “Best Engineer on Labour Protection” to V.N. Oleynik, an engineer on labour protection; the senior social inspector on labour protection of the railway transport management, locomotive driver (instructor) N.S. Stepanets, received the title “Best Senior Social Inspector on Labour Protection”; and S.A. Nominas, senior engineer of the labour protection department office, was honored as the “Best Worker of Labour Protection Service.” All competition winners received monetary gifts.
Additionally, the competition for the “Best Collective on Labour Protection” under the motto “For Safe Labour and High Culture of Production” for the first quarter of 2008 was concluded.
In the first group of shops, the open-hearth furnace shop collective emerged as the winner (monetary prize: 10,000 UAH); in the second group, the repair and maintenance shop collective triumphed (5,000 UAH); in the third group, the shop for repair of metallurgical equipment No.2 won (5,000 UAH); in the fourth group, the agro complex collective was recognized (5,000 UAH); and in the fifth group, the Public Catering & Trade Shop collective claimed victory (10,000 UAH).
Winners of the competition were presented with diplomas and flowers.