Corporate Citizenship

Labour protection is an important part of the activities of Russian Railways, as working on railway transport exposes staff to a number of factors that could negatively affect their health – the stressful working environment and physically demanding nature of the work, as well as the noise, vibrations, poor lighting and possible exposure to chemicals.

In view of this, Russian Railways has established the Department of Labour Protection, Industrial Safety and Environmental Control, with the corresponding services operating on the railways.

Main Objectives of Labour Protection at Russian Railways

1. Improve the workplace environment:
   
   • construction, reconstruction and repair of sanitary buildings and premises;
   • installation of fixtures in heating points and lunch/dining rooms;
   • installing, reconstructing and repairing general lighting and ventilation systems, etc.;
   • equipping driver’s compartments with tempered glass, vibration protection seats, etc.;
   • reducing manual labour, including through work on automating production processes and track repair and construction activities.

   A minimum of 0.7% of the company’s total operating costs are earmarked every year for the improvement of working conditions and labour protection. Work clothes, safety footwear and other personal protective equipment or medical check-ups are provided separately and do not count towards this figure.

2. Provide employees with the latest certified personal protective equipment that significantly reduces occupational morbidity and industrial injuries. "Model Industry Standards for Providing Employees of the Federal Railway Transport Organizations with Work Clothes, Safety Footwear and Other Personal Protective Equipment Free of Charge" have been developed and are observed throughout the company.
3. Reduce the number of industrial injuries, in particular, by creating hazard-free production areas (or removing personnel from potentially hazardous areas) and introducing specialized safety technology.
4. Reduce occupational morbidity. This involves opening occupational therapy centres on routes. These centres are equipped with medicines and modern diagnostic and therapeutic equipment, allowing for the early detection of occupational diseases and for the necessary measures to be taken.

Russian Railways works closely with the Social Insurance Fund of the Russian Federation to provide its employees with insurance against workplace accidents and occupational diseases.

Russian Railways operates 18 industrial safety carriages that are used as part of a unified training system for employees of its structural divisions. These carriages serve as mobile training complexes, the main purpose of which is to provide methodological and organizational assistance in the training and subsequent testing of employees on labour protection issues using audio-visual and computer equipment, as well as through practical preventive work onsite at the company’s enterprises.

In 2014, Russian Railways launched the Special Assessment of Working Conditions (SAWC) programme in accordance with Federal Law No. 426-FZ dated 28 December 2013. SAWC is carried out at Russian Railways’ branches and structural divisions in accordance with the approved plan.

SAWC results on the establishment of classes (subclasses) of working conditions:

NUMBER OF INCIDENTS ON PASSENGER AND FREIGHT TRAINS

FREQUENCY COEFFICIENT DYNAMICS OF INDUSTRIAL INJURIES AT RUSSIAN RAILWAYS, 2018-2022