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INTRODUCTION

"Everyone has the right to work, to free
choice of employment, to just and
favourable conditions of work ...."
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948.

According to statistics by the International Labor Organization (ILO), about 15
million industrial injuries are registered annually in the world, and 1 worker dies
every 3 minutes as a result of occupational injuries. Mortality from accidents today
ranks third after cardiovascular and cancer, with mostly able-bodied people under 40
years of age dying.
Today in Ukraine the probability of injury and occupational diseases is 5-8
times higher than in the developed countries of Europe. And this is given that the
total traumatism in recent years, and in particular, in 2009 decreased by 10 times
compared to 1992.
Each 18th case of an accident in Ukraine is an injury with fatal
consequences.
This does not comply with existing regularities in the world. According to the
International Labor Organization, the average of this ratio in the world is one death
per 763 injured. The current level of injury for this ratio indicates that a significant
number of employee injuries have been concealed from the investigation and are
therefore not taken into account.
According to the State Statistics Committee of Ukraine, one in four works
under conditions of harmful production factors, the levels of which exceed the
maximum permissible values.

That is why we need to work effectively towards improving working
conditions, preventing injuries and occupational diseases.
Ukraine has created the necessary legal and regulatory framework for the
effective functioning of labor protection.
The Law of Ukraine “On Labor Protection” (to which we will return later) establishes the
basic principles of state policy in the field of labor protection:
- priority of life and health of employees;
- full responsibility of the employer for creation of safe and healthy working conditions;
- comprehensive solution of labor protection tasks;
- social protection of employees;
- full compensation of losses to persons who have suffered from industrial accidents and
occupational diseases;
- use of economic management methods;
- implementation of safety standards regardless of ownership and activities of the company
(enterprises).

There is another law about Occupational Safety in Ukraine - The Law of Ukraine
"Mandatory State Social Insurance", that includes insurance against occupational accidents and
occupational diseases which caused loss of workability. The law provides for the differentiation of
insurance rates depending on the level of injury and the state of occupational safety at enterprises.
Thus, the employer is economically interested in improving working conditions and safety at work.

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