The predecessor of the department of labor safety and management of emergency situations, the cathedra of the relevant specialty was established at the Mining and Geological Faculty of the Polytechnic Institute of Georgia in 1932, under the name of the "Safety Engineering and Industrial Sanitation". Professor Ivane Kipshidze was appointed as the head of the department. He headed the said department until 1959.
In the 50s of the last century, the name of the department was changed and it was called "Labor protection and mine ventilation" department.
Since 1959, the department has been headed by Honored Worker of Science and Technology of the Georgian SSR, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor Vakhtang Kashibadze. He headed the department until 1988. After that, since 1988, associate professor Zviad Mosashvili was appointed as the head of the department, after his death in 1993, associate professor Naom Bochorishvili was elected as the head of the department.
Since 2006, an educational department has been established on the basis of the "Labor protection and mine aerology" department and it has been named "Labor safety and emergency management" department N304, the head of which was appointed Professor Naom Bochorishvili. He headed the said department until 2015.
Since 2015, after the death of Professor N. Bochorishvili, Professor Teimuraz Kunchulia was appointed as the head of the "Labor Safety and Emergency Management" Department, who was replaced by Professor Nino Ratiani in October 2021.
The Department of "Labor Safety and Emergency Situations Management" is a structural unit of the Faculty of Mining and Geology, and at the same time maintains the status of a university teaching department, because since its establishment, it has been leading the teaching of general labor safety courses at all faculties of GTU. In addition, since the end of the 90s of the last century, the department has become a profiler, and after passing the accreditation of the relevant undergraduate educational program, admission to the undergraduate program "Engineering Safety and Emergency Management" has begun. From the 2006/2007 academic year, a master's program was added to the bachelor's program (supervisor Nino Jvarelia), and in the 2011/2012 academic year, the doctoral program (supervisor Nana Machavariani) was accredited.
The graduates of the master's educational program in 2007-2012 were awarded the qualification "Labor safety manager". In 2012, the master's educational program was accredited and received the name "Safety Engineering and Risk Assessment" in accordance with the national qualification framework in force at that time. Since 2012, graduates of the mentioned master's educational program have been awarded the qualification "Master of Environmental Engineering and Safety". A total of 51 masters graduated from the mentioned master's program.
In 2020, re-accreditation was passed, and today all three levels of the academic program of occupational safety and health are functioning on the basis of the department. The heads of the programs are "Engineering Safety and Emergency Management" Professor Lusinda Chkheidze (Bachelor), "Professional Safety and Health" Professor Teimuraz Kunchulia (Master's Degree) and Professor Nino Ratiani (PhD)
The aim of the existing educational programs is to train qualified specialists in accordance with the requirements of the labor market, to organize and plan safe workplaces, to improve working conditions, to identify threats and risk management in the work process.
Currently, a total of 188 students with active status are enrolled in the department at all three levels of higher education.
Considering the importance of ensuring labor safety, health and life of employees and other persons in the workplace, the State of Georgia has been fully funding students enrolled in the educational undergraduate program "Engineering Safety and Emergency Management" since 2017.
Since 2006, under the leadership of Professor Naom Bochorishvili, the "Qualification, Retraining and Teaching Center in the Safety of Labor and Production Technological Processes" was established on the basis of the department, where trainees mastered the general safety requirements of all fields of engineering and were given a certificate of knowledge upon completion of studies and appropriate testing. From 2015 to the present, the said training center is headed by Professor Teimuraz Kunchulia.
Over the years, many distinguished, highly qualified professors have worked in the mentioned department, who were engaged in both pedagogical and scientific-research activities and left an indelible mark in the development of the scientific-educational discipline of labor safety. Their names will always be a part of the department's history: Mikheil Jvarsheishvili, Tamar Meskheli, Archil Imadedze, Bidzina Akhvlediani, Giorgi Lapiashvili, Gayoz Chikobava, Vladimir Zamtaradze, Givi Ratiani, Magda Chkhubianishvili, Nino Mshvenieradze, Evgenia Buchukhishvili, Eduard Gogia, Marine Avaliani, Akaki Elisashvili, Ekaterine Revishvili, Anatoli Neverov, Gia Kavsadze, Tamar Mikadze.
In the 70s and 80s of the last century, the then N 27th Department of "Labor Protection and Mine Aerology" had a training-scientific polygon in the territory of the village of Karajala, Gardabani district, where a 250-meter-long aerodynamic pipe and a blast chamber were installed. By using them, scientific-research works were carried out on various issues of aerology of underground mining works, as well as issues of explosion safety.
Using the data of the mentioned scientific-research works, two dissertation theses were prepared and successfully defended at the department. In 1976 and 1983 Zviad Mosashvili and Teimuraz Kunchulia obtained the scientific degree of Candidate of Technical Sciences.
Over the years, professors and teachers of the department have been holding lectures at the Tskhinvali, Sukhumi, Batumi, Tkibuli, Rustavi and Chiatura branches of the Georgian Technical University. Also, in order to raise the level of labor safety and raise awareness of labor protection issues in organizations (metallurgical plant, chemical plant, Kaspi and Rustavi cement plant, mill plant, wagon repair plant, etc.), lectures on labor safety were held.
