OREANDA-NEWS. April 25, 2012. The North-Western Directorate of IC Allianz (ROSNO trademark) initiated a seminar on obligatory insurance coverage of hazardous industrial facilities for the members of the North-Western branch of the Russian-German Chamber of Foreign Trade. During the event, the issues of insurance protection and the initial steps in accordance with the new Federal Law No. 225-FZ are covered by Ms. Natalya Ushakova, Deputy Director for Corporate Sales at the North-Western Directorate of IC Allianz, reported the press-centre of Allianz.     

The seminar was aimed to tell the companies-members of the Russian-German Chamber of Foreign Trade about enactment of the new RF Federal Law No. № 225-FZ "On Obligatory Insurance of Civil Liability of Hazardous Facility Owner for Damage Inflicted Through Accident at Hazardous Facility" and introduce them to the key legislative novations. The event was attended by executives of the German companies having branches in St. Petersburg, including: Aquatherm, Riedl & Stocker, Terraflor, Staubli Rus, Lindab Buildings, Evli Asset Management St. Petersburg. All of them represent different economic sectors: construction, education, production of plumbing systems, transport engineering, etc.

The meeting was attended by Mr. Stanislav Yermachenko, head of the Division for Arrangement of Supervision in Civil Defence and Protection of Population and Territories against Emergencies, Supervision Management Department of the North-Western Regional Centre of the RF Emercom, who provided examples of accidents and emergencies from the Emercom’s practice. He reminded that the function of controlling proper performance of the new law is vested with the Rostekhnadzor and Emercom, and on 01 April 2012, pursuant to the article 9.19 of the Administrative Offences Code, and in accordance with the bilateral letter signed on 13 December 2011 by the Emercom and Rostekhnadzor representatives, companies started to be inspected for presence of the obligatory hazardous industrial facilities insurance policies. Wherever such policy is absent, the Emercom employees will pass the violations protocol issued in respect of the relevant company to Rostekhnadzor, which, in its turn, will impose fines on such company.

Ms. Natalya Ushakova told about the company’s first steps in accordance with the new law and covered key issues arising among insurants, insurers, Rostekhnadzor and Emercom in course of their interaction under the Law No. 225-FZ, such as: correct identification of a hazardous facility, calculation of insurance amounts, procedure for calculation of insurance premium, correctness of CUB application, necessary documentation required from clients in order to conclude obligatory hazardous industrial facilities insurance contracts.

"The enactment of the Russian Federal Law No. 225 constitutes a milestone in the development of such market-based risk management instruments as insurance. In addition, the law is also of social importance, as it primarily protects population of the areas situated close to hazardous industrial facilities, as well as the employees of such enterprise, against damage to their life and health. By the way, the inclusion of the risk of infliction of damage to life and health of the enterprise’s employees represents one of the most important extensions of insurance coverage under the new law, which was previously absent in the rules for insurance coverage of liability of the organizations operating hazardous facilities", comments Ms. Natalya Ushakova. — "In case of an accident, the first victims are miners, boiler operators, crane operators and other specialists directly responsible for operation of a hazardous facility. In case of loss of a breadwinner, his or her family will be paid 2 million roubles. Another important risk included in the law is the risk of deterioration of living conditions. For example, if the apartments in the houses located close to the production site where the accident occurs become unfit for further residence, an insurance company will be obliged to reimburse the damage. The first insured accident which occurred under the Law No. 225-FZ, the recent breakdown at gas distribution networks in Sestroretsk, once again reasserted the importance and relevance of the new law".