Coronavirus and employee health and safety training
Before the epidemic, OHS training was usually organized at the employer’s premises, in the presence of the employee and the trainer. Currently, due to recommendations to limit interpersonal contacts and recommending social isolation, the possibility of organizing OHS training has been significantly impeded. However, this topic has been regulated in regulations that try to meet the dynamically changing situation in terms of employee matters. Currently, there is no doubt that the employer can conduct OHS training remotely, but with the exception of certain groups of employees, for which it is still necessary to conduct direct OHS training.
It should be noted that during an epidemic, the employer is still required to properly train the employee in the field of occupational health and safety before allowing the employee to work. Without such training, the employee cannot be allowed to work. On the other hand, the Anti-Crisis Shield indicates that during the period of an epidemic threat or an epidemic it is allowed to conduct initial training in the field of occupational safety and health and service entirely via electronic means of communication.
This is a significant facilitation, however, in the provisions of the Anti-Crisis Shield, it also indicates positions where it is not possible to conduct the training entirely via electronic means of communication, i.e .:
- an employee employed in a blue-collar position;
- an employee employed in a position where there is exposure to hazardous factors;
- an employee transferred to the position referred to in items 1 and 2
- a student undergoing practical vocational training and a student carrying out student practice.
As regards periodic training, the Anti-Crisis Shield provides for an extension of the deadline for conducting periodic health and safety training. Where the period of periodic training in the field of health and safety at work or health and safety at the service is due in:
- the period of the epidemic threat or epidemic state or
- within 30 days from the date of cancellation of the state of epidemic threat, if no state of epidemic or state of epidemic is declared this period is extended to the 60th day from the date of cancellation of the state of epidemic threat, if no state of epidemic or epidemic state is declared.
