Occupational Safety and Health in SMEs Renata Proková AJS Management Slovakia s.r.o.

1. Occupational Safety and Health in SMEs Renata Proková AJS Management Slovakia s.r.o. Bratislava, 10 February 2009

2. Content of thisseminar: • What is OSH? • Legislation in OSH • Institutional arrangement • Responsibilities of employers • Responsibilities of employees • Minimum obligations of SMEs in OSH • Case study – display units • Education in OSH

3. AJS Management Slovakia s.r.o. • established in 1994 • originally project consultancy and management • after restructuring 3 departments - Project Consultancy and Management - Translations & Interpretations - Event Organisation

4. Events Department Our services • Organisation of own conferences • Organisation of conferences for clients • Organisation of seminars, workshops • Organisation of trainings - OSH – accredited by MoE SR and NLI SR - projects under structural funds – accredited by MoE SR - any other type of training tailored to the clients requirements Our clients - big international institutions – World Bank • government institutions – MOLSAF SR • regional self-government – RDAs • private companies - Roche

5. Translations & Interpretation Department Our services: • Translations from and into all business languages • Interpretation – simultaneous and consecutive • Certified translations and interpretations • Proofreading and editing of translated texts • Graphic design and printing Our clients: • big international institutions – World Bank, British Chamber of Commerce • local government organisations – MOLSAF SR, MoA SR • self-governments– Bratislava self-government region, RDA Senec-Pezinok • private companies – MMD PR, Thermae Piešťany, Wagner press, Design In. hotel Kempinski • banks – Leasing Slovenská sporiteľňa

6. Project Consultancy and Management Department Our services: • Consultancy in project identification, implementation, monitoring and evaluation for our clients • Provision of training in PCM in Structural funds accredited by MoE SR • Writing and implementation of own projects Our clients: • private companies • self-governments

7. What is OSH? • It is a very complicated issue • Very important • Many times neglected

8. Legislation in OSH • Before accession – transposition of EU legislation • After accession – EU based legislation • Framework directive and individual directives • SR – 69 legal acts relevant to OSH • Concept of OSH in Slovakia for 2008-2012

9. Institutional arrangement in SR • MOLSAF SR – preparation of acts and governmental decreases, as well as concept in OSH for Slovakia • NLI – control services, training of their staff • 8 regional labour inspectorates – control and counselling services for employers in regions

10. Institutional arrangement in SR • MH SR – preparation of acts in health surveillance • Hygienist SR – control and counselling services • Health services – state and private companies as well, counselling services

11. Rights and responsibilities of employers Employer is obliged to: • implement occupational safety and health measures, e.g. define safe work procedures, issue occupational safety and health rules; • allocate personnel respecting their health condition, abilities and competencies; • avoid performance of work which the personnel is not competent and qualified for; • include breaks in the work process; • maintain the required records;

12. Responsibilities of employers • prepare risk assessments and the relevant lists of provided personal protective equipment, which is provided to the personnel free of charge; • maintain personal protective equipment in usable and functional state; • distribute free of charge washing and cleaning agents and disinfectants necessary for personal hygiene, provided life and health protection requires this, just as protective drinks according to internal regulations; • issue a non-smoking regulation for worksites where non-smokers work.

13. Responsibilities of employees Employees are especially obliged to: • respect occupational safety and health legal regulations, as well as other regulations, principles and defined work procedures, that were duly and demonstrably communicated to the employees; • operate selected machinery and equipment only with the relevant qualification and employer authorisation for the operation of the said machinery and equipment; • use personal protective equipment;

14. Responsibilities of employees • participate in training; • comply with medical checks and examinations on the presence of alcohol or other drugs. • no use of alcohol • observe the no-smoking policy within the worksites, etc.

15. Minimum responsibilities of SMEs • Provide for the implementation of safety-technical services via authorised safety officer. Safety officer acts as an expert consultant to the company and checks the observation of OSH duties by the responsible personnel. • Prepare written documentation: OSH rules (OSH policy concept – OSH Policy, provided there are more than 11 employees), OSH instructions, internal directives and regulations • Prepare and update List of Jobs and Worksites coupled with specific risks to pregnant women, mothers up until the ninth month following birth and breast feeding mothers • Identify hazards and threats, assess risks and prepare a written risk assessment for all activities of employees • Issue a List of Distributed Personal protective equipment based on risk assessment and hazards evaluation

16. Minimum responsibilities of SMEs • Organise OSH and Fire Safety training for all employees and management, the frequency of which is in an internal regulation and schedule it minimum once every two years, provided the regulation does not state otherwise. Organise during working hours repeated employee training depending on work assignment, e.g. drivers of vehicles, load binders also respecting the requirements in other regulations. • Prepare Measures and Procedures for Direct and Material Threats to Life and Health (define procedures for fire, rescue works and evacuation, including first aid). Define and train sufficient number of personnel for the performance of these activities. Communicate the document to all personnel. • Equip worksites with the necessary first aid means (first aid kit, …) • Develop and have available Operating Manuals for all technical equipment.

