New Checks For Small Businesses

During this time of crisis, city authorities have been steadily removing administrative barriers for small businesses while at the same time coming up with new ways to investigate those businesses. Oleg Neterebsky, head of Moscow’s Department of Labor and Employment, hopes to keep the administration involved in urban enterprises by “organizing and executing thorough investigations” into occupational injuries and working conditions. Neterebsky proposes to begin such involvement by first inquiring into the affairs of smaller businesses.

According to the Department of Labor and Employment, there are nearly 700 accidents involving injury—250 of which are fatal—that occur in Moscow workplaces every year. There are also over 100,000 people who work in substandard conditions but only one quarter of the accidents occur in small businesses. Neterebsky thinks that behind closed doors, smaller corporations have more labor code violations. “They aren’t willing to  provide statistical data,” he stated angrily at a government meeting yesterday. Furthermore, according to Neterebsky’s data, the owners of smaller companies spend around 170 rubles per employee on health and safety measures every year, while larger businesses usually spend  around 4100 rubles on such measures .  “We need to carry out workplace safety checks in order to reduce the number of work-related injuries,” insisted Neterebsky, while underscoring his department’s controlling and supervisory functions in the small business sphere.