April 28 – World Day for Safety and Health at Work

The ILO is one of the oldest international intergovernmental organizations. In 2025, it will be 106 years old. Its activities are aimed at supporting democracy and social dialogue, combating poverty and unemployment, and prohibiting child labor. The idea to establish such a special day appeared after British, Canadian, and other workers and trade unions held a Day of Remembrance for Workers Who Died at Work in 1989. Only in 2003 did World Day for Safety and Health at Work receive its current name.

On the International Day for Occupational Safety and Health, Ukraine also celebrates the Day of Occupational Safety and Health (Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 685/2006, issued on August 18, 2006). The Day of Occupational Safety and Health in Ukraine was introduced to draw the attention of society, state authorities, and business entities to the issues of occupational safety and health, and to prevent accidents at work and occupational diseases in Ukraine.

In the conditions of a full-scale war, labor protection issues take on special importance. The problems of the shadow economy, undeclared work, and industrial injuries cause great harm to the country's defense capability and economy. It is not enough to just talk about the need to reduce the level of undeclared work and industrial injuries. This is constant work that should not stop for a moment. It is important to convey this idea to all those responsible for the life and health of workers, and Labor Protection Day is a good opportunity for this.

Therefore, a round table was held at the VSP “Rivne Professional College of the National University of Life Resources and Environmental Management of Ukraine” on the eve of the celebration of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work in Ukraine.

Among those present were: Head of the Department of Accident Prevention and Investigation of the Main Department of the Pension Fund of Ukraine in the Rivne Region Karmanyuk I.P., Chief State Inspector of the Department of Occupational Safety of the Northern Region of the Department of Inspection Activities in the Rivne Region of the Western Interregional Department of the State Labor Service Karmanyuk V.M., Deputy Director of the Higher Educational Service “Rivne Professional College of NUBIP of Ukraine” Kovalchuk S.V., Occupational Safety Engineer of the Higher Educational Service “Rivne Professional College of NUBIP of Ukraine” Ivanchenko A.M., Lecturer of the Higher Educational Service “Rivne Professional College of NUBIP of Ukraine” Pastushenko N.V., students of various specialties of the college.

With an introductory speech to the audience, the occupational safety engineer of the Rivne Vocational College of the National Institute of Industrial and Occupational Safety and Health of Ukraine, Ivanchenko A.M., made a speech. Having informed the audience that the educational institution has an occupational safety service, which, together with structural units, draws up comprehensive measures for the collective agreement, organizes introductory briefings, provides employees with regulatory legal acts, participates in the investigation and accounting of accidents, forms the budget for occupational safety expenses, certifies workplaces according to working conditions, tests knowledge of occupational safety, monitors compliance with current legislation, implementation of regulations, timely conduct of training, occupational safety briefings, provision of employees with personal protective equipment, draws up lists for medical examinations, timely organizes and participates in the review of occupational safety instructions by professions and types of work.

He also reported that World Day for Safety and Health at Work is celebrated on April 28. The interdepartmental working group on coordinating joint actions to reduce the level of undeclared work, including in the informal sector of the economy, and occupational injuries and developing ways to implement them, created by the State Labor Service, has developed an Action Plan to celebrate World Day for Safety and Health at Work in 2025.

The speech was continued by the head of the Department of Accident Prevention and Investigation of the Main Department of the Pension Fund of Ukraine in the Rivne region, Karmanyuk I.P. She informed those present that in 2025, the World Day for Safety and Health at Work will be held under the motto: “Revolutionary approaches to health and safety: the role of AI (artificial intelligence) and digitalization at work”.

She drew attention to the importance of eliminating or reducing harmful and dangerous production factors, and complying with labor protection requirements when performing high-risk work.

The speech of the Chief State Inspector of the Department of Occupational Safety of the Northern Region of the Directorate of Inspection Activities in the Rivne Region of the Western Interregional Directorate of the State Labor Service Karmanyuk V.M. aroused interest. He spoke about the requirements of labor legislation when hiring minors. The impact of undeclared work on the state of the country's economy during a full-scale invasion. Having analyzed the state of industrial injuries in 2024 and for the first quarter of 2025, he focused his attention on the number of cases of injuries among younger workers (under 25 years old).

The round table ended in an interesting “question-and-answer” format, where the suggestions and comments of the round table participants were taken into account with the aim of reducing accidents and injuries in future life activities.