Disturbing data on accidents at work - 148 people died in accidents at work in 2017 (1-2) The GUS's information on accidents at work this year is worrying. Compared to the same period last year, not only were there more accidents in total, but also the number of accidents with serious injuries as well as deaths increased significantly. Is there a breakdown of the good direction of the decreasing number of accidents?
PIP plans for control over 2018 (3-4) At the last December meeting of the Labor Protection Council, the Cief Labor Inspector presented the PIP's program of activities in 2018. He indicated, among others industries in which PIP inspectors check the compliance with labor law, including OSH regulations. What issues will be in the field of interest of PIP inspectors in 2018?
There will be no change to the OSH Regulation on positions equipped with on-screen monitors (4) In the near future there will be no changes to the binding, but obsolete regulation of the minister of labor and social policy of December 1st, 1998 on occupational realth and safety at workstations equipped with screen monitors. This is the result of the response we received from the Ministry of Labor.
Results of the PIP program "First inspection" (5-6) After carrying out 10,000 In the first inspections, in 98% of cases, inspectors found various types of irregularities and applied appropriate legal measures. Only in the case of 2% of inspected workplaces, labor inspectors have not issued any legal remedy. This sums up the activities regarding the first PIP inspections before the State Audit Committee. See what occupational health and safety weaknesses were found by inspectors.
Number subject
Workplace heating (8-9) At the start of the next heating season, there are questions about the occupational health and safety requirements that mus be met by the heating system in work rooms. What can be the minimum temperature in work rooms? What are the rules for safe heating of work spaces?
Working conditions
Direct threats to the health and life of employees (7) What is the concept of immediate danger? Is it always necessary to report a case of its occurrence to supervisory authorities?
PIP control in relation to the direct threat to workers' health and life (12-13) The immediate threat to health and life that may arise in the work process obliges the employer to take immediate action to eliminate this threat. What control activities can the inspector take in such a case?
Recognition of qualifications for regulated professions (14) Is the rights of a forklift driver issued in another country important in Poland? Can the employer respect rights obtained in other countries than Poland to operate machines that require them to be presented at the workplace?
Cloakroom for health center personnel employed on contract (15) Does the ordering party employing nurses, babysitters and cleaning staff have to provide separate cloakrooms for their individual use in the cloakroom for the contractors?
H&S requirements for battery chargers (15) After fire protection, the company received the recommendation to separate and mark the space for charging electric trucks. What requirements must be met by such a place in accordance with fire regulations and health and safety?
Occasional exposure to adverse weather conditions and protective clothing (16) The employee passes during the work shift with an open area to other buildings for the purpose of qualitative acceptance of the products. Should it be equipped with additional protective clothing adapted to low temperatures during winter? Can it be a duty garment used interchangeably by employees?
Judicial jurisprudence
Lack of supervision over the employee and liability for accident at work (10-11) Lack of supervision by the employer on the way the employee works on the first day of his employment under a trial contract may be one of the causes of an accident at work justifying the acceptance of liability under Art. 415 of the Civil Code - the Appellate Court ruled in the judgment of 30 December 2014, Ref. act III ApA 11/14.
Hazardous substances for health and safety
How to determine the correctness of a safety data sheet (1) A safety data sheet is a document that provides a producer or importer to recipients of hazardous chemicals and their mixtures within the European Union. According to art. 31 § 5 of REACH, safety data sheets should be provided in the official languages of the Member States where the substance or mixture is mardeted, unless the Member States concerned decide otherwise. The safety data sheet is a collection of information on the hazardous properties of the substance or preparation and the principles and recommendations necessary to ensure their safe use.
Biological threats on the farm - selected issues (3) The diversity of tasks performed on the farm is matched by the varied level of threats related to work. Specific hazards are threats resulting from exposure to biological agents, whose sources can ba found on the farm with varying intensity at almost every step.
How to proceed after an acute mecidal device (4) The medical staff is exposed to biting with sharp mecidal tools when providing medical services, e.g. injection needle, biopsy, etc. If a medical worker is stuck, an accident report is drawn up. The Social Insurance Institution determines the damage to health and its relationship with the work performed for the employer after the treatment and rehabilitation. If the employee is stabbing, it is an injury, the employee undergoes research and is under the supervision of the occupational medicine clinic for a period determined in the post-exposure procedure. If the employee is not cured in the clinics (claims that it is only a stabbing), then how to terminate the post-accident investigation correctly?