Based on the legislative changes, in particular in accordance with the "Scope, Implementation Rules and Conditions of the Accredited Program of Labor Safety Specialist" approved by the Minister of Labour, Health and Social Protection No. 01-25/N of IDPs from the Occupied Territories of Georgia, According to the decision of the Accreditation Commission at the Inspection Service dated November 25, 2022 (Meeting Minutes No. 6), the training center on the basis of the department was granted the status of an organization implementing the training of the accredited program of the labor safety specialist, both in the direction of full, low and medium risk facilities.
In 2019, the Parliament of Georgia adopted a new organic law (No. 4283-II) "On Labor Safety", its status changed, the adopted law became an organic law of a higher hierarchy, and also as a result of constitutional amendments, the Labor Code of Georgia acquired the status of an organic law, thus the state emphasized special importance of protection of labor rights.
The Organic Law of Georgia "On Labor Safety" adopted by our country's legislative body and approved by the President on March 5, 2018, obliges organizations to have a certified labor safety specialist(s) in order to ensure labor safety and health protection of employees in the organization. Accordingly, no enterprise and institution can function without a labor safety specialist or a labor safety service. Based on the trend of labor market demand and modern economic and organizational policy requirements, the competitiveness of our graduates is very high. Our graduates of the higher education program have completed a full professional safety course and are not required to undergo periodic certification, unlike the participants of the short-term training program.
Throughout Georgia, only the Department of Labor Safety and Emergency Situations Management No. 304 of the Faculty of Mining and Geology of the Georgian Technical University prepares qualified personnel with academic programs of higher education.
Labor safety is a promising and demanding profession. The employment rate of the graduates is very high according to the received qualifications. The active cooperation with the employees of the Labor Safety and Emergency Management Department is confirmed by the memorandums signed with the organizations: Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Protection "Department of Labor Inspection"; Mining enterprises Rich Metals Group ("Aremji") and LLC "Saknakashiri"; "Heidelberg Cement Caucasus" LLC; Civil Engineering Society of Georgia; Engineering "Academy" of Georgia; "Anagi" construction company, as well as organizations interested in the mentioned programs (labor safety consulting company "HSE Group"; RRC International Training and Consultancy Georgia; "Safko" LLC; G. Tsulukidze Mining Institute; JSC "Teliani Veli"; LLC "Georgian Water End" Power et al.
The department has training laboratories equipped with the necessary tools and equipment, a cabinet of fire prevention equipment named after Professor Vakhtang Kashibadze, equipment necessary for the implementation of scientific and research projects, training auditoriums equipped with modern projection equipment and computer equipment. It should be noted that the operational plan of the faculty outlines specific tasks for the gradual improvement of the material and technical resources of the mentioned programs and the rehabilitation of the infrastructure in the educational building and the provision of laboratories with modern measuring devices.
A number of grant projects have been implemented on the basis of the department:
Work is currently underway on the winning scientific-research topic in the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation grant project:
The proof of the high scientific achievement of the employees of our department is the copyright (patent) issued by the state on the basis of several inventions:
Sakpatent GE P 2002 2861 B "The method of unwinding a thread from a silk bag" (N. Machavariani).
Sakpatent P 4240. 2004. Air-cleaning multi-section filter. (L. Chkheidze).
The Department of Labor Safety and Emergency Management currently employs 12 full-time academic staff, including: 7 professors, 4 associate professors and 1 assistant professor; 6 senior teachers and 4 laboratory assistants. Emeritus status was awarded to meritorious teachers, professors: Diana Tevzadze and Natela Mekvabishvili.
Academic staff of the department has published many scientific papers, manuals and teaching methodical instructions in various publishing houses. The list of the results of scientific research and practical activities of the last 5 years includes: 2 monographs, 18 manuals and auxiliary manuals, 30 scientific articles, 8 electronic versions of lecture courses.
For the purpose of professional development of the academic and support staff of the training department, the majority of employees have undergone various levels of training, have participated in international and local scientific conferences, symposiums and seminars, including the academic staff mobility (Erasmus+) program funded by the European Commission.
Professor O. Lanchava has been elected as an honorary member of the Romanian Academy of Technical Sciences and the International Mining Academy of the Balkans. Also, as a member of the editorial board of the scientific journals "Georgian Scientists" and "Journal of Engineering Sciences and Innovation" (Bucharest), publication of the Romanian Academy of Technical Sciences.
During the existence of the Department of "Labor Protection and Mine Aerology" and the Department of "Labor Safety and Emergency Management", 9 dissertations were defended by the colleagues, including 5 in the last 12 years.
The main directions of scientific research of the department are determining the coefficients of aerodynamic resistance of tunnels of mining enterprises, analyzing the issues of industrial sanitation and safety techniques in terms of labor safety, overcoming the problems of labor and organizational psychology, ergonomics Determination of operational parameters, detection and evaluation of production risks and development of preventive measures to avoid them, determination/implementation of labor safety and health protection control measures in enterprises, development and implementation of explosion safety parameters of heating boilers operating under pressure, rescuing people in the event of fires in road tunnels Development and testing of transformable systems, technosphere pollution research, etc.
Our students systematically attend meetings held within the university with employers, take an active part in university life, scientific conferences, sports and cultural events held under the auspices of student days. Students with high academic performance participate in the "Clean School" program organized annually by the RMG company, where they undergo paid internships in the company's enterprises. Ana Katamidze, a second-year student of the undergraduate program "Engineering Safety and Management of Emergency Situations", became the winner of the 2023 RMG Scholarship Competition.