Introduction. As international and domestic practice shows, any production is a source of increased danger, and the responsibility for creating safe working conditions lies entirely with the employer. Risk assessment is one of the most effective tools to achieve this goal [1–2].

Problem Statement. Currently, there are no requirements for the assessment of occupational risks level. The organization has the right to conduct it both independently and by concluding an agreement with a specialized organization.

However, the main problem is that there are virtually no regulations for the occupational risks assessment procedure, as a result of which many employers treat it formally, endangering the personnel of their enterprise.

In this regard, there is a need to assess the changes that have occurred in the regulatory control of this issue.

Theoretical Part. An integral part of the production activity of any employer is the occupational health management system (OHMS), the structure of which is described in Regulation of the Ministry of Labor No. 776n of 29.10.2021.

This regulation establishes general requirements for the organization of work on occupational safety on the basis of regulatory documents, principles and management methods. The OHMS functioning is carried out through the compliance with state regulatory requirements for occupational safety, obligations assumed and the application of local documents in the implementation of processes provided for in the sections of OHMS [3-4].

One of the main problems of OHMS is that it implies a direct response to the occurrence of a hazardous situation, and not to its prevention. For this reason, the assessment of potential hazards by risk indicators and the development of preventive measures based on this assessment become the primary tasks of occupational safety management [5].

According to the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, we understand occupational risk as "the likelihood of harm to health as a result of exposure to harmful and (or) hazardous production factors when an employee performs duties under an employment contract or in other cases established by this Code and other federal laws" [6].

There are many methods by which you can determine the level of occupational risk at an enterprise: matrix, point, direct, indirect, lists of control questions, brainstorming (Delphi method), etc. The use of these methods has not been enshrined in law, so the employer has the right to choose one of them himself or develop a methodology depending on the specifics of the enterprise [7].

Occupational risk assessment is traditionally carried out in several stages: hazard identification, risk analysis, which includes determining the level of risks, the acceptability of the level of risks and the need for safety measures, the choice of risk management methods and their implementation, repeated risk analysis to verify the achievement of the acceptability of the risk level.

The concept of occupational risk management is currently the most relevant one, as it allows minimizing the number of accidents and occupational diseases at work [8].

In this regard, the role of occupational risk assessment as a tool to improve the effectiveness of the management system is increasing and there is a need to improve the procedure.

Within the framework of this study, an analysis of key changes in occupational safety related to occupational risks assessment was carried out, which came into force on March 1, 2022 (Table 1).

Table 1

Analysis of key changes related to occupational risks assessment

As it can be seen from the table, the trends in legislation clearly tend to introduce a risk-based approach.

Conclusions. The issue of changes in occupational safety legislation has been overdue for a long time. It should be expected that the transition period will not happen all at once, it may take from three to five years. So, many of the amendments listed in the work were planned to be introduced in 2021, but this was not done until this year.

Such changes will be able to give impetus to the formation of an effective legal framework regulating the conduct of such a procedure as the occupational risks assessment.

Received 21.03.2022

Revised 13.05.2022

Accepted 13.05.2022

About the Authors:

Bakhonina, Elena I., Associate professor, Department of Industrial Safety and Labor Protection, Ufa State Petroleum Technical University (1, Kosmonavtov street, Ufa, 450044, RF), Cand. Sci. (Eng.), ORCID, helenabaho@mail.ru

Nasibullina, Valeriya A., Student, Department of Industrial Safety and Labor Protection, Ufa State Petroleum Technical University (1, Kosmonavtov street, Ufa, 450044, RF), ORCID, valeriya005@inbox.ru

Claimed contributorship