Occupational safety International framework and country guides
Is a safety committee or a worker safety representative required in Kazakhstan?
Part of: Occupational safety and health in Kazakhstan: law, authorities and employer duties
Short answer
No headcount threshold applies, but a production council for safety and labour protection must be set up within 15 working days once the employer or workers ask. It is joint and equal, its decisions bind both sides, and it approves technical inspectors as worker representatives.
Kazakhstan's equivalent of a safety committee is the production council for safety and labour protection (производственный совет по безопасности и охране труда). There is no headcount threshold: the council must be created within 15 working days once the employer, the workers or their representatives take the initiative, and it then approves technical inspectors for labour protection, who act as the workers' safety representatives (Labour Code Articles 203 and 203-1).
Short answer
- Production council: created on the initiative of the employer and/or the workers or their representatives, within no more than 15 working days; equal numbers of employer and worker representatives, including technical inspectors.
- Chair: elected by the members from both sides in rotation every two years; decisions are binding on employer and workers.
- Technical inspector for labour protection (технический инспектор по охране труда): a worker representative who carries out internal OSH control; approved by decision of the production council (Article 203-1, added in 2026).
- Without a council: the employer must still form an expert group with equal employer and worker representation for the occupational risk assessment.
- Other worker participation: worker representatives sit on accident investigation commissions and attestation commissions, and receive accident notices within 24 hours.
- Training: technical inspectors at least 24 academic hours every 3 years plus at least 40 hours of special training every year; council chairs at least 24 hours of general and 40 hours of special training per term.
The production council
Article 203 sets the council up as a joint body. Its membership is approved by a joint decision of the employer and the worker representatives, and its chair rotates between the two sides every two years. The council organises joint action by the employer and workers to meet OSH requirements and prevent injuries and occupational diseases, and it organises inspections of working conditions by the technical inspectors. Its decisions are binding on both the employer and the workers.
The council also has a central role in occupational risk management. Under the 2026 Rules on occupational risk management, the employer forms an expert group within the council (its chair or deputy, OSH specialists and worker representatives). This group lists every job and every harmful and dangerous factor, supplies the accident and sickness data for the last years and identifies the most injury-prone work. Where there is no council, the employer forms an equivalent expert group on an equal basis and approves it by an internal act.
Technical inspectors for labour protection
The Labour Code defines the technical inspector as a representative of the workers who carries out internal control of safety and labour protection. Since the 2026 amendment (Law No. 295-VIII of 3 June 2026), technical inspectors are approved by decision of the production council. They may:
- request and receive the necessary information from the employer and officials;
- visit departments to carry out internal OSH control;
- take part in accident investigations and OSH inspections;
- propose improvements and explain OSH requirements to workers;
- propose changes to internal OSH documents.
Their procedures follow a model regulation on technical inspectors and the council's decisions, and their pay for this work may be set in the collective agreement. Workers must follow the requirements of the technical inspector (Labour Code Article 181).
| Feature | Kazakhstan | Türkiye (Law No. 6331) |
|---|---|---|
| Joint body | Production council, on initiative, no headcount threshold | OSH committee where 50 or more workers and continuous work lasts more than 6 months (Art. 22) |
| Composition | Equal employer and worker representatives | Employer or deputy (chair), OSH expert (secretary), workplace physician, HR or administrative officer, foreman and civil defence specialist where present, worker representative (OSH Committees Regulation, Art. 6) |
| Worker safety representative | Technical inspector, approved by the council | Worker representative (çalışan temsilcisi): one for 2 to 50 workers, more as headcount rises (Art. 20) |
| Binding decisions | Yes, for employer and workers | Employer implements committee decisions that comply with OSH law (Art. 22) |
Worker participation outside the council
Worker representatives have rights even where no council exists. They receive the employer's accident notice within 24 hours and sit on the accident investigation commission (Articles 187 and 188), they are members of the attestation commission for working conditions (Article 183), and they may request quarterly OSH monitoring information in writing (Article 182). Every worker may take part, personally or through a representative, in checking and discussing OSH improvements (Article 181).
Example: At a 120-worker food plant in Almaty, the trade union asks for a production council. The employer and the union approve a council of three managers and three worker representatives within 15 working days; the members elect the union's representative as chair for two years. The council approves two technical inspectors from the production lines, who complete their training and start monthly walkthroughs, and it forms the expert group for the plant's occupational risk assessment.
Related on excodex
- Occupational safety and health in Kazakhstan: law, authorities and employer duties
- Is a written risk assessment mandatory in Kazakhstan, and how often must it be reviewed?
- OSH committees and worker representatives in Türkiye
Standards and further reading
- Labour Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 414-V of 23 November 2015, Articles 181, 183, 187, 188, 203 and 203-1: adilet.zan.kz
- Rules on occupational risk management, Order No. 363 of 11 September 2020 as revised by Order No. 211 of 28 May 2026: adilet.zan.kz
- Rules and terms of OSH training, briefing and knowledge testing, Order No. 1019 of 25 December 2015 as restated by Order No. 223 of 30 May 2026: adilet.zan.kz
- ILO Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155), on cooperation between employers and workers at the workplace.
This article is general occupational safety and health information prepared by the excodex editorial team. It does not replace the applicable legislation, standards, manufacturers' instructions or the assessment of a competent OSH professional or occupational physician.
More questions on this topic
- What is the main occupational safety and health law in Kazakhstan and who enforces it?
- Must an employer in Kazakhstan appoint a safety professional or an occupational physician?
- Is a written risk assessment mandatory in Kazakhstan, and how often must it be reviewed?
- How and within what time must a workplace accident be reported in Kazakhstan?
- What OSH training must employers provide to workers in Kazakhstan?
- Are pre-employment and periodic medical examinations required for workers in Kazakhstan?
- What are the penalties for breaking occupational safety rules in Kazakhstan?
- How are explosive atmospheres and Ex equipment regulated in Kazakhstan?
Part of: Occupational safety and health in Kazakhstan: law, authorities and employer duties