Each employer is responsible for occupational health and safety on the premises of the workplace. Its task is to protect the health of employees against the risks occurring there, depending on the position held and the duties performed. In this context, it is an important duty of the employer to determine the occupational risk borne by the employee. OSH deals with this issue, among other things.

The concept of occupational risk in OHS appears in the Labour Code. It concerns the probability with which events causing adverse effects on the health of the worker may occur. The source of occupational hazards is the working environment and the way it is performed.

According to the Labor Code, the employer is obliged to assess and then document the occupational risk. In addition, it must apply preventive measures that reduce the risks incurred. Each employee should be informed about the occupational risk incurred in his position, as well as about the principles of protection against this risk. This obligation must be fulfilled before the employee begins to perform his duties. The risk assessment shall be presented in writing, which shall then require the signature of the worker and shall become part of his personal file.

The PN-N-18002 standard is the most commonly used standard by which occupational risk is assessed. OSH specifies exactly how this assessment is made. The first step is to collect the information necessary to carry out the assessment, which takes into account the workplace, the equipment used in this position, factors dangerous to the employee and the people working in these positions.

In the next step, the occupational risk is estimated. OHS requires this activity to be performed for each workplace. The estimation of occupational risks takes into account, firstly, the probability of accidents or illnesses at the workplace, as well as the seriousness of the consequences of these risks.

The risks that involve the greatest risk must be eliminated first. Finally, documentation is prepared in the form of:

• a description of the job position,
• the result of the occupational risk assessment carried out,
• preventive measures taken,
• the date of the assessment and its author.

The employer can independently assess the occupational risk. However, OSH is a very broad issue and occupational risk assessment requires solid knowledge in this field. For this reason, many employers decide to entrust this task to specialists. The National Labour Inspectorate has prepared guidelines for the proper conduct of occupational risk assessment, but without in-depth knowledge they may not be sufficient to reliably carry out the assessment. The selection of specialists who will perform this task is therefore a very reasonable step from the point of view of the employer, who in the light of the law is solely responsible for any accidents at the workplace resulting from the underestimation of occupational risk.

Occupational risks are also present in EU law, specifically in the special directive of 1989 on measures to improve the safety and health of workers. It imposes obligations on the employer to assess occupational risks, prevent risks, combat sources of risks, inform employees about hazards, as well as replace dangerous solutions with those that are associated with higher safety.

The same document also mentions the obligations of employees. They should use the available means of protection as intended. They are also obliged to inform the employer about situations that pose a threat to health. In addition, they must work with the employer to improve safety.

Source: https://www.seka.pl/ryzyko-zawodowe-bhp/

Projekt otrzymał dofinansowanie z Norwegii poprzez Fundusze Norweskie 2014-2021, w ramach programu „Dialog społeczny – godna praca”.