Occupational health and safety training for employers and those in charge of employees
Employer and duty to provide health and safety training
The obligation to complete health and safety training is incumbent on every employer and contractor in every workplace. It is also the responsibility of the employer to organise it, who also covers its cost. At the same time, he may be freer to set a convenient training date for himself. Training must take place during working hours.
Person in charge of employees and duty to provide health and safety training
The aim of those in charge of employees is to take care of the proper functioning of the company, with particular concern for proper productivity, organisation and quality of work, also in terms of hygiene and safety. Therefore, like the employer, they should be trained and familiar with health and safety regulations.
Why should the employer and the person in charge of employees be familiar with health and safety regulations?
The employer should be familiar with the health and safety regulations, as this is mandated by the Labour Code, and more specifically by Article 207. § 3, indicating that it is the employer's duty to be familiar with the labour protection regulations. These regulations include the more specific health and safety rules mentioned in Article 2373 § Such knowledge should at least cover the scope that is necessary for the performance of their duties. As for persons in charge of employees, their obligation to acquire knowledge of the regulations is supported by Article 212. of the Labour Code, which lists their duties in the field of occupational health and safety.
When should health and safety training take place
Health and safety training for the employer should not take place later than six months after the first day of work. As periodic training, it should not be repeated less frequently than every five years.
The first training for those in charge of employees should take place within six months of commencement of work and subsequent, periodic training more often than every five years.
Who should provide health and safety training for the employer and those in charge of employees?
Health and safety training for the employer and those in charge of employees should be carried out professionally and expertly. According to the Education System Act of 7 September 1991, an organisational unit with authority should be designated to conduct the classes.
The best choice is a training provider with positive reviews of the quality of teaching and instructors.
The training programme should focus on specific aspects of the duties performed and be tailored to the occupational health and safety service, given that its members already have, by virtue of their occupation, prior knowledge of occupational health and safety principles, so require different teaching than new employees in the workplace whose occupation is related to the company's main activity.
The employer and the persons in charge of the employees should be prepared for the training in advance by being informed by the representatives of the training facility about the detailed topics, the duration of the classes and the form of implementation.
The curriculum should be tailored to the responsibilities, tasks and needs of the employer, and those in charge of employees in the company in which they operate.
Topics covered in health and safety training courses
Some of the topics covered in the health and safety training for the employer are:
- correct assessments of the risks involved in work processes and the dangers associated with those risks;
- shaping hygienic and safe working conditions;
- protecting workers from dangerous situations related to the work they do;
- prevention of occupational diseases and their causes;
- principles of proper conduct during emergencies such as accidents, fires, etc;
- current legal regulations on occupational health and safety;
- the economically negative consequences of undesirable working conditions by the employer.
Apart from the last mentioned, which is more likely to be of interest only to the employer, each of the above issues should be discussed and implemented by all concerned.
