OREANDA-NEWS. January 30, 2013. OJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel (hereinafter, MMC Norilsk Nickel or the Company) managed to reduce considerably accident rates by the end of 2012. The total number of accidents decreased by 23.9% as compared to 2011. Over the past five years, this figure was reduced by 31.7%. And for 15 years the Company achieved almost 3 times lower accident frequency rate (number of accidents per 1,000 employees), reported the press-centre of Norilsk Nickel.

MMC Norilsk Nickel pays considerable attention to industrial safety and labour protection at its operations. In its activities, the Company is guided by the principle of priority of life and health of its employees and takes a broad range of measures to improve working conditions and reduce the impact of hazardous industrial factors on the employees’ health.

During the year the Company conducts over 20,000 inspections and more than 1,000 activities aimed at reducing injury rates.

For example, in 2012 only in the Company's Polar Division (PD) 106 activities were initiated for the total amount of almost RUB 2 bln. These activities were included in the Comprehensive plan of labour conditions improvement, labour protection and health and recreation activities in 2012. Polar Division signed Labor Protection Agreements including 73 activities for the total amount of RUB 55 mln. More than RUB 500 mln. was spent to provide employees with special clothes, footwear and personal protective equipment to reduce the impact of harmful factors. Over RUB 100 mln. was invested in compulsory medical examinations, psychiatric examination of employees engaged in hazardous works. About RUB 550 mln. was allocated to provide employees with high quality food, milk, juice in order to prevent occupational diseases.

Kola MMC spent more than RUB 35 mln. to organize medical examinations; more than RUB 116 mln. to purchase high quality food and milk; and over RUB 120 mln. for personal protective equipment. Above all, to reduce disease incidence among employees the company resorted to vitamin supplements. To this end over RUB 620,000 was spent on vitamin supplements for the employees. In addition, the company managed to draw considerable attention to the problem of industrial injuries by organizing poster competition "For Safe Work”.

Year by year, MMC Norilsk Nickel improves its activities aimed at prevention of occupational injuries, resorting to original and rather effective tools. Thus, the Company organizes lectures and seminars on safety, children's drawings competitions and intellectual tournaments devoted to this issue. These tools are aimed at increasing awareness of the Company's employees: according to statistics, about 90% of the accidents are mainly caused by violation of labor and production discipline and disregard for personal safety requirements.