Changes in the regulation of health protection at work are coming into force

Changes will affect, in particular, the following areas:

• obligation of employers to secure an occupational health service for their employees by a permanent contractual relationship is replaced by a clarification of the existing obligation of employers to ensure (in cooperation with the occupational health service) the assessment of health risks for employees arising from their exposure to a factor of work and the working environment;

• public health inspectorates should prioritize during their inspections of the workplace such health risk assessments before employer´s contracts with the occupational health service;

• annual assessment of the health risk will be mandatory only in workplaces where employees carry out hazardous works (3^rd and 4^th category). For works of 2^nd category, the employers will be obliged to assess the health risk at work per each 18 months. In other cases, the employer will be obliged to prepare the health risk reassessment only upon a change in working conditions that could have an impact from health risk point of view;

• obligation of the employer to maintain records of employees based on categories of work will only apply to 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th category; in this relation, the amendment introduces also the obligation for the employer to notify the respective public health authority annually by January 15, in an electronic form, specified data concerning employees engaged in work classified in 2^nd category (however, this notification obligation will apply only after 1 July 2018).

Relevant changes should result also in decrease of financial costs of employers. Scope of the employer´s obligations in this area will depend, in particular, on the actual health hazards and the hazardous nature of the work environment.