Page:Sergei Ilich Kaplun - The Protection of Labor in Soviet Russia (1920).pdf/28



The Labor Inspectors who, as we have seen, are in the majority of cases class conscious workers of a domestic education are incapable realizing fully all the tasks in the sphere of Labor Protection. Very often substantial special knowledge is required. For this reason, to assist Labor Inspection, the Soviet Government has secured the assistance of the medical and technical services. In August 1918 a technical inspection of engineers was instituted. In March 1919 Sanitary Inspection was introduced, all the inspectors for which were medical men. It has not been possible yet to put these two important institutions firmly on their feet, owing to the fact that at the present time the country is passing through a sharp crisis of lack of specialists. There are hardly enough engineers to go round for the work of reestablishing industry and transport, whilst the epidemics make felt the sharp need of doctors, in which Russia was at all times poor. At the present moment there are altogether 125 technical inspectors and 50 medical inspectors. According to the general principles of our policy, specialists, doctors and engineers are more of a consultative, auxiliary importance, assisting by their knowledge and special experience the Labor Inspector, who guides all their work, bearing the full responsibility for the condition of labor protection in his district.

The technical and medical inspectors make a systematic supervision of enterprises for the purpose of removing any defect or infringement of laws in the spheres of technical safety, sanitation and industrial hygiene. In addition to this they make