Decree that enters into force on 2 August 2017, sets out the procedures for:
- Occupational health and safety system audit in organisations;
- Refresher OHS training and retraining for certain types of employees;
- State expert assessment of working conditions in organisations.
Occupational health and safety system audit
The adopted procedure applies to all organisations. Occupational health and safety system audit (OHS system audit) may be performed at any organisation, following the decision of the head of the organisation.
The purpose of an OHS system audit is to check whether occupational health and safety system at an organisation complies with the applicable regulatory requirements. The audit process also includes evaluation of the efficiency of measures implemented by the organisation and aimed at prevention of occupational accidents, incidents and illnesses.
Any organisation that has performed an OHS system audit and implemented all follow-up occupational health and safety measures, will not be subject to any planned state labour safety inspections for the following three years.
Officially recognized OHS system audits may only be performed by an independent certified auditor organisation.
Refresher OHS training and retraining
Certain types of employees of any organisation in Uzbekistan are required to undergo regular refresher OHS training. These include OHS managers and specialists, senior managers and specialists responsible for OHS issues in the organisation, engineering and technical managers responsible for OHS issues (including chief engineer, technical director, chief energy manager as well as foremen of departments where harmful or hazardous working conditions are present).
OHS retraining is required for employees who have accepted responsibility for OHS issues at an organisation but who do not have any higher or special technical education. These employees must undergo OHS retraining for at least 288 academic hours. Employees must undergo OHS retraining within 6 months from the date they have accepted responsibilities for OHS issues at the organisation.
State expert assessment of working conditions in organisations
The purpose of a state expert assessment of working conditions in an organisation is to check whether the organisation has correctly performed workplace risk assessment of workplaces (the Attestation), to check whether the organisation duly provides the required benefits and compensations to its employees and also – to check the actual working conditions of the employees in the organisation.
State expert assessment is performed by the experts of the relevant territorial branch of the Ministry of Labour of Uzbekistan (for organisations with the number of employees less than 100 people) or by the experts of the Ministry of Labour of Uzbekinstan (for organisations where the number of employees exceeds 100 people).
State expert assessment will normally performed as a result of:
- A request submitted by an certified service provider that performs workplace risk assessment in an organisation; or
- A request submitted by an employer or an employer association or trade union; or
- A court order or an application submitted by a state enforcement agency.
Law: Decree No. 246 of 27 April 2017 on the Further Improvement of the Occupational Health and Safety Services Market in Uzbekistan