


Romania
Inspection campaign

The national awareness and control campaign regarding compliance with minimum occupational health and safety requirements in construction works
- Duration: all year 2023
- Sector: construction
- Number of inspected entities: 5066
- Number of labour inspectors engaged in the campaign activities: at least 80% of labour inspectors: 164

The main objective of the inspections carried out in the framework of the campaign was to provide the inspected entities with information on the legal requirements, to ensure that the inspected entities comply with the law, and to identify shortcomings in legal regulations.

The priority area of the campaign was selected based on the labour inspectorate's own database on occupational diseases, (external) database on occupational diseases of the National Institute of Public Health, EU Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work 2021-2027, as well as complaints and media information on accidents at work. Specific economic sectors were defined as a priority area for the campaign; an important issue was also the identification of regulatory gaps and shortcomings.
The number of inspected entities during the campaign depended on the programme's objectives and the number of labour inspectors carrying out inspection tasks in a given region. The group of entities to be inspected was identified with the use of the ‘Columbo’ Labour Inspectorate’s Information System, employers‘ declarations submitted with the Territorial Labour Inspectorates (in particular temporary and mobile construction sites). Selection of the inspected entities was made based on a data analysis of the number of fatal accidents and accidents with temporary incapacity for work, the number of units in the NACE field and their size, data on previous controls (in particular on measures issued and sanctions applied).

Inspections were carried out throughout the planned campaign activities. The duration of inspection activities carried out at the inspected entity ranged from 4 to 8 hours. Activities at the labour inspectorate’s office took between 2 and 4 hours. Almost all labour inspectors were involved in the inspection activities. They had the following tools at their disposal: the rationale and description of the inspection activities, checklists, examples of reactive actions to be taken upon identification of typical cases of incompliance, description of the reporting requirements, specialist materials (on the safety of applied technologies, machinery, equipment and tools, existing hazards and legal provisions).
Five persons at national level and 2-3 persons at local level were involved in monitoring and coordination activities. They assisted the labour inspectors in solving problems arising in the course of the inspection activities, participated in inspection activities in particularly complex cases, and monitored the quantitative and qualitative level of implementation of the plan.
Cooperation between the labour inspectorate and the employers' organisations and trade unions consisted in analysing the comments and suggestions made by the social partners in the framework of the Social Dialogue Committee.

The effects of the campaign were assessed by the number and type of legal measures issued by labour inspectors and implemented by employers after inspections. This data was collected using the ‘Columbo’ system. The Central Working Group produced a report on the activities carried out within the campaign. The report was included in the Annual Activity Report of the Labour Inspection and in the Statistical Bulletin published on government websites. The report was also used to prepare the Framework Programme of Actions of the Labour Inspectorate for the following years.
non-inspection campaign

The national awareness and control campaign regarding compliance with minimum occupational health and safety requirements in construction works
- Duration: the first three months of 2023
- Sector: construction
- Number of establishments covered by the non-inspection activity: 5066
- Number of inspectors engaged in the non-inspection activity: 85
- Number of specialised staff involved in implementing the non-inspection activity: 0
- Number of persons involved in supervising the implementation of the non-inspection activity: 42
- Budget: resources of the territorial labour inspectorates

The project aimed to raise awareness of occupational safety and the prevention of accidents at work. Activities included an information campaign, training and the promotion of preventive measures to raise OSH standards. The project focused on the construction sector, in particular temporary and mobile construction sites.

The campaign was prepared entirely by the labour inspectorate's organisational units, including the Territorial Labour Inspectorates responsible for the implementation of the Labour Inspection Framework Programme. Priority areas and target groups were selected with the use of the ‘Columbo’ labour inspectorate's information system, which collects data on, among others, accidents at work, reports of construction works and inspection activities of labour inspectors. The data collected by the Labour Inspectorate and the National Institute of Public Health were used to define the main objectives of the campaign and the activities carried out under the project. The campaign was fully financed from the labour inspectorate's own budget.

The campaign used a variety of communication channels: training sessions, publications with the content promoted by the activity, audio-visual materials, information campaigns run on social media, radio, television and in local and national press. Information was disseminated in 26 newspapers and magazines, and 14 TV and radio stations during the first three months of the campaign, reaching approximately 65% of the respondents in the target group. The main elements of the action plan included information meetings, professional support for representatives of the target group, presentation of good practices and encouraging employers to take an active part in ensuring health and safety at work.

The results and effects of the campaign were assessed against three basic indicators: the number of information meetings organised for the project's recipients, the number of participants in these meetings and the reach of media coverage of the content promoted within the project. As part of the summary assessment of the campaign, activities carried out within its framework were analysed in detail to determine whether the campaign had achieved its objectives. A final document summarising the results of the campaign was prepared by the Labour Inspectorate. The report included detailed results of the activities for each Territorial Labour Inspectorate involved in the project and was discussed during analytical meetings with the heads of the Territorial Labour Inspectorates.