The Department of Occupational Safety is one of the leading structural units of the Belarusian National Technical University and the Republic of Belarus, engaged in educational and scientific activities in the field of occupational safety.
The history of the department dates back to February 12, 1963, when it was established as the Department of Safety Engineering and Fire Protection. Since September 1965, it has been known as the Department of Occupational Safety. Its first head was Associate Professor F.A. Bogdanovich, who made a significant contribution to its establishment. Subsequently, the department was led by Associate Professor N.M. Rykov (from 1979 to 1984) and Associate Professor I.V. Zayash (from 1984 to 1999). Since 1999, the department has been headed by Professor A.M. Lazarenkov, D.Sc.
Over the years, the department has employed highly qualified specialists such as Professor T.G. Pospelova, Associate Professors F.A. Bogdanovich, B.M. Danilko, I.V. Zayash, N.S. Zavolokin, N.M. Zhuravkov, I.K. Ignatik, T.N. Kiseleva, M.N. Kugeyko, V.P. Lukyanov, A.M. Naumenko, L.I. Serikova, L.P. Filyanovich, and N.M. Uglik.
Currently, the department boasts a highly qualified and creative team consisting of professors, teaching staff, and support personnel. Among the eleven faculty members, one holds a Doctor of Science degree and three hold Ph.D. degrees. The department is known for combining pedagogical, scientific, and practical activities. Its instructors not only possess extensive theoretical knowledge but also have practical experience in various sectors of the economy. Most of them received their basic education at the Belarusian Polytechnic Institute and the Belarusian State Polytechnic Academy in fields such as mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and civil engineering.
The department places great emphasis on continuously improving the professional level of its staff. Faculty members enhance their qualifications through courses offered by the Branch of the Belarusian National Technical University "Interbranch Institute for Advanced Training and Retraining of Personnel in Management and Personnel Development" and the State Educational Institution "Republican Institute of Higher School". There is close cooperation with various state bodies and organizations of the Republic of Belarus, including the Department of State Labor Inspection, labor protection departments of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, the Ministry of Energy, and labor protection departments of leading enterprises.
The main task of the department is to prepare students from all faculties of the university, studying in full-time and part-time forms of the first stage of education, in the cycle of general education disciplines: "Occupational Safety," "Fire Safety," and "Safety of Human Life Activities."
The department has established the necessary educational and methodological base for successfully conducting the educational process. Model educational programs have been developed and approved for the discipline "Occupational Safety" for construction, energy, mechanical engineering, and metallurgical specialties. Over the past 20 years, 8 textbooks and 11 teaching aids on "Occupational Safety" have been prepared and published for most specialties of the Belarusian National Technical University with the approval of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus, incorporating current regulatory, legislative, and other documents. In collaboration with international partners, a textbook on "Occupational Safety" was prepared and published in 2022 with the approval of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus jointly with the Tashkent State Technical University named after A. Karimov.
Educational and methodological materials have been prepared and published for part-time students, graduating students of various specialties (taking into account their specifics), as well as electronic educational and methodological complexes registered in the Republican Unitary Enterprise "Institute of Applied Software Systems" for the educational discipline "Occupational Safety."
In the educational process, the department combines traditional forms of academic teaching with the implementation of innovative technologies.
The educational base of the Department of Occupational Safety includes five equipped laboratories and a computer class for monitoring students' knowledge. Annually, about 5,000 students undergo training in these facilities for laboratory work, practical exercises, and about 3,500 people for consulting on the "Occupational Safety" section of diploma projects.
From 1996 to 2015, the department operated a testing laboratory that conducted research and instrumental measurements of production environment factors to certify workplaces for working conditions. The laboratory was accredited for independence and technical competence in the accreditation system of the Republic of Belarus in accordance with the requirements of STB ISO/IEC 17025. The work was carried out at enterprises and organizations of the Republic of Belarus on contractual terms.
Research work is an integral part of the department's activities. The department's team actively participates in annual international and republican scientific conferences. As a result of scientific research, two monographs and more than 300 scientific articles have been published. The conducted research activities contribute to enhancing the effectiveness of the educational process, allowing students to practically demonstrate approaches to formulating and solving scientific problems, attract the most capable students to conduct scientific research, and use the obtained results in the educational process during lectures, practical and laboratory classes.
To unleash the scientific potential of students, active involvement in research activities of the department is ensured. The main forms of work with students in the framework of research activities include participation in research projects, individual work with scientific supervisors, participation in conferences, and preparation of scientific papers for national competitions. Students annually present the results of their research at international and republican conferences.
