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OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY IN SERBIA: RESPONSIBILITY – WHAT WAS IT?!

“BLACK” CHRONICLE IN FACTORIES




Belgrade, November 10, 2006
The latest news about the death of a worker from the Cement Factory “Holcim”, Paracin, is a continuation of accidents happening all the time. It is evident that accidents with fatal outcome are rather frequent. We are becoming special “champions of catastrophes” in Serbia: 46 workers lost their lives at work in a period of nine months in 2006 and about 800 were seriously injured. The thing that is disturbing is the fact that accidents also happen in the companies which took significant measures in the previous period in order to raise safety and health to a higher level, as it is the case with “Holcim”.
It is clear that the “silence” of the competent government agencies, on the occasion of frequent accidents at work, is a stimulus even for those who have tried to observe legal provisions from this area so far, and that they are not even obliged to observe them or comply with them in a selective way. Investing in the protection and safety at work is the expense, and if a person such as Peconi neither does this nor takes any consequences, so, why would “Holcim” or U. S. Steel do that? The government agencies are responsible for this situation, first of all, the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Policy, the competence of which is law enforcement, but also investigating and judicial authorities which should establish the facts and bring charges against those responsible.
None of them do their job, all the more so, they have tried to minimize the seriousness of the whole problem by shifting it to each other and expecting that it will be solved by itself. While the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Policy, when such an accident happens, as in “Holcim”, always tries to minimize the gravity of the situation by stating different statistical data, the courts, in addition to charges brought by the Inspections, because of infractions, take only 17% of the cases into consideration, while others remain in desk drawers in the offices of courts.
The evidence of negligent treating of this problem by government agencies is also the “Grmec” case, which has not even been considered for 11 years already, that the public was not informed as to who was to blame for the explosion and death of workers in “Prva Iskra” Baric, not to mention the fact that the public was neither informed who was responsible for the crane fall in Novi Beograd, when four workers lost their lives. These are only drastic examples of irresponsibility of the competent authorities, not disregarding others, and the “black” chronicle is terrifying. In nine months, in 2006, 46 workers died at work, and about 800 were seriously injured. While the UBU “Nezavisnost” is trying, through seminars, open speeches, printing publications, to educate the activists and members, regarding this problem, the others responsible for this area, using the inactivity of government institutions in this area, do not devote any attention, as regulated clearly by the law, that the “employer” is the most responsible for safe work”.
Although a rather “good” law has been passed, high fines prescribed for employers, and though it is known who is competent for law enforcement, the situation is getting worse. The most responsible for this situation are competent government agencies and employers, and there is no bargain. How many people have to lose their lives in order that someone remembers that he has to do his job. Not doing anything in the area of law enforcement, the competent government agencies become collaborators of irresponsible employers, the irresponsibility of which is the cause of frequent tragedies.

 
     
 
 
 
 
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