Labour conditions and occupational safety improvement

In the reporting year, expenditures related to working conditions and occupational safety improvements at Russian Railways exceeded RUB 32 bn, coming in at an average of RUB 49,000 per employee (compared to RUB 46,900 in 2021).

Working conditions improvement

As at the end of 2022, Russian Railways had 75,700 workplaces with hazardous working conditions (down 1% compared to 2021).

The number and share of positions with hazardous working conditions were as follows: 54,600 workplaces, or 17% of total, in category 3.1, 21,200 workplaces, or 7% of total, in category 3.2. The largest share of the total number of workplaces with hazardous working conditions is made up by those characterised by the following factors: physically demanding labour – 33.1%, noise – 32%, labour intensity – 16.4%, general vibration – 6.5%, chemical factors – 4.7%, microclimate – 0.3%, other – 7%.

In 2022, the Company’s improvement initiatives focused on:

• creating a microclimate that complies with all applicable requirements, activities to reduce workload and work intensity, and activities to align lighting levels with applicable requirements;
• aligning noise and vibration levels with applicable requirements;
• reducing the impact of hazardous chemical factors and aerosols;
• reducing the impact of non-ionising radiation.

Control over working conditions

In line with a respective plan, in 2022, branches of Russian Railways held laboratory tests at 250,300 workplaces, with financing allocated to that end totalling RUB 175.9 m. Laboratory tests held as part of control over working conditions and special assessments of working conditions covered all workplaces with hazardous working conditions.

Work-related ill health

Workplaces classified as category 3.1 or higherAccording to the classification of working conditions as per Federal Law On Special Assessment of Working Conditions No. 426-FZ dated 28 December 2013. following a special assessment of working conditions are deemed hazardous for the health of employees.

In 2022, 23 employees and 34 retirees of Russian Railways developed 57 occupational diseases as a result of exposure to work-related hazards (compared to 41 employees and 17 retirees in 2021). In 2022, the level of occupational morbidity stood at 0.4 per 10,000 employees (vs 0.6 in 2021 and 0.2 in 2020). In the reporting year, Russian Railways had no fatalities related to occupational diseases.

The main types of occupational diseases were:

• sensorineural hearing loss caused by extreme noise pollution;
• hand-arm vibration syndrome;
• myotonic syndrome.

The Company constantly strives to improve the quality of healthcare services for traffic and occupational safety. For several years running, Russian Railways has been working to open occupational pathology and occupational suitability centres at the healthcare facilities of RZD-Medicine. The centres focus on the prevention and early detection of occupational diseases, extended medical check-ups and coordination of mandatory staff check-ups across the Company’s regions of operation. Russian Railways currently has 33 such centres, including eight opened in the reporting year.

221 medical assessment boards are in place at RZD-Medicine private healthcare facilities. In line with their work plans, they completed 1.68 m medical examinations in 2022.

In 2021, in partnership with the Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, and the Russian Social Insurance Fund, Russian Railways took part in a pilot project in line with Decree No. 401 of the Russian Government dated 18 March 2021 On Pilot Project to Establish Interagency Interaction to Prevent Occupational Diseases and Create A System for Employee Health Monitoring. 70 members of locomotive crews were classified as at risk for developing sensorineural hearing loss at their regular medical check-ups, and they were selected for the project. The interagency interaction efforts under the pilot project continued in 2022.

Provision of personal protective equipment

In 2022, Russian Railways spent RUB 14.5 bn on procuring workwear, footwear and other PPE, which makes up 45% of all expenses on health and safety activities. Employees of Russian Railways are fully provided with workwear, footwear and other PPE.

In the reporting year, Russian Railways unveiled a new workwear collection. The clothing pieces are designed to meet the specific requirements of each workplace and climate zone where our employees work. The collection was produced using modern textile and insulation materials and includes special high-visibility models. Over 2 m new workwear and footwear items were supplied to the Company’s branches.

Russian Railways continues to enhance the quality of its workwear and footwear. In 2022, we developed and approved nine technical specifications for 14 models of women’s workwear and footwear (overhauls and smocks made of lightweight fabrics, insulated waistcoats, high-visibility waterproof cloaks, and textile footwear).

In 2022, the Company approved the Action Plan to Design and Introduce a Collection of High-Visibility Workwear for Russian Railways’ Employees. The plan provides for the development of 20 technical specifications.

In 2022, the Company reviewed the results of performance tests conducted on summertime and wintertime models to check their resistance to induced voltage and the thermal component of the electric arc and the efficiency of integrated electronic safety control device. The monitoring of insulated PPE focused on 12 workwear and 14 footwear models and covered a total of 2,151 employees from eight railways.

The monitoring of summertime workwear was conducted on 12 summertime models and covered 3,554 employees from six railways.

All models received the Full or Partial Customer Satisfaction status, with 75% of employees rating the workwear as excellent or good.