232 people lost their lives in the workplace or related to work in Kosovo from 2004 to 2021, as stated in the report of the Ombudsman Institution.
The Ombudsman, with ex officio report No. 252/2021, has concluded investigations into safety and health at work, to assess how much public authorities, responsible for enforcing the law, are fulfilling their duties in taking measures to prevent workplace accidents, ensuring safety and health in the workplace for employees, both in the private sector and in the public one. The investigation began based on media reports of frequent workplace accidents resulting in fatalities.
The report addresses and presents the current situation in the country regarding safety and health at work, the functioning of mechanisms related to this field, and should not be seen as a document that exacerbates the issues that draw attention to workplace safety and health but as a step towards more intensive oversight by the Ombudsman towards responsible authorities regulating and inspecting this field, as well as the situation on the ground regarding labor rights, with particular emphasis on safety and health at work.
“The statistical data on workplace accidents resulting in fatalities are alarming. From 2004 to 2021, according to the Labor Inspectorate, 232 people have lost their lives in the workplace or related to work. While in just 2022, according to official data in Kosovo, 15 people lost their lives in the workplace, and 394 accidents resulting in injuries were recorded. These data should be a call for institutions to take measures to ensure the lives and health of workers and to fulfill their obligations for health and life protection,” the report states.
The Ombudsman finds that health at work is still legally unregulated in many segments and not treated in terms of the organization of the institutional chain, which would enable the fulfillment of public authorities’ obligations to protect health at work. Furthermore, the situation worsens as a result of the lack of employment contracts, lack of health insurance, non-compliance with the right to rest, lack of worker training for safety and health at work, etc. The measures taken so far by competent authorities to avoid violations are inadequate and insufficient.
The Ombudsman assesses that the state’s obligations consist of commitment to identifying the main factors that influence exposure to risks, accidents, and diseases at work, including specifications according to gender differences, so that necessary measures are taken to eliminate them, including preventive measures.
“Additionally, the report finds that there is a lack of safe working conditions, especially in those sectors identified as most predisposed to risk due to the nature of the work/profession, and that in this aspect, the lack of intensive and continuous inspection and supervision remains concerning,” it further states.
Based on the findings from the report, the Ombudsman has addressed recommendations to the competent authorities, the Ministry of Finance, Labor, and Transfers, the Labor Inspectorate, and the Ministry of Health.
