Alexander Kolesnikov.

Photo by the author.

More than 100 construction workers from both general construction and specialized branches of JSC “Stroytrust No. 3 Order of the October Revolution” (carpenters, concrete carpenters, electric gas welders, etc.) have not only acquired theoretical knowledge but also consolidated practical skills within targeted training courses under the safe work-at-height program.

Recall that in Belarus, since April 26, 2026, the safety requirements for work at height for Group I workers, as well as the definition of work at height itself, have changed. Now such work includes tasks where: there is a risk of falling from a height of 1.8 meters or more (the previous threshold was 1.3 m); the worker is within less than 2 meters of an unprotected vertical drop of 1.8 meters or more; the height of the protective guardrail at the workplace is less than 1.0 meter; or a climb or descent on a ladder over a height of 5 meters with an inclination angle greater than 75° is performed.

The key changes in the new rules are: a new height threshold (the height threshold for classifying work as work at height has been raised from 1.3 to 1.8 meters); a three‑tier training system (workers are divided into three groups based on their role and responsibility); new safety systems (requirements have been established for five types of safety systems: restraint, positioning, fall arrest, rescue and evacuation, as well as a rope‑access system); harmonization with Russian norms (the new Belarusian requirements for work at height are harmonized with the legislation of the Russian Federation).