For many years, here and there, in various types of mass media, we have been hearing about the phenomenon of smog, especially in autumn and winter. The occurrence of smog is closely related to human activity and pollution occurring in the environment.

Smog is caused by industrial pollution, but also by road transport and households using conventional heating stoves.

The high concentration of particulate pollutants in the atmosphere (especially during the heating season) has a negative impact on human health. The harmful properties of dust result both from its chemical composition, but also from the size and shape of its individual particles. In winter, we most often hear about particulate matter, which is a mixture of particles of different chemical composition (containing, for example, sulphur compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metals, furans, dioxins) and size (PM2.5, PM10).

The dust with the smallest diameter, PM2.5, is the most dangerous for our health, since its action does not end with the alveoli, but can penetrate the blood vessels and then into the bloodstream.

The elderly, children, physically active people (e.g. people who work physically outdoors) are most exposed to particulate matter. Long-term exposure to high concentrations of particulate matter can lead to chronic respiratory diseases, allergic diseases, and heart disease.

Therefore, the question arises as to what about employees whose work is related to the performance of their activities in the open air, in the „open air”. The problem will particularly concern construction workers, maintaining cleanliness, taking care of green areas, couriers on bicycles, or uniformed services patrolling the streets of our towns.

According to the regulations, the employer has a duty to take care of the health and safety of their employees, as well as to provide them with safe and hygienic working conditions. In this situation, although the employer has no direct influence on the overall level of air pollution, it can ensure an adequate level of protection for employees working outdoors.

The regulations do not explicitly specify what actions the employer would have to take in connection with the deterioration of the general air quality. In the first place, the employer should take this type of risk into account in the occupational risk assessment and propose preventive measures.

It is hard to imagine that employers would start regular measurements of pollutants floating in the air en masse, so for this purpose you can use publicly available information published on their websites by the Chief Inspectorate for Environmental Protection or its provincial branches.

In a situation where the severity of smog and the concentration of pollutants in the atmosphere is particularly intense and exceeds the permissible standards, the employer may take the following exemplary actions:

• suspend or limit the working time of employees in open spaces,
• limit, as far as possible, the intensity of workers’ physical exertion
• limit the work in the open space of workers who suffer from
• apply a different distribution of breaks in working time or increase their number,
• conduct information campaigns among employees on the harmful effects of smog and other atmospheric air pollutants and their impact on our health and general well-being.

These are only proposals for possible preventive measures, which are not obligatory for the employer from the point of view of the law, and smog itself in these circumstances cannot be considered a direct threat to the life and health of the employee within the meaning of Article 210 of the Labour Code.

The actions taken by the employer will only be preventive in nature, increasing the level of safety and awareness of employees. At the same time, each of these actions, even the smallest, can have a positive impact on the employer’s image, both among its employees and local communities.

Source: https://www.i-bhp.com/post/ochrona-pracownik%C3%B3w-przed-smogiem

Supported by Norway through Norway Grants 2014-2021, in the frame of the Programme “Social Dialogue – Decent Work”.