With difficult working conditions, guaranteeing employees meals is not only the good will of the employer. This issue is regulated by law.

Theanswer to the  question of what a regenerative meal is is contained in Art. 232 of the Labor Code, which informs that: „The employer is obliged to provide employees employed in particularly arduous conditions, free of charge, with appropriate meals and drinks, if it is necessary for preventive reasons.”

A recovery meal is a good way to give employees an extra boost of energy. Especially when they lose it through hard work, hypothermia or other adverse conditions. Most often, warm food or drink is used for this purpose. There is also an interchangeable term „supportive meals”.

Regenerative meals are issued in relation to a specific physical exercise. In the case of men, they are guaranteed if during the work shift the effective energy expenditure of the body is above 2000 kcal (8375 kJ). For women, this is above 1100 kcal (4605 kJ).

When working in a closed room with a temperature below 10 °C or a thermal load indicator (WBGT) above 25 °C, the threshold energy expenditure is lower – 1500 kcal (6280 kJ) in men and 1000 kcal (4187 kJ) in women, respectively.

Another situation regulated by law, which obliges to provide supportive meals, is physical effort related to underground work, during the removal of natural disasters and similar situations.

If, for some reason, the employer is unable to provide regenerative meals during breaks, he may do so by providing the employee with vouchers or vouchers for catering outlets or products for self-preparation of dishes.

Of particular importance for such a meal is the period from November 1 to March 31. From late autumn until early spring, temperatures and weather conditions are much more unfavourable, especially for people working outdoors, e.g. in the construction sector. In this situation, the employer must provide a regenerative meal to the employee if the physical effort associated with working in an open area during a work shift leads to an effective energy expenditure of the body at a level above 1500 kcal (6280 kJ) for men and above 1000 kcal (4187 kJ) for women.

Regenerative meals should have a certain calorific value. People working in difficult conditions or performing activities that require a lot of energy expenditure must receive a meal worth about 1000 kcal, containing 50-55% carbohydrates, 30-35% fats and 15% proteins.

In addition, the employee should be provided with prophylactic drinks. Depending on the operating conditions (m.in. high or low temperature), these are both cold and hot beverages. In the winter season, the latter should be available during the entire working shift.

Source: https://inzynieriabhp.pl/posilki-regeneracyjne-bhp-gdynia/

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