Occupational injuries

Workplace injury rates continue to go down at Russian Railways. In 2022, workplace injury metrics were as follows:

• overall injury rate (total number of injuries) down by 2%;
• fatal injury rate (number of fatal injuries) down by 12%;
• severe injury rate flat y-o-y;
• workplace injury frequency rate (number of injuries per 1,000 workers) down by 1%;
• fatal workplace injury frequency rate (number of fatalities per 1,000 workers) down by 8%.

Workplace injuries caused by the Company’s employees were also down in the reporting year:

• total injuries (number of injuries in accidents confirmed to be caused by employees and managers of Russian Railways) down by 3%;
• fatal injuries (number of fatalities in accidents confirmed to be caused by employees and managers of Russian Railways) up by 11%;
• severe injury rate up by 4%;
• frequency rate of workplace injuries caused by Russian Railways (number of injuries per 1,000 workers) down by 1%;
• frequency rate of fatal workplace injuries caused by the Company’s employees (number of fatalities per 1,000 workers) up by 15%.

The lost time rate, which is a measure of the number of lost working days per 1,000 workers (due to workplace injuries), was up 5% y-o-y.

In the reporting year, the number of group accidents went down to five (vs six in 2021). The number of workplace injuries dropped from 14 in 2021 to 12, while the number of fatalities saw a twofold decrease from 6 in 2021 to 3.

Primary causes of occupational injuries are:

• poor procedures of, and control over, operations;
• violations of operational procedures;
• violations of labour and operating discipline.

The share of accidents that were not caused by Russian Railways’ employees (accidents not attributable to the employer or the responsible employee) came in at 29%.

Following each severe or fatal injury involving a Russian Railways employee, all Company branches receive updates about the injury and its causes. Each fatality is reviewed by branch managers, with development of preventive steps and identification of employees who caused the accident.

Injuries of contractors

Accidents involving contractors at Russian Railways sites are at all times reviewed by the Company. However, due to its size and structure, Russian Railways keeps no records of contractors’ injuries. The procedure of contractor authorisation is always aligned with the Company’s in-house regulations.

Prevention of occupational injuries

Health and safety management mode depending on occupational injury rates

In 2022, units of Russian Railways branches continued introducing contingency health and safety management modes depending on occupational injury rates as a tool to prevent occupational injuries.

In order to prevent future occurrences of the circumstances and root causes of workplace accidents, an additional set of measures was carried out whenever a contingency health and safety management mode was put in place.

Control over health and safety management system

In 2022, six targeted inspections (at the Central Directorate for Multiple Unit Trains, Directorate for Overhaul and Renovation of Railway Electrification and Energy Supply Facilities, Central Directorate for Procurement and Supply, and three railways) and one internal audit (at the Main Computing Centre) were held.

The results of the targeted inspections and internal audits were reported to and reviewed by senior executives of the units under review, with summary reports submitted to heads of relevant branches, corrective measures put in place, and disciplinary action taken against employees who caused violations of health and safety requirements.

Public control over health and safety compliance

The Company has positions of a health and safety officer of the primary trade union organisation of Russian Railways. In 2022, there were a total of 13,100 health and safety officers at the Company.

Those of them who are strongly engaged in measures to ensure the safety of Russian Railways employees are recognised as the Best Health and Safety Officers in Railway Industry. In 2022, the award was given to 49 employees of Russian Railways branches.