Strengthening Sanctions For Violations For Employee Safety

On 9 October 2025, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine registered Draft Law No. 14109 concerning amendments to the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses and the Criminal Code of Ukraine, aimed at strengthening liability for violations of legislation on workplace safety and health.

It forms part of a broader labour law reform and is directly linked to Draft Law No. 10147 dated 13 October 2023 on the safety and health of workers at work. Both acts are designed to align Ukrainian norms with the European Union’s occupational safety and industrial security standards.

The Draft Law provides for replacing the terms “labour protection” and “occupational safety” with the European-standard term “occupational safety and health”. The name of the central executive body responsible for implementing state policy in the field of labour protection will also be changed to the central body responsible for implementing state policy in the field of workplace safety and health.

Administrative and criminal liability is established for violations of safety requirements that cause harm to workers’ health, especially during high-risk work

In particular, violations of rules on the storage, use, and accounting of explosive materials in industry provide for an administrative fine for officials of enterprises, institutions, and organizations, regardless of ownership form — from 30 to 100 non-taxable minimum incomes of citizens (UAH 510–1,700); currently, the fine for employees is UAH 68–170.

Criminal liability provides for a fine of 17,000 to 51,000 UAH non-taxable minimum incomes or corrective labour for up to two years, or restriction of liberty for the same period if a violation of workplace safety and health legislation caused harm to the victim’s health. If the violation occurred during high-risk work, restriction of liberty may be imposed for up to three years, with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to three years, or without such deprivation.

We will closely monitor further developments in this area and will report on them in future Legal News.