«Our task is to pursue a policy to protect the interests of seafarers and their families»

In mid-July, an online seminar on training and testing of knowledge on labor protection of managers and technical inspectors of the Seafarers Union of Russia was held at the site of the Industrial Center for Labor Protection in Maritime Transport of the Central Marine Research and Design Institute. More than 20 specialists participated in it. Two important issues that were on the agenda- amendments to Section X of the Labor Code «Labor Protection» and new «Features of the investigation of industrial accidents in certain industries and organizations, forms of documents, relevant classifiers required for the investigation of industrial accidents». In particular, the seminar, prepared by the head of the center Mikhail Sokolov, considered and explained the main additions and changes to the requirements of Federal Law No. 311-FZ dated 02.07.2021 «On Amendments to the Labor Code of the Russian Federation», as well as the role and purpose of the trade union in the investigation of accidents with seafarers. The event was supervised by the Deputy Chairman of the SUR Igor Pavlov.

«The main idea of the seminar was to gain knowledge about new requirements for modern documents and to verify the knowledge of the professional asset of the SUR. All this is so that we can fulfill our main task – to pursue a policy at different levels to protect the interests of seafarers in the field of occupational safety»,-said the chief technical Inspector of labor of the SUR Evgeniy Khizhnyak. Training and knowledge testing procedures are of great importance, as trade union representatives work closely with government agencies and shipowners on many aspects of the occupational safety management system. So, Evgeniy Khizhnyak elaborated on the requirements of the latest regulatory document concerning the investigation of accidents at work, focusing the attention of colleagues on the order of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Russian Federation dated 04.20.2022. No. 223n «On approval of the Regulations on the Specifics of the Investigation of industrial accidents in certain Industries and organizations, forms of documents, relevant classifiers necessary for the investigation of industrial accidents». The new accident investigation features came into force on September 1, 2022 and will be in effect until September 1, 2028. The document was worked out by the specialists of the SUR, among others.

«At the suggestion of our trade union, the new document takes into account the situation when an accident with a seafarer occurs not only on board the ship during rest hours, but also outside the ship when performing tasks on behalf of the captain or shipowner, as well as on shore during the rest period while the ship is moored in port. Another important change concerns the composition of the commission for the investigation of a serious, group, fatal accident. In the procedure that existed up to that moment, such a commission, which is created by the employer and headed by the state inspector, could include a representative of the Social Insurance Fund, a labor protection specialist and a representative of the territorial association of trade unions. At the insistence of the SUR, the clause appeared in Order No. 223n on the inclusion of a representative of the all-Russian professional association in the commission. In addition, with the entry into force of the order, the facts of the disappearance of the seafarers will be investigated as well», - he explained.

«For me personally, the event was useful and informative as I also have to deal with investigations related to the death of people on sea transport. It can be very difficult, especially when the regulatory framework is changing. The seminar pointed out all the changes and innovations in the legislation and clearly outlined the role and purpose of the trade union in the accident investigation procedure. – commented Petr Osichanskiy, Chairman of the SUR primary trade union organization of seafarers of Vladivostok.

As the technical labor inspector of the SUR Southern Territorial Organization Igor Kholyavka added, there was a lot of information, the problems were considered from different sides.

It is important to add that despite a number of fundamental changes in the specifics of the investigation of industrial accidents in certain industries and organizations, the procedure has not changed for seafarers on board the ship. SUR reminds: if a crewmember is injured during the period of work under the contract, he is obliged to report it to the captain. Within the time limits stipulated in the collective agreement, the law of the flag country of the vessel, but no more than three days, the injury is subject to investigation by the ship's commission under the direction of the captain. According to the results of the investigation, the seafarer is given one copy of the act (form H-1). It is the basis for the requirement to pay for treatment on shore or to compensate for the costs spent on rehabilitation. The investigation of an accident, when one or more victims were seriously injured or died, can last up to 15 days.

The educational part of the seminar ended with a test of knowledge on labor protection, which was conducted by the head of the Branch Scientific and Methodological Center for Labor Protection in Maritime Transport of the Central Marine Research and Design Institute Mikhail Sokolov. He stressed out that following the results of the online meeting, he received a lot of positive feedback from the specialists of the Seafarers Union of Russia, who, in turn, successfully confirmed their knowledge of labor protection by receiving documents on completing a course on labor protection management in maritime transport. Such a certificate means the possibility of participation of a trade union representative in any commissions of shipowners to investigate accidents at work, to check the knowledge of labor protection of personnel of ships, to conduct a special assessment of the working conditions of crewmembers of ships carrying the national flag of Russia.