OREANDA-NEWS. March 31, 2008. Krasnodonugol has become Ukraine's first coal mining company to get its health and safety management system certified to international health and safety standards. The company has received OHSAS 18001:2007 certificate from Bureau Veritas, reported the press-centre of SCM.

Health and safety management system harmonised to international standards will help Krasnodonugol to significantly improve its performance in occupational injury reduction and ensure maximum safety of its miners.

In January-February 2008, occupational injury rates of the company went down by 35,2%. In 2007, number of occupational accidents was down 33% from 2006.

In 2007, Krasnodonugol allocated almost UAH 35m for its health and safety measures, 11% higher than a year ago. In 2008, the company will allocate as much as UAH 40m for the health and safety measures.

To meet the international health and safety standard, Krasnodonugol management adopted Health and Safety Policy of the Company in 2007. In particular, having analyzed occupational injury and disease rates as well as technological processes carried out by each production unit, the company calculates probability of occupational accidents. On the basis of such calculations the company develops measures preventing occupational accidents, injuries and diseases.

In particular, employee alcoholic testing procedures introduced earlier helped identify and disallow about 100 employees whose state could provoke some off-nominal situation at work.

"To ensure maximum safety of the miners is our prime objective," Aleksandr Potapenko, acting General Director of OAO Krasnodonugol, stated. "Health and safety of our miners is our top priority," he added.