About a thousand officials in the Vitebsk region have been punished in the first half of the year for violations of labor protection standards

July 31, Vitebsk / Olga Bogacheva - BELTA /. About 1,000 officials in the Vitebsk region have been penalized in the first half of the year for labor protection law violations, Sergei Anufriev, First Deputy Head of the Vitebsk Regional Department of the State Labor Inspectorate of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, told BELTA. For labor protection law violations in January-June, 477 officials were brought to disciplinary responsibility and 506 officials and 84 employers were brought to administrative responsibility in the form of fines in the Vitebsk region based on the results of state inspector checks. The total number of fines issued during this period was 590, which is 30% more compared to the same period in 2011. For 29 established cases of non-compliance with the directives issued in January-June 2012, in accordance with the requirements of Article 23.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Belarus, state labor inspectors drew up administrative offense reports and sent them to courts. At the same time, decisions have already been made by the courts on 23 reports in the form of administrative penalties such as warnings and fines, Sergei Anufriev noted. In general, based on the results of checks for the six months of the current year, state labor inspectors identified and indicated in the inspection reports 9.6 thousand violations at the inspected economic entities (6.5 thousand violations in the same period of 2011). The requirements (directives) prescribed the elimination of 8.4 thousand labor and labor protection law violations, which is 47.5% more than the same period last year. "The difference between the number of identified violations and the violations prescribed for elimination, indicated in the requirements (directives), was 12.5%. These violations were eliminated by employers during the inspection, before the directive was issued," Sergei Anufriev clarified, emphasizing that this organization of work allows the inspector to ensure the elimination of identified violations while still on the inspection, and also stimulates the employer's diligence in creating safe working conditions at the enterprise. In addition, in the first half of the year, state labor inspectors suspended (prohibited) the operation of 15 workshops (sections) and the operation of 569 units of machine tools, machinery and other equipment that pose a threat to the life and health of workers. Also, at their request, 871 workers were suspended from work during the reporting period, which is 51% more compared to January-June 2011. These decisions were made due to the lack of training in safe work methods, failure to provide workers with necessary personal protective equipment, and other reasons.