Uzbekistan’s Cabinet of Ministers has approved a new procedure for reporting, investigating and recording work-related accidents, and for compensating the harm they cause. Resolution No. 505 of 22 September 2026 took effect on 23 September 2026.
The resolution approves two regulations:
- Regulation on reporting, investigating and recording work-related accidents;
- Rules on compensation for harm to an employee’s life or health caused by occupational injury and/or occupational disease.
From 1 December 2026, reporting, investigation and record-keeping will move to “Xavfsiz mehnat”, an AI-based electronic information system. The Ministry of Poverty Reduction and Employment will operate it.
The resolution also repeals earlier acts, including Cabinet of Ministers Resolutions No. 286 of 6 June 1997 and No. 60 of 11 February 2005.
The Regulation sets a single procedure for government bodies, all organizations regardless of ownership, and individual entrepreneurs who hire staff. It covers, among others:
- employees working under an employment contract;
- persons allowed to work by an authorized official, including those whose hiring was never formally documented;
- foreign nationals in paid employment;
- students completing on-the-job training.
A work-related accident is any harm to health sustained while performing job duties, whether on the employer’s premises or elsewhere. This includes incidents that occur:
- on a business trip;
- during breaks, or before and after working hours;
- during overtime, weekends and public holidays;
- while travelling on employer-provided transport;
- in a personal vehicle, if a written order authorizes its use for work.
Natural death, suicide, deliberate self-injury and injuries sustained while committing a crime are not investigated.
Reporting and Investigation
The employer must file a notification through the electronic system within 24 hours of an accident. Recipients include the state labor inspectorate, the police, the Ministry of Poverty Reduction and Employment, trade unions and the insurer under the employer’s compulsory liability insurance policy. Missing this deadline is treated as a breach of occupational safety law.
Minor accidents are investigated by a commission set up by the employer’s order. The commission may not include anyone with a conflict of interest, or managers directly responsible for workplace safety.
Special investigations are required for group accidents, accidents with moderate or severe consequences, and fatal accidents. A state occupational safety inspector chairs the commission. For businesses, such investigations proceed without prior approval from the authorized body.
If the employer fails to report an accident, a state inspector will investigate it. An investigation can be triggered by a complaint from the victim or relatives, by police information, or by reports in the media and on social networks.
Compensation
The employer must compensate harm to an employee’s health unless it proves it was not at fault. Fault is presumed where the employer failed to ensure safe working conditions or breached occupational safety requirements.
If the victim was grossly negligent, compensation may be reduced by no more than 50%. It cannot be refused outright. Terminating the employment relationship does not release the employer from its obligation to pay. The employer must also cover the cost of treatment, medicines, prosthetics and sanatorium care. If the employee dies, the employer also pays funeral expenses.