17. Minimum responsibilities of SMEs • Inspect, review and test all dedicated technical equipment (e.g. lifts, electric equipment, forklifts, boilers...) and fire-technical equipment - fire extinguishers and hydrants, EFS, fire gates, etc. • Make alcohol and drug checks of employees at work and supervise the observation of the no-smoking policy within the employer’s premises. • Register any industrial accidents in the Accidents Register, write a record on registered industrial accident and report it to the supervisory authorities and employee safety representative and deliver it to the relevant labour inspectorate. • Appoint one or several employee safety representatives and enable them to pursue their duties

18. Minimum responsibilities of SMEs • In case of work with and sale of chemical, biologic and other hazardous substances, the employer has to prepare a written assessment of chemical and other risks, maintain safety cards of the given chemicals and observe any health supervision instructions and provide for proper and demonstrable information, training and equipment of personnel pursuant to special requirements. • Employer shall outsource company health services providing preventive and protective services (preventive checks, identification of risks and threats, proposed measures improving OSH status... • Maintain records and documents on OSH for minimum 5 years.

19. Case study – display units Governmental ordinance of SR dated 26 April 2006 on minimum safety and health requirements at work with display units defines minimum requirements for using of: • Screen • Key board • Working table • Seat • Area requirements • Light • Light reflections • Noise • Microclimatic conditions • Non-ionising radiation • Programme equipment

20. Training in OSH Act No. 124/ 2006 Coll. on OSH • Article c 7: the employers is obliged to repeatedly, but at least once in 2 years, ensure informing of employees about OSH. • Article c 22: the employer can perform the tasks of the safety technician at his work sites when: • - has professional ability to do so what according to the Article c 7 of the Act is successful passing of professional training on OSH in the amount of minimum 16 hours {our course} • - employs less than 5 employees if he is performing economic activities mentioned in the Annex 1 to this Act, • - employs less than 19 employees, if he is performing economic activities which are not listed in the Annex 1 to this Act.

21. Training in OSH Occupational medical services: • Regulates Act No.124/2006 o OSH Article 22 • Permission for its performance is issued by the Office of Public Health Care either to physical persons or legal persons • Article 26 of the same Act defines competencies and tasks of the occupational medical services and that they can be performed only by authorised persons in line with the Governmental ordinance SR No. 322/ 2006 Coll. on the way of further educational of health care staff.  

22. PROJECTEuropean certificate for gearing up to occupational safety and health in SMEsLLP-LdV-TOI-2007-SK-73100389

23. PROJECT • was a part of a multilateral programme transfer of innovation • is supported from the long-life learning programme, sub-programme Leonardo da Vinci

24. BACKGROUND INFORMATION DURATION - 12 MONTHS NOVEMBER 2007 - OCTOBER 2008 PLACES OF PERFORMANCE SLOVAKIA * GERMANY * BULGARIA

25. IMPLEMENTATION AGENCY & PROJECT PARTNERS AJS Management Slovakia s.r.o. Slovak Chamberof Entrepreneurs Handwerkskammer Trier Nemecko Chamber of Commerce and Industry Bulgaria

26. TARGET GROUPrepresentatives of SMEs PROJECT OBJECTIVE implementation of acquis communautaire and Slovak legislation in the area of OSH in SMEs

27. PROJECT RESULTS • developed training modules on OSH • developed brochure on OSH in SMEs in hard copy and on CD • training course on OSH for SMEs accredited by the Ministry of Education SR • training course on specific professional education accredited by NLI SR

28. PROJECT RESULTS • e-learning form of the training prepared for accreditation in NLI SR • trained trainers from SMEs in OSH and issued certificates • increased awareness of SMEs about their legal obligations concerning OSH & decrease of occupational accidents and diseases

29. Training in OSH – 3 types • accredited by MoEd SR – information of employers and top management on OSH issues • accredited by NLI SR – for regular re-training of employees • accredited by NLI SR – for employers to perform the function of the safety technician in their company – for SMEs upto 5 and 19 employees, depending upon the type of services provided

30. Thank you for your attention! Renáta Proková AJS Management Slovakia s.r.o. www.ajsman.com Mobile: +421 903 446121 E-mail: renata.prokova@ajsman.com