The national legislation governing occupational safety and health principles is Law No 151/2020 amending and supplementing Law No 53/2003 (Labour Code), which refers to the employer’s obligation to ensure the health and safety of employees in all work-related aspects. Occupational safety and health risks can be prevented for all categories of workers by applying risk assessment principles and the necessary preventive measures.

With appropriate training and education, employers can promote, through concrete programmes, prevention methods relating to the health and safety of employees.

In accordance with the legislation in force, employers must take into account the following general principles relating to prevention:

• avoiding risks,
• assessing risks that cannot be avoided,
• combating risks at source,
• adapting work to the individual, in particular as regards the design of workplaces and the choice of work and production equipment and methods, with a view to mitigating especially monotonous and repetitive work and reducing its effects on employees’ health,
• taking account of technical developments,
• replacing what is dangerous with what is not dangerous or is less dangerous,
• prevention planning,
• adopting collective protection measures with priority over individual protection measures,
• making employees aware of the appropriate instructions.

Rules on the organisation of occupational health and safety by the employer

• The occupational safety and health rules must be set out in the internal regulations.
• Other specific documents drawn up by the employer together with the trade union or, where appropriate, with employees’ representatives, as well as the occupational safety and health committee.

Forms of organisation for ensuring occupational health and safety

• Occupational Health and Safety Committee. Under Articles 183 to 185 of Law No 151/2020, an occupational health and safety committee is set up at the level of each employer in order to involve employees in the preparation of decisions relating to the protection of workers.

Where it is not necessary to set up the occupational safety and health committee, a labour protection officer shall be appointed by the employer.