Influence of Working Conditions of Priority Sectors of the Economy of Kazakhstan on the Formation of Occupational Risks
Occupational risk assessment was carried out for the employees of 956 different professions of 20 enterprises under study in five sectors of the economy: construction, mining, manufacturing, agriculture, transportation, and warehousing. The study was conducted using the Methodological Recommendation on the implementation of the occupational risk management system at an enterprise. This Methodological Recommendation was developed by the Republican Scientific Research Institute for Labour Protection of Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Occupational risks were assessed in the context of specific professions and structural divisions of the enterprises by five indicators: harmful working conditions, injury risk of the labor process, safety of production equipment, availability of personal protective equipment, and risk of morbidity. Based on the results of the assessment, the degree of individual occupational risk on each assessed indicator is determined by five gradations: I - acceptable risk, II - low, III - medium, IV - high and V - very high. According to the results of the occupational risk assessment, a high risk (4 degree) was established at the enterprises of mining, construction, agricultural industries, as well as transport, and warehousing industries. According to the results of equipment safety assessment, a high risk (grade IV) was identified at the enterprises of transport and mining industries. Due to the low provision with the personal protective equipment and its non-compliance with the certification requirements, a high risk is assigned to the enterprises of mining and construction industries. It is established that a high degree of occupational risk is due to the injury risk of working conditions, insufficient provision of personal protective equipment along with their low quality, the severity and intensity of the labor process accompanied by a high degree of the employees morbidity, as well as the use of the outdated equipment in production.