World Day for Safety and Health at Work

On the 28th of April the World Day for Safety and Health at Work is celebrated. This year the leitmotif of the event is: Anticipate, prepare and respond to crises, which refers to the COVID 19 pandemic.

The aim of World Day for Safety and Health at Work is to draw attention to the significance of ensuring appropriate protection for workers. The prevention of accidents, diseases at work and other risks is one of the major responsibilities of every employer. The promotion of good OSH practices in organisations should not be forgotten either.

In times of COVID-19, the regulations on mandatory employee health and safety examinations and trainings have changed. Periodic examinations have been suspended until the end of the pandemic (up to a maximum of 60 days from the date of cancellation of the state of epidemic or epidemic hazard), while initial trainings can be conducted remotely, with the exception of job instructions addressed to certain groups of employees, e.g., manual workers.

Learn more: Anti-crisis shield: new deadlines and forms of OHS trainings

In December 2020, the Ministry of Health added the SARS-CoV-2 virus to the list of hazardous biological agents in the workplace.

Learn more: Hazardous biological agents – changes for employers

At present, one of the major challenges for employers is to control the OSH rules observance by employees working remotely. For several months, there have been discussions and preparations aimed at regulating this issue under the Labour Code.