Law. Human. Environment

Development of the national production of personal protective equipment: Problems of control over state certification and working conditions during martial law

Oleg Makarevych
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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the mechanisms of state control over the production of personal protective equipment under martial law and to develop recommendations for their improvement to improve product quality and employee safety. The methodological framework of this study was an expert survey, systemic and structural, formal legal, and comparative legal methods. The study conducted an expert survey of managers of 7 manufacturing companies via the online platform to assess certification issues and working conditions on a five-point scale. The analysis of the study findings revealed critical problems in the field of certification: excessive financial burden, complexity of certification procedures, protracted duration of the process, lack of transparency, and low availability of information on requirements. The study found that most companies must urgently organise shelters due to the lack of protective structures, have problems with logistics and raw material supplies, and less than half of the companies faced an outflow of skilled personnel abroad. The assessment of working conditions showed an elevated level of provision of employees with protective equipment, but critically low readiness for evacuation. Additional security costs were found to account for an average of 15% of the companies’ budgets, while labour productivity decreased by 20-30% due to frequent air raids. The study demonstrated the need to introduce simplified certification procedures for critical goods, reduce the cost of procedures through government subsidies, and create a single information portal with up-to-date information on requirements and changes in the regulatory framework. The study proposed the development of special methodological recommendations on the organisation of labour under martial law and the creation of state support mechanisms for the modernisation of production facilities and the construction of protective structures. The findings have practical implications for the development of an effective state policy in the field of personal protective equipment production in Ukraine and demonstrate the need to strike a balance between the efficiency of meeting defence needs and compliance with quality and safety standards under martial law

Keywords

product testing; cost-effectiveness; accredited laboratories; technical regulations; market surveillance; financial support

Suggested citation
Makarevych, O. (2025). Development of the national production of personal protective equipment: Problems of control over state certification and working conditions during martial law. Law. Human. Environment, 16(1), 69-89. https://doi.org/10.31548/law/1.2025.69
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