The Minister of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, Natalia Kalmykova, visited one of DTEK Energy’s mines in the Dnipropetrovsk region, located near the frontline. During the visit, she got acquainted with inclusive solutions on the ground surface of the enterprise and talked with veterans directly at their workplaces.
A pilot project to create a barrier-free environment has been implemented at the coal enterprise. This is the first example among large industrial facilities in the country, where handrails are installed on the ground surface of the mine, adapted toilets and showers, and danger zones are clearly marked.
The company has already conducted a full accessibility audit on all its assets: mines, thermal power plants, and machine-building plants. Based on the results obtained, recommendations were developed for further phased implementation of inclusive changes.
In addition to physical accessibility, DTEK Energy enterprises have a roadmap for returning defenders to work. It includes:
– Defender Assistant Institute: support for veterans after their return;
– Veteran+ social package: extended medical insurance and psychological support;
– Professional development: training and retraining programs;
– Digital tools: automated job catalog for veterans with disabilities, taking into account medical classifications and working conditions;
– Adaptive workwear: development of special workwear for the needs of workers with amputees.
“It is important for us to see how solutions that help veterans return to professional life work in practice. This is not a formal approach, but systematic work with respect for the experience of defenders,” noted Natalia Kalmykova.
DTEK Energy CEO Oleksandr Fomenko emphasized that creating safe and inclusive workplaces was a priority for the company, as it made business and the state more resilient.
Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, more than 5.7 thousand DTEK employees have gone to the defense of Ukraine. More than a thousand of them have already completed their service, and a significant part has returned to work. Currently, the largest veteran community – 226 employees – works in the mines in the Dnipropetrovsk region. (Energobiznes)