12TH Kazakhstan International Occupational Safety and Health Conference and Exhibition

Astana, Kazakhstan «EXPO» IEC

12TH Kazakhstan International Occupational Safety and Health Conference and Exhibition

Astana, Kazakhstan «EXPO» IEC

KIOSH 2012: Kazakhstan helping to prevent accidents at work

Over 100 countries mark World Day for Safety and Health at Work every year, a scheme launched by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Kazakhstan is one of these countries, and KIOSH, the Kazakhstan International Occupational Safety and Health Exhibition & Conference, has been held alongside the Day for the last two years - this year’s event taking place on 26 and 27 April at Astana’s Korme Exhibition Centre. Over 250 conference delegates and 2,000 exhibition visitors came to KIOSH this year, all of them having the opportunity to find out about the latest achievements in occupational safety, education, and healthcare.

The idea for a World Day for Safety and Health at Work originally came from Workers Memorial Day, which was first marked by US and Canadian companies to commemorate those killed or injured while working, and this was marked by a minute’s silence before the opening of the KIOSH conference. According to ILO figures, one worker dies and 160 are injured every 15 seconds due to an accident at work or occupational disease. Most of these can be prevented by introducing international standards, and the KIOSH exhibition and conference has shown that Kazakhstan’s companies fully agree that bringing in integrated methods for ensuring occupational safety will improve overall productivity.

KIOSH is a place to meet, share experience and knowledge, display new technology, and develop international cooperation. Among the speakers at the two-day conference were leading international figures in occupational health and safety, including Shurenchimeg Zokhiolt, Deputy Director of the ILO ‘Decent Work’ technical support team and of the Country Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia; Malcolm McIntyre, Chair of the National Advisory Committee of the Institution of Occupational Safety & Health; Andrey Selibanov, Deputy Director General of the Federal Service for Labour and Employment and Vice-President of the International Association of Labour Inspection; and Melita Vuinovich, World Health Organisation representative in Kazakhstan.

The conference was divided into thematic sessions entitled “National HSE Strategies”, “A Preventative Approach to Industrial Health and Safety Issues” and “Responses to New HSE Challenges - Personal Protection Equipment, Training, and Education”. Major mining companies such as Tengizchevroil, ENRC, and Kazakhmys also presented their innovative developments in occupational health and safety.

“Acting as general partner of KIOSH fits in with our overall occupational health and safety policy,” said Sergey Dyachenko, General Operating Officer of Kazakhmys. “We are delighted that issues relating to the area are discussed at such a high level and on such a large scale. At the conference, we were happy to share our strategic vision and general experience in health and safety in the workplace.”

It is important to point out that 90% of accidents at work are due to careless actions, personal negligence, breaches of work discipline, or not following health and safety regulations. Taking the human factor into account is therefore critical when it comes to improving occupational health and safety.

A shining example of a project in the area is Kazakhmys’ ‘Omir’ initiative, which aims to ensure a reduction in accidents and the development of a health and safety culture in the workplace.
“Above all, we need to bring the amount of workplace accidents in the company to as near to zero as possible, along with making occupational health and safety a priority and the main aim of every employee. The only way this will be achieved is if everybody is committed,” said Igor Rakhimov, Director of the Department of Group Health, Safety, and Environment of Kazakhmys. The company’s positive experiences in this area formed the basis of a round table at KIOSH 2012 entitled “The Work of Paramedics at Production Facilities”.

An awards ceremony for the Senim and Corgan competitions was also held as part of KIOSH 2012. The nationwide Senim competition, organised by the Ministry for Labour and Social Protection, consisted of three categories: Security Company of the Year, Best Occupational Safety Service and Best Occupational Safety Engineer, with prizes being awarded for first, second and third place.
Corgan’s judging panel was comprised of official figures from Kazakhstan’s relevant ministries and government bodies, independent experts and industry association representatives.

The winners of the Corgan competition were:

Project of the Year: Kazzinc
Civil Service Expert of the Year: Serikkali Bisakaev, Senior Government Work Inspector of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Occupation Health and Safety Oil and Gas Company of the Year: Tengizshevroil
Occupation Health and Safety Mining Company of the Year: Kazakhmys
Occupation Health and Safety Energy Company of the Year: AES
Best Educational Programme: ENRC

Safety in the workplace will always be important. Every year, KIOSH helps Government bodies, businesses, and public representatives to join forces to meet the challenges involved in ensuring occupational health and safety.

-Ends-

Notes to editors
KIOSH is officially supported by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and its official partners are the Association of Mining and Metallurgical Enterprises and the Association of Light Industry Enterprises of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The General Sponsor is Kazakhmys, the General Conference Sponsor is 3M, and the General Media Partner is the International Centre for Financial and Economic Development - Kazakhstan publication.  Allied Industrial and the Career Development Centre are also sponsoring the event, which is organised by Iteca along with its international partner ITE Group plc and its co-organiser, the Kazakhstan Business Council for Sustainable Development.

  • Created on .
VKontakte
powered by social2s