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Chief Labour Inspector presented NLI’s work programme Conducting about 90 thousand inspections and preventive activities – campaigns, programmes, competitions and advisory services – targeted at approx. 36 thousand entities, are the elements stipulated in the National Labour Inspectorate’s work programme for 2010. It was presented, along with the plan of long-term tasks for 2010-2012, by Chief Labour Inspector Tadeusz Jan Zając at the Labour Protection Council’s session held at the seat of Parliament on 17 November 2009. He emphasised that for the first time in the Inspectorate’s history, so clearly specified objective of preventive and inspection work is a strive for a significant, 25 per cent reduction in the number of work accidents in the next three years – by 2012 (which is in line with the Community OSH strategy) and achievement of a sustainable betterment of legal compliance in labour relations. The said aims are to be achieved through optimum fulfilment of tasks stipulated in the central schedule and a skilful selection, by individual district labour inspectorates, of own preventive and inspection tasks which would result from the local specific features and needs in the area of labour protection. During routine inspections, NLI will also make optimum use of available legal means. Inspectors will consistently conduct re-inspections at enterprises where employers are in breach of the law and do not take relevant actions to improve the level of health protection for workers and to respect their rights. The long-term plan stipulates intensification of prevention and inspection activities in construction and road transport in the coming years. Intensive inspections and supervision will be continued with regard to enterprises typified by the highest hazards. In the coming year the labour inspectorate will monitor the functioning of anti-crisis acts. Inspection and supervisory work will cover compliance with the Act of 1 July 2009 on mitigating effects of economic crisis for employees and entrepreneurs. NLI will especially inspect employers who have transitory financial difficulties and those who applied prolonged settlement periods. Moreover, NLI will carry out a communication campaign connected with coming into force of the “anti-crisis acts”. The head of National Labour Inspectorate announced that NLI will gradually replace detailed inspections with thematic inspections. A labour inspector will assess employer’s preparation for self-inspection, as part of the system to manage the enterprise – such a system creates employer’s responsibility for observance of labour law provisions, including OSH, at all stages of the work process. NLI will continue to follow the rule that if a labour inspector does not identify glaring infringements of employee rights, the first inspection visit to the enterprise will be of reconnaissance and advisory nature. From next year, the inspectorate will introduce short inspection visits, focused on irregularities creating immediate hazards to life or health. Depending on needs, such visits to the same employer will be repeated within the following days or weeks, until the hazards are eliminated. Such inspections will be undertaken first and foremost in construction. Inspection activities in the area of legality of employment will be focused first of all on spheres where such practices are most frequent, especially on areas of economy where employment levels increase periodically (e.g. construction, hotels and catering, agriculture, retail trade) and on regions with high unemployment. While selecting enterprises for inspections, labour inspectors are supposed to take account of information, from self-government organizations and institutions and social partners, about percentage of “illegal work” in a given region. The labour inspectorate has also planned to continue proven forms of influencing people through information and education, preventive and promotional programmes and campaigns and to develop international cooperation. - National Labour Inspectorate is aiming first of all at effectiveness of undertaken initiatives – said Tadeusz Jan Zając. – A precondition for achieving a sustainable improvement of compliance with labour law is the NLI’s cooperation with national and foreign institutions and organizations dealing with labour protection. We recognize the importance of prevention, including advice given to employers. At the same time, we will decidedly and consistently eliminate hazards to health and life of workers, using all available means. Worker safety is our priority.
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