With the establishment of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, the Ministry of Labor, Family, and Liberation War Values is giving new momentum to institutional efforts regarding workplace safety and health.
At the Council’s inaugural meeting, the Minister of Labor, Family, and Liberation War Values, Mr. Andin Hoti, was elected Chair; the Minister of Health, Mr. Arben Vitia, was elected Vice-Chair; and occupational safety and health expert Mr. Burim Islami was elected Secretary.
Minister Hoti emphasized that efforts to ensure workplace safety and health are yielding concrete results. This year alone, the Central Labor Inspectorate has conducted over 8,600 inspections and halted operations at 290 worksites where risks to worker safety and health were identified.
Additionally, a nationwide special inspection has been carried out, and digital inspection methods are now used in over 90% of inspections. At the same time, the recruitment of 39 new inspectors is nearing completion, and work is underway to equip inspectors with new vehicles to enhance operational capacity and efficiency in the field. The Council aims to foster social dialogue among institutions, employers, and employees, ensuring that occupational health and safety issues are discussed directly and addressed through concrete policies and actions.
The next step is the development of the Council’s Work Plan by a working group, which will prepare an initial draft for review and finalization at the next meeting.
