Health and safety training for employeesGRI 403–5

In 2021, more than 47,000 Company's employees took associated mandatory training with a subsequent knowledge check at education centres, including:

  • over 14,000 managers,
  • 11,000 line employees,
  • over 3,000 health and safety officers,
  • ca. 19,000 other employees (middle level managers, etc.).

In 2021, the Ministry of Labour approved new health and safety rules, prompting over 450,000 employees of the Company to complete ad hoc examinations in health and safety.

Efforts continued to test managers of Russian Railways upon their appointment. In 2021, at the Environment and Technosphere Safety Department, a total of 14 managers were tested, while at the level of Russian Railways branches 569 managers were covered by the testing.

Against the backdrop of restrictions introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Central Committee of the Russian Railways on Health and Safety Examinations among Managers held three meetings. Ad hoc examinations involved managers of Russian Railways units where fatal occupation injuries took place or health and safety violations were identified.

In 2021, 176 employees of operational departments of the Company’s branches underwent retraining in health and safety at the Corporate University, with more than 55,000 managers and employees trained in health and safety, environmental safety, civil defence and emergency protection in order to fully comply with the mandatory statutory requirements for the relevant areas.

Training sessions continued with a view to fostering a safety culture. In 2021, these covered 160 employees of the Company’s central and regional management levels.

In 2021, the Russian University of Transport (MIIT) provided health and safety training and knowledge checks for 56 middle level managers at units of the Company’s branches related to the October and Moscow Railways. To roll out this kind of education, the Company continues to train moderators to oversee examinations, with 205 employees undergoing this training in 2021. To automate the examination process, the Interactive Educational Environment project is underway, providing case problems on health and safety for students to solve.

In 2021, a VR training simulator was developed and implemented to train overhead line repair personnel in health and safety, helping them adopt safe methods and approaches to installing earthing sticks of the overhead line. Employee training using the simulator is now in place.

Health and safety railcars

Russian Railways has 18 health and safety railcars, which are part of a single system to train railway employees. Health and safety railcars are mobile training facilities designed to provide on-site methodology and organisational support in training and examinations in health and safety using audio, video and computing equipment, as well as help with prevention measures in health and safety.