Legal Regulation of Occupational Safety and Health in Ukraine and European Countries
Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of the study is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the legal regulation of occupational safety and health in Ukraine and the countries of the European Union, taking into account current trends in labour law development, international standards, and European integration processes, as well as to identify directions for improving national legislation.
Мethod. The study employs a set of complementary methods: comparative legal method – to compare national and EU legislation; systemic-structural method – to analyse interrelations between legal acts; formal legal method – to interpret legal provisions; content analysis – to synthesise scientific publications, statistical data, and international documents.
Findings. The findings indicate that the Ukrainian occupational safety and health system generally complies with international standards; however, its practical implementation remains insufficiently effective. The key problems identified include the formal nature of state supervision, insufficient integration of risk-oriented approaches, and limited use of digital tools. A comparative analysis with EU countries demonstrates the effectiveness of preventive risk management models, which ensure significantly lower occupational injury rates.
Theoretical implications. The study contributes to the systematisation of challenges related to the implementation of European standards in occupational safety and health and supports the conceptual shift from a declarative regulatory model to a risk-oriented approach to legal regulation.
Practical implications. The results can be used for: improving national legislation; implementing risk-oriented management systems; digitalising occupational safety monitoring processes; enhancing the effectiveness of state supervision and workforce training.
Future research. Further research should focus on: integration of digital risk management platforms; evaluation of the effectiveness of EU standards implementation across different economic sectors; analysis of the impact of educational programmes on safety culture; examination of judicial practice in occupational safety enforcement.
Paper type. Review article.
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References
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